It is interesting what brings on the urge to write here. It can be nothing- where I just sit down, check my email, and then find myself typing furiously away at something in this little rectangle. It can be other blogs I read, it can be news articles. It can be conversations with people, or conversations with my children (who are also people, just small, less eloquent people).
Nonetheless, here I am.
What a pickle we find ourselves in. Quite possibly the most difficult thing I've ever encountered in my spiritual life. Continuing this way is absolutely exhausting, because I feel I am being told to encourage people, when perhaps, I myself need a large dose of encouragment myself! We continue on this way, knowing very little about where we are headed, what we are going to do next, what great obstacle we are going to encounter next. It's like walking along a high, narrow, steep path in the shadow of a very dark cliff. And every so often, a large boulder comes rolling from the top of that cliff, and we have to maneuver ourselves so that 1)we don't get squashed by the boulder, 2) we don't lose our footing and fall from our narrow path, 3) We aren't shoving other people under the boulder or off the path so that WE ourselves can stay on it. Writing that, I would say that the word "pickle" isn't quite going to cut it. We are in a barrel of pickles.
Now, what we see as a pickle (barrel of) may very well be just the place God wants us. We are so desperately clinging to Him and His word- searching for our direction. Isn't that where He wants us? "I lift my eyes up to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth..."
Those words, while they are in the Bible, they are also in a song that often comes to my lips during this whole, "thing" we are doing. And by "thing" I mean movement in obedience. WE are simply obeying, one small, confused step at a time.
I realize existing like that- taking one small step and not even being sure of the step you are taking- that is very exhausting, stressful, and uncomfortable- who wants to be there? But it puts us in an interesting position...and I hesitate to say this, because I was feeling the same sort of thing when we talked about moving into the facility we are in now...and we know how that is ending up...but, I digress- being this way, uncomfortable, perhaps miserable- it allows us two things: 1) We can get the heck outta here and forget this. 2) We can seek out the comfort and stability we so greatly desire in Christ.
Choosing #2 is an ongoing, difficult thing to do. Its a choice we have to make deliberately! And it ain't easy the first time, the 50th time, the 1000th time you choose to take the path God is leading you onto. Ugh.
But back to the song I mentioned- Praise you in this Storm. What a storm...a pickle storm this is, eh? We have that choice in front of us now. If we choose #2, and fling ourselves upon the rock that is our Lord, seeking, searching, begging, pleading....then we must also Praise Him. For caring about us enough to deal with us and our whining (my whining), to be patient with us as we take two steps forward and then another one back.
Thank you, my beautiful, wonderful, compassionate Lord for being who You are, even as I become a very horrible version of myself. Thank you for your patience, thank you for your guidance- please help me see Your way clearly and lead my every single step!! God is good, and all the time, God is good.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
One
1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. Matthew 15: 1-6 (same message in Mark 7)
1 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: 2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. 2 Timothy 4:1-5
10 “This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash! Ezekiel 13:10
In Forgotten God, which was a Sunday School study a few months ago, Francis Chan gives an interesting illustration:
Imagine someone is stranded on a desert island for years and years. This person has never experienced church or Christianity of any kind. On the island, the person discovers a Bible, and reads it, cover to cover, numerous times over the course of his survival on the island. Many years later, the person is rescued, and decides to visit a church- any "regular" Christian church in Lancaster county, let's say. How shocked, confused, and bewildered will that person be?
The decision was made to continue our worship in the same way, or as close as we can get it, to what is described in the Bible. I don't take this lightly- like we are trying to be authentic just for authenticity's sake. No, for me, whatever is in the Bible, is granite-solid Truth- not a single letter is out of place, nor is one word or phrase simple fluff. It's the perfect, inspired Word of God, our ultimate guidebook, an immeasurable gift from God to light our way! I can't read from it and then say, "Well, that's just for those Corrinthian people. If God wanted us to be like that, He would have addressed the letter to us."
But, in fact, He has. I believe the Bible is the only way we know what on this earth we are doing! Sure, we have the Holy Spirit- but there are certainly other spirits out there, trying to mess with us- how do we know for SURE? THE BIBLE!
The bottom line is, for too many years, the church in America has been whitewashing itself. Becoming a corporation instead of the Body of Christ. A finely tuned machine working by the strengths of men and their money- not the leading of the Spirit, or the Word. What has grown out of this man-made watered-down feel-good Christian stuff, are watered-down consumer Christians that expect Church to be one way- a way not based on what we read in scripture, but by scholarly folks in big conference rooms talking about attendence, seeker sensitive mumbo jumbo ca-ca.
The word clearly states,
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47
The Lord adds to their number. So what do we do? We seek the Lord's Will, we are obedient to the commands of Christ, and to the leading of the Spirit.
Let's go back to the verse from Ezekiel about whitewash. It says the people have constructed a flimsy wall, and the false prophets circulating at the time were saying all sorts of flowery junk to cover that man-made wall with a nice coat of whitewash.
I believe that is a very accurate description of what has gone on in Western churches for the past few decades. We have built for ourselves a very corporate, boxed, comfortable version of 'church'. It is a church we can accessorize with- plug in and then pull out when we feel like it. Many churches you could visit, be heaped with welcoming smiles, and then if you don't come back, no one would really notice. The current church is packed with supplemental Christians. Convenience Christians. The church is part of their life like basket ball practice is a part of their life, or their book club, or their zumba class. I don't need to tell you, I hope, that ain't Biblical.
But, like those false prophets heaping fuzzy-lovin on the people's shoddy construction, so do the leadership of today's church. The fact that we have ordained people, decorated ministers- well, once again, that ain't Biblical. And I hear many people saying, "Just cuz something isn't Biblical doesn't mean it's wrong. We can make our own model of how a church should be, and as long as our basic beliefs are Biblical, the way we function during worship shouldn't matter."
I recently heard a sermon by a pastor about worship, and ideas behind worship. Worship styles, all that good stuff. Contemporary worship. Traditional worship. Snake-handling worship. It's all worship, right?
7-8"When you say, 'The altar of God is not important anymore; worship of God is no longer a priority,' that's defiling. And when you offer worthless animals for sacrifices in worship, animals that you're trying to get rid of—blind and sick and crippled animals—isn't that defiling? Try a trick like that with your banker or your senator—how far do you think it will get you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.
9"Get on your knees and pray that I will be gracious to you. You priests have gotten everyone in trouble. With this kind of conduct, do you think I'll pay attention to you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.
10"Why doesn't one of you just shut the Temple doors and lock them? Then none of you can get in and play at religion with this silly, empty-headed worship. I am not pleased. The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is not pleased. And I don't want any more of this so-called worship! Malachi 1:7-10(The Message)
11"I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They're saying it everywhere: 'God is greater, this God-of-the-Angel-Armies.'
12-13"All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me. You profane me when you say, 'Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,' and when you say, 'I'm bored—this doesn't do anything for me.' You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air—act superior to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! And when you do offer something to me, it's a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I'm going to accept it? This is God speaking to you!
14"A curse on the person who makes a big show of doing something great for me—an expensive sacrifice, say—and then at the last minute brings in something puny and worthless! I'm a great king, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, honored far and wide, and I'll not put up with it!" Malachi 1:11-14
Here, God talks about crappy sacrifices- animals and such. What do we compare this to? Our sacrifice is TIME, comfort, control. Most worship services around here are orderly, timely, and very choreographed. That's great if we are putting on a show. But that is NOT what we are doing. We are WORSHIPPING GOD! At least that is what we are supposed to be doing. The Holy Spirit- He's got no room to move among all that choreography. "But if we did worship that other way, it would last for like, 3 hours!" Yeah? Then take your 3-legged, one-eyed lamb and go. Go ahead then, if you don't have the time to waste on something silly like worshipping God. Really worshipping Him- communing with Him, hearing from Him in multiple ways....nah. Let's just punch our time cards- get in, get out.
