An end to Islam bashing?

Many Christians approach Muslim people with memories of 9/11 resonating in their minds. They see a people bent on the total destruction of other nations and religions, especially Judaism and Christianity. They see hatemongering, warmongering elitists who are bent on jihad. These reactionary Christians even take the time to justify such perceptions with quotes from the Q'uran, citing various extremist views as the normative belief system which is contrary to any hopes of peace or acceptance. As a result, all those of Islamic belief are cast with a broad brush as terrorists who loathe freedom or freedom in Christ.

And yet, I can’t help but see a double standard here. I don’t appreciate being stereotyped and equated with extreme conservative Christianity. I surely don’t agree with abortion clinic bombers, with those who believe that salvation is reserved only for those who have done certain things, with those who handle snakes in worship services, or with televangelists who hawk their wares for profit. And I am offended that people would consider Christianity to consist of such things.

I find it unfair that naysayers of Christianity rip texts from my Holy Book in an effort to justify their problems with my belief system. But such texts exist nonetheless. The Bible, at times, condones ethnic cleansing as much as the Quran. The Bible, at times, condones mistreatment of women and those of differing faiths. The Bible, at times, seems more concerned with rules and regulations than relating with people.

So why is it a personal affront when we are labeled and stereotyped with Christians whom we disagree but okay to do the same with all Muslim believers? Sure their holy book condones violent actions – so does ours. Sure their holy book makes legalistic rule keeping a part of their belief system – so does ours.

Maybe this sort of action stems from our belief that we have the corner market on truth and Islam stands as a false religion. Though there may be some validity to such a statement, it seems that the attacks do not come in the name of false religion but in the name of opening our eyes to the evil ways of those who “threaten freedom.” It is time to separate those who believe in a peaceful religion based on the 5 Pillars brought by Mohammed from those who use the religion to promote extremist views.

Am I wrong here? Is my concern for peace and acceptance clouding my ability to see the dangers of Islam?

Return to New Orleans

Monday night marked the first return of a major sporting event to the hurricane ravaged city of New Orleans. I watched with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it was a far cry from the scenes that are engrained in my mind from just a year ago:

People wading through water with babies in hand
People looting
Dead bodies floating in the water
Dead bodies covered with sheets
Descriptions of the breakdown of society and the horrible things that could be found in the Superdome and the Convention center
People on roofs crying for rescue
People vowing never to go back

The scene Monday was one of jubilation and triumph. Here tens of thousands of people celebrated a victory. The fact that in just over a year the city would be able to hold such an event seems impossible. All the destruction seems like a distant memory.

But then my thoughts turned to a much more somber note. So much energy, money, and time was spent getting a sporting facility ready to host a game while all reports seem to indicate that most of the poorest people still remain homeless. There are entire sections of New Orleans that have not been touched except to clear rubbish out of the roads for vehicles to get by. Why are so many people making this game the benchmark of the return to New Orleans while thousands (if not millions) have not even returned to their previous life? Have such people been ignored for the sake of a stupid game? Has restoring their lives and homes been put further down the list then recreation?

Some justify the effort being put on this event saying that the Saints represent a significant part of the economy. Up to a certain point I may concede the point. But clearly people have to come first. Don’t they?

So I watched the game and the people cheering and waving towels and wondered, “What would I think if was refuge from New Orleans watching from some distance place? Would I be delighted or disgusted? Energized or embarrassed?”

How about you?

New Video Camera

Carrie and I finally got a video camera to capture Elijah's funny and entertaining moments. So, I have posted two such events as an effort to see how transfer and quality go. So, here they are. Hope you enjoy.

Stained Glass Memories

Not knowing what God has planned for our families future, and knowing fully our own desires, Carrie wanted commemorate our time in East Tennessee. The opportunity came to do a stained glass window with a wonderfully talented woman, so we jumped at the chance. After 2-3 days of cutting glass, arranging pieces, soldering, etc., we have the masterpiece below. The picture does not do it justice as Carrie did an amazing job. I did very little.
It is a vision that we frequently see – the river flowing in front of the mountains as the sun shines down. God’s creation is especially beautiful here in East Tennessee. It will be tough to leave when the time comes.

