Things my elders said to me when I was young come back every now and then to remind me what the rules of living on this earth are all about. This particular saying is telling me that my focus is wrong. We can wish and want all we desire and yet not have that which we wish for or want of. When our hands are full of wishes (one hand) and wants (the other hand) we basically handicap ourselves from being able to do anything. Something needs to be put down so we can actually do something. Doing nothing is easy and non-productive. Wishing is easy and non-productive. Wanting is easy and non-productive. Actually taking the bull by the horns and doing something is productive and could lead to wish and want fulfillment. At least that's what the Bible says. But then, those who wish and want without doing something don't have much knowledge of what the Bible tells us our lives should be about.
So often we get into the space where our expectations of others, institutions, and governments are not realistic. Our expectations should never exceed our ability to contribute. I may not know how to sail the ship but I do know how to mop the deck. You may not know how to tell someone about your faith but you can show that faith by your actions. Can you cook a meal? Lend a ride? Take the garbage to the curb? Then you can do that for your neighbor or someone in need. People with wish in one hand and want in the other often have the frame of mind that it's someone else's job to do the work described in the Bible. You know, care for the widow and the orphan and the stranger in your land. Now you know why. With both hands full of nothing they can do nothing and contribute nothing. Undergoing surgery and having both hands removed won't work. Neither will shaming or cajoling. There has to be the desire.
Living our lives in such a way that people want what we have is what the Christian life is all about. Ask yourself, "Do I live my life in such a way that people would want to copy my life?" "Do I live my life in such a way that others know what my hope is in?" "Do I live my life so that people can clearly see Jesus working in and through me?" Hard questions. You may not like the answer you get. If you don't know the answer ask another Christian who knows you well to answer the questions for you. Be prepared to honestly look at yourself should you do so. Change will be necessary if you are like 99% of the Christians I know. So, how do we go about the change? To begin with we need empty hands to do the work. Letting go of our wishes and wants seems unfair or even harsh but in reality is he only FIRST action any of us can take. This frees up our hands so they can fold in prayer, take to the shovel and scoop out all the crap we have filled our lives with. Throw out the bags of expectations (realistic and unrealistic) and dispense with those boxes of harbored thoughts and feelings that do not reflect Jesus to your world.
Should you and I be successful at doing this the Scripture in Matthew 6:33 will be fulfilled. "Seek first these thing (things of God) and all this will be given unto you. (what you need)" You won't find yourself in the wish and want camps if you would do this. Ask God to help and do what he says.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Other people's time.
Fresh back from vacation and feeling very refreshed. Thank you! While vacationing is relaxing and fun, there are components of work that pop up from time to time. I'm an observer. A people watcher. Someone who studies people and their presentation. Love to sit and watch people anywhere and anytime. Unless I'm late for a plane and then all bets are off. In most situations we can watch people and never be noticed. Very few people care whether or not they are being watched. They just want to eat their food, ride their bike, watch their kids, or whatever they are doing. So my job as a people watcher/observer is an easy one. On this vacation I watched from a particular angle which makes this account different. I watched up close without anyone knowing. The waiter/waitress at my table, the gas station attendant, the gardener outside my café window and so many more. Watching those who serve or are working is an enlightening event. We all know that the spectrum from great to ghastly is there in every profession. What would happen if we expected the best from people and left our focus there?
Noticing that the rules of society are changing I was not surprised to see the loosening of dress codes, various decorative touches on individuals, and of course the language spoken or unspoken. What do I mean? Well, for beginners you need to know that on vacation I ate at a number of restaurants with different ambiances. Expensive to cheap. It didn't matter. People who were working at restaurants seemed to be loosened up. More relaxed clothing and less uniforms. Piercings, tattoos and other jewelry presentation was up while the more reserved presentation was down. That's good in my book. Being real is important. It seemed that customer service was higher on the list in the more laid back places than on previous vacations. At one restaurant I ordered a dish that was not on the menu. The waiter never even batted an eye. When our meals came, mine was extraordinary! This goes to prove that the customer should get what they want and not be relegated to someone else's imagination. It also showed me that this waiter was conscientious about his work and knew the skills of the chef and other staff.
We pulled into a gas station in Oregon (they pump the gas) and the attendant joked that they were out of gas. When was the last time an employee of a business actually joked with you? I decided to do a bit of joking on my own. It was not well received. Was it my joke? Was it they suddenly got busy? Was it that the joking was supposed to be one way? I don't know. I do know that until then I was enjoying being there. After that we couldn't get away soon enough. What happened? I'm not really sure. I do know that I was happy we were passing through that place only once in probably my lifetime. It's tough to read some people and even tougher to enter into their world when you and I aren't invited. I did thank him and wish him a great day.
I went into a library while on vacation to check my emails. The librarian in this small town was engaging, looked me in the eye, smiled and talked WITH me. He didn't even use his librarian voice. Neither did I. What was important was I didn't feel like he was just lonely, looking for interaction, or anything like that. He genuinely presented himself, his abilities to help me, and his warmth that said I had permission to be there in his space. After checking my emails (184 spam) I decided to leave and once again engaged him. I could have just left and not looked back. I probably won't see him again in my life. But I didn't. He needed something called courtesy, common courtesy. He needed to receive what he had already given to me. So I gave back to him what I could and then left. I'm a richer man for having met him. Unlike the gas station attendant.
Finally, I began to wonder how these waitresses, waiters, store attendants, gas station attendants, and librarians all see me. Do they see someone who presents Jesus in their lives on a consistent daily basis? Do they see compassion, grace and love from my presence? Do they want what I have? Do I want what they have? That's part of the equation, or should be, for every Christian. Acting and speaking in such a way that has the other person asking themselves, "What does he have that gives him that ______?" How have I acted in such a way that anyone has asked, "Does he know Jesus?" I'd love to tell you that happens all the time. However, that wouldn't be true and those who watch me up close or from a distance will tell you that's simply not true. Yet, I have that expectations that others will act at a higher level than they may. In order to be able to see Jesus in me; others must be seen as Jesus sees them. Do I honestly look at others, listen to others, and engage with others as if I am with Jesus? Do they with me?
Noticing that the rules of society are changing I was not surprised to see the loosening of dress codes, various decorative touches on individuals, and of course the language spoken or unspoken. What do I mean? Well, for beginners you need to know that on vacation I ate at a number of restaurants with different ambiances. Expensive to cheap. It didn't matter. People who were working at restaurants seemed to be loosened up. More relaxed clothing and less uniforms. Piercings, tattoos and other jewelry presentation was up while the more reserved presentation was down. That's good in my book. Being real is important. It seemed that customer service was higher on the list in the more laid back places than on previous vacations. At one restaurant I ordered a dish that was not on the menu. The waiter never even batted an eye. When our meals came, mine was extraordinary! This goes to prove that the customer should get what they want and not be relegated to someone else's imagination. It also showed me that this waiter was conscientious about his work and knew the skills of the chef and other staff.
We pulled into a gas station in Oregon (they pump the gas) and the attendant joked that they were out of gas. When was the last time an employee of a business actually joked with you? I decided to do a bit of joking on my own. It was not well received. Was it my joke? Was it they suddenly got busy? Was it that the joking was supposed to be one way? I don't know. I do know that until then I was enjoying being there. After that we couldn't get away soon enough. What happened? I'm not really sure. I do know that I was happy we were passing through that place only once in probably my lifetime. It's tough to read some people and even tougher to enter into their world when you and I aren't invited. I did thank him and wish him a great day.
I went into a library while on vacation to check my emails. The librarian in this small town was engaging, looked me in the eye, smiled and talked WITH me. He didn't even use his librarian voice. Neither did I. What was important was I didn't feel like he was just lonely, looking for interaction, or anything like that. He genuinely presented himself, his abilities to help me, and his warmth that said I had permission to be there in his space. After checking my emails (184 spam) I decided to leave and once again engaged him. I could have just left and not looked back. I probably won't see him again in my life. But I didn't. He needed something called courtesy, common courtesy. He needed to receive what he had already given to me. So I gave back to him what I could and then left. I'm a richer man for having met him. Unlike the gas station attendant.
Finally, I began to wonder how these waitresses, waiters, store attendants, gas station attendants, and librarians all see me. Do they see someone who presents Jesus in their lives on a consistent daily basis? Do they see compassion, grace and love from my presence? Do they want what I have? Do I want what they have? That's part of the equation, or should be, for every Christian. Acting and speaking in such a way that has the other person asking themselves, "What does he have that gives him that ______?" How have I acted in such a way that anyone has asked, "Does he know Jesus?" I'd love to tell you that happens all the time. However, that wouldn't be true and those who watch me up close or from a distance will tell you that's simply not true. Yet, I have that expectations that others will act at a higher level than they may. In order to be able to see Jesus in me; others must be seen as Jesus sees them. Do I honestly look at others, listen to others, and engage with others as if I am with Jesus? Do they with me?
Sunday, August 23, 2015
How to raise a pumpkin
Most people think that you throw a seed in the ground, cover it up, and a few months later you have a huge orange pumpkin that is the envy of the block. Some even take it over the edge and have hybrid pumpkins that can weight upwards of 1000 pounds. It's hard to imagine but there it is on the internet. Here is how I raise a pumpkin. First and foremost is to select a location where the long vines can stretch out and be free. The soil must be fertile and not too sandy. Loam is a nice soil to put a pumpkin seed in. After preparing the planting spot in my garden I went to the store to buy some seeds. Wondering why I needed 40 seeds I reminisced that same problem with zucchini seeds in a packet. Why? Anyway, I digress. There are so many different types of pumpkins, length of growing season, edible and questionable, jack-o-lantern, and so many more. Of all the seeds I chose one that promised to be robust and would produce a good pumpkin for general usage. Now remember I just wanted one pumpkin from the plant. More is acceptable but I would settle for one pumpkin.
After planting the pumpkin seeds (3 of them) at the depth required and watering that spot, I went away and left it to grow. I was elated when the first and only sprig popped through the surface and began to wind it's way in two different directions. Flowers appeared. Then the small, tiny bulb of a pumpkin developed. Knowing that nature among other things can really mess with plants such as this, I took care to water the pumpkin regularly. Amazingly all but that one bud dropped off. Now the energy from the plant could focus on just the one pumpkin. The hardest part to raising a pumpkin is the "leave it alone" phase. So you wait until the plant dies and all that is left is your pumpkin is left. You have just raised a pumpkin. What about deer and other pests? What about fertilizer? I grow my pumpkin organic as much as possible. There is nothing wrong with fertilizer and pesticides if you prefer that route.
This is a reflection of the life coming to know Jesus and who he created you to be. The fact that you are reading this today should tell you that you are fully grown pumpkin. Okay, we're not pumpkins. The pumpkin birthed and grew for us. We birth and grow in Christ for Him. Purpose is behind all of our life events. The purpose of the pumpkin is to give me pleasure. The purpose of my life is to give God pleasure. I know for a fact that God kept this pumpkin safe through many trials and tribulations. He shielded me from the harshness that was beyond what I could bear and let me grow according to His purpose. When all is said and done the pumpkin you grow will be used for your pleasure. Many will carve a face on it and put a candle inside for all to see by the front door. Just as we are brought to fruition so that others can see Jesus in us. There is never a better time than now to check out where you are in the process. Everyone starts at the beginning so don't think you can just jump to full grown huge beautiful pumpkin. Doesn't work that way. As we allow the Holy Spirit to plant the seed, nourish that seed, see the birth and growth to adulthood, we realize our purpose and live for God.
After planting the pumpkin seeds (3 of them) at the depth required and watering that spot, I went away and left it to grow. I was elated when the first and only sprig popped through the surface and began to wind it's way in two different directions. Flowers appeared. Then the small, tiny bulb of a pumpkin developed. Knowing that nature among other things can really mess with plants such as this, I took care to water the pumpkin regularly. Amazingly all but that one bud dropped off. Now the energy from the plant could focus on just the one pumpkin. The hardest part to raising a pumpkin is the "leave it alone" phase. So you wait until the plant dies and all that is left is your pumpkin is left. You have just raised a pumpkin. What about deer and other pests? What about fertilizer? I grow my pumpkin organic as much as possible. There is nothing wrong with fertilizer and pesticides if you prefer that route.
This is a reflection of the life coming to know Jesus and who he created you to be. The fact that you are reading this today should tell you that you are fully grown pumpkin. Okay, we're not pumpkins. The pumpkin birthed and grew for us. We birth and grow in Christ for Him. Purpose is behind all of our life events. The purpose of the pumpkin is to give me pleasure. The purpose of my life is to give God pleasure. I know for a fact that God kept this pumpkin safe through many trials and tribulations. He shielded me from the harshness that was beyond what I could bear and let me grow according to His purpose. When all is said and done the pumpkin you grow will be used for your pleasure. Many will carve a face on it and put a candle inside for all to see by the front door. Just as we are brought to fruition so that others can see Jesus in us. There is never a better time than now to check out where you are in the process. Everyone starts at the beginning so don't think you can just jump to full grown huge beautiful pumpkin. Doesn't work that way. As we allow the Holy Spirit to plant the seed, nourish that seed, see the birth and growth to adulthood, we realize our purpose and live for God.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
No blog for the next week.
I'm taking a week off and going away. I'll be back a week from tomorrow. Thanks for all the faithful readers,
Steve
Steve
We shouldn't think...just drink coffee and do.
Mankind's thinking has gotten him/her into trouble since the beginning of time. Thinking goes against the desire of God who wants us to let Him do the thinking for us. He does have all the answers and makes sure that we function well and bring glory and honor and praise to Him who holds the entire world in his hands. It's 5:15 AM and I'm on my second cup of strong coffee. My resistance is down and God is able to speak and I'm able to hear. That doesn't always happen. When this takes place, blessings follow. When I thwart the plan God has for me I lose the potential blessings. The Bible is full of "thinking" verses and I'm aware of that fact. However, the Bible has even more verses on doing. The Bible gives us a snapshot of what either choice results in for me and for those around me. Part of our mentality is based on the thought that when things get screwed up we don't want to go down alone. Certainly that was in the mind of Eve after she had eaten of the fruit and then took some to Adam. Thinking can get you and all future generations in a lot of trouble.
Philosophers like Rene Descartes think too much. He said, "I think, therefore I am." That's not really true for the Christian because we know that God has created us and that is why we are. Thinking takes us away from the awe inspired moments when God reaches through time and space and is creating in you an I. There are lots of examples when we don't necessarily "think" but rather just "do." For instance, when you are driving there are all sorts of things going on that are there naturally as well as supernaturally. I see the car in front of me put on their brakes. So I put on my brakes. For some unknown reason you switch lanes and find yourself outside the confines of a break down or accident. There is a mixture of God's programming and your adherence to what he tells you to do. I'm sure some philosopher said "thinking doesn't hurts". Yes, it can and does.