I hear you saying, but oh, our worship is meaningful! We have set time for prayer, songs, and everything, but I am moved by it!Worship is for God. It is because of WHO our God is that you get something out of it. The PURPOSE is not for YOU. However, a product of REAL, actual, sincere, and God-pleasing, Spirit-led worship is we are filled to overflowing. Just like the purpose for lighting a fire may be to cook a meal, however another product would be light, warmth, that fire-wood smell. Nice.
HOW we worship is important to God. If not, why would He put those passages in the Bible? 1 Corrinthians 14? That bit of Malachi there? Our selfishness gets the best us. Our know-it-all attitudes. We know how God wants us to worship. We know how God wants us to organize ourselves as the Body of Christ. Do we? And where are we getting this knowledge? Because it's not the Bible. The Bible says something different. Our 'method' leaves out some very significant stuff.
We have become the Laodicean church:
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:14-20
For those of us who consider ourselves Christians, I hope we can find that salve for our eyes. We need to clear out the fungus and goo of our traditions, because while they stood nicely for a while, as that shoddy wall with purdy whitewash paint makin' it shiny and clean-lookin'...but not anymore. We have begun to crumble. The megachurch generation is going down. People acting out Christianity is not going to cut it anymore. It's time for this to be LIFE. And LIFE on God's terms, as He has given us in the Bible, as we read about in the pages we have of the life of our Savior. His life, His instructions, His teachings, His commands, His Will.
No more whitewash. No more defiling sacrifices. No more crowd-pleaser comfort Christianity. Nope. This is the Christianity of the Bible, The Christianity of the Cross. The Christianity of the One True Living Creator God.
3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. Matthew 15: 1-6 (same message in Mark 7)
1 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: 2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. 2 Timothy 4:1-5
10 “This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash! Ezekiel 13:10
In Forgotten God, which was a Sunday School study a few months ago, Francis Chan gives an interesting illustration:
Imagine someone is stranded on a desert island for years and years. This person has never experienced church or Christianity of any kind. On the island, the person discovers a Bible, and reads it, cover to cover, numerous times over the course of his survival on the island. Many years later, the person is rescued, and decides to visit a church- any "regular" Christian church in Lancaster county, let's say. How shocked, confused, and bewildered will that person be?
The decision was made to continue our worship in the same way, or as close as we can get it, to what is described in the Bible. I don't take this lightly- like we are trying to be authentic just for authenticity's sake. No, for me, whatever is in the Bible, is granite-solid Truth- not a single letter is out of place, nor is one word or phrase simple fluff. It's the perfect, inspired Word of God, our ultimate guidebook, an immeasurable gift from God to light our way! I can't read from it and then say, "Well, that's just for those Corrinthian people. If God wanted us to be like that, He would have addressed the letter to us."
But, in fact, He has. I believe the Bible is the only way we know what on this earth we are doing! Sure, we have the Holy Spirit- but there are certainly other spirits out there, trying to mess with us- how do we know for SURE? THE BIBLE!
The bottom line is, for too many years, the church in America has been whitewashing itself. Becoming a corporation instead of the Body of Christ. A finely tuned machine working by the strengths of men and their money- not the leading of the Spirit, or the Word. What has grown out of this man-made watered-down feel-good Christian stuff, are watered-down consumer Christians that expect Church to be one way- a way not based on what we read in scripture, but by scholarly folks in big conference rooms talking about attendence, seeker sensitive mumbo jumbo ca-ca.
The word clearly states,
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47
The Lord adds to their number. So what do we do? We seek the Lord's Will, we are obedient to the commands of Christ, and to the leading of the Spirit.
Let's go back to the verse from Ezekiel about whitewash. It says the people have constructed a flimsy wall, and the false prophets circulating at the time were saying all sorts of flowery junk to cover that man-made wall with a nice coat of whitewash.
I believe that is a very accurate description of what has gone on in Western churches for the past few decades. We have built for ourselves a very corporate, boxed, comfortable version of 'church'. It is a church we can accessorize with- plug in and then pull out when we feel like it. Many churches you could visit, be heaped with welcoming smiles, and then if you don't come back, no one would really notice. The current church is packed with supplemental Christians. Convenience Christians. The church is part of their life like basket ball practice is a part of their life, or their book club, or their zumba class. I don't need to tell you, I hope, that ain't Biblical.
But, like those false prophets heaping fuzzy-lovin on the people's shoddy construction, so do the leadership of today's church. The fact that we have ordained people, decorated ministers- well, once again, that ain't Biblical. And I hear many people saying, "Just cuz something isn't Biblical doesn't mean it's wrong. We can make our own model of how a church should be, and as long as our basic beliefs are Biblical, the way we function during worship shouldn't matter."
I recently heard a sermon by a pastor about worship, and ideas behind worship. Worship styles, all that good stuff. Contemporary worship. Traditional worship. Snake-handling worship. It's all worship, right?
7-8"When you say, 'The altar of God is not important anymore; worship of God is no longer a priority,' that's defiling. And when you offer worthless animals for sacrifices in worship, animals that you're trying to get rid of—blind and sick and crippled animals—isn't that defiling? Try a trick like that with your banker or your senator—how far do you think it will get you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.
9"Get on your knees and pray that I will be gracious to you. You priests have gotten everyone in trouble. With this kind of conduct, do you think I'll pay attention to you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.
10"Why doesn't one of you just shut the Temple doors and lock them? Then none of you can get in and play at religion with this silly, empty-headed worship. I am not pleased. The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is not pleased. And I don't want any more of this so-called worship! Malachi 1:7-10(The Message)
11"I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They're saying it everywhere: 'God is greater, this God-of-the-Angel-Armies.'
12-13"All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me. You profane me when you say, 'Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,' and when you say, 'I'm bored—this doesn't do anything for me.' You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air—act superior to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! And when you do offer something to me, it's a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I'm going to accept it? This is God speaking to you!
14"A curse on the person who makes a big show of doing something great for me—an expensive sacrifice, say—and then at the last minute brings in something puny and worthless! I'm a great king, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, honored far and wide, and I'll not put up with it!" Malachi 1:11-14
Here, God talks about crappy sacrifices- animals and such. What do we compare this to? Our sacrifice is TIME, comfort, control. Most worship services around here are orderly, timely, and very choreographed. That's great if we are putting on a show. But that is NOT what we are doing. We are WORSHIPPING GOD! At least that is what we are supposed to be doing. The Holy Spirit- He's got no room to move among all that choreography. "But if we did worship that other way, it would last for like, 3 hours!" Yeah? Then take your 3-legged, one-eyed lamb and go. Go ahead then, if you don't have the time to waste on something silly like worshipping God. Really worshipping Him- communing with Him, hearing from Him in multiple ways....nah. Let's just punch our time cards- get in, get out.
I hear you saying, but oh, our worship is meaningful! We have set time for prayer, songs, and everything, but I am moved by it!