The best laid plans…

I had in mind to continue posting regularly, but life had other plans. Last week was a week which, if ever repeated, may lead to my demise. It was supposed to be a busy week anyway. My teaching responsibilities at King and Milligan began on Wednesday. I was also slotted to preach on Sunday. And, our youth group was going to spend all day Friday and Saturday at the Bristol Motor Speedway selling ear plugs and water to race fans as an attempt at raising money. Was this a full week and weekend? Sure. But it was manageable…until the unforeseen entered into the equation.

I was typing feverishly on my laptop on Monday night. I had spent most of the day crafting a sermon and preparing my notes for OT Survey. So at around 9:00pm, as I paused to reflect on my work, I heard some unfortunate words – “Oh my gosh!! Watch out!!” I lifted my hands from the laptop and looked up just in time to see a bottle of lotion whiz by my head and land squarely on my laptop. Carrie had accidentally dropped this bottle off an overhang and down onto my work area in the family room.

The laptop restarted to the sound of grinding. I knew immediately it was the hard drive that had been damaged. Not wanting to subject it to further damage, I turned the laptop off with the hopes that things could be salvaged. The next morning I tried to start the laptop up but it tried for about 10 seconds and gave me the, “You are screwed. Throw the computer away.” (Note: this was not the actual message, but I am conveying the connotation). So I shut down again and decided to try again later.

In the afternoon I powered up again and after running a battery of diagnostic tests, it did load up, but again the sounds emendating from the hard drive area would make even the most stalwart listener cringe. I quickly threw in a USB drive and started copying files, starting with my sermon, class notes, and irreplaceable pictures of the new baby. Partway through, the Hard Drive locked up and I had to shut down again, but not before getting the most pertinent files.

As it stands today I have replaced the Hard Drive and gotten many of the files off the damaged drive, though I will never get everything off. Some pictures of Elijah are lost. Some pictures of family are lost. Any file over 1 Mb is pretty much toast. But my written down thoughts, lessons, sermons, etc. made the transfer.

I hope to get things back together soon, but am still trying to catch up. Thanks for your patience here at “The Second Call.”

Bizarre Brownie Commercial

I don’t know if you have heard, but Domino’s is running a new promotion where they include fudge brownie bits free with every purchase. You read correctly. Brownie and Pizza.

Let me paint a picture of how it was presented to me on TV. I just got finished watching the trailer for “Crossover” which looks like a combination of “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Bring it on,” and “You Got served” – but I digress. So the next commercial is for these brownie bites, and the delivery guy arrives at the door and “Fudgems” – the brownie mascot – is with him. Of course every time Fudgems touches something, he gets chocolate all over them. It was bizarre to say the least.

However, it reminded me of my time working at “Mail Boxes Etc.” (now The UPS Store) when we would debate on who could “pack the fudge” the best. My brother and Susie Riggs/Finkbiener would usually win the competition. That joke never gets old.

The Calm After the Storm

A storm rolled through last night, and then there was this eerie glow. I wish I had captured it better.

Daily Snapshot

Jaime Wetzel’s blog links to another blog called 10 years of my life that is an experiment in taking and posting a picture every day. I think that is an interesting idea, for a couple of reasons. First, it documents a brief episode from your day. It is history writing in a slightly different way. Second, it makes you more aware of your surroundings, looking for a memorable scene to capture. Finally, it makes you work on your picture taking abilities (or lack thereof).

So, I am going to give it a shot. I am going to try and take more picture of random things. Maybe not every day, but I hope to share a picture with you when I get them in addition to my semi-regular postings.

A Personal Holliday

Today is a special day. It is Elijah’s birthday – 2 years on this planet. Unbelievable that he has been in my life that long. He is an awesome kid – smart, stubborn, funny, full of life, with a touch of OCD for good measure. He has taught me that patience and grace are better teachers than strict discipline. Though he may never read anything I write, he has influenced me more than I or he will realize.

