Worf's Stand

Recently I was watching an episode of Star Trek: TNG where Worf makes a very unpopular decision. He refuses a blood transfusion to a Romulan. He believes that to help the Romulan would be giving aid to the enemy ; something totally against everything he stands for. Pushed, prodded, guilt tripped and made to watch the Romulan die, he still stands for what he believes.

Even when the culture around him, the government he has chosen to live under, and his closest friends disapprove; he stands firm.

This is a small picture of how we as Christians should stand for what Christ has laid out for everything (the universe, sexuality, you). Just like Daniel when he is thrown in the lions den in Daniel 6. We stand firm for Christ in our positions within friendships, cultures and the government we choose the live under, God will take care of the rest.

Going Charlie X on God

Charlie X is a Star Trek episode where this kid Charlie has telekinetic powers and is able to make things happen for him just as he likes.. or else.

Many times we try to do the same thing in our relationship with Christ. We try to take the helm, like Charlie sitting in the Captain's Chair, we try to manuever things in our lives to go where we want them to. We block messages {like Charlie did when Uhura was trying to recieve a message from Command}, we break people {sometimes emotionally and sometimes physically, poor Spock got his legs broken}, we try to manuever around until it all gets too much. The ship gets too big and there are too many people to manage all in our own power.

Proverbs 3:5-7 basically says that we should lean on God for all of our navigation. Otherwise we end up just like Charlie; overwhelmed, disliked, always upset, begging for help and ultimately ending in heart break. In the end all the destruction we cause can be reversed by Jesus. Just like the aliens who reversed what Charlie did; Jesus can restore all that we lost or have broken {1 Peter 5:10}. God should always sit in the Captain's Chair.

Sticking Together

I've recently been sick. As a result, I have been firing up the good old Netflix and watching Star Trek: The Next Generation while fighting sleep and and my fever. I was watching The Naked Now {Season 1 Episode 4} when something Jean Luc Picard said struck me as something you find all throughout the New Testament. Here is what he said:

"I put it to you all; I think we shall end up with a fine crew. If, we avoid temptation."

You can see many of the concepts in The Bible presented in his show. The one that is present in this episode follows along with the ideas found in Mark 14:38 and Luke 22:40; "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Reading 1 Corinthians 12:20-25 you can see as Christians we are the crew of the Enterprise. We are all on a mission to boldly go where no one has gone before, to seek out a new life with Christ. Every Christian around you is your ship mate on the same mission; using our jobs in either command, engineering, counseling, security, or sciences to support each other. In this episode the crew of the Enterprise got out of their drunken haze with focus and the knowledge that what they were doing would save everyone from falling from the same fate as some. In the end they had to stick together and find the way out of their temptations. Just like 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. " Christ is here to support us through out temptation, to make sure we don't give in, to be sure we see the way out and run to it.

Why church is great; even when your DATA

In Star Trek: The Next Generation the character DATA can do just about anything. He figures out all the things the humans scratch their heads at. He's super fast, super smart, super strong and super efficient. He only lacks one thing: emotional capacity. DATA, although given an emotion chip, chooses to live without it. He chooses to make his best friend Jordy LaForge, instead of the ships computer. He chooses to learn from the flawed humans he works with and does not understand. In essence he chooses to fellowship with others who aren't like him and who never will be. How does this bring us to the church? The word church comes from the word ekklesia, which basically means a gathering of people called out to a purpose. As Christians we are called out to love God, love others and love your fellow Christians. 1 Corinthians 12:21-27 says it the best: we all have different jobs and are all different, but we all belong with and to each other. Even if you can do it all yourself, you benefit from being together. Just like DATA who chose to stay himself an:d gain friendship through dedication and essentially, love. We are the same as DATA, even when we think we can do it all, the people Christ puts in our life enriches and grows us. So, church is good, even if your DATA.