HOW we worship is important to God. If not, why would He put those passages in the Bible? 1 Corrinthians 14? That bit of Malachi there? Our selfishness gets the best us. Our know-it-all attitudes. We know how God wants us to worship. We know how God wants us to organize ourselves as the Body of Christ. Do we? And where are we getting this knowledge? Because it's not the Bible. The Bible says something different. Our 'method' leaves out some very significant stuff.
We have become the Laodicean church:
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:14-20
For those of us who consider ourselves Christians, I hope we can find that salve for our eyes. We need to clear out the fungus and goo of our traditions, because while they stood nicely for a while, as that shoddy wall with purdy whitewash paint makin' it shiny and clean-lookin'...but not anymore. We have begun to crumble. The megachurch generation is going down. People acting out Christianity is not going to cut it anymore. It's time for this to be LIFE. And LIFE on God's terms, as He has given us in the Bible, as we read about in the pages we have of the life of our Savior. His life, His instructions, His teachings, His commands, His Will.
No more whitewash. No more defiling sacrifices. No more crowd-pleaser comfort Christianity. Nope. This is the Christianity of the Bible, The Christianity of the Cross. The Christianity of the One True Living Creator God.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I invited Jesus to my worship service...
Let's play a game. An imagination game. Think of FCC's current worship service, and think of how we 'used to do' worship service. Now, imagine that one day, we see Jesus pull up in the parking lot. I'm guessing he'll be driving a 4-door Jeep Wrangler- a blue one. And maybe it's a 4-door because he has a lot of people coming with him. Like maybe Peter, or Paul, or maybe James. Yeah, I'm just having some fun now,but seriously- here comes Jesus in from our parking lot!! WOW, right?
Now, we know that Jesus will be greeted very emphatically- probably not just by the greeters, but by numerous people. Heck, since its Jesus I may even crawl out of my hiding place and say hello. The ushers will probably 'usher' him and anyone he brought with him to a good seat- maybe up front or something.
Now, here is where things will be different, relating to old service vs. "new".
In our old service, we have a concrete schedule- -everything is planned. We'd hand Jesus a bulletin and say, "Follow along." The songs are chosen, the sermon is planned, we go by the numbers. So, Jesus would be there, singing along maybe, listening to the sermon, placing his offering in the plate, and....then it's over. Jesus would walk out, shake the pastor's hand, go grab a cookie and chit chat a bit, then go back out to his Jeep and go home, or maybe out to lunch with a few friends. I don't know.
Now, our NEW service- Jesus comes in, and WOW! Come in! Please! Lord! Do you have a song we can sing to you? What is your favorite? Shall we sing that now? Please let us sing for you- anything you'd like. I have one, Lord, to sing for you- oh please, may I sing it for you, Lord? And LORD! Do you have a Word for us? Do you have scripture you'd like us to hear? A teaching, maybe? Please! Go right up there and begin! We are listening, we are ready. Whatever you have for us, Lord, we are open to it, let's do it, let's hear it. This is about YOU, Lord- please lead us, let us bless you.
Are you getting my point? The thing is, the Lord IS with us as we worship- always. We don't do all this, package it up and send it to him as a gift. No. He comes here and is among us- in the very present, alive, moving. The Holy Spirit leads. The Holy Spirit may not arrive in a nice blue Jeep, but He does come in, and He does seek to lead our hearts.
Now, how can the Holy Spirit lead if we are so glued to a schedule- to a tradition of worship? If the Lord has something to say to us- I want to hear it- whether it comes through pb, Leon, Kelly- whoever! If someone wants to sing a specific song to their Lord, and wants us to join in - I say let's do it! Let's bless Him! Maybe that's the song He wants to hear, anyway, and that is why this person has a strong desire to sing it. Maybe, just maybe, the Lord isn't into what pb has on his mind at the moment, in fact, the Lord wants us to hear something ELSE in this moment- so maybe Jesse stands and reads some scripture. And that scripture, well, it starts to fuel a fire of some kind in my soul, and I've just gotta say something to elaborate that scripture- not for my own purposes, but because its what God has for us today. Not what we have for ourselves, but what the LORD has for us. We are here for HIM.
I know, I know. That is kind of chaotic. It can be scary, it can invite some very uncomfortable circumstances...but, do we really want to shut out the Lord, just so we can be safe from the discomfort? Safe from having to deal with things that may not be OF the Lord? Surely, we should be seeking to be mature enough in our faith that we can discern these things. But to stifle the leading of the Spirit just so we don't have to deal with any possible icky, squirmy times- well, I just don't think that is going to cut it pretty soon.
I want to follow God's lead- whatever the cost. I know that all things work for the GOOD of those who love Him. Do we love Him enough to trust Him to lead us in this way? That He has good things in store for us, who obey Him, even if we are scared, taken out of our comfort zone? No- no, let's do this thing.
Now, we know that Jesus will be greeted very emphatically- probably not just by the greeters, but by numerous people. Heck, since its Jesus I may even crawl out of my hiding place and say hello. The ushers will probably 'usher' him and anyone he brought with him to a good seat- maybe up front or something.
Now, here is where things will be different, relating to old service vs. "new".
In our old service, we have a concrete schedule- -everything is planned. We'd hand Jesus a bulletin and say, "Follow along." The songs are chosen, the sermon is planned, we go by the numbers. So, Jesus would be there, singing along maybe, listening to the sermon, placing his offering in the plate, and....then it's over. Jesus would walk out, shake the pastor's hand, go grab a cookie and chit chat a bit, then go back out to his Jeep and go home, or maybe out to lunch with a few friends. I don't know.
Now, our NEW service- Jesus comes in, and WOW! Come in! Please! Lord! Do you have a song we can sing to you? What is your favorite? Shall we sing that now? Please let us sing for you- anything you'd like. I have one, Lord, to sing for you- oh please, may I sing it for you, Lord? And LORD! Do you have a Word for us? Do you have scripture you'd like us to hear? A teaching, maybe? Please! Go right up there and begin! We are listening, we are ready. Whatever you have for us, Lord, we are open to it, let's do it, let's hear it. This is about YOU, Lord- please lead us, let us bless you.
Are you getting my point? The thing is, the Lord IS with us as we worship- always. We don't do all this, package it up and send it to him as a gift. No. He comes here and is among us- in the very present, alive, moving. The Holy Spirit leads. The Holy Spirit may not arrive in a nice blue Jeep, but He does come in, and He does seek to lead our hearts.
Now, how can the Holy Spirit lead if we are so glued to a schedule- to a tradition of worship? If the Lord has something to say to us- I want to hear it- whether it comes through pb, Leon, Kelly- whoever! If someone wants to sing a specific song to their Lord, and wants us to join in - I say let's do it! Let's bless Him! Maybe that's the song He wants to hear, anyway, and that is why this person has a strong desire to sing it. Maybe, just maybe, the Lord isn't into what pb has on his mind at the moment, in fact, the Lord wants us to hear something ELSE in this moment- so maybe Jesse stands and reads some scripture. And that scripture, well, it starts to fuel a fire of some kind in my soul, and I've just gotta say something to elaborate that scripture- not for my own purposes, but because its what God has for us today. Not what we have for ourselves, but what the LORD has for us. We are here for HIM.
I know, I know. That is kind of chaotic. It can be scary, it can invite some very uncomfortable circumstances...but, do we really want to shut out the Lord, just so we can be safe from the discomfort? Safe from having to deal with things that may not be OF the Lord? Surely, we should be seeking to be mature enough in our faith that we can discern these things. But to stifle the leading of the Spirit just so we don't have to deal with any possible icky, squirmy times- well, I just don't think that is going to cut it pretty soon.
