To Apologize or Not To Apologize...

I have been doing a lot of thinking about apologies. I was challenged by someone that I have been mentoring online who said that the Bible does not tell us to apologize. I guffawed at the mere suggestion of such lunacy and went to my concordance to quickly locate the references that require us to apologize. My guffaw soon stuck in my throat. Did you know that not once has the Bible called us to apologize? We are called to forgive, we are called to confess, we are called to repent, we are called to be reconciled, but never once is the word "apology" used.

I was floored! All my life I have been taught of the value of the apology. I encourage my kids to always find ways to apologize when they hurt one another. Yet this well-established virtue is never spoken of in the Bible.

Now there are a few examples of apologies made by the characters of the Bible (Genesis 33:8, 26; 50:16; Exodus 10:17; 1Samuel 15:25; 24:17; 25:28; 26:21; Acts 16:39; 2Corinthians 12:13). Most of the examples are less than classic apologies, lacking in the appropriate "I am sorry, I was wrong." The ones that do, come from people not usually held up as examples to follow (Pharaoh, King Saul, and Philippi’s civic leadership) and their motivation to apologize is somewhat suspect.

So where did this compulsion to say "I am sorry" come from? It is all tied up in the command Jesus gives us to love one another. There are few things as destructive to our love as unresolved conflict and hurts. It is the unaddressed wrongs in our relationships that often become the bricks that make up the walls that there are between us. More than likely the motivation for us not to apologize is pride or fear rather than love.

So let's deal with that stuff already! Put aside the pride and fear. Perfect love banishes fear (1John 4:18). If we are motivated by the love of God we don’t have to fear that our apology will create bigger problems. We don’t have to fear that we will get taken advantage of because just like Jesus, we will seek to serve rather than to be served (Mark 10:45).

The Bible may not use the words we use, but there is no doubt that we are called by God to apologize. So everybody! Say it with me: “I am sorry. I was wrong.”

The Next TruthMedia Video

Well, its the middle of the night and I have finally finished the latest video in the TruthMedia Promo series (it seems like I always finish these things in the middle of the night).  I wanted to get this posted right away because in this one I give a detailed explanation of my role with TruthMedia and a description of why I need people like you and your friends to help partner with me to make this ministry a reality.  Please take 10 minutes and watch this video and then prayerfully consider how God is leading you to join with me in His work at TruthMedia.  I really do look forward to hearing from you and chatting about the way that we are helping people find God on a website.

If you had a chance to watch this, would you also make sure that you share it with your friends?  The more people who have a chance to hear about this ministry the sooner we can see God building His kingdom through this unique outreach.  I am so excited about what He is going to do! Aren't you!?

To Him alone be the glory!

Lauren Berg

Reflecting the character of God

Romans 8:18 "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (NIV)

Today I found another example of this being lived out.  I received a request for prayer from a man in the Philippines whose wife has been unfaithful to him.  As I read his note I was struck by how this man reminded me of the character of God.  Even though the sinful choices of the wife had devastating consequences on the man in many ways, still he expresses a desire to remain faithful to his commitment and to forgive. 

That is a clear reflection of the character of God, "The LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." (Exodus 34:6, NIV)  I am so grateful that this is the nature of our God, so perfectly expressed through the life of Jesus His Son.  His love extended to me in forgiveness of my rebellion against Him.  And that forgiveness is not just a quickly spoken "I forgive you." but it is a costly forgiveness demanding the sacrifice of God on my behalf.

It is my desire to reflect God's character as well.  How I wish my kids and my wife could say that I am slow to anger but I know that isn't always true.  I hope to find out from my Filipino friend how he has been able to live out that character of God but I am sure a big part of it is from keeping his eyes fixed on Christ "the author and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)

Would pray for this man and his family?  I know they are going to need all the help they can get.

Promised video

As I promised, here is another video which explains in more detail about the work of TruthMedia.   

I also wanted to share with you a video put together by TruthMedia which depicts the way The Mentor Center makes connections with people.  You can view this video at http://truthmedia.com/thementorcenter/promo.  There will be a quiz afterward to see if you can recognize which was the more professionally done video ;)

Welcome!

Hey!  Welcome to my new blog.  I am so happy that you have landed here and are interested in an update on how God is active in me and through me as I work with TruthMedia.  I plan on keeping a regular post going to let you hear about the people I meet on the internet who are looking for answers to life and how God is transforming those people into followers of Jesus Christ.  So come back often and invite your friends.

I have to tell you, I am pretty excited about this role God has led me to.  I have already seen evidence of the global impact He has through TruthMedia and I am convinced that we will only see that grow as more people come face to face with the Good News about Jesus Christ on the internet.  Periodically there will be some videos here that will help describe more about this ministry and my role.  Take some time to check these out and if you have any questions I will make sure to answer promptly. 

The main reason I am opening up this blog is to give you the chance to partner with me in this ministry.  I will share from time to time how you can join in the work of TruthMedia through prayer, volunteering and/or financial support.  I guarantee you will be amazed at how the Holy Spirit is eternally impacting people around the world through you and your partnership.

Well I hope to see you here often and hear from you soon.

Lauren Berg

P.S. If you are at all curious about the work of TruthMedia watch this 2 minute video that gives a brief introduction to this exciting ministry