Throughout the Bible we are called as God's people to "do." The final instruction of Jesus to the disciples was that they should go out into the world and make disciples of all mankind. The result of this is we go. We don't just do it when it's convenient to us. We intentionally do what he asks and everything is good. Not just for us but for those who are attached to us as well. God told Abraham to "Go." God told Jeremiah to "Go". God told David to "Go". God told Mary and Joseph to "Go". God told the disciples to "Go". And they all went. They didn't go alone though. Why? Because they all needed the wisdom of God. Our wisdom is finite but God's wisdom is infinite. When I think, limitations on what God wants automatically come up. When I recount the many times I chose to think rather than allowing God to do the think I'm reminded that my choice at best was second best.
By the way coffee doesn't help us in this area. Obedience to the Word does.
Philosophers like Rene Descartes think too much. He said, "I think, therefore I am." That's not really true for the Christian because we know that God has created us and that is why we are. Thinking takes us away from the awe inspired moments when God reaches through time and space and is creating in you an I. There are lots of examples when we don't necessarily "think" but rather just "do." For instance, when you are driving there are all sorts of things going on that are there naturally as well as supernaturally. I see the car in front of me put on their brakes. So I put on my brakes. For some unknown reason you switch lanes and find yourself outside the confines of a break down or accident. There is a mixture of God's programming and your adherence to what he tells you to do. I'm sure some philosopher said "thinking doesn't hurts". Yes, it can and does.
Throughout the Bible we are called as God's people to "do." The final instruction of Jesus to the disciples was that they should go out into the world and make disciples of all mankind. The result of this is we go. We don't just do it when it's convenient to us. We intentionally do what he asks and everything is good. Not just for us but for those who are attached to us as well. God told Abraham to "Go." God told Jeremiah to "Go". God told David to "Go". God told Mary and Joseph to "Go". God told the disciples to "Go". And they all went. They didn't go alone though. Why? Because they all needed the wisdom of God. Our wisdom is finite but God's wisdom is infinite. When I think, limitations on what God wants automatically come up. When I recount the many times I chose to think rather than allowing God to do the think I'm reminded that my choice at best was second best.
By the way coffee doesn't help us in this area. Obedience to the Word does.
Friday, August 21, 2015
A man alone with instructions; how difficult could it be?
The task was on my list for almost a year. Finally I had run out of excuses as to why I shouldn't do the task today. After all, how difficult could it be to install a garage door opener? They showed in pictures the tools necessary, the amount of time it should take and even had step by step instructions on what to do first and subsequent steps. What could go wrong?! I'm a guy. That's what could go wrong. Guys tend to "figure things out" and not get hung up on details often ending up with extra parts, broken parts or somehow even missing parts. The box was heavy and large. Don't be daunted by the box I told myself. The box, once opened, displayed more bags of parts, nuts, bolts, rolls of wire, straps, mounting brackets, worm drive sections, and of course the garage door opener motor. All of this mounted on the ceiling of my garage. This is going to be an all day affair and I may have to call some backup to finish the job or at least correct my mistakes.
Did I mention a parts list and instruction manual? I received one of those October 1, 1971 in Kitzigen, West Germany (then). I was in the process of finding out what my life was all about when disaster struck. My best friend Ronnie was killed in an auto accident. My life tumbled down like you wouldn't believe. If I had any sense of what was to come perhaps I wouldn't have been so down. So there I was in my hole of depression up in the guard tower guarding the ammo dump. I was armed with a loaded .45 pistol and alone. It was shortly after midnight when I thought, "What's the use of living anymore?" and removed the pistol from it's holster. I was reminded of another person's "Unbeliever" prayer. I decided to throw out the question knowing that it would go into space and never be answered. So, I said, "God, if you are out there." That's all that I got out. Next thing I know the room is filled with a warmth and I felt a hand on my shoulder comfortingly. I knew at that moment that God had visited me. Letting him in was easy at that point as the alternatives weren't very good.
What I didn't realize was that God would give me a package full of "stuff" and an instruction book that would look like my life once I completed construction. The only problem was there were many parts and I was overwhelmed. The object of the exercise was to unveil who I was in Christ. A kind of sculpture/structure/witness of who I was now that I was in Christ. One of the first mediums present was the spiritual. The promised Holy Spirit empowered me to choose God over sin or the world. So, I had the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the box called Steve now. They would work together and independently to bring about changes that reflected my life now called to service to Jesus. With these 3 I also had my heart, mind and soul opened to the Word of God; the Bible. Previously read portions now making sense like never before. This gift was followed closely by the body of believers that can be found anywhere in the world. With all of this I was set before the world to bring glory to Jesus.
There have been plenty of times when I've chosen to put the project called "me" down and to just skip a part of the instructions. Bad idea. There were plenty of times where having lost my way I returned to the Christian road and continued my journey. In this life in Christ there are no mistakes in the instructions. Neither are there any extra part or missing ones. God has outfitted us with all that we will ever need. I'm sure I'll be fine with the projects completion. I don't know what the final picture will be. I only hope that the final picture will reveal Jesus and not me.
Did I mention a parts list and instruction manual? I received one of those October 1, 1971 in Kitzigen, West Germany (then). I was in the process of finding out what my life was all about when disaster struck. My best friend Ronnie was killed in an auto accident. My life tumbled down like you wouldn't believe. If I had any sense of what was to come perhaps I wouldn't have been so down. So there I was in my hole of depression up in the guard tower guarding the ammo dump. I was armed with a loaded .45 pistol and alone. It was shortly after midnight when I thought, "What's the use of living anymore?" and removed the pistol from it's holster. I was reminded of another person's "Unbeliever" prayer. I decided to throw out the question knowing that it would go into space and never be answered. So, I said, "God, if you are out there." That's all that I got out. Next thing I know the room is filled with a warmth and I felt a hand on my shoulder comfortingly. I knew at that moment that God had visited me. Letting him in was easy at that point as the alternatives weren't very good.
What I didn't realize was that God would give me a package full of "stuff" and an instruction book that would look like my life once I completed construction. The only problem was there were many parts and I was overwhelmed. The object of the exercise was to unveil who I was in Christ. A kind of sculpture/structure/witness of who I was now that I was in Christ. One of the first mediums present was the spiritual. The promised Holy Spirit empowered me to choose God over sin or the world. So, I had the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the box called Steve now. They would work together and independently to bring about changes that reflected my life now called to service to Jesus. With these 3 I also had my heart, mind and soul opened to the Word of God; the Bible. Previously read portions now making sense like never before. This gift was followed closely by the body of believers that can be found anywhere in the world. With all of this I was set before the world to bring glory to Jesus.
There have been plenty of times when I've chosen to put the project called "me" down and to just skip a part of the instructions. Bad idea. There were plenty of times where having lost my way I returned to the Christian road and continued my journey. In this life in Christ there are no mistakes in the instructions. Neither are there any extra part or missing ones. God has outfitted us with all that we will ever need. I'm sure I'll be fine with the projects completion. I don't know what the final picture will be. I only hope that the final picture will reveal Jesus and not me.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Cleaned my house last week; sorry you missed it.
We often enter into other's lives thinking that their lives look that way all the time. Just in writing that sentence you can see that it's untrue. We know in the depths of our hearts that everyone has on and off days. Sometimes the kitchen is clean and sometimes it's not. That's just the way it is. Regardless, the kitchen, clean or not, is still a kitchen. You can cook on a dirty stove, store food in a disorganized refrigerator, and have hampers full of dirty clothes at any time and on any day. Right after time off or vacation our homes and lives seem to be the most disorganized, dirty and out of sorts. Of all the cleaning I dislike (I dislike cleaning in general), the bathroom ranks the highest on the gross scale. Please keep in mind that the external isn't necessarily a presentation of the internal. I may be in a clean and organized home and yet find an unorganized life.
For the Christian, cleaning house entails many steps. Standing by and doing nothing is not one of them. We have a helper, the Holy Spirit, who helps us in the cleaning and organizing of our lives. Should we be dependent upon ourselves the work will not be thorough nor complete. Like cleaning the bathroom there are areas of our lives where we don't want to go. We don't want to clean out that sin we enjoy. We think no one notices but we do and so does God. Gods a gentleman though and doesn't go where we won't let him. He may allow circumstances to unfold where we are faced with the decision to clean up that area of life. But, he never forces his will upon us. Allowing the Holy Spirit the freedom to "roam" our internal home and clean is necessary but at the same time unwelcome. It's kind of like cleaning the house for visiting family. They are family! They know what your house looks like and don't usually care. Certainly most of our families are not in our lives to clean house anyway.
About a year ago we sold our home and moved to a new home. The selling of the old home required deep cleaning, repainting, and minor work on various things. The garage is indicative of the clutter in our lives. Why we keep so much stuff we will never use is a question no one wants the answer to. Until we moved I didn't realize how much junk we had that I previously couldn't live without. When we sold and moved the deep cleaning of the new house (which was already clean) took place. So, the house cleaned, we moved in. A year later the garage is still full of boxes of priceless possessions we will most likely have little use for. Yet, we aren't ready to let them go. It's the same with what the Holy Spirit finds when he checks behind the closed door of the various rooms in our house. Re-arranging junk renders it re-arranged and still junk.
Then there are the complications. My idea of clean versus my wife's idea of clean versus our families idea of clean. Her family have a long history of good external cleaners. Mine doesn't. Her family has a garage that has never seen a car parked in it. Mine too. My family thought our home was comfortable and unpretentious; welcoming to anyone who might drop by. Better call first if it's her family home. When someone looks into my life they can see some of what I see and more of what I can't see. It's that way with the Holy Spirit as well. Sometimes allowing him to clean house is like letting your mother-in-law re-arrange your kitchen (actually happened to me twice). We go back and put everything back where we are comfortable.
Yes, I did clean my house last week just as I do every week. Dishes are done, laundry put away, dusting completed, floors cleaned and so many other items addressed. THEN, we had a party! Yep, no longer clean. You missed it. Christians should be more concerned about what they do with their lives instead of how they present their lives. Have a party! Spreading the Gospel and seeing people saved is way more important than cleaning the microwave. Balance is demanded between all areas of our lives. Foremost is our releasing the house to Jesus in the first place. Let him make the balance. Let him do what work he wants to do and be okay with it. God will never do you harm when you let him clean your house...even if it doesn't look like it next week.
For the Christian, cleaning house entails many steps. Standing by and doing nothing is not one of them. We have a helper, the Holy Spirit, who helps us in the cleaning and organizing of our lives. Should we be dependent upon ourselves the work will not be thorough nor complete. Like cleaning the bathroom there are areas of our lives where we don't want to go. We don't want to clean out that sin we enjoy. We think no one notices but we do and so does God. Gods a gentleman though and doesn't go where we won't let him. He may allow circumstances to unfold where we are faced with the decision to clean up that area of life. But, he never forces his will upon us. Allowing the Holy Spirit the freedom to "roam" our internal home and clean is necessary but at the same time unwelcome. It's kind of like cleaning the house for visiting family. They are family! They know what your house looks like and don't usually care. Certainly most of our families are not in our lives to clean house anyway.
About a year ago we sold our home and moved to a new home. The selling of the old home required deep cleaning, repainting, and minor work on various things. The garage is indicative of the clutter in our lives. Why we keep so much stuff we will never use is a question no one wants the answer to. Until we moved I didn't realize how much junk we had that I previously couldn't live without. When we sold and moved the deep cleaning of the new house (which was already clean) took place. So, the house cleaned, we moved in. A year later the garage is still full of boxes of priceless possessions we will most likely have little use for. Yet, we aren't ready to let them go. It's the same with what the Holy Spirit finds when he checks behind the closed door of the various rooms in our house. Re-arranging junk renders it re-arranged and still junk.
Then there are the complications. My idea of clean versus my wife's idea of clean versus our families idea of clean. Her family have a long history of good external cleaners. Mine doesn't. Her family has a garage that has never seen a car parked in it. Mine too. My family thought our home was comfortable and unpretentious; welcoming to anyone who might drop by. Better call first if it's her family home. When someone looks into my life they can see some of what I see and more of what I can't see. It's that way with the Holy Spirit as well. Sometimes allowing him to clean house is like letting your mother-in-law re-arrange your kitchen (actually happened to me twice). We go back and put everything back where we are comfortable.
Yes, I did clean my house last week just as I do every week. Dishes are done, laundry put away, dusting completed, floors cleaned and so many other items addressed. THEN, we had a party! Yep, no longer clean. You missed it. Christians should be more concerned about what they do with their lives instead of how they present their lives. Have a party! Spreading the Gospel and seeing people saved is way more important than cleaning the microwave. Balance is demanded between all areas of our lives. Foremost is our releasing the house to Jesus in the first place. Let him make the balance. Let him do what work he wants to do and be okay with it. God will never do you harm when you let him clean your house...even if it doesn't look like it next week.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Counting the cost before beginning anything.
Sheldon, in his book In His Steps, challenges his readers to ignore the cost and just do what Jesus wants us to do. The costs are minuscule when compared with the benefits of just obeying whatever Jesus wants us to do. I'm not suggesting we ignore the larger picture or even the small details. Nor am I suggesting that we don't plan or have some part in planning. What I am suggesting is we take one step back from the way we previously taken and see the fault in our planning. By doing so we can be more effective people in every aspect of life. That's what Jesus wants for us and so should we.
During a conversation with another therapist the issue of prenuptial agreements came up. He asked me what I thought about advising Christian couples of either having such an agreement or to not have such an agreement. Biblically, I told him, there is no basis for prenuptial agreements of any kind. The Bible is clear that the two become one and so does everything they have. In agreements where there are other conditions (vanity items like weight parameters) no such agreement remotely reflects God's will for us in marriage. He was taken aback from what I said. I think most counselors would agree with him (and maybe a lot of pastors). We, as a Christian people, are so concerned and focused on keeping what we have at all cost that love is circumvented for the sake of a three year olds' cry of "Mine!"
The counting of the cost process should only occur once. That would be when we consider what is required of us in surrendering our lives to Jesus. With prosperity preaching and wealth management as Sunday School curriculum today it's no wonder we miss the point. It's not just about forgiveness of sins though that is vital. It's not just about repenting of the way we previously lived though that is essential as well. It's certainly not about being in church on Sunday and living as we want the rest of the week. So, what is salvation all about? Salvation is about surrender. There are New Testament stories of Jesus confronting those who would follow him but... Following Jesus means abandoning me and any form of me from the past. Being a new creation in Christ means we belong to him who can save our souls and keep them for eternity.
Once we count the cost of belonging to Jesus, we need to count the cost of living our own lives with the knowledge that we do belong to Jesus. In today's world we carry around our calendars, have our lives gravitate around sports, shopping, showing off what we possess and a thousand other things that have in no sense honor for Jesus. Counting the cost before beginning weeds out the faint of heart. Go to the mission field? Called to teach Sunday School? Sell what you have and give to the poor? Take care of the widow and the orphan? Lay hands on the sick and see them healed? Love the unlovable? I don't care how you think you can orchestrate your life. You cannot do what Jesus wants you to do unless you have surrendered to him after counting the cost of dying to self.