I want to follow God's lead- whatever the cost. I know that all things work for the GOOD of those who love Him. Do we love Him enough to trust Him to lead us in this way? That He has good things in store for us, who obey Him, even if we are scared, taken out of our comfort zone? No- no, let's do this thing.
Friday, October 1, 2010
A big one
(written as I would like to speak it to my church...)
Recently I asked for some feedback about the future of FCC, and I did receive quite a lot. So, first, thank you for your honesty and for sharing your thoughts with me.
I would now like to share my thoughts with you, primarily the reasons I believe that I need to be speaking to you in this way, why God has empowered me to speak to you, etc.
I think it is about 2 years ago, maybe more, when I was overwhelmed by a desire to be telling, speaking things to this congregation. The fact that I was so overwhelmed- I mean, I would literally cry because I had this need to speak to all of you- a need that I would try to stuff down into my gut, thinking I was just needing some kind of weird attention- which is odd, because I would so much rather sit way in the back of the room and be totally, completely ignored. Amongst introverts, I am an introvert. SEriously. This is on an entire other planet away from my comfort zone, which is why I write this all out first- writing is easy, it's just me and the keyboard. Speaking in front of people- particularly people I love and care about? Very difficult.
So, anyway- this feeling, this need to speak to you, I finally expressed it to pb, and we soon came to this whole prophet conclusion. I would not say I was excited by that revelation. But I can't deny it, either.
So, I sucked it up, and decided to explore this whole prophet thing, try to discern exactly what God wanted from me- what my marching orders were, so to speak.
The discovery of my prophetness coincided, interestingly enough, with other "revelations", I'll call them. I started to see and read things about us, this nation, this world. I am the type of person that will read something and search for a grain of truth, and then take that grain and see if I can find absolute truth somewhere around it. So, I literally stumbled upon some troubling stuff, and I did my best to figure out if it was just paranoid silly stuff, or if there was something there.
I apologize for being vague with that stuff, but I'm not ready to spill the beans, so to speak, on specifics- I don't really know specifics, honestly, all I know is that God says we need to be holding on to Him very tightly in the months to come. However spiritual and "close" to God you are- up that by a million % or more. I've said all of this stuff to you before. No more supplemental Christianity. God must be our WHOLE LIFE.
About the time I started hearing/seeing all that stuff, I prayed earnestly to God- What is this? Why do I need to know all this stuff, what is the point of this? The Lord lead me (seriously lead me- I opened the Bible right to the page, my eyes went right to the passage.) to a rather frightening (for myself) verse in Ezekiel. If you have your Bible, go with me to Ezekiel 33. (I'll read it now...)
Now, here the Lord is telling Ezekiel, I've made you a watchman. Has God made me a watchman too? I don't like that idea, no no I do NOT- but I can't get away from it. I've tried. I've looked for any way to get away from it, I'll even listen to your ideas on how I can change what this is saying to me- but God is moving me forward with it, regardless.
So, I go back to the message for us- for this congregation. We are going to go through some rough times- we already have! Spiritually, this has been a rollercoaster ride, for sure! But God is checking us out! Who is going to give themselves, totally, completely over to Him and the Spirit? No matter the discomfort? No matter the sacrifice? Who?
The way we have been conducting worship is different. But I believe God is doing it for a reason. We didn't just decide to change things up for fun- because this isn't fun- not for me, anyway! We have studied the scripture on this (1Corr 14) and have made the decision to be obedient to what the Word describes, as best as we can, and as we learn and grow from our obedience - and we have been BLESSED by it. Raise your hand if you have felt blessed by ANY time of worship since we have been doing things differently- the day we didn't plan any music, and we just picked songs randomly? Any time anyone else has spoken? When Leon spoke, when anyone else spoke? The way we have been praying? Have you felt blessed by any part of this?
As I have said- I've got stuff to say. It's not my stuff. It's the Lord's. The fact that we have opened our worship up like this...coincidence? Probably not. In fact, if we didn't do worship this way, it would give me a fantastic excuse NOT to ever have to get up here!! It's stressful enough doing the worship thing over there! Seriously!
But I have been blessed. I cannot deny that. I feel like I have been not walking, but LEAPING in the direction of the Lord- growing, learning, worshipping in a very real way.
If we stop this- it would have to be a decision we all come to- then I'm afraid I will not be able to fulfill my Watchman duty. This nation is in very grave danger- very REAL danger, that goes beyond democrat/republican/government/constitution stuff. Some of it is scary, but as I see where God is going with all of this- I am not fearful. God says, Do not fear for I am with you. Do not despair, for I am your God.
The reality of God must sink in for us. Many areas of life- God just isn't there for some of us. I can thnk of the areas I've conveniently left Him out. I want Him to be there. I believe if we continue with this tough obedience to the Word- we will all experience God as He wants us to experience Him- that goes beyond simple Sunday worship, beyond sitting in seats and listening to sermons, beyond these doors. God is going to get into every nook and cranny. For OUR sakes. It might be uncomfortable for a while- just like I've said many times, this church was very uncomfortable for me when I first started coming- but I stuck it out because I knew it was SOMETHING. And this is SOMETHING, folks. As awkward as it can be sometimes- it is definitely SOMETHING- the Spirit is abounding.
There is no such thing as Extreme when it comes to God. The reason other Christians would call this extreme? It makes them uncomfortable because they start to examine their relationship with God and whether or not it's enough. "Enough". Ha ha. If God isn't EVERYTHING, then it's not ENOUGH!!!!!
Honestly- where do you say, "That's too far..." when it comes to your relationship with God? Because He goes right ahead and tells us-
1)if your love for Christ doesn't make your love for everybody else looke like HATE, then its not enough. (Mat 10:37)
2)If you love your way of life more than the life you will experience (taking up YOUR cross) if you truly follow Christ, then its not enough. (Mat 10:38)
3)If you value your own life more than loving the Lord, then its not enough. (Mat 10:39)
This is tough stuff. But its in the Word, right there. That's what it says- no whitewash, no sugar coating.
So, let's do it. Praise GOD He has put us together in a Body- right? I cannot think of ANY other group of people I would rather trudge through all of this with. Honestly. I adore you all...my mom even scolded me for caring so much this past week or two, because I was so stressed out that I had, and still have, severe back pain, headaches, and wicked heart burn. But I guess that's just part of taking up my cross, right? LOL.
I will now lie and tell you, I look forward to the next time the Lord will have me speaking to you.
Recently I asked for some feedback about the future of FCC, and I did receive quite a lot. So, first, thank you for your honesty and for sharing your thoughts with me.
I would now like to share my thoughts with you, primarily the reasons I believe that I need to be speaking to you in this way, why God has empowered me to speak to you, etc.
I think it is about 2 years ago, maybe more, when I was overwhelmed by a desire to be telling, speaking things to this congregation. The fact that I was so overwhelmed- I mean, I would literally cry because I had this need to speak to all of you- a need that I would try to stuff down into my gut, thinking I was just needing some kind of weird attention- which is odd, because I would so much rather sit way in the back of the room and be totally, completely ignored. Amongst introverts, I am an introvert. SEriously. This is on an entire other planet away from my comfort zone, which is why I write this all out first- writing is easy, it's just me and the keyboard. Speaking in front of people- particularly people I love and care about? Very difficult.
So, anyway- this feeling, this need to speak to you, I finally expressed it to pb, and we soon came to this whole prophet conclusion. I would not say I was excited by that revelation. But I can't deny it, either.
