Author: kevingdrendel

I am sixtiesh, an English Literature major in college and an attorney by profession. Faith informs my life, and this blog is about my faith journey.

The Humility of a Selfish God

kevingdrendelLeave a comment
(c) Can Stock Photo

(c) Can Stock Photo

Phil Vischer, of Veggie Tales fame, got me thinking with his blog that poses the question: Is God Selfish? You really should read the article, but … (spoiler alert) … the answer is YES!

God takes a bad rap for being selfish in some circles, but (let’s face it), the answer is obvious. (Yes, … and He is jealous too!)

So what?

Again, read the article. Phil Vischer describes the selfishness of God in terms that even children who don’t like vegetables can understand. (Spoiler alert again) God is God, and he has a right to be selfish, and jealous, and…. well… He can just be and do whatever He wants. The world is His! He “wrote the book” as they say (with pun very much intended).

I know the idea of a selfish God doesn’t sit well in modern society. I have to admit that I am somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of an omnipotent, omniscient God doing whatever the heaven He wants to do at times. I kind of like being in control and… well… it’s just plain unsettling.

But here’s the thing  Continue reading “The Humility of a Selfish God” →

Viewing God in the Mirror of Our Lives

kevingdrendel3 Comments
(c) Can Stock Photo


“Now we see as if in a mirror dimly… but then we will see face to face.”

Corinthians 13:12 (ESV)

This verse says that we see … as if through a mirror. We understand truth through our own reflection. The filter through which we see God is the physical, spiritual, emotional person we see staring back at us in the mirror. Our perspective of God is filtered through our own selves!

Think about that for a moment….

How we view ourselves is how we view God. If our sense of who we are is distorted, our view of God is distorted. If we don’t see ourselves accurately, we can’t see God accurately.  Having an accurate view of God requires us to have an accurate view of who we are.

Continue reading “Viewing God in the Mirror of Our Lives” →

Don’t Worry, Pray and Be Thankful

kevingdrendel1 Comment

kevingdrendel's avatarDaily Discovery Blog

13327400_1032868616792926_5886885657022625975_n

“Be anxious[1] for nothing[2], but in everything by prayer[3] and supplication[4] with thanksgiving[5] let your requests be made known to God. And the peace[6] of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7

Verse 5 ends with the statement, “The Lord is near.” Then, it continues with, “Be anxious for nothing….” The Greek word translated “anxious” means to be literally drawn in opposite directions. It conveys the idea of being divided, pulled apart and distracted which is what worry does. Worry distracts us from faith and trust in God and His promises.

The word translated, “anxious,” is in the present imperative, meaning to stop (right now!) being anxious. Stop being divided in your affections. Stop being distracted and pulled in different directions. Stop it, right now! Stop, being distracted by worry and fear.

Because……

View original post 1,454 more words

The Temptation to Complain

kevingdrendelLeave a comment

Photo by Beth Drendel
Photo by Beth Drendel

Why should any living man complain?[i] You are alive! Therefore, you have hope.

Your life, no doubt, has not gone the way you hoped it would. Looking back, there may be many regrets. You may deeply wish that you had known then what you know now, and if only you had some foresight, some sheer luck perhaps, things would be much different.

But things are what they are, and no amount of wishful thinking will change the course of events that have happened to this point.

Have you made mistakes? Be honest! We all make mistakes, and not just mistakes of choice – we all do things we should not have done. We have all done things that we knew we should not have done because they were not right.

We try to “redeem” those mistakes. Sometimes, we try to redeem them by re-characterizing our actions, thoughts and decisions, owning them as if they were right because they are who we are.

That is the temptation of modern life. “Be who you are” – whatever that may be. “Never apologize for who you are”.

But who are you?

Are you your own person?

Continue reading “The Temptation to Complain” →

The Greatest Being is God

God is by definition the greatest, the maximal being.

kevingdrendel2 Comments

Yosemite by Kallie Carlson
Yosemite by Kallie Carlson

St. Anselm postulated that the greatest being is God. Dr. William Lane Craig often references God as the “maximal being”. If we can envision something greater than God, then the something greater has to be God, because God is the greatest being. God is by definition the greatest, the maximal being.

That is why every single sin committed must be punished. Why? Because God is perfectly just. A perfectly just being punished every crime. If we imagine a god who published some crimes and not others, that would not be the most just being. He might be merciful and nice, but he would not be the most just. We could imagine someone more just – a being who punishes every crime.

We could also conceive of someone who is merciful, who can forgive everything that could possibly be done, from the smallest offenses to the greatest. If we conceive of a judge who forgives some things, but not all things, that would not be God. God would have to be absolutely merciful and forgiving.

God would have to be absolutely just and absolutely merciful at the same time. Any being who is not the most just and/or the most merciful is not God.

God must also absolutely love. Continue reading “The Greatest Being is God” →