Surrender sets the stage for life! Surrender lets the Holy Spirit have the freedom to move around and orchestrate Gods will in our lives and the lives of those around us. Think John the Baptist. Think Jeremiah. Think Jesus. Choosing to surrender leads to a life we cannot plan for, execute or bring to completion. Why? Because we aren't leading ourselves anymore. When God leads us in His ways, it's no longer the world we live in but His world we are living in. The rules are different and the costs are high in the lost souls around us. Counting the cost at the time of salvation (seriously) leads to a life of not having to count the cost. Just what do we have to lose and what do we have to gain? Life!
During a conversation with another therapist the issue of prenuptial agreements came up. He asked me what I thought about advising Christian couples of either having such an agreement or to not have such an agreement. Biblically, I told him, there is no basis for prenuptial agreements of any kind. The Bible is clear that the two become one and so does everything they have. In agreements where there are other conditions (vanity items like weight parameters) no such agreement remotely reflects God's will for us in marriage. He was taken aback from what I said. I think most counselors would agree with him (and maybe a lot of pastors). We, as a Christian people, are so concerned and focused on keeping what we have at all cost that love is circumvented for the sake of a three year olds' cry of "Mine!"
The counting of the cost process should only occur once. That would be when we consider what is required of us in surrendering our lives to Jesus. With prosperity preaching and wealth management as Sunday School curriculum today it's no wonder we miss the point. It's not just about forgiveness of sins though that is vital. It's not just about repenting of the way we previously lived though that is essential as well. It's certainly not about being in church on Sunday and living as we want the rest of the week. So, what is salvation all about? Salvation is about surrender. There are New Testament stories of Jesus confronting those who would follow him but... Following Jesus means abandoning me and any form of me from the past. Being a new creation in Christ means we belong to him who can save our souls and keep them for eternity.
Once we count the cost of belonging to Jesus, we need to count the cost of living our own lives with the knowledge that we do belong to Jesus. In today's world we carry around our calendars, have our lives gravitate around sports, shopping, showing off what we possess and a thousand other things that have in no sense honor for Jesus. Counting the cost before beginning weeds out the faint of heart. Go to the mission field? Called to teach Sunday School? Sell what you have and give to the poor? Take care of the widow and the orphan? Lay hands on the sick and see them healed? Love the unlovable? I don't care how you think you can orchestrate your life. You cannot do what Jesus wants you to do unless you have surrendered to him after counting the cost of dying to self.
Surrender sets the stage for life! Surrender lets the Holy Spirit have the freedom to move around and orchestrate Gods will in our lives and the lives of those around us. Think John the Baptist. Think Jeremiah. Think Jesus. Choosing to surrender leads to a life we cannot plan for, execute or bring to completion. Why? Because we aren't leading ourselves anymore. When God leads us in His ways, it's no longer the world we live in but His world we are living in. The rules are different and the costs are high in the lost souls around us. Counting the cost at the time of salvation (seriously) leads to a life of not having to count the cost. Just what do we have to lose and what do we have to gain? Life!
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Christians can have mental health problems.
I do. That's the hardest part. Admitting that something is different, out of the ordinary, a burden, or whatever you might use to describe the occurrence. I woke up this morning depressed, angry, frustrated, and quite a few other adjectives that come along with my C-PTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Now, I need to let you know that I have my masters in theology so I know there are many verses telling me to think happy thoughts and to put everything at the cross. I also have my masters in counseling and addictions. As a result I know that there is a world of Christians out there that think "it's all in your head." or (my favorite) "that psychology stuff is all of the devil." Now that those two fallacies are exposed I can continue. I wake up this way on more than one morning a week. It doesn't make me any less of a Christian. If you wake up with these feelings and haven't been diagnosed with a mental issue; you aren't any less of a Christian either. Your faith is not necessarily the issue. It's true that we need, as Christians, a faith that sustains us. I won't argue with that. What I will argue with is how life can get overwhelming in minutes and our need to just survive trumps all else.
Mental issues have been around since the beginning of time. Oddly enough, Adam was co-dependent with Eve in eating of the forbidden fruit. Eve was narcissistic enough to take the fruit in spite of being instructed not to. Selfishness and insecurity working hand in hand. But then you don't see that today. Right! In my counseling practice years ago I had a really dedicated Christian young woman who came to me for help. She was diagnosed (by me) as schizophrenic. This was a real blow to her and her husband. However, instead of burying their heads in the sand, they became educated. Schizophrenia is inherited. Passed on through the female side of the family predominantly and that's the facts. Schizophrenia is a mental ILLNESS and cannot be cured. You can treat the symptoms and have a good life though. She decided that she would let her church know, know what they needed to do to help, and live her life in a positive manner. She had a young daughter and is rightfully concerned about her. Her husband was relieved to find an answer that was treatable.
As opposed to mental illness, mental disorders are more common. Disorders are not permanent, can be treated and people can be free from their grasp. My C-PTSD is a disorder. With treatment (counseling) and medication I am able to control the disorder and live a good life. My past is loaded with trauma from physical, psychological and sexual abuse as a child, shootings and death as a police officer, paralysis from a surgery accident and a combination of all of them. None of the events were welcome. They just were. My disorder is responsible for many of the poor choices I've made in life and also for some of the better decisions I have made. God knows what goes on in the intricacies of my mind. He says so in Scripture. He knows my thoughts and the very depths of my heart and soul. He has a plan to do me good and not bad. He has a path for me that will be used to glorify Him and to serve His people...all people. I'm not "wrong" and I'm not a burden. My situation is a gift to others.
It was very seldom that during a session a client would tell me something that I hadn't had experience with either directly or indirectly. People came to me for counseling because I could enter into their lives as a Christian and give them hope and understanding Paul talks about being all things to all people. Very few Christians in his day had endured what Paul had endured. From his miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus to his imprisonment and eventual death, Paul considered all that he went through as nothing. His eyes were set on the goal of being with Jesus for eternity. Stepping out of the box brought many to salvation and many churches planted in his ministry. In spite of his "thorn in the flesh". What was it? We don't know. It may have been his eyesight as Luke travelled with him and he used others to write his letters. It may have been his mental or physical issues. It didn't matter to Paul because, "His grace is sufficient to me." That's it really. The grace of God trumps everything.
Surrounded by the grace of God nothing can take away our joy. I live with what I opened this blog with. However, what transpires in my day does not define who I am in Christ. I can praise him when I don't know the answers, know the answers or haven't even formed the questions. My life can be viewed anywhere along the continuum from bad to good or from positive to negative. However I am a Christian despite where I land on those continuums. How about you? Do you have a struggle you have felt alone with for some time? Are you challenged every day just to get out of bed? Do you have avoidance of people, places or things because of your past? All of these you can get help for. So, Christian, go forth and be what God wants you to be.
Mental issues have been around since the beginning of time. Oddly enough, Adam was co-dependent with Eve in eating of the forbidden fruit. Eve was narcissistic enough to take the fruit in spite of being instructed not to. Selfishness and insecurity working hand in hand. But then you don't see that today. Right! In my counseling practice years ago I had a really dedicated Christian young woman who came to me for help. She was diagnosed (by me) as schizophrenic. This was a real blow to her and her husband. However, instead of burying their heads in the sand, they became educated. Schizophrenia is inherited. Passed on through the female side of the family predominantly and that's the facts. Schizophrenia is a mental ILLNESS and cannot be cured. You can treat the symptoms and have a good life though. She decided that she would let her church know, know what they needed to do to help, and live her life in a positive manner. She had a young daughter and is rightfully concerned about her. Her husband was relieved to find an answer that was treatable.
As opposed to mental illness, mental disorders are more common. Disorders are not permanent, can be treated and people can be free from their grasp. My C-PTSD is a disorder. With treatment (counseling) and medication I am able to control the disorder and live a good life. My past is loaded with trauma from physical, psychological and sexual abuse as a child, shootings and death as a police officer, paralysis from a surgery accident and a combination of all of them. None of the events were welcome. They just were. My disorder is responsible for many of the poor choices I've made in life and also for some of the better decisions I have made. God knows what goes on in the intricacies of my mind. He says so in Scripture. He knows my thoughts and the very depths of my heart and soul. He has a plan to do me good and not bad. He has a path for me that will be used to glorify Him and to serve His people...all people. I'm not "wrong" and I'm not a burden. My situation is a gift to others.
It was very seldom that during a session a client would tell me something that I hadn't had experience with either directly or indirectly. People came to me for counseling because I could enter into their lives as a Christian and give them hope and understanding Paul talks about being all things to all people. Very few Christians in his day had endured what Paul had endured. From his miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus to his imprisonment and eventual death, Paul considered all that he went through as nothing. His eyes were set on the goal of being with Jesus for eternity. Stepping out of the box brought many to salvation and many churches planted in his ministry. In spite of his "thorn in the flesh". What was it? We don't know. It may have been his eyesight as Luke travelled with him and he used others to write his letters. It may have been his mental or physical issues. It didn't matter to Paul because, "His grace is sufficient to me." That's it really. The grace of God trumps everything.
Surrounded by the grace of God nothing can take away our joy. I live with what I opened this blog with. However, what transpires in my day does not define who I am in Christ. I can praise him when I don't know the answers, know the answers or haven't even formed the questions. My life can be viewed anywhere along the continuum from bad to good or from positive to negative. However I am a Christian despite where I land on those continuums. How about you? Do you have a struggle you have felt alone with for some time? Are you challenged every day just to get out of bed? Do you have avoidance of people, places or things because of your past? All of these you can get help for. So, Christian, go forth and be what God wants you to be.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Godly delays to life
Last week I went out to start my truck to do some errands. It has never had a problem starting but wouldn't start. So, the crew piled into another vehicle and left while I stayed behind and tried to figure out what was wrong. As they disappeared out of sight I decided to give it one more try and turned the key. The engine immediately roared to life. What? It didn't make any sense. Just moments before all it would do was crank the engine. Now it was running wonderful once again. So, I decided to go about an errand of my own. I needed to go into the house to get my stuff but then left and headed down the road. On the way there was a couple walking towards town. I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to pick them up. Okay. So I did. As we went down the road they told me where they were going (the opposite of were I was headed). Initially I told them I could only drive them to where I would be turning left and they needed to go right. They began to tell me that the husband had just exited a hospital where he was being treated for kidney failure. He was a diabetic and kidney failure was not a good sign. He and his wife appeared to be in their late 40's. They needed to get to the store to pick up a prescription necessary in his ongoing treatment. So, at the intersection I turned right instead of left. A little time out of my way for a good cause It was then that it dawned on me that this was why the truck hadn't started. If the truck had started the crew would have taken it and I would have stayed home. They talked about his diabetes, treatment, their homeless and penniless situation and their need to get home in Spokane, WA. That would be the opposite end of the state and at least 400 miles away. We arrived at Safeway and as I sat there I was amazed at how thankful they were and how humble the were. I told them goodbye and they got out of the vehicle. As the did so, they turned and said, "God bless you for your kindness." I passed on a blessing to them as well. I had no money or I would have given it. I had limited time and funds or I would have driven them to Spokane. I had done the least and was blessed the most. God delayed me to bless them and in turn I was the one blessed. The couple remain in my mind and I'm richer for the encounter.
Whenever there are circumstances brought about in our lives we think are strange or inconvenient a good idea would be to ask God what he wants with your attention now that he has it. We are told that we "entertain angels unaware" in Scripture. Just as the men on the way to Emmaus were joined by Jesus but didn't recognize him. Just as so many interesting stories from missionaries and others about the timing and grace of God in their ministry and lives so was this encounter. My life is full of such events. I once missed the turn I was to take on a fishing trip. I turned around and headed down the right road only to find a tree had fallen and the dust was still settling. Godly intervention for my safety. What would happen in our lives if we were to actually look at ALL the events and escapades in our lives as a direct interaction with God at the wheel? Would we be changed? Would our world be changed? Would people begin to see Jesus everywhere they went in the hearts and souls of strangers?
Let's stop worrying about being on time. Let's stop worrying about whether or not it's safe. Let's stop worrying about the inconvenience. Let's stop the worrying about what it will cost us in gas, food, clothing or whatever the need God's people have need of. Let's just STOP. Get out of the drivers seat of our lives and surrender our moments, hours, days, months years and eternity to God who has THE plan for everyone in our lives. Let's stop our own agenda and let God's agenda play out in our lives. Let's see what God can do through the surrender of his people, us! Today, don't plan. Today, don't overlook. Today, don't second guess. Today, look for the possible. Today, stop being so centered on you and your needs. God knows what you need and he has someone coming to take care of them. Maybe they will be in a white truck being driven by me?
Whenever there are circumstances brought about in our lives we think are strange or inconvenient a good idea would be to ask God what he wants with your attention now that he has it. We are told that we "entertain angels unaware" in Scripture. Just as the men on the way to Emmaus were joined by Jesus but didn't recognize him. Just as so many interesting stories from missionaries and others about the timing and grace of God in their ministry and lives so was this encounter. My life is full of such events. I once missed the turn I was to take on a fishing trip. I turned around and headed down the right road only to find a tree had fallen and the dust was still settling. Godly intervention for my safety. What would happen in our lives if we were to actually look at ALL the events and escapades in our lives as a direct interaction with God at the wheel? Would we be changed? Would our world be changed? Would people begin to see Jesus everywhere they went in the hearts and souls of strangers?
Let's stop worrying about being on time. Let's stop worrying about whether or not it's safe. Let's stop worrying about the inconvenience. Let's stop the worrying about what it will cost us in gas, food, clothing or whatever the need God's people have need of. Let's just STOP. Get out of the drivers seat of our lives and surrender our moments, hours, days, months years and eternity to God who has THE plan for everyone in our lives. Let's stop our own agenda and let God's agenda play out in our lives. Let's see what God can do through the surrender of his people, us! Today, don't plan. Today, don't overlook. Today, don't second guess. Today, look for the possible. Today, stop being so centered on you and your needs. God knows what you need and he has someone coming to take care of them. Maybe they will be in a white truck being driven by me?
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Why don't Christians tell the truth?
Christians are as uncomfortable with the truth as they are with lies. Yet, neither lies or the truth are expressed by Christians on a consistent basis. From the Moody Blues in their song Nights in White Satin "just what the truth is we don't know anymore" to the Roman inquisitor who states to Jesus prior to the crucifixion "what is truth?" we are left with centuries of truth and lies that many are still trying to sort out. Throw in the political police and different "rights" groups and the "truth" get muddied even more. There is, from birth to death, a need or want by people who believe and who don't believe, to have knowledge even if it's wrong. Sometimes the truth is a lie of convenience. An excuse manufactured in order to avoid the guilt otherwise felt. What is convenient for one person becomes a stumbling block for another. From the Pope down to the lowest of person on the spiritual totem pole, there is and has been distortions of "truth" to the point of there being no truth at all.