It is also the 2-year anniversary of the inception of this blog. It is hard to believe that I have been posting my thoughts for two years. It is also hard to believe anyone reads them. I enjoy doing it as it forces me to think, to evaluate, to accept criticism, and to be humble when people don’t respond to what I think is brilliance.

Very little has changed, and yet it seems like so much.
I am still serving at the same church, but now with a new minister.
I am still married to Carrie, but now we have two children.
I am still searching for God but am less concerned about finding the “correct” theology.

The journey of life is a journey of faith. Faith that your hopes and dreams will be accomplished. Faith that your life is not a waste but holds a meaning often beyond what you can see. Faith that in the end this is not some cosmic experiment or joke.

This is the faith I hold despite what I see around me. I see a world that is being torn apart by war, hatred, and selfishness. It is not a world that I want my children to see. But I believe in a world that claims God as King. I believe that the reign of God can overcome even the worst evils. And to such end, I will keep searching. Keep journeying. Maybe even keep writing.

Browser Business

The above picture is of course the logo to Mozilla Firefox, which has been stomped out as a crop circle. Firefox is quickly becoming the most used browser in the world. For those who don’t know, it has automatic pop up blocking (Internet Explorer just recently added such a feature). It also has tabbed browsing which means I can have another page loading while finishing the page I am on.

Anyway, this isn’t a promo for Firefox (though if you don’t use it, you should). I work on quite a few computers getting viruses, spyware, and various other annoying features off. And more than likely, if I have to fix the computer, the person doesn’t have or use Firefox. That is pretty annoying and cuts into my productivity, but I make it through.

So, this post doesn’t really have a purpose, except I saw the above picture, thought it was cool, and took the opportunity to voice my opinion about Internet browsers.

***All of you Opera and Safari users need not post how much better you think your browsers are.

Statement of Faith

I may have mentioned that I will be teaching Old Testament Survey at King College in the fall. Since they are affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and I am not, they have asked me to include a “Statement of Faith”. Having never written one, I googled it and found some interesting things. Some of which I agreed with, some of which I did not. What follows is a work in progress – a first draft if you will detailing my statement of faith. It is similar in some areas to other statements, but diverges in others. I am looking for constructive criticisms on where it is good, where it is weak, and what is lacking.

Statement of Faith

The basis of my faith is in the revelation of God through His actions in the world, through the Incarnation of his Son, and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.


There is one true God, eternally existing who, out of his love, created the world as good.
Despite sin entering into the world, God seeks the redemption and restoration of His creation to return it to its original state.


Jesus Christ, the living Word, is perfect Deity and true humanity united in one person forever.
He lived a sinless life, clearly displaying and fulfilling the greatest commandment to love God and love others.
He voluntarily atoned for the sins of men by dying on the cross as their substitute, satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him.
He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to sit down at the right hand of God the Father, where He continually makes intercession for His own.


The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to men.
It convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life to them, continually dwells within them.
Its fullness, power and control are appropriated in the believer's life by faith.


The salvation of man is wholly a work of God's free grace and is not the result of human works or goodness. God imputes His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ for their salvation, and thereby justified them in His sight.
Jesus proclaimed and instituted the kingdom of God which is good news to the physically and spiritually poor, oppressed, and sick when forgiveness and liberation occur members of the kingdom repent and live out the good news.
Every believer is called to live in the power of the indwelling Spirit that s/he will not fulfill selfishness but will bear fruit to the glory of God.

Stork Mail

She’s here!! My little girl – Sophia Caris. The first granddaughter on either side. It only took 7 tries. Fortunately, my sister is also having a daughter in a couple of months so she will not be alone. Everything went extremely well. For those “in the know”, Carrie went from a 5 to full delivery in 40 minutes. Unbelievably fast.

This baby is quite different than Elijah. Elijah was wide-awake, wanting entertainment and food immediately. Sophia, though she has the biggest lungs in the nursery, has slept a ton and really does not enjoy keeping her eyes open.