So, I sucked it up, and decided to explore this whole prophet thing, try to discern exactly what God wanted from me- what my marching orders were, so to speak.
The discovery of my prophetness coincided, interestingly enough, with other "revelations", I'll call them. I started to see and read things about us, this nation, this world. I am the type of person that will read something and search for a grain of truth, and then take that grain and see if I can find absolute truth somewhere around it. So, I literally stumbled upon some troubling stuff, and I did my best to figure out if it was just paranoid silly stuff, or if there was something there.
I apologize for being vague with that stuff, but I'm not ready to spill the beans, so to speak, on specifics- I don't really know specifics, honestly, all I know is that God says we need to be holding on to Him very tightly in the months to come. However spiritual and "close" to God you are- up that by a million % or more. I've said all of this stuff to you before. No more supplemental Christianity. God must be our WHOLE LIFE.
About the time I started hearing/seeing all that stuff, I prayed earnestly to God- What is this? Why do I need to know all this stuff, what is the point of this? The Lord lead me (seriously lead me- I opened the Bible right to the page, my eyes went right to the passage.) to a rather frightening (for myself) verse in Ezekiel. If you have your Bible, go with me to Ezekiel 33. (I'll read it now...)
Now, here the Lord is telling Ezekiel, I've made you a watchman. Has God made me a watchman too? I don't like that idea, no no I do NOT- but I can't get away from it. I've tried. I've looked for any way to get away from it, I'll even listen to your ideas on how I can change what this is saying to me- but God is moving me forward with it, regardless.
So, I go back to the message for us- for this congregation. We are going to go through some rough times- we already have! Spiritually, this has been a rollercoaster ride, for sure! But God is checking us out! Who is going to give themselves, totally, completely over to Him and the Spirit? No matter the discomfort? No matter the sacrifice? Who?
The way we have been conducting worship is different. But I believe God is doing it for a reason. We didn't just decide to change things up for fun- because this isn't fun- not for me, anyway! We have studied the scripture on this (1Corr 14) and have made the decision to be obedient to what the Word describes, as best as we can, and as we learn and grow from our obedience - and we have been BLESSED by it. Raise your hand if you have felt blessed by ANY time of worship since we have been doing things differently- the day we didn't plan any music, and we just picked songs randomly? Any time anyone else has spoken? When Leon spoke, when anyone else spoke? The way we have been praying? Have you felt blessed by any part of this?
As I have said- I've got stuff to say. It's not my stuff. It's the Lord's. The fact that we have opened our worship up like this...coincidence? Probably not. In fact, if we didn't do worship this way, it would give me a fantastic excuse NOT to ever have to get up here!! It's stressful enough doing the worship thing over there! Seriously!
But I have been blessed. I cannot deny that. I feel like I have been not walking, but LEAPING in the direction of the Lord- growing, learning, worshipping in a very real way.
If we stop this- it would have to be a decision we all come to- then I'm afraid I will not be able to fulfill my Watchman duty. This nation is in very grave danger- very REAL danger, that goes beyond democrat/republican/government/constitution stuff. Some of it is scary, but as I see where God is going with all of this- I am not fearful. God says, Do not fear for I am with you. Do not despair, for I am your God.
The reality of God must sink in for us. Many areas of life- God just isn't there for some of us. I can thnk of the areas I've conveniently left Him out. I want Him to be there. I believe if we continue with this tough obedience to the Word- we will all experience God as He wants us to experience Him- that goes beyond simple Sunday worship, beyond sitting in seats and listening to sermons, beyond these doors. God is going to get into every nook and cranny. For OUR sakes. It might be uncomfortable for a while- just like I've said many times, this church was very uncomfortable for me when I first started coming- but I stuck it out because I knew it was SOMETHING. And this is SOMETHING, folks. As awkward as it can be sometimes- it is definitely SOMETHING- the Spirit is abounding.
There is no such thing as Extreme when it comes to God. The reason other Christians would call this extreme? It makes them uncomfortable because they start to examine their relationship with God and whether or not it's enough. "Enough". Ha ha. If God isn't EVERYTHING, then it's not ENOUGH!!!!!
Honestly- where do you say, "That's too far..." when it comes to your relationship with God? Because He goes right ahead and tells us-
1)if your love for Christ doesn't make your love for everybody else looke like HATE, then its not enough. (Mat 10:37)
2)If you love your way of life more than the life you will experience (taking up YOUR cross) if you truly follow Christ, then its not enough. (Mat 10:38)
3)If you value your own life more than loving the Lord, then its not enough. (Mat 10:39)
This is tough stuff. But its in the Word, right there. That's what it says- no whitewash, no sugar coating.
So, let's do it. Praise GOD He has put us together in a Body- right? I cannot think of ANY other group of people I would rather trudge through all of this with. Honestly. I adore you all...my mom even scolded me for caring so much this past week or two, because I was so stressed out that I had, and still have, severe back pain, headaches, and wicked heart burn. But I guess that's just part of taking up my cross, right? LOL.
I will now lie and tell you, I look forward to the next time the Lord will have me speaking to you.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sheep For Slaughter: Is the Elite really trying to KILL us?
Sheep For Slaughter: Is the Elite really trying to KILL us?
Here is a "tin foil hat crazy conspiracy nut" article.
And here is my thought, message, whatever you'd like to call it:
Why would people make this stuff up? That is a very legitimate question. I would like to know the motivation behind creating such conspiracy "theories". What does anyone have to gain from making this up? A perpetual state of craziness? And if it would be possible for the "truth" to be revealed, and it all turned up false- would the people shining the light on this stuff- would they cease and desist? Would they collectively sigh in relief and say, "Phew, man. I'm glad that wasn't true, because I was a little scared for mankind, seriously." Would they?
I know I would. If someone, anyone could sit me down and show me factual evidence to the CONTRARY of any of this crap- I would grab it and run with it!
However, things/factual evidence/Truth being as it is, I am inclined to believe (with careful hesitation and prayerfully seeking wisdom from God) much of this. The quotes in this article- if you can find a single ACTION by these people that coincides with the stuff they are speaking- what more evidence do we need? Or, go and read some of the latest bills/laws they are writing and hurridly passing while we watch the oil spill debacle unfold with blinders (thanks to you, corporate-owned MSM) on. Laws regarding martial law, the food we eat, the energy we consume. Conspiracy nuts can't make that stuff up because it's public record- it's just that most average folk aren't interested, or have the ability to understand, or even WANT to know what is out there. Wake up. www.infowars.com The tagline for this site is "There's a war on for your mind." and there is. Period. Who is winning in your case? I hesitate to share this site because it is very much tin-foil hat stuff- which I have just admitted, much of it is probably true. I think it is. However, there is a vein of deceit already running through it- always, always trying to confuse and maim the Truth- so when examining anything, look for FACTS, look for the TRUTH that cannot be hidden. If you can't see it, then maybe you just don't want to- you are in denial, or, perhaps you are one that the Bible says has already closed their eyes. And I'm sorry if it is the latter.
Carrying on then...
And then there is my mom's theory: Even if this stuff is true- what are we going to DO about it? Little old us? You know, I believe that is how most of the Jews/Christians/whoever else reacted toward the Nazis. "We can't fight this, if it is true, so let's just carry on with our blessed lives- eating, sleeping, vacationing, shopping, gaming...if it happens, it happens." I have a problem with that. For 2 reasons.