"Truth" like any word, demands a beginning. That beginning is different from one person to the next. One man's truth becomes another man's lie all because of how we were raised and what information was given to us. As children we are asked to believe the "truth" without having the opportunity of knowing real "truth." Many abused children will tell you that they were "loved" by their abuser. They grow into adulthood with a definition of love based on a lie. They, in turn, in spite of not being an abuser pass on this lie of a definition of love. Pretty soon there is no differentiation that validates people even know what love is. We tell ourselves that we do "the best we can with what we have" and call that the truth. We don't and the statement is a lie. We settle for less than the best, less than the truth. We settle for the lie.
I once came into trouble with a teacher in grade school. I was caught passing a note. She took offense to the note (she should have) and called my mother after I wouldn't apologize. My mom came to school and was told about the note and contents. My mom told me to apologize. I refused. It would be many years later that this situation would rise and make sense. I was abused by my dad and grandfather. No one had ever apologized to me. I had no knowledge of what the definition of "I'm sorry" meant. Why would I, a child, be expected to apologize when I didn't know what apologizing was? The definition of "I'm sorry." came many years later in therapy. I had no understanding until then of the process involving forgiveness. Nor did I have any idea until then tat my world was so jaded. Since "I'm sorry." was a lie to me, all defined words describing key elements of my life must be lies as well. Stripped of these lie definitions I sought the true definitions of these key words and phrases in my life. Though the work has been difficult I am glad to have made the journey.
Whether we are in a family situation, work, friend, or even a situation with our enemies, we need to keep in mind what the truth is and what a lie is. We recently hosted two 14 year old Chinese boys in our home for 3 weeks. All the understanding of what China is (communist) and what that meant to me (I need to hate communism) came together with this relationship where I learned that though different people than we in the United States; that at the core they are no different from us and we are no different from them. Just because they are Chinese (or Russian, or Cuban, or...) there is more to the picture than they are communists and we need to hate them because they hate us. Why? Because a definition of the "enemy" was given eons ago and no one has bothered to enter the truth into the equation since. By the way, they liked Mac and Cheese. They were regular, human and enlightening to me. Not just about themselves but also about myself. I see the Chinese people differently now. I'm sad it took 62 years to get here.
"Truth" like any word, demands a beginning. That beginning is different from one person to the next. One man's truth becomes another man's lie all because of how we were raised and what information was given to us. As children we are asked to believe the "truth" without having the opportunity of knowing real "truth." Many abused children will tell you that they were "loved" by their abuser. They grow into adulthood with a definition of love based on a lie. They, in turn, in spite of not being an abuser pass on this lie of a definition of love. Pretty soon there is no differentiation that validates people even know what love is. We tell ourselves that we do "the best we can with what we have" and call that the truth. We don't and the statement is a lie. We settle for less than the best, less than the truth. We settle for the lie.
I once came into trouble with a teacher in grade school. I was caught passing a note. She took offense to the note (she should have) and called my mother after I wouldn't apologize. My mom came to school and was told about the note and contents. My mom told me to apologize. I refused. It would be many years later that this situation would rise and make sense. I was abused by my dad and grandfather. No one had ever apologized to me. I had no knowledge of what the definition of "I'm sorry" meant. Why would I, a child, be expected to apologize when I didn't know what apologizing was? The definition of "I'm sorry." came many years later in therapy. I had no understanding until then of the process involving forgiveness. Nor did I have any idea until then tat my world was so jaded. Since "I'm sorry." was a lie to me, all defined words describing key elements of my life must be lies as well. Stripped of these lie definitions I sought the true definitions of these key words and phrases in my life. Though the work has been difficult I am glad to have made the journey.
Whether we are in a family situation, work, friend, or even a situation with our enemies, we need to keep in mind what the truth is and what a lie is. We recently hosted two 14 year old Chinese boys in our home for 3 weeks. All the understanding of what China is (communist) and what that meant to me (I need to hate communism) came together with this relationship where I learned that though different people than we in the United States; that at the core they are no different from us and we are no different from them. Just because they are Chinese (or Russian, or Cuban, or...) there is more to the picture than they are communists and we need to hate them because they hate us. Why? Because a definition of the "enemy" was given eons ago and no one has bothered to enter the truth into the equation since. By the way, they liked Mac and Cheese. They were regular, human and enlightening to me. Not just about themselves but also about myself. I see the Chinese people differently now. I'm sad it took 62 years to get here.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
What you think of me isn't my business.
Think about it. You have people in your life that are positive, negative and neutral towards who you are, what you do and say, and what you represent. Have a bad hair day and they will tell you. Say something controversial and they will comment (if only to each other). Do something scandalous and you can bet it will be in the hopper for gossip fast. None of us enjoy the dishing out of unwanted comments about ourselves whether it is direct to us or via any method. Learning what others think about us from any means except straight from their mouths is so aggravating! Often people's comments come out of their own insecurities. Needing to feel better about themselves they need to push down those around them. I may have problems but look at them! However we live we will continue to have those who think and convey negatives, positives, and neutral issues about us.
Jesus set the example. He said numerous times: "I must be about my Father's business." That's it. So he did all he did regardless or because of what they could do to him. They eventually did do the worst they could to him by killing him. However, the King of Comebacks rose from the dead and provided a way for you and I to have salvation through him. Jesus' identity was firmly grounded in the Godhead. Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit each compliment and complete each other. In the same way we are to have our identity in Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father. Getting our identity from that source eliminates the need to get out identity from others here on earth. Being able to focus on delivering Christ to the world should keep us so busy that we don't have time to care about Bob or Cheryl and their opinions of us.
The fact is we are made in the image of God. Not in the image of my dad or mother. Not in the image of my neighbor, or the image of our boss or even our enemies. Though we find it difficult to apply, we are created in the image of God to glorify Him. Think of this. As imperfect as I am, Jesus sees me as higher than the angels. He says that one day I will be judging fallen angels. Jesus sees me as a conduit for his message to the other people on earth created in his image. You might be thinking that I am full of myself. No, I'm just telling you what Jesus told me in the Bible. If he thinks this way about me that is all I should be concerned with and also contented in being...regardless of what anyone thinks. Should we gain this perspective and find ourselves truly in Christ, we then can say with confidence that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me. (Paul) Paul also tells us he is pressing on to that goal which is found in Christ Jesus and asks us to do the same. If my focus is this focused then why should I make what others think about me any less important than what Jesus thinks of me.
Living for Jesus unleashes freedom from the chains of being the person who others want me to be. Giving others the power to define who I am, what I do and what I say is contrary to Scripture and should be expunged from my life and your life as well. Being concerned about our fellow man should first be attended to on our knees in prayer for God's wisdom. Being busy for Jesus eliminates the time taken to address what isn't my business at all.
Jesus set the example. He said numerous times: "I must be about my Father's business." That's it. So he did all he did regardless or because of what they could do to him. They eventually did do the worst they could to him by killing him. However, the King of Comebacks rose from the dead and provided a way for you and I to have salvation through him. Jesus' identity was firmly grounded in the Godhead. Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit each compliment and complete each other. In the same way we are to have our identity in Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father. Getting our identity from that source eliminates the need to get out identity from others here on earth. Being able to focus on delivering Christ to the world should keep us so busy that we don't have time to care about Bob or Cheryl and their opinions of us.
The fact is we are made in the image of God. Not in the image of my dad or mother. Not in the image of my neighbor, or the image of our boss or even our enemies. Though we find it difficult to apply, we are created in the image of God to glorify Him. Think of this. As imperfect as I am, Jesus sees me as higher than the angels. He says that one day I will be judging fallen angels. Jesus sees me as a conduit for his message to the other people on earth created in his image. You might be thinking that I am full of myself. No, I'm just telling you what Jesus told me in the Bible. If he thinks this way about me that is all I should be concerned with and also contented in being...regardless of what anyone thinks. Should we gain this perspective and find ourselves truly in Christ, we then can say with confidence that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me. (Paul) Paul also tells us he is pressing on to that goal which is found in Christ Jesus and asks us to do the same. If my focus is this focused then why should I make what others think about me any less important than what Jesus thinks of me.
Living for Jesus unleashes freedom from the chains of being the person who others want me to be. Giving others the power to define who I am, what I do and what I say is contrary to Scripture and should be expunged from my life and your life as well. Being concerned about our fellow man should first be attended to on our knees in prayer for God's wisdom. Being busy for Jesus eliminates the time taken to address what isn't my business at all.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Christians are humans too!
Many of the shows on TV as well as books on our bedside tables have one thing we cannot get enough of...bad guys, villains, and the like. Sometimes it seems that Christians find themselves in this same boat. Not without good reason though. From the first murder until this very moment there are bad boys and bad girls (or men and women) who call themselves Christian and yet are hard to recognize because of their behaviors. The world looks at the general public as being "people" and classifies Christians separately according to how stringent their beliefs are and how they ply those beliefs in the world. So it is that we are relegated to living out a life of expected stereotypical behavior instead of being...well, being human. You don't hear people saying, "He did that and he's a republican?" or "She acted that way towards her friend and calls herself a hairdresser?" But you do hear, "He/She say they are Christian and then they break the law speeding! Well, I never!"
A number of years ago a judge in Washington state heard a case brought by people who were lied to by a politician. What's so odd about that? The judge deemed that the politician had in fact lied to the people and that the people should not have any expectation that politicians should be telling the truth. No big surprise since the judge is a politician in their own right. Maybe that's what part of the problem comes from. Expectations based on what "should" be and not based on what is. Given the climate of our world expectations on some individuals and groups is much higher than on others. It's like this. We have low expectations on a career criminal that he will no longer be an offender but a productive member of society. When we have low or no expectations on others we aren't disappointed and the politicians can go on lying to the people. Criminals can go on being criminals with doctors/lawyers, and others who fall into the category where expectations and trust have eroded. So, why not the Christian?
I believe that people want someone/something to be the "good" in the world or even in their lives. People want someone to stand for what they believe. When people do not stand for what they believe they become classified with the rest of the world. There are no expectations. Well, "you don't want to rock the boat." Why not? Well, "leave well enough alone." Why? Well, "we don't want to bring trouble upon ourselves." Why not? These are all things that Jesus stood for and did. He was not able to stand by and not stand up. When we as Christians stand up and stand by we increase the expectations of others on ALL Christians. When one politician falls; he/she was an anomaly. When on Christian leader falls, the whole Christian world becomes suspect. When one doctor is indicted for malpractice and criminal behavior the whole world may notice but don't give the doctor another thought. Why? Expectations and trust.
So, what do we do as Christians in a world where this duplicity exists? Do we stand firm even when we have failed? Do we stand aside and let the world do and think as it wishes? We are humans and we will fail. In fact the Scripture points out that we will fail every day simply because we are not perfect. Presentation of ourselves being above reproach, above criticism, above examination only serve to prove the worlds condemnation of Christians and the Christian faith. We are left to what we are. We are a fallen people saved by the grace of Christ who faced all of the temptations we face. We will fall off the pedestal other people put us on. So why step up to the pedestal at all? Why place yourself and your faith to the test of anything but Scripture? We do not owe the world behavior based on their expectations. We who believe are responsible to present Christ to the world around us just as we are. We are humans.
A number of years ago a judge in Washington state heard a case brought by people who were lied to by a politician. What's so odd about that? The judge deemed that the politician had in fact lied to the people and that the people should not have any expectation that politicians should be telling the truth. No big surprise since the judge is a politician in their own right. Maybe that's what part of the problem comes from. Expectations based on what "should" be and not based on what is. Given the climate of our world expectations on some individuals and groups is much higher than on others. It's like this. We have low expectations on a career criminal that he will no longer be an offender but a productive member of society. When we have low or no expectations on others we aren't disappointed and the politicians can go on lying to the people. Criminals can go on being criminals with doctors/lawyers, and others who fall into the category where expectations and trust have eroded. So, why not the Christian?
I believe that people want someone/something to be the "good" in the world or even in their lives. People want someone to stand for what they believe. When people do not stand for what they believe they become classified with the rest of the world. There are no expectations. Well, "you don't want to rock the boat." Why not? Well, "leave well enough alone." Why? Well, "we don't want to bring trouble upon ourselves." Why not? These are all things that Jesus stood for and did. He was not able to stand by and not stand up. When we as Christians stand up and stand by we increase the expectations of others on ALL Christians. When one politician falls; he/she was an anomaly. When on Christian leader falls, the whole Christian world becomes suspect. When one doctor is indicted for malpractice and criminal behavior the whole world may notice but don't give the doctor another thought. Why? Expectations and trust.
So, what do we do as Christians in a world where this duplicity exists? Do we stand firm even when we have failed? Do we stand aside and let the world do and think as it wishes? We are humans and we will fail. In fact the Scripture points out that we will fail every day simply because we are not perfect. Presentation of ourselves being above reproach, above criticism, above examination only serve to prove the worlds condemnation of Christians and the Christian faith. We are left to what we are. We are a fallen people saved by the grace of Christ who faced all of the temptations we face. We will fall off the pedestal other people put us on. So why step up to the pedestal at all? Why place yourself and your faith to the test of anything but Scripture? We do not owe the world behavior based on their expectations. We who believe are responsible to present Christ to the world around us just as we are. We are humans.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Sometimes I complain too!
I haven't by any means cornered the market on complaining. While we are a world of whiners, we often disguise our whining and complaining so that it won't seem like we are doing what we shouldn't do. I'm not talking about the persistent widow who kept petitioning the king for judgment on her claim until he finally relented just to shut her up. Nor am I talking about your child (or adult) who won't eat their vegetables. I'm talking about the complaining that leads to envy, jealousy, anger, impatience, and obviously sin. Not complaining is not the opposite of complaining. Peace and contentment is the opposite of complaining. We find the recipe for peace and contentment in the Sermon on the Mount and just about every book in the Bible. We would do well to read and re-read this passage and other related passages in order to have our daily inoculation against complaining and whining.
With discontent and impatience ever present in various events and relationships of our lives it's no surprise that I too am vulnerable (that's an understatement). Yesterday I was heading home and was stuck in stopped traffic on a two lane roadway while construction workers worked. At the mercy of the flagman I waited. There were about 20 cars and trucks in front of me. Slowly the people in front of me began to turn around and leave the way they had come. Finally I was 3 in line for the flagman who magically decided that now was the time to let us drive on. Once the impatient who were out of personal peace had moved on there was plenty of reason for my patience and peace. Nothing should be of such an importance to us that that thing causes us to choose impatience and discontent. Complaining only worsens the situation or relationship.