We have been teaching Elijah about a new baby, and how to treat it. He helped me roll Sophia into the room to see mom, and then he laid down on the bed with his head against the baby and said, “Nice” with a bit of a lisp. After poking her in the eye and saying, “Baby – eye,” he hopped down and ran around the room for a while. I think things will be just fine. (I have pictures of it all on my website).

A small note on the name selection. I am a big language guy, so the name has to have significance. Sophia Caris is Greek for “Wisdom” and “Grace” – two of the things I love about my wife. Hopefully Sophia will emulate her mother and live up to her namesake.

Carrie and I didn’t say it until after the birth, but we both really wanted a girl. Yes, we would have been fine with a boy and have felt blessed, but something about a girl to go along with our boy is awesome.

Thanks for your prayers and concerns.

An Update

Teen week went well. The students and I both enjoyed the activities. I am looking forward to what the fall has to offer including a renewed commitment to the body of Christ (by both the students and myself) and excitement about the young leaders that are present in the group.

Carrie and I are going into the hospital tomorrow at 6:00am so that she can be induced. That is one day after the due date, and she is more than ready. There have been no complications thus far and we are very thankful. I don’t think Elijah is ready for what is about to enter into our household, but we shall see.

So, I will be posting news of the new baby when they come. Stay tuned.

Full Week

The posts this week will be sporadic, if at all. This week is “Teen Week”. Basically, I planned a different event each day with the youth group leading up to their returning to school on Monday. All credit for the idea goes to my youth minister, Andy Timm, who dedicated a week every year to taking us to do all sorts of things. Sunday was the lake. Monday was a crazy scavenger hunt. And today was Laurel Falls. This, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Hope you enjoy the picture.

Monastic Life

“Either we learn to find our Lord in ordinary, everyday life, or else we shall never find Him.” Saint Josemaria

I read an article that came from Kevin Miller who was asked to advise a Sunday School curriculum company about the following: “What would you recommend for spiritual formation in our time?” His response was simple: “The Monastery.” They didn’t get it. They, like so many of us when pointing to times of spiritual growth look at certain experiences at conferences, worship services, etc. But how many of us consider the impact of personal prayer, service, and biblical fellowship (koinonia)?

Aside: I have wanted to spend time in a monastery for quite a while not. Various people I know have gone and it has been amazing for them. The simplicity. The focus on the presence of God. The destruction of idols and distractions. It would be good for all of us to spend such a week away.

But we don’t need a monastery to grow spiritually. Another quote from Saint Josemaria: “Each day be conscious of your duty to be a saint. A saint! And that doesn’t mean strange things. It means a daily struggle in the interior life and in heroically fulfilling your duty right through to the end.”

With this in mind, Miller then posed the following set of questions that blew me away:
“What would happen to your life if you lived in close geographical community and relationship with other people; if you lived in submission to authority; if you practiced silence and simplicity and discipline; if you regularly read the Bible and prayed and meditated on what you read; if you made study part of your life; and if you worked hard in some daily occupation, seeing your labor as full of dignity and offering it to God?”

I think we would all answer – “Spiritual growth would occur.” Such an atmosphere would be awesome. And it is the biblical model that has been adapted and practiced for centuries. Yes, monasteries are sealed off from the world, but Acts talks about this type of community existing the in the heart of Jewish and Roman culture.

Spiritual growth through committed Christian communities is the best life, but it takes work. It takes practice. It takes dedication. I start today doing as much of above as possible. Who will join me? Who has practical ways to put the above in the practice?

Worship Ministry Vision

As a worship leader, I consistently evaluate what I am doing and what I am accomplishing in the Sunday Morning service. Obviously, facilitating praise and worship of God is at the top. But is that it? And, how tangible is such a goal? I often get frustrated, feeling the need to appease tastes while trying to accomplish said goals.

Then one day I had an epiphany. It was as if God spoke directly to me. Was it a burning bush? Not so much. It was however, a chicken. I was in Zakby’s (you northerners would not know about this restaurant yet). While enjoying a quality plate of chicken strips, I noticed the official mission statement:

“We aim to consistently create encore experiences that enrich lives one person at a time. In English, that means we do everything humanly possible so that you will come back again and again and again and, well, you get the idea.”

