Rick Negley's blog

Years ago, in a Cultural Anthropology class, I learned that some cultures around the world were hesitant to feed baby food to their infants if the baby food jar had a picture of a baby on it.  Apparently these people groups were familiar with the practice in American food packaging of placing a picture on the outside of the container to show what was on the inside, like a can of green beans or a can of corn.  They were horrified by the thought that a culture could be so savage.

In the middle of the litany of the kings of Judah and Israel--some who did what was right and many who did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord--a statement jumped off the page at me: "...they went after false idols and became false" (2 Kings 17:15).  What the people went after they also became.  We become like what we pursue.  Those who pursue righteousness through Christ become righteous.  Those who pursue Jesus become more like Him.

Who are what are you pursuing?  Who or what are you becoming?  Who or what is worthy of your pursuit?

In the days of the prophet Samuel, the people of Israel came to Samuel and said in effect, “We want to be ‘like all the nations’ who have a king” (1 Samuel 8:5; 1 Samuel 8:20). In these days leading up to a state-wide ballot issue, I hear people saying that they want this state to be like all the surrounding states that have casino gambling. Interestingly enough, some of the loudest voices of opposition are from the gambling industry. Those who operate racetrack betting are opposing the plan to allow casino gambling in the state.

Last night I heard on the radio that a cosmetic company is manufacturing and selling an anti-wrinkle cream that contains tissue from aborted babies. I was struck not only by the horrific nature of such a product, but also by the irony of rubbing part of a dead body on your face to make you look more alive. The following is from the company’s website: “NEOCUTIS proprietary technology uses cultured fetal skin cells to obtain an optimal, naturally balanced mixture of skin nutrients including cytokines, growth factors and antioxidants.

Wednesday, September 2, was a beautiful late summer evening, and I was out for a bike ride. Suddenly I heard a vehicle engine revving behind me and saw out of the corner of my eye a van coming towards me. Then I saw the passenger leaning towards me and yelling angry words laced with profanity. By God’s grace, I was spared from running off the road and crashing to the ground. It is also only by the grace of God that I did not return a volley of angry words or an obscene gesture (but my thoughts at that moment were not loving and pure).

A friend wanted to bless Karen and me and gave us passes to the Memorial Golf Tournament at Muirfield Village, so we spent a few hours there today. What a glorious day to be outside in God’s creation. Since Karen has never golfed (other than miniature golf) and I have only golfed a handful of times, it was an educational experience for us in several ways. We enjoyed walking together (and watching golf) in this beautiful setting.

Yesterday I was at one of the area heart hospitals while a member of the congregation had a heart catheterization. When I was asked in the waiting room by a loved one if this person would make it through the procedure, I responded that I could not say, but that I do know that God is good. To some this would seem like a cop-out and a lack of faith--especially for the pastor of a flock. Yet as a pastor, I feel a great responsibility to prepare people not only to live well but to face death well and to die well.