So what does the Christian do when commanded to complain? Yes, we are commanded to complain. Scripture tells us to "bring our complaints to the Lord." When we do so and LEAVE them there; the world around us begins to transform. Where once there was discontentment and impatience now we find ourselves surrounded by the peace of God that passes all understanding in spite of the circumstances we find ourselves engulfed with. That release of the issue (truly and not temporary) brings about an empty plate on which God places a feast of patience and peace. No complaints there. That doesn't mean that we take our complaints to the pastor or other Christian people. Often these complaints are nothing but a means of passing on gossip. Certainly we cannot become better people by trying to put others in a worse light. Why? Because except for the grace of God we are all worse than we think.
The Bible tells us to make a habit of being able to give a positive testimony of what God has done and is doing and will do in our lives. Complaining to anyone except God doesn't do any good. As a past supervisor I instructed those whom I was supervising that they could always come to me with any problem. My only requirement was that when they came with the problem they also needed to bring 3 possible solutions. I found that very few people I supervised brought any problems to me. By the time they came up with 3 possible solutions they had usually solved the problem. What if we applied that to our world? Suppose we had to come up with 3 possible solutions before we brought the complaint to God? Many of us would drop our complaint and get on with life. Yet, sometimes I still complain. God forgive me.
With discontent and impatience ever present in various events and relationships of our lives it's no surprise that I too am vulnerable (that's an understatement). Yesterday I was heading home and was stuck in stopped traffic on a two lane roadway while construction workers worked. At the mercy of the flagman I waited. There were about 20 cars and trucks in front of me. Slowly the people in front of me began to turn around and leave the way they had come. Finally I was 3 in line for the flagman who magically decided that now was the time to let us drive on. Once the impatient who were out of personal peace had moved on there was plenty of reason for my patience and peace. Nothing should be of such an importance to us that that thing causes us to choose impatience and discontent. Complaining only worsens the situation or relationship.
So what does the Christian do when commanded to complain? Yes, we are commanded to complain. Scripture tells us to "bring our complaints to the Lord." When we do so and LEAVE them there; the world around us begins to transform. Where once there was discontentment and impatience now we find ourselves surrounded by the peace of God that passes all understanding in spite of the circumstances we find ourselves engulfed with. That release of the issue (truly and not temporary) brings about an empty plate on which God places a feast of patience and peace. No complaints there. That doesn't mean that we take our complaints to the pastor or other Christian people. Often these complaints are nothing but a means of passing on gossip. Certainly we cannot become better people by trying to put others in a worse light. Why? Because except for the grace of God we are all worse than we think.
The Bible tells us to make a habit of being able to give a positive testimony of what God has done and is doing and will do in our lives. Complaining to anyone except God doesn't do any good. As a past supervisor I instructed those whom I was supervising that they could always come to me with any problem. My only requirement was that when they came with the problem they also needed to bring 3 possible solutions. I found that very few people I supervised brought any problems to me. By the time they came up with 3 possible solutions they had usually solved the problem. What if we applied that to our world? Suppose we had to come up with 3 possible solutions before we brought the complaint to God? Many of us would drop our complaint and get on with life. Yet, sometimes I still complain. God forgive me.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Choosing to sin
People generally don't want to talk about this intentionally choosing to sin. Especially if they are Christian and really especially if they are pastors or Christian leaders. (Not all pastors are Christian.) Not all Christians are Christian either. Sometimes it's difficult to sort out. The general truth of the title isn't difficult though. James 4:17 says, "If we know something is wrong to do and we do it; we sin." Simple enough. WAIT! What about..... or..... maybe... Sometimes we are faced with a dilemma where we choose to sin. Would I lie about something in order to save someone's life? Yes, been there and done that. Would I act in a way that isn't a Christian reflection in order to bring a situation peace. Yes, been there and done that too. You see, in some professions there are demands that we be flexible enough to keep the objective in focus. The objective is to do no harm and to not let others do harm. The objective is to correct and instruct. The objective is to bring about a chain of events by which the participants can see Jesus at work in their world whether they know Him or not. People generally don't want to talk about these "variations" in the proper Christian life.
For instance, a missionary from Africa once entered into a discussion I was having about polygamy and the Biblical invective to have one spouse. He proposed this: He goes into this village where there is a central hut which belongs to the chief. The chief's hut is surrounded by 10 other huts all with paths between the chief's hut and the 10. The 10 huts belong to the chief's 10 wives and their children. Should he, the missionary, tell the newly converted chief that he can only have one wife? If that is the choice and polygamy isn't supported then the remaining 9 wives and their children will be cast out of the tribe left to be prostitutes in order to feed their children and themselves. So, do we tell the chief to do what is right in regards to Scripture or do we embrace the whole family (Chief plus 10 wives and children bring salvation to them all? What do you do? Do you condone the Chief's choice of 10 wives or not?
The world is full of dilemma's. The motorist who uses his car to block the path of another vehicle in order to save a child's life but causes the accident that injures others. The mother or father who yell, scream, and do whatever they have to in order to stop that child from running into the street letting anger and fear be their dominating impulse. You have dilemmas of your own. So do I. They are all individual and specific for each of us. A Christian pastor hatching a plot to kill Hitler for the greater good of protecting mankind. Right? Wrong? Do we just let everything go wherever it goes and let God sort it out? Sometimes and sometimes not.
Much to the chagrin of religious people everywhere the Bible lists only 2 sins. The first is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. That sin comes about when we know that Jesus is who he said he is, did what he said he would do, and offers you salvation only for you to reject his offer. This is the sin that leads to death. ALL other sin is forgivable. ALL. Sinning doesn't make it right. However, we need to acknowledge that we are to love the sinner but hate the sin (that goes for ourselves as well). I once heard a pastor say that all homosexuals were condemned to hell because of their sexual choice. I made an appointment with him and presented this scenario. He and his friend "John" grew up on the same block, went to the same church, gave their lives to Jesus a an early age, went to the same college and participated in all the same Christian activities. Both went on to seminary and became pastors. This pastor married and had children while his friend did not. One day John comes to him and tells him that he has a secret. This pastor knowing that his friend loves Jesus tells him to speak freely. John tells him that he is a homosexual who has been abstinate his whole life and not engaged that lifestyle. I asked the pastor; "Is John any less a Christian now that you know this?" He crumpled in his chair. The next Sunday the pastor confessed his sin and preached on loving the sinner and hating the sin. There are times when we are caught in dilemmas.
Choosing to sin is not good. I just want to go on record with that. I've done way too much choosing to sin and encouraging others to do the same over the years. I'm guilty. I deserve the condemnation that the Bible lays out for you and I. Yet, the grace of God prevails and I remain in Christ. It's not an easy world for any of us. Your decision to cheat on your taxes, steal from your employer, go over the speed limit, fail to come to a complete stop at a stop sign and a thousand other daily encounters with life tell me that you too are all to much human. You and I have chosen to sin. We can also choose to not sin. What will life's dilemmas bring your way that will throw you into a state of panic? Will the choice be accepting the decision of others in spite of your knowing it is wrong? God wants us to choose to not sin. He has a plan he is working out. There is no easy answer to all of life's dilemmas. Forgiveness is a good thing. Don't over use it.
For instance, a missionary from Africa once entered into a discussion I was having about polygamy and the Biblical invective to have one spouse. He proposed this: He goes into this village where there is a central hut which belongs to the chief. The chief's hut is surrounded by 10 other huts all with paths between the chief's hut and the 10. The 10 huts belong to the chief's 10 wives and their children. Should he, the missionary, tell the newly converted chief that he can only have one wife? If that is the choice and polygamy isn't supported then the remaining 9 wives and their children will be cast out of the tribe left to be prostitutes in order to feed their children and themselves. So, do we tell the chief to do what is right in regards to Scripture or do we embrace the whole family (Chief plus 10 wives and children bring salvation to them all? What do you do? Do you condone the Chief's choice of 10 wives or not?
The world is full of dilemma's. The motorist who uses his car to block the path of another vehicle in order to save a child's life but causes the accident that injures others. The mother or father who yell, scream, and do whatever they have to in order to stop that child from running into the street letting anger and fear be their dominating impulse. You have dilemmas of your own. So do I. They are all individual and specific for each of us. A Christian pastor hatching a plot to kill Hitler for the greater good of protecting mankind. Right? Wrong? Do we just let everything go wherever it goes and let God sort it out? Sometimes and sometimes not.
Much to the chagrin of religious people everywhere the Bible lists only 2 sins. The first is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. That sin comes about when we know that Jesus is who he said he is, did what he said he would do, and offers you salvation only for you to reject his offer. This is the sin that leads to death. ALL other sin is forgivable. ALL. Sinning doesn't make it right. However, we need to acknowledge that we are to love the sinner but hate the sin (that goes for ourselves as well). I once heard a pastor say that all homosexuals were condemned to hell because of their sexual choice. I made an appointment with him and presented this scenario. He and his friend "John" grew up on the same block, went to the same church, gave their lives to Jesus a an early age, went to the same college and participated in all the same Christian activities. Both went on to seminary and became pastors. This pastor married and had children while his friend did not. One day John comes to him and tells him that he has a secret. This pastor knowing that his friend loves Jesus tells him to speak freely. John tells him that he is a homosexual who has been abstinate his whole life and not engaged that lifestyle. I asked the pastor; "Is John any less a Christian now that you know this?" He crumpled in his chair. The next Sunday the pastor confessed his sin and preached on loving the sinner and hating the sin. There are times when we are caught in dilemmas.
Choosing to sin is not good. I just want to go on record with that. I've done way too much choosing to sin and encouraging others to do the same over the years. I'm guilty. I deserve the condemnation that the Bible lays out for you and I. Yet, the grace of God prevails and I remain in Christ. It's not an easy world for any of us. Your decision to cheat on your taxes, steal from your employer, go over the speed limit, fail to come to a complete stop at a stop sign and a thousand other daily encounters with life tell me that you too are all to much human. You and I have chosen to sin. We can also choose to not sin. What will life's dilemmas bring your way that will throw you into a state of panic? Will the choice be accepting the decision of others in spite of your knowing it is wrong? God wants us to choose to not sin. He has a plan he is working out. There is no easy answer to all of life's dilemmas. Forgiveness is a good thing. Don't over use it.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
My life as a computer
System failure would be a good summary of my Christian life and was definitely true of my life before Christ came on the scene. Knowing now that my basic programming was done even before I was conceived in my mother's womb, you would think that this kind of ongoing problems with perfect programs would even exist. Enter the Virus! Sin entered and corrupted my many programs. Some by the sins of others and some by sins of my own choosing. Nevertheless, I have a system failure at least once a day. If I didn't, I would be perfect and everyone who knows me knows that I am not perfect in any sense of the word! God created the mainframe that is me. That part I know for sure. In creating the software that operates all the areas of my life there was one item that was required in order for God to be God and me to be me...free will software. Yes, the very program that could enrich and complete my life was launched and I was given choice on how it was integrated into my world.
Along with free will came the many invasive cookies that were placed inside of the system by that pesky Satan. He is a liar an a trickster deceiving even the very elect. If the very elect were deceived what chance did I stand? See, there is one of those cookies. Whenever you see me write "I" there is a cookie of some sort taking the attention off God and putting it on me. Not good but sometimes appears harmless. Cookies were donated, gifted, inherited, acquired and sometimes ordered online. Consequently that was where many other cookies were brought on board. So many that I'm overwhelmed with the crowed conditions that are most difficult to manage. Before knowing Jesus there was little knowledge that cookies and viruses were present and damaging to my software. My hard drive was intact but the software was attacked and compromised all because my failure to say no to Satan and yes to God.
On October 1, 1972 at midnight I gave myself to Jesus. I had realized that my hard drive had been corrupt for since birth. I knew in that moment that the only way to deal with the Virus was to download Jesus 1.01 (no other version would be needed.). What transpired was amazing. My eyes were opened to so many areas of trouble that I was overwhelmed. Jesus showed me that he had been following me with his key stroke cop program and that there was nothing to follow at that moment because the problem areas had been erased and God didn't remember them anymore. Wow! That's some cleaner program! Now it was up to me. Not a good thing as time went on. I let different cookies into my life that would ultimately lead me to avoid Jesus 1.01 and run Steven 1.01 instead. Not good. However, every time I came to my senses I was relieved to find that once again the memory had been erased as if it had never been.
This has been fun today but it's also tragic. I know that there are many areas of your life, my life and the lives of other Christians who struggle daily. What do we do to help one another? What do we do to help ourselves? The only solution is to return to Jesus 1.01 and let him take control of the whole hard drive, programs and memory. Give it up.
Along with free will came the many invasive cookies that were placed inside of the system by that pesky Satan. He is a liar an a trickster deceiving even the very elect. If the very elect were deceived what chance did I stand? See, there is one of those cookies. Whenever you see me write "I" there is a cookie of some sort taking the attention off God and putting it on me. Not good but sometimes appears harmless. Cookies were donated, gifted, inherited, acquired and sometimes ordered online. Consequently that was where many other cookies were brought on board. So many that I'm overwhelmed with the crowed conditions that are most difficult to manage. Before knowing Jesus there was little knowledge that cookies and viruses were present and damaging to my software. My hard drive was intact but the software was attacked and compromised all because my failure to say no to Satan and yes to God.
On October 1, 1972 at midnight I gave myself to Jesus. I had realized that my hard drive had been corrupt for since birth. I knew in that moment that the only way to deal with the Virus was to download Jesus 1.01 (no other version would be needed.). What transpired was amazing. My eyes were opened to so many areas of trouble that I was overwhelmed. Jesus showed me that he had been following me with his key stroke cop program and that there was nothing to follow at that moment because the problem areas had been erased and God didn't remember them anymore. Wow! That's some cleaner program! Now it was up to me. Not a good thing as time went on. I let different cookies into my life that would ultimately lead me to avoid Jesus 1.01 and run Steven 1.01 instead. Not good. However, every time I came to my senses I was relieved to find that once again the memory had been erased as if it had never been.
This has been fun today but it's also tragic. I know that there are many areas of your life, my life and the lives of other Christians who struggle daily. What do we do to help one another? What do we do to help ourselves? The only solution is to return to Jesus 1.01 and let him take control of the whole hard drive, programs and memory. Give it up.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Life is full of surprises!
"I'm pregnant." Okay, I didn't see that one coming. Not that I didn't want children because I did. I just wondered about the timing. Yes, I know what causes it... I also wonder about the ramifications of all that's implied in that statement. Responsibility is a big word in the pregnancy and family way. Emotional, physical, financial, and many other areas come to mind. The good news is I'm not pregnant! However, I've gone through this several times with the mothers of my 7 children. Never the same situation. Never the same timing. Never the regret. I love kids.