While reading their goal, I was struck – that should be my goal as a worship leader. Is not worship an experience between the God of the Universe and His creation that enriches our lives? Shouldn’t worship be so appealing that we constantly come back wanting more and more of the presence of God?

But with all that being said, accomplishing such a goal is not all that easy. I think it requires a healthy blend of music, Scripture, reflection, visuals, and various intangibles (let’s call this the Holy Spirit). All these things and more work together to bring us into the presences of God where we can’t help but be changed, enriched, and encouraged to want more.

Give 'em the Finger

Church Softball season is over, and let’s just say I went out with a bang. No, I didn’t hit a homer. I got blasted in the pinkie by a forcefully thrown ball from the left fielder while trying to put the tag on at third base. It hit right on the tip and compressed the finger. People around here thought I “stoved” it (if you have any information regarding the origin of this phrase, please share).

Having never heard such a phrase, I assumed I “stubbed” it pretty badly. Well, it had been a week, and the swelling, bruising and pain had not subsided, so I went to the doctor for X-rays. Prognosis—Negative. It is fractured at the joint where the finger and the hand meet. Nothing serious. The treatment—an aluminum and foam splint and ice. I guess I have still never actually broken any bones, just 2 fractures—this one and my collarbone.

So, as it stands, I can still play guitar, type on the keyboard and do most things. However, catching the finger on things, having it kicked when changing diapers, and sleeping on it don’t go so well.

In Other Words...Kingdom

*** I recommend reading Matthew 13 before reading this post***

When we think of “kingdom” our thoughts often go to Camelot, castles, horses, Robin Hood, etc. Or maybe we think of England where the queen just turned 80 years old. Since we live in a culture of democracy where everyone gets a vote and no one is told what to do, we have a hard time understanding what it means for one person to make all the decisions for our welfare. And despite this, the New Testament is full of this talk of “the Kingdom of God” or the “Kingdom of Heaven.” And since we don’t always understand what a kingdom is, perhaps that is why our churches overlook one of Jesus’ most important teachings.

Over and over Jesus berated the disciples for thinking that he was going to come and establish a physical kingdom. They wanted him to rule from a throne and overthrow Roman rule. But that was not Jesus’ mission and that was not Jesus’ Kingdom. There was to be no throne. No boundaries. No conquest and war. This was not the location of Jesus’ kingdom. He instead places the kingdom somewhere differently:

“Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within (among) you.” Luke 17:20-21

Jesus doesn’t focus on land to talk about the location of the kingdom; he focuses on people. The Kingdom is within you. The kingdom is among you. It is both an internal and an external thing. It is not a way for humans to rule but a way of life that is exhibited in people and in people’s lives. It is not a system of government but a system of living.

So who enters the kingdom? If we are talking about a kingdom that Jesus is instituting, what sort of people do you think might enter into the kingdom?

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

It seems that the kingdom is not full of the most holy people. It is not full of super Christians. It is for anyone who needs it. Tax collectors and prostitutes were some of the most looked down upon people in Jesus’ time. People thought rich people were receiving God’s blessings so they should have made it in. But Jesus said it was hard for rich people to enter. People who say “Lord, Lord” and seem to be following God aren’t as important as those who are actually doing God’s will. The poor in spirit—those who aren’t spiritually great are invited into the kingdom. Those who are persecuted because they do what is right—they enter the kingdom. The kingdom is not for the greatest people whom we think deserve it. The kingdom is for the ones who need it the most. The outcasts, the hurting, the people who will do what is right and follow God’s will no matter what the consequences. Jesus makes this clear when he goes into his home synagogue and describes why he has come and what his kingdom is about:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Entrance to the kingdom is not based on race, social status, gender or any physical characteristic. It is a matter of the heart. As we become like children, trusting in the King to save, we begin to live a rightly ordered life with God as the ruler. The Kingdom of God is the reign of God in peoples’ hearts and lives. Whenever and wherever God is king, there is the Kingdom. Wherever God is sovereign, God reigns. And there is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory.