First- Personally, I've been told what my role is in all of this. Ezekiel 33, the verses I was lead to immediately after I felt God telling me to speak out about this stuff'- it tells me my role. I am a watchman. I watch the war coming on, and I warn you. If I don't warn you, and you perish- it's on me. If I do warn you, and you ignore me- it's on you. That is a heavy, heavy load to bear, let me tell you, so much so that I have yet to fully embrace it. Ezekiel 22 is the latest verse in which God told me how it is- THIS WILL HAPPEN. And you know what Ezekiel says to God? "They'll just think I'm some whack-job making up stories." I feel ya, Zeke. I feel ya. Bottom line- I am watching this. I am letting you know. I will increase my warning as my faith and courage is increased by my Lord. My heart breaks for those who won't listen.
Second- If you are a Christian, you need to listen up and pay attention. You do not want to be one with your hand out. You want to be the one HELPING, encouraging, lifting up those who are down, because THEN they will see the TRUTH- Lives lived out in obedience to Christ- what a testimony, what a bright and brilliant sign pointing people to Jesus. So, be aware, be prepared- physically and emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually. I'm serious. Prepare. The Lord helped Joseph prepare for famine. Preparation is not a lack of faith. It's common sense. Particularly if you have the watchman screamin' at ya- HELLO! GET READY FOR THIS! Even Jesus gave us an idea of what was to come- why? So we could look and see it and say, "yup." and go on with our lives? No. So we would be READY. Like the bridesmaids and the oil for their lamps. BE A SMART BRIDESMAID- BRING EXTRA OIL!!
Lastly, think of this: If even only ONE of those 'conspiracy theories' is true- what are we to make of it? If there is even one shred of malevolence toward the public coming from those who control this world- what then?
But more realistically- who runs this world as we are in it now? If there is a powerful elite behind the scenes, doing whatever it is they think they are doing, what or WHO is their motivation/motivator? Do I even need to write it out? Because I spit it out, vile as it is. The devil is the one behind the evil in the world. Do not, for one second, lose sight of what we are dealing with - spiritual warfare. WARFARE. Whichever way you want to slice it, war is NOT pretty. Do not be naive. And more importantly, do not be deceived. False prophets are everywhere, and they are in places where many would say, WHAT? NO! But go to youtube and see it in their own words: Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen- all these "preachers" who are preaching Christianity-lite- another Ezekiel passage- WHITEWASH!! They preach that Jesus came to make our lives comfy-cozy, sweet and calm and nothing like what Jesus spoke about. Or even the FACT that Jesus is the ONLY WAY. Tricksies, false, in the words of Gollum. I'm serious. Go look it up. It is subtle and conniving, but it is there. You must be very vigilant if you are to see the whitewash, because it is so tempting.
And this is the most important point I will ever have to make, and it is the only point that is important, if there is nothing else here you would like to take seriously: God is REAL and He is shaking things up in our lives. He is ready to whip out the winnowing fork- separate the 'Christians' from the True Followers/Disciples of Christ. The divide is taking shape. Which one are you? Do you sit in a chair in a church and sing hip songs? Read hip Christian books? Hang out with other Christians? Wear a t-shirt with a Christian message? Leave a tract when you go out to dinner? Behave yourself around booze and drugs? Stay faithful to your spouse? None of that is good/bad in itself- however, if that is IT- the be-all and end-all of your 'Christianity'- you are missing the LARGEST CHUNK. As Jesus says numerous times and in numerous different ways, but here in Matthew: "Not all who say to me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who DO the will of my Father..." How do you DO?
Our measure for DOING is Christ- what HE DID. How are you doing in that area? Loving the least of these? Living out of a heart FULL of CHRIST? How you DOin'?
If you aren't doing so well, now is the time to adjust, refocus, refresh. Hunker down and do it. Make Jesus the TRUE center of your life, your entire being. Find out about your spiritual gift and use it instead of burying it like that wicked servant in Jesus' parable. And yeah, I can see the giant log in my eye as I point out the speck in yours- I am working on myself- this message is for my ears as much as it is yours.
Wake up every morning, and live a life pointed like the straightest arrow- to Christ. Let no one be confused by you, let no one speak in condemnation of you, let no one speak in condemnation of our Lord. Live so that people will WANT, CRAVE Christ because of what they see in your life. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Gentleness. Faithfulness. Self control. Even amidst a crumbling world, a crumbling society that seems to have lost all hope. Be the brightest light, the saltiest salt in that time. And begin preparing NOW.
Here is a "tin foil hat crazy conspiracy nut" article.
And here is my thought, message, whatever you'd like to call it:
Why would people make this stuff up? That is a very legitimate question. I would like to know the motivation behind creating such conspiracy "theories". What does anyone have to gain from making this up? A perpetual state of craziness? And if it would be possible for the "truth" to be revealed, and it all turned up false- would the people shining the light on this stuff- would they cease and desist? Would they collectively sigh in relief and say, "Phew, man. I'm glad that wasn't true, because I was a little scared for mankind, seriously." Would they?
I know I would. If someone, anyone could sit me down and show me factual evidence to the CONTRARY of any of this crap- I would grab it and run with it!
However, things/factual evidence/Truth being as it is, I am inclined to believe (with careful hesitation and prayerfully seeking wisdom from God) much of this. The quotes in this article- if you can find a single ACTION by these people that coincides with the stuff they are speaking- what more evidence do we need? Or, go and read some of the latest bills/laws they are writing and hurridly passing while we watch the oil spill debacle unfold with blinders (thanks to you, corporate-owned MSM) on. Laws regarding martial law, the food we eat, the energy we consume. Conspiracy nuts can't make that stuff up because it's public record- it's just that most average folk aren't interested, or have the ability to understand, or even WANT to know what is out there. Wake up. www.infowars.com The tagline for this site is "There's a war on for your mind." and there is. Period. Who is winning in your case? I hesitate to share this site because it is very much tin-foil hat stuff- which I have just admitted, much of it is probably true. I think it is. However, there is a vein of deceit already running through it- always, always trying to confuse and maim the Truth- so when examining anything, look for FACTS, look for the TRUTH that cannot be hidden. If you can't see it, then maybe you just don't want to- you are in denial, or, perhaps you are one that the Bible says has already closed their eyes. And I'm sorry if it is the latter.
Carrying on then...
And then there is my mom's theory: Even if this stuff is true- what are we going to DO about it? Little old us? You know, I believe that is how most of the Jews/Christians/whoever else reacted toward the Nazis. "We can't fight this, if it is true, so let's just carry on with our blessed lives- eating, sleeping, vacationing, shopping, gaming...if it happens, it happens." I have a problem with that. For 2 reasons.
First- Personally, I've been told what my role is in all of this. Ezekiel 33, the verses I was lead to immediately after I felt God telling me to speak out about this stuff'- it tells me my role. I am a watchman. I watch the war coming on, and I warn you. If I don't warn you, and you perish- it's on me. If I do warn you, and you ignore me- it's on you. That is a heavy, heavy load to bear, let me tell you, so much so that I have yet to fully embrace it. Ezekiel 22 is the latest verse in which God told me how it is- THIS WILL HAPPEN. And you know what Ezekiel says to God? "They'll just think I'm some whack-job making up stories." I feel ya, Zeke. I feel ya. Bottom line- I am watching this. I am letting you know. I will increase my warning as my faith and courage is increased by my Lord. My heart breaks for those who won't listen.