"My car is making a funny noise and smoke is coming from under the hood." said the voice on the phone. Wonderful! Just what I needed as I was to go into that important meeting. Just what I needed after we spent all the reserve cash on our first vacation away from home in 3 years. Just what would I do, how would I do it, when would I do it? Expectations from the surprises are determined to upset the status quo, turn off or on the joy, or simply throw a wrench in the works that builds character and stamina.
"I've become a Christian." said the non-believers spouse. Great! What does this mean? Am I going to be compelled to go to church, to believe as well, to have to move out as we aren't married, or just what am I going to respond. "That's nice." isn't the best option. But it is an option along with "Really?", "What's that supposed to mean?" and other interesting questions. This is a life changer statement. Nothing will be the same again. Will here be conflict with the changes in her/his life style? Will their changes bring up issues for me to either embrace or avoid? Questions come from surprises. Some we will ask and some we will be afraid to ask.
"I have cancer." What?! "Oh crap!" "I am so sorry." "Are you sure?" "What are the treatment options?" "What can I do to help?" I have never felt so helpless as when my sister (first), brother, (second), sister (third), announced they had cancer. Previously cancer took my mother. I hate cancer. It's a rotten surprise that determines the fortitude of all the parties involved. Can I bear the burden? Will our relationship be able to survive (friendship, relationship, marriage, or whatever). What will I do if this cancer does take the life of someone I love? It's even harder when the victim is a child. Cancer shouldn't be.
Surprises like the above happen. Life is not a bowl full of cherries and positive surprises. We have negative ones that invade and entrench in our lives. Surprises can be (even if positive) what makes or breaks a person. John the Baptists dad was left speechless for the whole pregnancy. Sara was very old when she found out about her pregnancy. I didn't even think people that age did it anymore! David surprised Goliath but even more those who watched on both sides of the conflict. There was more than the giant that hit the floor that day. The Bible is full of surprises both good and bad. The flood happened. The walls to Jericho did fall. Jesus was crucified. Not all surprises are good but turn into good. Sometimes we need to just look at perspective and understand that God is in control. Yes, God is in control! Surprise!
God can't win. He surprises us with salvation and we are devastated with the death of Jesus. He surprises us with a Savior and we are celebrating the greatest event in the life of the Christian. He brings about the life of a child. He allows our car to break down so we can have it towed to someone who needs to hear about how Jesus will take care of everything. He brings you and I to Christ to change not just our world but the world around us. Some will like it and some won't. That's God's business. He allows cancer. We don't like it. Yet we know there are treatments. We know that if we who know Jesus die that we will be with Him. We know that this trial is a character builder or breaker. We have surprises all the time. Some are minor while others devastate our lives and the lives of those around us.
Life is full of surprises...what do you do with yours?
"My car is making a funny noise and smoke is coming from under the hood." said the voice on the phone. Wonderful! Just what I needed as I was to go into that important meeting. Just what I needed after we spent all the reserve cash on our first vacation away from home in 3 years. Just what would I do, how would I do it, when would I do it? Expectations from the surprises are determined to upset the status quo, turn off or on the joy, or simply throw a wrench in the works that builds character and stamina.
"I've become a Christian." said the non-believers spouse. Great! What does this mean? Am I going to be compelled to go to church, to believe as well, to have to move out as we aren't married, or just what am I going to respond. "That's nice." isn't the best option. But it is an option along with "Really?", "What's that supposed to mean?" and other interesting questions. This is a life changer statement. Nothing will be the same again. Will here be conflict with the changes in her/his life style? Will their changes bring up issues for me to either embrace or avoid? Questions come from surprises. Some we will ask and some we will be afraid to ask.
"I have cancer." What?! "Oh crap!" "I am so sorry." "Are you sure?" "What are the treatment options?" "What can I do to help?" I have never felt so helpless as when my sister (first), brother, (second), sister (third), announced they had cancer. Previously cancer took my mother. I hate cancer. It's a rotten surprise that determines the fortitude of all the parties involved. Can I bear the burden? Will our relationship be able to survive (friendship, relationship, marriage, or whatever). What will I do if this cancer does take the life of someone I love? It's even harder when the victim is a child. Cancer shouldn't be.
Surprises like the above happen. Life is not a bowl full of cherries and positive surprises. We have negative ones that invade and entrench in our lives. Surprises can be (even if positive) what makes or breaks a person. John the Baptists dad was left speechless for the whole pregnancy. Sara was very old when she found out about her pregnancy. I didn't even think people that age did it anymore! David surprised Goliath but even more those who watched on both sides of the conflict. There was more than the giant that hit the floor that day. The Bible is full of surprises both good and bad. The flood happened. The walls to Jericho did fall. Jesus was crucified. Not all surprises are good but turn into good. Sometimes we need to just look at perspective and understand that God is in control. Yes, God is in control! Surprise!
God can't win. He surprises us with salvation and we are devastated with the death of Jesus. He surprises us with a Savior and we are celebrating the greatest event in the life of the Christian. He brings about the life of a child. He allows our car to break down so we can have it towed to someone who needs to hear about how Jesus will take care of everything. He brings you and I to Christ to change not just our world but the world around us. Some will like it and some won't. That's God's business. He allows cancer. We don't like it. Yet we know there are treatments. We know that if we who know Jesus die that we will be with Him. We know that this trial is a character builder or breaker. We have surprises all the time. Some are minor while others devastate our lives and the lives of those around us.
Life is full of surprises...what do you do with yours?
Sunday, August 9, 2015
So, you want to be a rock star!?
Most, if not all, teenagers dream of one day being a rock star, part of a rock band, or something similar. There is nothing wrong with the dream. Some of us older people would still love to be part of that scene. It's probably a good thing that I can not sing or play an instrument (other than the stereo)! Dreams are not all supposed to be fulfilled. Dreams are to spur us on in ventures that somehow mark our territory, make our legacy, or just complete a process. I've dreamt for years to write a book. I've written 3 now. Yes the last two will be published. The dream was to write a book and not become famous by that book. Sometimes having the dream is like the ultimate quest (men are you listening). That buck firmly in the sights, landing that salmon, dating that cheerleader and having the coolest truck are just some examples of dreams. There is nothing wrong with any of them. A problem that does pop up is that if we don't see the dream fulfilled we become soured on dreams. So, we quit hunting, fishing, looking for the most beautiful cheerleader and settle for a not so cool pickup. We settle. That's the troubling part of dreams. We settle. All that hype, all that waiting, and when the end comes; we settle for less than the dream.
Sometimes when we engage the dream we do so because we believe that all we deserve is the dream and not the actual coming to life part of the dream. So when a dream comes true we are incredibly overcome and share with everyone that our dream has come true. We don't share that it took me 10 years to put together my first book. We share that the book was published! The dream is often delayed due to circumstances that come into our lives. I've always wanted a Mercedes Benz (preferably a 1985 560 SL) and talked about it until one day I decided to do something about it. I bought at an auction a 1988 420 SEL. It was a rough start. I later upgraded to a 1988 420 SEL gold in color with a tan interior, engine that couldn't be stopped and a roof that retracted for the "cool" effect. I'm now selling the Mercedes to my son. He needs a car and I don't "need" two cars. So, my dream accomplished is now able to be passed on. His dream is a Corvette. He'll have to go through a number of cars before he can go there. I have no doubt he can achieve his dream just as I have mine.
Then there are the unrealistic dreams. "You have just won $5000 a week with Publishers Clearing House!" Right... Such a deal we have for you. Win the lottery? Not recently...okay, never. Been granted that promotion you have worked for over so many years? Hmm...not that one either. Kids all turned into missionary's for Christ or are pastors? Mine neither. Unrealistic dreams are set ups that we place before ourselves knowing that the dictates of that dream being achieved lies with people and places higher than ourselves. "We are in love!" "Everything is wonderful!" "He/She is the only person for me. We're soul mates!" (said the teenager to her mother. Mom only nodded and looked at me.
So, for the Christian, what should dreams be about? God is the author of dreams based on His will in our lives. He wants us to dream of the possible and not impossible. Wait, you say, nothing is impossible for God. Yep. Nothing is impossible for God. It's you and I that get in the way. Faith is the cornerstone of any dream. The dream is only as good as the faith the upholds it. If we believe that we don't deserve this dream no amount of faith will bring it to fruition. If we believe that dreams have to come about within our time frame or plans; we become disillusioned and give up the dream even if we know it is from God. If we have unrealistic dreams, we need to ask whether the dream is from God or not. In the end, it's God's dreams that should captivate our attention. He will take care of all of the other stuff in our lives. God dreams that all mankind should come to know Jesus as Lord and live in eternal peace in the new world. That's it. His dream is dependent on our taking his dream upon ourselves. That dream being the only one God has placed before us. If we don't go out, if we don't cry out, if we don't put ourselves out, how can they hear and if they can't hear, how can they believe and if they don't believe how can they have the dream? Your dream that one day there will be no more pain and sorrow. Your dream that all men should hear and receive the dream of God through salvation in his Son.
Sometimes when we engage the dream we do so because we believe that all we deserve is the dream and not the actual coming to life part of the dream. So when a dream comes true we are incredibly overcome and share with everyone that our dream has come true. We don't share that it took me 10 years to put together my first book. We share that the book was published! The dream is often delayed due to circumstances that come into our lives. I've always wanted a Mercedes Benz (preferably a 1985 560 SL) and talked about it until one day I decided to do something about it. I bought at an auction a 1988 420 SEL. It was a rough start. I later upgraded to a 1988 420 SEL gold in color with a tan interior, engine that couldn't be stopped and a roof that retracted for the "cool" effect. I'm now selling the Mercedes to my son. He needs a car and I don't "need" two cars. So, my dream accomplished is now able to be passed on. His dream is a Corvette. He'll have to go through a number of cars before he can go there. I have no doubt he can achieve his dream just as I have mine.
Then there are the unrealistic dreams. "You have just won $5000 a week with Publishers Clearing House!" Right... Such a deal we have for you. Win the lottery? Not recently...okay, never. Been granted that promotion you have worked for over so many years? Hmm...not that one either. Kids all turned into missionary's for Christ or are pastors? Mine neither. Unrealistic dreams are set ups that we place before ourselves knowing that the dictates of that dream being achieved lies with people and places higher than ourselves. "We are in love!" "Everything is wonderful!" "He/She is the only person for me. We're soul mates!" (said the teenager to her mother. Mom only nodded and looked at me.
So, for the Christian, what should dreams be about? God is the author of dreams based on His will in our lives. He wants us to dream of the possible and not impossible. Wait, you say, nothing is impossible for God. Yep. Nothing is impossible for God. It's you and I that get in the way. Faith is the cornerstone of any dream. The dream is only as good as the faith the upholds it. If we believe that we don't deserve this dream no amount of faith will bring it to fruition. If we believe that dreams have to come about within our time frame or plans; we become disillusioned and give up the dream even if we know it is from God. If we have unrealistic dreams, we need to ask whether the dream is from God or not. In the end, it's God's dreams that should captivate our attention. He will take care of all of the other stuff in our lives. God dreams that all mankind should come to know Jesus as Lord and live in eternal peace in the new world. That's it. His dream is dependent on our taking his dream upon ourselves. That dream being the only one God has placed before us. If we don't go out, if we don't cry out, if we don't put ourselves out, how can they hear and if they can't hear, how can they believe and if they don't believe how can they have the dream? Your dream that one day there will be no more pain and sorrow. Your dream that all men should hear and receive the dream of God through salvation in his Son.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Little did we know the cost.
We recently hosted 2 13 year old Chinese students for 3 weeks in our home. They went to school Monday through Friday from 8:30 till 5:30. The rest of the time they were our boys. We had a lot of great adventures, learned a lot from each other and enjoyed our time with them. While there were some actual costs incurred by us for food and transportation; I'm not talking about the cost in that sense. You probably guessed that by now anyway. I need to back up a bit in the story. When we were first approached with the possibility of hosting my mind went back to my upbringing and the state of the world in the ensuing years. Communist China was always portrayed as an enemy of not just mine but everyone in the free world. Distrust of anyone from China was standard behavior on my part. I had been so educated in the way China was an enemy that I wasn't educated about how human they were/are. The cost was years of lack of appreciation for a people who were in so many ways just like me.
I have 7 children and 2 step children. All but 3 are adults with the youngest being 14. The boys we had in our home were 13 years old. Both of them were the ultimate in polite. I appreciated that trait as so many of our youth don't have the gift of politeness. It hasn't been taught to them like the distrust of anyone Chinese has been taught. Being respected as adults is something that is first nature in the two boys. It wasn't just I who was respected as an adult but all adults around me were similarly respected. On top of politeness and respect there were so many instances where they volunteered to help in any way they could AND without being asked. Can you believe that? When was the last time that happened with your children and there was no ulterior motive? Finally, the boys presented themselves and their families just as they are. There was love of parent and family expressed every day they were with us. How can you put a price on all of this much less the love. The boys were transparent and just who they presented themselves to be. They were real. All this cost me was the time it took to switch gears and have an open mind.
By the way, I am not saying my or your children don't have any or all of these qualities. They most likely have one or many of these traits. The differences between American and Chinese children is great and not in the box I was given as a child. Being American meant we were superior to anyone else in the world. Being American gave us the right to hate all that we didn't represent. Being American cost me many years of not being able to see other nations people for who they were and are. It wasn't until I made my first trip out of country that I began to see that we have different cultures all over the world but 3 years olds everywhere still throw temper tantrums. Parents in public with said children still were embarrassed and sometimes angry just like here in America. Teenagers in Honduras or Germany or England or Spain all listened to their music on various devices. They all tended to try and get out of doing this or that. The struggles of identity were present in all the countries I travelled to or lives amongst. The cost of my experience was negligible in relationship to the rewards of having had the experiences.
The boys have gone back home to China. They called me "dad". They told me they would miss me and I called them "my boys" and told them I would miss them as well. When we said goodbye all of the sorrow of separation was as real as when I leave visiting one of my biological children. The cost of all of this experience is continuing to mount. However, the investment has rolled over my investment so much that I can barely contain the blessing. That's what Jesus said would happen and that is exactly what has happened.
I have 7 children and 2 step children. All but 3 are adults with the youngest being 14. The boys we had in our home were 13 years old. Both of them were the ultimate in polite. I appreciated that trait as so many of our youth don't have the gift of politeness. It hasn't been taught to them like the distrust of anyone Chinese has been taught. Being respected as adults is something that is first nature in the two boys. It wasn't just I who was respected as an adult but all adults around me were similarly respected. On top of politeness and respect there were so many instances where they volunteered to help in any way they could AND without being asked. Can you believe that? When was the last time that happened with your children and there was no ulterior motive? Finally, the boys presented themselves and their families just as they are. There was love of parent and family expressed every day they were with us. How can you put a price on all of this much less the love. The boys were transparent and just who they presented themselves to be. They were real. All this cost me was the time it took to switch gears and have an open mind.