Bowling Bits

I took the youth group “Cosmic Bowling” Saturday night. For those who have no clue, it is bowling with an ambiance of black lights, strobe lights, other flashing lights, and typically Hip-Hop and R&B piped through the crappy sound system. I don’t know if other cultures have such an event, but it is something if you have never done it. Now, with all that said, I made some observations while there.

First, instead of rap, the manager of this bowling ally decided to play “classic rock”. We are talking AC/DC, Van Halen, Pink Floyd, and other various hair bands. Anyway, I heard two songs that when they came on I thought were the same: “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and “Someone like You” (may be named something else). The guitar riffs at the beginning. The same sort of cadence. They sounded extremely similar. What did I learn? Well, this genre can put out basically the exact same song with just different words and both will be considered classics. AC/DC is pretty guilty of such action.

Secondly, Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit” came on. I started singing along as it was a formative song in my childhood. Then I thought, “That song came out in the early 90’s. My Jr. High Students weren’t even born.” Now I don’t get into yearning for the good old days and seeing how young I can make kids feel by making reference to things they have never heard of. But seriously, now I get it. I’m getting old. Though jamming out to Nirvana in high school seems like it was just the other year, it wasn’t. It has been almost 15 years. Wow.

Thirdly, being gifted with encouragement (that was sarcastic) I tried to high-5 one Jr. High kid after his bowls, even though he wasn’t doing all that well. He was trying to compete with me, but just couldn’t keep up. He is a great kid. Nice. Country. But not a typical “cool kid.” In fact, he didn’t even give high 5s very well. They were awkward. Unnatural. He missed a lot. I can remember times when I was younger and trying to fit in that I went to give a high 5 and completely missed, compounding my self-consciousness. It is amazing that something like a hand slap can be the criteria for determining acceptance.

Finally, this last observation hit home since I am both a dad and soon to have another child. It is 11:00pm in a smoky, loud bowling alley. What is the last thing I expect to see? A few week old baby. And yet, a couple strolling in toting their newborn. I was appealed. I don’t know the criteria for child abuse and I don’t want to compare it with what some people do to their children, but seriously. The late night ruining any semblance of a schedule. The smoke inhalation. The loud, jarring noises. That can’t be good for a baby. But what do you do?

Anyway, bowling alleys are great as you can observe all sorts of things.

In Other Words...Wrath

I love this a far side comic. In fact, for a while I had a shirt with the same comic on it. As if God is just up there dropping pianos on people’s heads for fun. There is also a line from Bruce Almighty, when Bruce says, “Fine! The gloves are off pal! C'mon, lemme see a little wrath! Smite me, O mighty smiter!” He implores God to actually come down and act, because as far as Bruce can see. God is absent. Bruce couldn’t understand why things were happening. He expected to be blessed for his hard work. Instead it seemed like he was cursed. It all comes back to incurring God’s wrath.

Deuteronomy 28 sets up a system of blessings and cursings that most people use to determine the will of God versus the wrath of God.
“If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God…However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you…”

Based on passages similar to this one, we begin to think, “As long as I stay on God’s good side, nothing bad will happen. But those gay people better be careful or they will see a new Sodom and Gomorrah.” We see it played out when people suffer the consequences for their sins. Whether they are caught in an illegal act and prosecuted, or cause harm to their physical body because of their actions, most people get what is coming, good or bad. Of course this is not always the case. Many times good people suffer and perpetual sinners get off scott free.

And then there are times when sinners really get what is coming. We see that at times God does act out against sin in a mighty way. The Bible has many examples besides Sodom and Gomorrah.
We see God's anger in many places in the Bible. The expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden is the first example. Later in the book of Genesis, the nations gathered to build a tower that reached to the heavens, only to have it destroyed by God and the people scattered. Another example comes in the book of Exodus where the people fashioned a golden calf to worship when they got tired of waiting for Moses to descend from the mountain with the Ten Commandments. Then, the Israelites grumbled in the desert and God sent snakes among them and it killed many. We see in the New Testament that Annanias and Sapphira were skimming off the top and God struck them dead. The source of God's wrath is the common thread running through all of these stories. In each instance, the people turned from trusting and glorifying God to seeking their own way. Those seem like harsh punishments for seemingly everyday offenses. Sometimes God goes way beyond consequences and acts in a mighty way against sin.