Second- If you are a Christian, you need to listen up and pay attention. You do not want to be one with your hand out. You want to be the one HELPING, encouraging, lifting up those who are down, because THEN they will see the TRUTH- Lives lived out in obedience to Christ- what a testimony, what a bright and brilliant sign pointing people to Jesus. So, be aware, be prepared- physically and emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually. I'm serious. Prepare. The Lord helped Joseph prepare for famine. Preparation is not a lack of faith. It's common sense. Particularly if you have the watchman screamin' at ya- HELLO! GET READY FOR THIS! Even Jesus gave us an idea of what was to come- why? So we could look and see it and say, "yup." and go on with our lives? No. So we would be READY. Like the bridesmaids and the oil for their lamps. BE A SMART BRIDESMAID- BRING EXTRA OIL!!
Lastly, think of this: If even only ONE of those 'conspiracy theories' is true- what are we to make of it? If there is even one shred of malevolence toward the public coming from those who control this world- what then?
But more realistically- who runs this world as we are in it now? If there is a powerful elite behind the scenes, doing whatever it is they think they are doing, what or WHO is their motivation/motivator? Do I even need to write it out? Because I spit it out, vile as it is. The devil is the one behind the evil in the world. Do not, for one second, lose sight of what we are dealing with - spiritual warfare. WARFARE. Whichever way you want to slice it, war is NOT pretty. Do not be naive. And more importantly, do not be deceived. False prophets are everywhere, and they are in places where many would say, WHAT? NO! But go to youtube and see it in their own words: Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen- all these "preachers" who are preaching Christianity-lite- another Ezekiel passage- WHITEWASH!! They preach that Jesus came to make our lives comfy-cozy, sweet and calm and nothing like what Jesus spoke about. Or even the FACT that Jesus is the ONLY WAY. Tricksies, false, in the words of Gollum. I'm serious. Go look it up. It is subtle and conniving, but it is there. You must be very vigilant if you are to see the whitewash, because it is so tempting.
And this is the most important point I will ever have to make, and it is the only point that is important, if there is nothing else here you would like to take seriously: God is REAL and He is shaking things up in our lives. He is ready to whip out the winnowing fork- separate the 'Christians' from the True Followers/Disciples of Christ. The divide is taking shape. Which one are you? Do you sit in a chair in a church and sing hip songs? Read hip Christian books? Hang out with other Christians? Wear a t-shirt with a Christian message? Leave a tract when you go out to dinner? Behave yourself around booze and drugs? Stay faithful to your spouse? None of that is good/bad in itself- however, if that is IT- the be-all and end-all of your 'Christianity'- you are missing the LARGEST CHUNK. As Jesus says numerous times and in numerous different ways, but here in Matthew: "Not all who say to me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who DO the will of my Father..." How do you DO?
Our measure for DOING is Christ- what HE DID. How are you doing in that area? Loving the least of these? Living out of a heart FULL of CHRIST? How you DOin'?
If you aren't doing so well, now is the time to adjust, refocus, refresh. Hunker down and do it. Make Jesus the TRUE center of your life, your entire being. Find out about your spiritual gift and use it instead of burying it like that wicked servant in Jesus' parable. And yeah, I can see the giant log in my eye as I point out the speck in yours- I am working on myself- this message is for my ears as much as it is yours.
Wake up every morning, and live a life pointed like the straightest arrow- to Christ. Let no one be confused by you, let no one speak in condemnation of you, let no one speak in condemnation of our Lord. Live so that people will WANT, CRAVE Christ because of what they see in your life. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Gentleness. Faithfulness. Self control. Even amidst a crumbling world, a crumbling society that seems to have lost all hope. Be the brightest light, the saltiest salt in that time. And begin preparing NOW.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Blurgha.
Blurgha!
I love how this blog is so Andy Kauffman. Entertainment for me, myself, and I.
BLURGHA!
I love how this blog is so Andy Kauffman. Entertainment for me, myself, and I.
BLURGHA!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Looking forward to home...
I suppose it could be the fact that my family and I are "squatting" at our in-laws, but I've been day-dreaming about heaven a little more than usual.
I day dream about heaven on a regular basis anway, so this extra pining for home has me slightly puzzled. I'm waiting for my conscious to catch up with my sub-conscious. That's always a good time.
Having 2 people in heaven waiting for me does make me hope for it a lot more than someone who doesn't have people in heaven, or someone who doesn't believe in heaven. Obviously.
The fact that I'd give my arms and legs for 5 more seconds with my dad, that is a definite reason I crave eternity. And to hear my Aunt Ruth's voice one more time, especially her voice when she is teasing...yeah.
I usually have a melancholy spell every so often. I'm sure we all do, I'm not really different, I don't think. I do wonder if other folks pray, plead, beg for their heavenly home.
Not that I want to die. No. I couldn't bear leaving my kids- no no no. But this is like, my hugest, craziest fantasy:
One morning, on like, a Saturday when Seth is home, we'll be outside, the boys chasing bugs, Seth and I on the porch swing with Shiloh...
In an instant, we all find ourselves floating upward, the boys screaching and looking to me, terrified. I'd know immediately what was happening, so my smile, my laughter would comfort them and they'd float their way over and we'd all join our hands together and float upward...
we'd crane our necks into a position so we can see whats ahead- and there in a brilliant, shining spot in the clouds is Jesus. You know Jesus when you see Him. You just do. I can hear Asher squealing, "It's She-shus, Mommy! Wook!"
We join Jesus there, the boys jumping up and down, Shiloh floating around us and doing her happy dance, those chubby legs kicking for all their worth... Seth and I just laughing, hugging Jesus, kissing His hands...
And then we take a moment to look around us, look at all the other people that have made their journey to be with their Lord- beaming, radiating pure joy. And there's my daddy, the same spots of gray in his beard and flecked in his hair, smiling, his eyes crinkling until they disappear, his arms crossed until I reach him, and then I'm five years old again, hugging my daddy like its any other day, hearing 'sweetie' and 'hon' and all the other things he called me...
And he meets my boys, instantly in love with them and they go soaring on Grandpa's arms...oh, the simple joy. And his new little 'sweetie', Shiloh beaming at her Grandpa, equally beaming, their eyes sparkling, mirroring a picture I have from when I was a baby. To see that, when I see that- there are no words for it.
So this is how I day dream, working up that yearning in my heart, and then settling it down so I can go on existing in this life, continue to do as my Lord wants me to.
And I have much to look forward to in this life alone. Including the entire life of one little blue-eyed (and very noisy) little thing sitting amongst a pile of toys behind me...
One look at her smile, and that yearning subsides for the moment.
I day dream about heaven on a regular basis anway, so this extra pining for home has me slightly puzzled. I'm waiting for my conscious to catch up with my sub-conscious. That's always a good time.
Having 2 people in heaven waiting for me does make me hope for it a lot more than someone who doesn't have people in heaven, or someone who doesn't believe in heaven. Obviously.
The fact that I'd give my arms and legs for 5 more seconds with my dad, that is a definite reason I crave eternity. And to hear my Aunt Ruth's voice one more time, especially her voice when she is teasing...yeah.
I usually have a melancholy spell every so often. I'm sure we all do, I'm not really different, I don't think. I do wonder if other folks pray, plead, beg for their heavenly home.
Not that I want to die. No. I couldn't bear leaving my kids- no no no. But this is like, my hugest, craziest fantasy:
One morning, on like, a Saturday when Seth is home, we'll be outside, the boys chasing bugs, Seth and I on the porch swing with Shiloh...