By the way, I am not saying my or your children don't have any or all of these qualities. They most likely have one or many of these traits. The differences between American and Chinese children is great and not in the box I was given as a child. Being American meant we were superior to anyone else in the world. Being American gave us the right to hate all that we didn't represent. Being American cost me many years of not being able to see other nations people for who they were and are. It wasn't until I made my first trip out of country that I began to see that we have different cultures all over the world but 3 years olds everywhere still throw temper tantrums. Parents in public with said children still were embarrassed and sometimes angry just like here in America. Teenagers in Honduras or Germany or England or Spain all listened to their music on various devices. They all tended to try and get out of doing this or that. The struggles of identity were present in all the countries I travelled to or lives amongst. The cost of my experience was negligible in relationship to the rewards of having had the experiences.
The boys have gone back home to China. They called me "dad". They told me they would miss me and I called them "my boys" and told them I would miss them as well. When we said goodbye all of the sorrow of separation was as real as when I leave visiting one of my biological children. The cost of all of this experience is continuing to mount. However, the investment has rolled over my investment so much that I can barely contain the blessing. That's what Jesus said would happen and that is exactly what has happened.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
How to see God's plan
The 23rd Psalm was written by David during the time he was on the run from King Saul. David and his "mighty men" were on the run because they didn't want to kill King Saul. King Saul was chasing David to kill him. Go figure. Anyway, King Saul had pursued David and his men into a canyon with no exit. They were trapped. No way out. Certain death was upon them David took to writing poetry (or in this case a psalm) of thanksgiving to God. Many of us have memorized the 23rd Psalm and repeated it over and over through out our lives. Bud do we really know what the Psalm is all about? Do we understand the implications that brought David to this point? What do we know about our own circumstances that we might have written something similar? We aren't that much different from David except he had more faith than most of us. Faith that God would take care of him as usual. We know the end of the story that King Saul was unable to fulfill his mission and left David alive.
So, YOU are being chased by your worst enemy and are now cornered in an alley mid block of 96th St in Anytown, USA. What would you be thinking? "GOD GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW!!" would be my guess. It seems that many of us that our faith is challenged only when we are desperate. The rest of the time we are convinced that we not only can take care of ourselves but also are able to do so without consulting or asking God to help. If you went to Sunday School you no doubt were taught about the hero's of the Bible. You were taught that God raised them up and took care of them. That was then and this is now. The Sunday School lessons are the same. The message is the same. The end result is the same; we disregard what we have been taught and seek the glory for ourselves. Our desire to remain independent and self-serving only deepens the desire to "do life" without God's help or direction. Sounds kind of silly doesn't it?
There were one reason King Saul and his army turned back. God demanded his servant David to live and be King. During this chase, King Saul grew more and more determined to kill David. When he finally had David cornered Saul knew that this would finish off David and his men. What was so important that Saul abandoned his quest? A "runner" had arrived and told Saul that the Egyptians were invading the southern territory and that his help was needed right away. So King Saul, his army and the "runner" hopped on helicopters and went to fight the battle. Not really. They did leave to go defend the southern kingdom though thus sparing David and his men's lives. Please understand that this is simply not this simple.
The "runner" was approximately 2 weeks running time when he began the journey to deliver the message. David and his men hadn't even entered the canyon at that time. However, in the two weeks of travel time David and his men were backed into a corner. But that's not the end of the story. God arranged for the Egyptians to invade the southern kingdom knowing that in 2 weeks time the "runner" would give the word to King Saul and they would retreat. This resulted in David and his men escaping and later becoming King David and his Mighty Men. The such that legends are made out of. God had planned ahead of time what would happen in the future so that His will could be made complete. We may have some better understanding that the 23rd Psalm was a psalm of thanksgiving as David was chosen by God because he had given everything in his life over to God to do as he willed. David knew God would take care of him even though he didn't know how.
If you have adversity in your life remember that help is on the way. The Bible tells us that "He knows the desires of our heart even before the words have passed through our lips." There are so many references to God coming into play "at just the right time." that we can have confidence that he has a plan, he's working it out, and we don't need to worry. His invisible battle rages on as well with the Heavenly host battling Satan and his demons who desire your life. When you keep your heart and mind stayed on God those battles are less important as you KNOW that God will rescue you and keep you safe. Even if that means taking you home to be with him. Sleep easy tonight knowing that the plan God has for you has been worked out since before you were conceived. God is good...all the time.
So, YOU are being chased by your worst enemy and are now cornered in an alley mid block of 96th St in Anytown, USA. What would you be thinking? "GOD GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW!!" would be my guess. It seems that many of us that our faith is challenged only when we are desperate. The rest of the time we are convinced that we not only can take care of ourselves but also are able to do so without consulting or asking God to help. If you went to Sunday School you no doubt were taught about the hero's of the Bible. You were taught that God raised them up and took care of them. That was then and this is now. The Sunday School lessons are the same. The message is the same. The end result is the same; we disregard what we have been taught and seek the glory for ourselves. Our desire to remain independent and self-serving only deepens the desire to "do life" without God's help or direction. Sounds kind of silly doesn't it?
There were one reason King Saul and his army turned back. God demanded his servant David to live and be King. During this chase, King Saul grew more and more determined to kill David. When he finally had David cornered Saul knew that this would finish off David and his men. What was so important that Saul abandoned his quest? A "runner" had arrived and told Saul that the Egyptians were invading the southern territory and that his help was needed right away. So King Saul, his army and the "runner" hopped on helicopters and went to fight the battle. Not really. They did leave to go defend the southern kingdom though thus sparing David and his men's lives. Please understand that this is simply not this simple.
The "runner" was approximately 2 weeks running time when he began the journey to deliver the message. David and his men hadn't even entered the canyon at that time. However, in the two weeks of travel time David and his men were backed into a corner. But that's not the end of the story. God arranged for the Egyptians to invade the southern kingdom knowing that in 2 weeks time the "runner" would give the word to King Saul and they would retreat. This resulted in David and his men escaping and later becoming King David and his Mighty Men. The such that legends are made out of. God had planned ahead of time what would happen in the future so that His will could be made complete. We may have some better understanding that the 23rd Psalm was a psalm of thanksgiving as David was chosen by God because he had given everything in his life over to God to do as he willed. David knew God would take care of him even though he didn't know how.
If you have adversity in your life remember that help is on the way. The Bible tells us that "He knows the desires of our heart even before the words have passed through our lips." There are so many references to God coming into play "at just the right time." that we can have confidence that he has a plan, he's working it out, and we don't need to worry. His invisible battle rages on as well with the Heavenly host battling Satan and his demons who desire your life. When you keep your heart and mind stayed on God those battles are less important as you KNOW that God will rescue you and keep you safe. Even if that means taking you home to be with him. Sleep easy tonight knowing that the plan God has for you has been worked out since before you were conceived. God is good...all the time.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
The mighty apostrophe
The apostrophe has long been used in English literature to indicate that the author has more to say or that what is being said isn't finished. Paul was the king of these types of sentences. Long rabbit trail statements that make sense but are so long! In our personal lives we too have apostrophe's. The variables of the apostrophe in peoples lives is both long and tedious to repeat. So, suffice it to say that each of us have a story line which has an apostrophe indicating that the statement or story isn't finished. A movement is underway utilizing the apostrophe to indicate that individuals are survivors of attempted suicide or other tragedies. My own first suicide attempt was at age 13. However, my story wasn't over yet. There would be other times in my life when I thought of giving up, ending it all, taking my life as I felt I had nothing to live for or the pain was to great to bear any longer. Paul talks about his thorn in the flesh that he was given to bear. Many people have lamented their lives and sought a means to end that life. Apostrophes are indicators that their and my stories are not finished and there is more to be written.
Our relationships are comprised of our relationship with Jesus and others. The relationship with Jesus is a never ending one which we will continue to enjoy for eternity if we know Him as Lord and Savior. So, let's concentrate on the "others". The relationship may be with a wife, parent, husband, friend, child(ren), or even an enemy. The apostrophe in each of their lives is dependent upon and inclusive with our own lives. WE are the reason we have an apostrophe and WE are the contributors to other's apostrophe's. Somehow in our society we have drawn ourselves away from involvement in people's lives. Having taken on an air that we are NOT our brother's keeper; we pretend that we have no responsibility to them or anyone. Ignoring others don't make the problems go away. Nor does it give others the chance to interact with our lives and just possibly be the reason we have an apostrophe in our lives and not a period.
The path to hopelessness and the period can and should be interrupted by us. We are the ones God has placed on earth to be there for one another. It may seem strange to us to consider, but we often are called upon to be some one's apostrophe even if we don't know it. That late night text message or middle of the day phone call or that dropping by just to say hi and check on you or I are all signs that someone is actively stating that our lives count and are important. I was once walking on a street and greeted a man coming towards me (stranger) with, "How are you today?" He stopped and said, "You really don't mean that or want to know." I told him I did want to know." He went on to lament about how people ask that greeting without ever having the intention to really want to know. He's right. We have distanced ourselves in our communication just by not being sincere. Will we really take the time to be some one's apostrophe and LISTEN to them with our heart? I have certain people in my life that are my apostrophe as I am theirs. Communicating, believing, and trusting are all components in having an apostrophe in your life and my life. Don't let your life have a period. God hasn't finished the story yet!
Our relationships are comprised of our relationship with Jesus and others. The relationship with Jesus is a never ending one which we will continue to enjoy for eternity if we know Him as Lord and Savior. So, let's concentrate on the "others". The relationship may be with a wife, parent, husband, friend, child(ren), or even an enemy. The apostrophe in each of their lives is dependent upon and inclusive with our own lives. WE are the reason we have an apostrophe and WE are the contributors to other's apostrophe's. Somehow in our society we have drawn ourselves away from involvement in people's lives. Having taken on an air that we are NOT our brother's keeper; we pretend that we have no responsibility to them or anyone. Ignoring others don't make the problems go away. Nor does it give others the chance to interact with our lives and just possibly be the reason we have an apostrophe in our lives and not a period.
The path to hopelessness and the period can and should be interrupted by us. We are the ones God has placed on earth to be there for one another. It may seem strange to us to consider, but we often are called upon to be some one's apostrophe even if we don't know it. That late night text message or middle of the day phone call or that dropping by just to say hi and check on you or I are all signs that someone is actively stating that our lives count and are important. I was once walking on a street and greeted a man coming towards me (stranger) with, "How are you today?" He stopped and said, "You really don't mean that or want to know." I told him I did want to know." He went on to lament about how people ask that greeting without ever having the intention to really want to know. He's right. We have distanced ourselves in our communication just by not being sincere. Will we really take the time to be some one's apostrophe and LISTEN to them with our heart? I have certain people in my life that are my apostrophe as I am theirs. Communicating, believing, and trusting are all components in having an apostrophe in your life and my life. Don't let your life have a period. God hasn't finished the story yet!
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
The Christian and "fudging"
I'm not talking about something you bring to a church potluck or a church home group. Nor am I talking about something that grandma, aunt, mom used to make and now it's up to you to put together the secret recipe and carry on the family tradition. What I'm talking about are the ways we have come up with to be less than honest, less than having integrity, and less being Christ like. Yes, we do the "fudging" thing quite often and there are ramifications for our actions and inaction's. It doesn't matter what kinds of nuts you add to fudge; the end product is still fudge. Nor does it matter what name you put to your fudge. The name may be different but it's still just fudge. Change the recipe so that it's sugar free? Yep, it's still fudge. Put frosting on it so it looks more like cake? It is still fudge. Some people even put marshmallows in their fudge (miniatures are the best) and yet it's still just fudge.
In the garden (the original garden) Satan slides up beside Eve and says, "Did God really mean you will die if you eat of the tree of life?" Eve succumbs and here we are. While there are many steps that take us to that place where we have been able to rationalize or justify just about anything in the name of ______ (insert your name here); it's still an act of justification and rationalization. In other words, you still are the same person, doing the same things, with negative consequences brought about by your action or inaction. Satan put together a recipe for fudge that Eve decided to accept. She did this knowing that it was wrong...but it sounded so good! Making fudge (and bad decisions) takes several steps. First and foremost there needs to be a want inside of us that causes us to begin to romanticize the fudge. You get to the point where you want what you want so bad that you tell yourself all the reasons why making the fudge and eating it are no longer taboo. You give yourself permission to begin gathering together the ingredients, the time to make the fudge and the items needed to complete the recipe. For instance, you have decided to wait until marriage to have sex and then buy yourself condoms "just in case." You buy and install a radar detector despite the claim that you won't break the speed limit. You get the point.
When you begin to mix the ingredients for the fudge you begin to get the pangs of guilt and of course hunger. Which one wins? The one you feed the most. It's like there are two wolves inside of you vying for the top dog position. One is the good dog and the other is the bad dog. The one you feed the most is the one that wins every time. We can and do make up the best excuses and call them "reasons" to break the law, violate our covenant with God, and make the best fudge. Not wanting to feel overly guilty we do what comes naturally. Eve invited Adam to eat of the fruit. You invite a friend you know will join you in your sin in order to lighten your guilt load. I once washed a load of whites with bleach and was surprised to find that all the garments were red in color because there was a red sock in with the white clothes. Not noticing the red sock caused all of my whites to become violators as well. One choice was guilty and affected everyone around it. So now we have a whole church that brings fudge to the potluck. The difference is found in the variety of kinds of fudge that are simply named something other than fudge. Grandma's Best is still fudge. Best of the Best is still fudge. Sin is still sin.
Fudging on your taxes, your time at work, your cheating on tests, and other "fudging" activities will follow you every day of your life should you let fudging get a handhold on your life. Pretty soon the fudging goes from one or two items to being predominant in our lives. God waits patiently as his children do everything but come to him for help. Where are you on the subject of fudging today?
In the garden (the original garden) Satan slides up beside Eve and says, "Did God really mean you will die if you eat of the tree of life?" Eve succumbs and here we are. While there are many steps that take us to that place where we have been able to rationalize or justify just about anything in the name of ______ (insert your name here); it's still an act of justification and rationalization. In other words, you still are the same person, doing the same things, with negative consequences brought about by your action or inaction. Satan put together a recipe for fudge that Eve decided to accept. She did this knowing that it was wrong...but it sounded so good! Making fudge (and bad decisions) takes several steps. First and foremost there needs to be a want inside of us that causes us to begin to romanticize the fudge. You get to the point where you want what you want so bad that you tell yourself all the reasons why making the fudge and eating it are no longer taboo. You give yourself permission to begin gathering together the ingredients, the time to make the fudge and the items needed to complete the recipe. For instance, you have decided to wait until marriage to have sex and then buy yourself condoms "just in case." You buy and install a radar detector despite the claim that you won't break the speed limit. You get the point.
