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.

Angry God/Loving God

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Many people who have read the Bible (or say they have read the Bible) see only an angry, arbitrary and punishing God. Reading through the Old Testament can create that impression, but that would be a cursory reading that only scratches the surface. Most of us read things through the lens of our existing understanding. Our view of God depends not only on our understanding, but on where we stand.

People can be quick to criticize what they do not understand. We see that every day in comments about news events. People don’t know all the facts, but that doesn’t stop them from forming strong opinions and rushing to conclusions, and those conclusions are usually of the black and white variety. People who know all the facts, usually have a different, more nuanced view of those facts.

If you approach the Bible, or anything, with preconceived notions, there is little chance that you will come away with a different opinion than the one you have already formed. If you are willing to consider alternatives to those preconceived notions and open to understand them. Continue reading “Angry God/Loving God” →

United to God

God denied Himself and became one of us so that we can deny ourselves and become like God!

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“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Ephesians 1:7-10)

God’s goal is to unites all things to Himself. How then can we be united to God? Continue reading “United to God” →

Suffering & God’s Compassion

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“You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

James 5:11

People can relate to the story of Job. He suffered physical ailments, the loss of his family and all he owned. Many people have suffered similar losses, but what of the compassion of God?

Job is a long book. Most of it focuses on Job’s suffering and questioning – “Why me?!” We are told in the beginning that Job was pure and upright. Yet, he suffered terribly at the hands of Satan … while God looked on! Job is the poster child for the question: Why do bad tings happen to good people?

His religious friends are not very sympathetic. They talked a lot, but they didn’t say much other than to question: “If you’re so good, why is God treating you so badly?”

Job’s friends didn’t believe that Job was as good as he claimed. The truth is, he probably wasn’t, but that’s another story.

The truth is also that bad things do happen to seemingly good people. Life isn’t fair in the hard times it dishes out. “Good” people sometimes have the worst luck, and “bad” people sometimes seem to get all the good things.

That leads us to wonder: If God exists, we are things the way they are?! Maybe He doesn’t exist. Or worse, maybe He doesn’t care!

Continue reading “Suffering & God’s Compassion” →

Holy Spirit Come

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:15-16)

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Into the Son

These are the words I read from a story about one of our presidents: “[He] talked about the absolute need to believe that with hard work and faith in God there is every reason to start each day in the Oval Office with hope.”

After I read those words I found a thought creeping into my head – when was the last time I told a client or a business associate or anyone in my day to day business world something like that?

I wrote the italicized words and left them up on my computer for a week, unfinished. Just a thought that impressed me.

In the White House, with the awesome responsibility that rests on the most influential nation in the world, a president must surely feel the import of that office and the weight of that responsibility. Relying on God must be real, immediate and present with that kind of responsibility. I can see how God’s presence and my reliance on Him would be so immediate in that kind of position.

How immediate is the presence of God in your life? Do you wake up each morning filled with faith and hope for the day ahead? I don’t. Continue reading “Holy Spirit Come” →

Relevant to What?

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I read a thought provoking article by Patrick Schatzline on the danger of the Church being “relevant”. Take this quotation from a mentor to the author:

‘Relevant means ‘connection with the subject at issue.’ If the subject at issue is the Great Commission, given by Jesus to His church, and the church is connected to that subject, then relevant is still in and will be until He returns. When the church loses the connection to that issue, then the church becomes irrelevant.

Zing! Right between the eyes! Are we so relevant to the world that we are virtually indistinguishable from it? Continue reading “Relevant to What?” →