So it leads us to ask, “Why would a loving God have to enact wrath?” It seems so mean. So cruel. So ungodlike. Well we have to understand some things about God. God is holy. He is set apart from anything sinful. He can’t be around it. He can’t stand it. Sin stands as the complete opposite of God. So God’s wrath comes about because God’s holiness and love have been violated by the sinfulness of man. If he was not wrathful and warring against sin, God would then, in effect, be saying that sinfulness is not evil and can be tolerated. He would be saying, it is okay. But he doesn’t. He refuses to allow sinfulness to continue. So sinfulness creates certain results and consequences that we call the wrath of God.

The wrath of God is not like the wrath of man. The wrath of man is based on revenge and often petty anger. Someone cuts you off in traffic, so you display your wrath by flipping them off.
Someone ticks you off so you break off the relationship or give them the silent treatment until they learn their lesson.
That is our brand of wrath, and it is pretty lame. Pretty petty. Pretty stupid. And too often God's righteous wrath is credited with the destruction of our enemies when, in reality, it is our human reaction of revenge, conveniently attributed to God, that caused the pain and violence against our sworn enemies. People look around and either take credit for doing God’s wrath or for God enacting his wrath upon the world. People said that AIDS was God’s wrath against homosexuals, that the war in Iraqi is God using America to wage war against the Muslims, that 9-11 was God’s wrath against our greed. Even recently, people said that the hurricanes along the Gulf Coast were God’s wrath.

If you believe these people, then all of these horrible tragedies are God’s wrath. But they aren’t. God is not a terrorist. The wrath of God is not a sudden, passing passion that seeks revenge. The Bible does depict God as getting angry. Not like we get angry but a righteous anger that stems from us rejecting Him and rejecting his commands for us. Most of the time God’s wrath is enacted on God’s people. Why? Because there are expectations that exist for followers of God that do not exist for non-believers:
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.” Colossians 3:5-7
We see God get angry especially at idolatry, sexual sins, and the oppression of the poor and weak. Really, God has every right to enact his wrath. He set up the rules and the consequences. We are the ones breaking them.

When we blame God for enacting his wrath it’s like blaming a cop for arresting you for a DUI. The cop was carrying out his responsibility to maintain order and peace. We broke a law. He was making sure that we did no more damage to ourselves or anyone else. Is he wrong for doing that? No.
God does the same. A lot of consequences we face can be traced back to the choices we make that are contrary to the order of God. Instead of asking “Why would a loving God do such things?” we might ask, “Why wouldn’t a holy God do it more often?”
How many times have you grumbled about what you wish you had?
How many times have you focused on other things than God and put them above serving and glorifying Him? How many times have you skimmed from God? Not necessarily money, but time, effort, or priority?
How many times have you treated someone with cruelty instead of love?

And in all those times, how many of you had snakes come and attack you? How many of you experienced fire falling from heaven? How many of you were struck dead? Obviously none of you. Understand that God has every right to pour out his wrath upon you. To press the “smite” button. But he doesn’t.

God's holiness becomes mercy when it comes into contact with those who seek Him. That same holiness becomes wrath when it comes into contact with those who refuse to seek and acknowledge Him. God is a loving God and he doesn’t enjoy sending his wrath. But sometimes we actually get what we deserve. Sometimes we get the wrath that we have stored up for ourselves through our actions. But that isn’t what God wants. Which is why Christ came. God poured out his wrath for us upon Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 states, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Consider what love God has that He did all he could to spare us from his wrath. Never ignore God’s holiness, because it sets the standard for how we are to live. And never ignore God’s great grace and love because it implores us to live out that holy standard.