When you begin to mix the ingredients for the fudge you begin to get the pangs of guilt and of course hunger. Which one wins? The one you feed the most. It's like there are two wolves inside of you vying for the top dog position. One is the good dog and the other is the bad dog. The one you feed the most is the one that wins every time. We can and do make up the best excuses and call them "reasons" to break the law, violate our covenant with God, and make the best fudge. Not wanting to feel overly guilty we do what comes naturally. Eve invited Adam to eat of the fruit. You invite a friend you know will join you in your sin in order to lighten your guilt load. I once washed a load of whites with bleach and was surprised to find that all the garments were red in color because there was a red sock in with the white clothes. Not noticing the red sock caused all of my whites to become violators as well. One choice was guilty and affected everyone around it. So now we have a whole church that brings fudge to the potluck. The difference is found in the variety of kinds of fudge that are simply named something other than fudge. Grandma's Best is still fudge. Best of the Best is still fudge. Sin is still sin.
Fudging on your taxes, your time at work, your cheating on tests, and other "fudging" activities will follow you every day of your life should you let fudging get a handhold on your life. Pretty soon the fudging goes from one or two items to being predominant in our lives. God waits patiently as his children do everything but come to him for help. Where are you on the subject of fudging today?
Monday, August 3, 2015
Christian acronym day
Are we ready? FROG is the first one that come to my mind. Fully Rely On God. "If you have the faith of a mustard seed you can say to this mountain be thrown into the sea and it will be." Wow! If we have faith. That's the kicker. We have limited or no faith that our prayers will be answered. We sit back and lament our lack of spiritual life, needs being met, significant other or even the lack of a pet we really want. Jesus said that he will take care of all of our NEEDS. But we don't believe that because we go out and do for ourselves what we think we need, when we think we need it and how we think we need it. Fully relying on God means we stop thinking. Our thinking only makes the equation of "let go and let God" foolishness. If we were to ask Christians in evangelical churches if they believed that they fully relied on God; we would be astounded with the answer. None of us fully rely on God. We rely on our job, uncle/aunt, grandparent, parent, teacher, friend, and many other sources so that we can have the sure deal. We, as humans, don't like the unknown. Relying on God demands we be okay with the unknown and let God do as he wishes in our lives. Fully relying on God is scary for most people. Most people don't have that faith in themselves, others or even God that we can have our needs met. Try practicing FROG today and every day.
The next acronym is JOY. No, I'm not talking about being happy though that might be the outcome if our hearts are right. Jesus, Others and You. It's a hierarchy of priority in our lives. If we were to put Jesus first, others second and ourselves third the world around us would be changed in magnificent ways. Jesus said, "Count it all JOY when others persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you." Hmm... That doesn't sound like something that would cause me to feel joy. The first message JOY gives us is that life isn't about me. It's not even about others first and foremost. Life is about Jesus for the believer and only Jesus. It's like this, if we don't want a ticket we obey the speed limit. If we don't want the car to break down we have it serviced regularly in order to extend it's reliability and life. The same goes for JOY. If we put Jesus first (truly first and not just lip service) we will see that others in position 2 comes naturally and we aren't jealous that we aren't in the number 2 slot. Joy is one of the positive outcomes of obeying the Word and Jesus in our daily lives. IF we continually practice self denial and put Jesus first there is little that could go wrong in our daily lives that couldn't be given to Jesus.
FORD: fix or repair daily and FIAT: fix it again Tony aren't Bible based acronyms. However, they do reflect the mindset of the world. We don't have faith when we live with acronyms like that. We engage Murphy and Murphy's law with the full belief that everything that will go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible moment in the worst possible way. Doesn't sound real Biblical either. But this context brings us to the real root of the problem. We don't believe in God and what he says in his Word. We don't believe in healing, provision, and shelter from harm. I wrote a bit back about WAIT which stands for Why Am I Talking. This could be Biblical in that we are asked to understand why we are talking. Talking for the Christian and non helps us to stay away from risk associated with being God's people. Talking deflects, makes excuses and down plays so much of WWJD. Remember this one? What Would Jesus Do? When WE are talking, WE aren't listening. When we aren't listening, God cannot work through us. When we shut down God in our lives, we also shut God out of our relationships with others. What would Jesus Do? He showed us. Having come to earth to provide salvation to all of mankind, Jesus ministered to others. No restriction and no limits. What would you do?
It's time we say what we believe, believe in why we say it and then present our lives to Jesus for the work needing to be done while we wait for Jesus to come back.
The next acronym is JOY. No, I'm not talking about being happy though that might be the outcome if our hearts are right. Jesus, Others and You. It's a hierarchy of priority in our lives. If we were to put Jesus first, others second and ourselves third the world around us would be changed in magnificent ways. Jesus said, "Count it all JOY when others persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you." Hmm... That doesn't sound like something that would cause me to feel joy. The first message JOY gives us is that life isn't about me. It's not even about others first and foremost. Life is about Jesus for the believer and only Jesus. It's like this, if we don't want a ticket we obey the speed limit. If we don't want the car to break down we have it serviced regularly in order to extend it's reliability and life. The same goes for JOY. If we put Jesus first (truly first and not just lip service) we will see that others in position 2 comes naturally and we aren't jealous that we aren't in the number 2 slot. Joy is one of the positive outcomes of obeying the Word and Jesus in our daily lives. IF we continually practice self denial and put Jesus first there is little that could go wrong in our daily lives that couldn't be given to Jesus.
FORD: fix or repair daily and FIAT: fix it again Tony aren't Bible based acronyms. However, they do reflect the mindset of the world. We don't have faith when we live with acronyms like that. We engage Murphy and Murphy's law with the full belief that everything that will go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible moment in the worst possible way. Doesn't sound real Biblical either. But this context brings us to the real root of the problem. We don't believe in God and what he says in his Word. We don't believe in healing, provision, and shelter from harm. I wrote a bit back about WAIT which stands for Why Am I Talking. This could be Biblical in that we are asked to understand why we are talking. Talking for the Christian and non helps us to stay away from risk associated with being God's people. Talking deflects, makes excuses and down plays so much of WWJD. Remember this one? What Would Jesus Do? When WE are talking, WE aren't listening. When we aren't listening, God cannot work through us. When we shut down God in our lives, we also shut God out of our relationships with others. What would Jesus Do? He showed us. Having come to earth to provide salvation to all of mankind, Jesus ministered to others. No restriction and no limits. What would you do?
It's time we say what we believe, believe in why we say it and then present our lives to Jesus for the work needing to be done while we wait for Jesus to come back.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Multiplicity in the Christian life
Yes, we can, as Christians and non, discuss anything. Even multiplicity. The definition of multiplicity is: the number of times a root of an equation or zero of a function occurs when there is more than one root or zero <the multiplicity of x = 2 for the equation (x − 2)3 = 0 is 3> or the quality or state of being multiple or various. Now don't you feel enlightened?! I'll stick with the second definition. Being multiple. How does it apply. You don't have to have multiple personalities in order to, "as Paul put it, we need to become all things to all people." We are challenged to be in prayer at all times bring our requests to the God who answers prayers. Praying without ceasing and continually bring those we love before the Lord is practicing multiplicity. Giving to the poor and taking care of the orphan and the widow is practicing multiplicity as we balance all the need we have around us.
There is a negative side of multiplicity as well. I know of a denomination that practices legalistic multiplicity. They require their members to be baptized by immersion (not a bad thing) every time they move and change churches. One's church in the denomination isn't good enough for the next church of the same denomination. Multiplicity comes to churches in the form of control, manipulation and even secrecy. Some denominations actually monthly check the pay checks of their members so that they know the member is tithing 10% of their earnings. Yet other church groups pray repeatedly the same prayer over and over and over when Scripture tells us and them to not use vain repetition (multiplicity) to approach the throne of God. Negative multiplicity in our religious groups is NOT from God. Positive multiplicity in our religious groups is almost always from God. The multiplicity of laws in the Old Testament were overcome and fulfilled with the single act of Jesus on the Cross. When we come to the Cross to let Jesus into our lives we don't have to go through our life day by day and confess an endless list of sins of omission and commission. We need to lay our sins (all) on the altar and let them go.
Multiplicity is also found in some of our daily living. Having a routine can be good unless we need to vary from that routine and find ourselves unable to do so. Being so inflexible in one of the areas of our lives almost always indicates that this would be true about other areas of our lives also. Multiplicity in this example generates rigid and unyielding choices for ourselves and those around us. Allowing the Holy Spirit to not only direct our lives but to have the freedom to use us as he will is allowing the multiplicity of the Gospel to permeate our world. This multiplicity is found in the freedom to be ready at a moments notice to change direction because God is balancing a lot of plates in our lives. Not only being all things to all people but always being ready to give an account (testimony) for the hope that we have in us with Christ Jesus.
I hope I cleared that up.
There is a negative side of multiplicity as well. I know of a denomination that practices legalistic multiplicity. They require their members to be baptized by immersion (not a bad thing) every time they move and change churches. One's church in the denomination isn't good enough for the next church of the same denomination. Multiplicity comes to churches in the form of control, manipulation and even secrecy. Some denominations actually monthly check the pay checks of their members so that they know the member is tithing 10% of their earnings. Yet other church groups pray repeatedly the same prayer over and over and over when Scripture tells us and them to not use vain repetition (multiplicity) to approach the throne of God. Negative multiplicity in our religious groups is NOT from God. Positive multiplicity in our religious groups is almost always from God. The multiplicity of laws in the Old Testament were overcome and fulfilled with the single act of Jesus on the Cross. When we come to the Cross to let Jesus into our lives we don't have to go through our life day by day and confess an endless list of sins of omission and commission. We need to lay our sins (all) on the altar and let them go.
Multiplicity is also found in some of our daily living. Having a routine can be good unless we need to vary from that routine and find ourselves unable to do so. Being so inflexible in one of the areas of our lives almost always indicates that this would be true about other areas of our lives also. Multiplicity in this example generates rigid and unyielding choices for ourselves and those around us. Allowing the Holy Spirit to not only direct our lives but to have the freedom to use us as he will is allowing the multiplicity of the Gospel to permeate our world. This multiplicity is found in the freedom to be ready at a moments notice to change direction because God is balancing a lot of plates in our lives. Not only being all things to all people but always being ready to give an account (testimony) for the hope that we have in us with Christ Jesus.
I hope I cleared that up.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
My resignations
When most people hear "resignations" they think of an old guy or gal who is retiring from many years of work. They may also think of giving up or resigning themselves to what is rather than what could be. These same resignations can be a mark of change or a time in life when we wake up (partially or fully) and decide to make positive changes in our lives. For the Christian, we find all of these applicable. Though we should never engage the thought that living for Christ is something we retire from, loose sight or faith in, and an only occurrence of giving up our lives. So, what can we faithfully resign ourselves to do? What are the pitfalls of such resignation? Can we count on others to support our resignation? Will we be able to go the long run and seize the prize for a life lived in Christ? All these questions should be constantly in the mind of the believer. With pastors and whole churches not believing/preaching these resignations; there is little hope that a pattern of such would be embraced by individual believer or congregation.
I resign myself to believe the Bible. All of it. Inspired by God and recorded by holy men who listened to the voice of God and wrote the books of the Bible. Applied to men and women of all walks of life with the ONLY message of salvation for anyone today. The Bible as a road map to all of us. A lamp unto our feet. Giving guidance where only God knows the future and where that guidance will take us. Maintaining hope that the Word will be continually revealed to me as I read and meditate on it's content.
I resign myself to believing that Jesus was who he said he was, did what he said he did and is coming back for me just as he said he would. I believe that there is no other name by which mankind may be saved outside of the name of Jesus. I believe that Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected and paid the price for ALL of my sins; past, present and future. Jesus provides the guidance for my life even if I don't always live it. In which case he is patient and long suffering and full of grace to forgive me and love me ALL the time.
I resign myself to delivering the Gospel to all the Holy Spirit brings in my path for that purpose. This leave no responsibility on me other than to be a yielded vessel ready to do as my Lord requests. The Gospel is the only means by which men/women may live, be saved, and have the promise of eternal life. The Gospel given to me is to be given away to others. No gift should be concealed from those around it. The Gospel is no different. Let your light shine like a candle on a hill and not like a candle under a basket.
I resign myself to separate myself from the world as much as possible even when such action is likely to have negative ramifications on me, my family, and my friends. Taking as stand for Jesus is AGAINST the world. Either I can live in the world and it's consequences or I can live for Jesus and live with it's consequences. The former gains me nothing while the latter gains me eternal life. To be at odds with those in the world around me should be a familiar friend. For the Gospel is offensive to those who are perishing.
I resign to begin each day anew. Clean slate because I confess my sins. Clean heart as I forgive those who have wronged me. Clean mind as I begin my day reading the Word. Thankful spirit for all that I have been blessed with. Counting my blessings will always outweigh whatever the world has to offer. Counting as loss all that isn't of God and all as gain that is from God; I will press forward instead of living in the past. Each day will be sufficient of itself.
My resignations.
I resign myself to believe the Bible. All of it. Inspired by God and recorded by holy men who listened to the voice of God and wrote the books of the Bible. Applied to men and women of all walks of life with the ONLY message of salvation for anyone today. The Bible as a road map to all of us. A lamp unto our feet. Giving guidance where only God knows the future and where that guidance will take us. Maintaining hope that the Word will be continually revealed to me as I read and meditate on it's content.
I resign myself to believing that Jesus was who he said he was, did what he said he did and is coming back for me just as he said he would. I believe that there is no other name by which mankind may be saved outside of the name of Jesus. I believe that Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected and paid the price for ALL of my sins; past, present and future. Jesus provides the guidance for my life even if I don't always live it. In which case he is patient and long suffering and full of grace to forgive me and love me ALL the time.
I resign myself to delivering the Gospel to all the Holy Spirit brings in my path for that purpose. This leave no responsibility on me other than to be a yielded vessel ready to do as my Lord requests. The Gospel is the only means by which men/women may live, be saved, and have the promise of eternal life. The Gospel given to me is to be given away to others. No gift should be concealed from those around it. The Gospel is no different. Let your light shine like a candle on a hill and not like a candle under a basket.
I resign myself to separate myself from the world as much as possible even when such action is likely to have negative ramifications on me, my family, and my friends. Taking as stand for Jesus is AGAINST the world. Either I can live in the world and it's consequences or I can live for Jesus and live with it's consequences. The former gains me nothing while the latter gains me eternal life. To be at odds with those in the world around me should be a familiar friend. For the Gospel is offensive to those who are perishing.
I resign to begin each day anew. Clean slate because I confess my sins. Clean heart as I forgive those who have wronged me. Clean mind as I begin my day reading the Word. Thankful spirit for all that I have been blessed with. Counting my blessings will always outweigh whatever the world has to offer. Counting as loss all that isn't of God and all as gain that is from God; I will press forward instead of living in the past. Each day will be sufficient of itself.
My resignations.
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