In an instant, we all find ourselves floating upward, the boys screaching and looking to me, terrified. I'd know immediately what was happening, so my smile, my laughter would comfort them and they'd float their way over and we'd all join our hands together and float upward...
we'd crane our necks into a position so we can see whats ahead- and there in a brilliant, shining spot in the clouds is Jesus. You know Jesus when you see Him. You just do. I can hear Asher squealing, "It's She-shus, Mommy! Wook!"
We join Jesus there, the boys jumping up and down, Shiloh floating around us and doing her happy dance, those chubby legs kicking for all their worth... Seth and I just laughing, hugging Jesus, kissing His hands...
And then we take a moment to look around us, look at all the other people that have made their journey to be with their Lord- beaming, radiating pure joy. And there's my daddy, the same spots of gray in his beard and flecked in his hair, smiling, his eyes crinkling until they disappear, his arms crossed until I reach him, and then I'm five years old again, hugging my daddy like its any other day, hearing 'sweetie' and 'hon' and all the other things he called me...
And he meets my boys, instantly in love with them and they go soaring on Grandpa's arms...oh, the simple joy. And his new little 'sweetie', Shiloh beaming at her Grandpa, equally beaming, their eyes sparkling, mirroring a picture I have from when I was a baby. To see that, when I see that- there are no words for it.
So this is how I day dream, working up that yearning in my heart, and then settling it down so I can go on existing in this life, continue to do as my Lord wants me to.
And I have much to look forward to in this life alone. Including the entire life of one little blue-eyed (and very noisy) little thing sitting amongst a pile of toys behind me...
One look at her smile, and that yearning subsides for the moment.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
God heals
God heals, Jesus heals. He healed MIRACULOUSLY, instantaneously.
Nowadays, we say God will heal, go through endless surgery and treatments, get healed, and then give God the Glory. But, seriously. Who is not saying in the back of their mind, "yes, God heals, but it's a good thing they got all that medical attention and stuff, because God uses that to heal..." and yes, yes He does.
But you show me God or Christ healing in the Bible where doctor's methods were involved. The closest thing to "doctor methods" were rubbing spit and dirt on eyes, and didn't somebody go wash in a pool first?
How much are we limiting our faith with this dilemma? We are so scared of death and so hesitant to believe when life is at stake- we can put things in God's hands yet still in the hands of doctors...
Even as I write that, I know I'm bonkers for it. I can write it, type it out, you catch my drift and all, but whoa.
If they told me my child had cancer or something- would I not be all over the doctors? My faith is just as limited in that realm.
But I still write this.
God HEALS, and when He heals, it ain't no small thing. He didn't heal hang nails and paper cuts. He put an ear back on the side of a dude's face, all well and good. He healed a woman who had been bleeding for YEARS!
I realize that having Jesus right there would definitely help with the whole faith issue. But are we not equipped? If we are the Body of Christ, then why can't we? His hands reached out and healed. Is it not logical that OURS can do the same?!? (and by logical, you know I mean spiritually logical).
What a wonder modern medicine is. Truly. And how expensive and profitable, too. But, to the detriment of our God? At least God in our eyes? A modern tragedy of faith and existence. What are we to do?
Step off a cliff? Speak clearly Lord, and leave no room for doubt.
Nowadays, we say God will heal, go through endless surgery and treatments, get healed, and then give God the Glory. But, seriously. Who is not saying in the back of their mind, "yes, God heals, but it's a good thing they got all that medical attention and stuff, because God uses that to heal..." and yes, yes He does.
But you show me God or Christ healing in the Bible where doctor's methods were involved. The closest thing to "doctor methods" were rubbing spit and dirt on eyes, and didn't somebody go wash in a pool first?
How much are we limiting our faith with this dilemma? We are so scared of death and so hesitant to believe when life is at stake- we can put things in God's hands yet still in the hands of doctors...
Even as I write that, I know I'm bonkers for it. I can write it, type it out, you catch my drift and all, but whoa.
If they told me my child had cancer or something- would I not be all over the doctors? My faith is just as limited in that realm.
But I still write this.
God HEALS, and when He heals, it ain't no small thing. He didn't heal hang nails and paper cuts. He put an ear back on the side of a dude's face, all well and good. He healed a woman who had been bleeding for YEARS!
I realize that having Jesus right there would definitely help with the whole faith issue. But are we not equipped? If we are the Body of Christ, then why can't we? His hands reached out and healed. Is it not logical that OURS can do the same?!? (and by logical, you know I mean spiritually logical).
What a wonder modern medicine is. Truly. And how expensive and profitable, too. But, to the detriment of our God? At least God in our eyes? A modern tragedy of faith and existence. What are we to do?
Step off a cliff? Speak clearly Lord, and leave no room for doubt.
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Godfather USA
The Godfather USA
An interesting article, believe what you will, though the ring of truth is almost too deafening.
An interesting article, believe what you will, though the ring of truth is almost too deafening.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Do Part Deux
It's not only Christians that think of themselves in regard to 'don'ts'- but the non-believers as well. You know, that big list of don'ts we Christians carry around that keep us from having fun? The non-believer is all over that.
And the reason for that is because we Christians are all over that. Don't lie. Don't judge. Don't take the Lord's name in vain.
As I said in the previous post- that is the stuff Jesus died for. It is impossible to think that we would ever succeed in conquering the 'don'ts'- yet we pay so much attention to the 'don'ts' like we think we can overcome them. We can't. Jesus did. By the power of the Spirit we avoid them most of the time.
However, I believe if we focus on what we are told to DO, we would have much greater success avoiding the stuff we are NOT supposed to do. What is that old saying? Idle hands are the devil's playground or something?
Now, I realize this whole thing is more for like, "mature" Christians. People who are pretty adept at already avoiding the naughty- yet slip ups still happen. (Duh, that is why Christ is required.) If you feel you're in that category- you're an adult who pretty much avoids drunkeness, drugs, infidelity, lying, stealing, cheating, and all those other 613 weird laws (see, you need Jesus.) maybe you are ready to focus on DOing. Loving. Putting some works in along with your faith...
Get equipped. Know your Spiritual gift. Know how to listen to God, and hear Him vs. your own brain. Then you can start the Do.
And the reason for that is because we Christians are all over that. Don't lie. Don't judge. Don't take the Lord's name in vain.
As I said in the previous post- that is the stuff Jesus died for. It is impossible to think that we would ever succeed in conquering the 'don'ts'- yet we pay so much attention to the 'don'ts' like we think we can overcome them. We can't. Jesus did. By the power of the Spirit we avoid them most of the time.
However, I believe if we focus on what we are told to DO, we would have much greater success avoiding the stuff we are NOT supposed to do. What is that old saying? Idle hands are the devil's playground or something?
Now, I realize this whole thing is more for like, "mature" Christians. People who are pretty adept at already avoiding the naughty- yet slip ups still happen. (Duh, that is why Christ is required.) If you feel you're in that category- you're an adult who pretty much avoids drunkeness, drugs, infidelity, lying, stealing, cheating, and all those other 613 weird laws (see, you need Jesus.) maybe you are ready to focus on DOing. Loving. Putting some works in along with your faith...
Get equipped. Know your Spiritual gift. Know how to listen to God, and hear Him vs. your own brain. Then you can start the Do.
Monday, April 12, 2010
To think on later...
Many Christians think of themselves in terms of what they DON'T do: Don't drink, don't party, don't do drugs, cheat on spouse, steal, cuss, lie...etc.
It is interesting to me that the two commandments that Jesus says are most important (Love the Lord w/ all heart, soul, mind, strength/love neighbor as self) and the "new" command (Love each other)- are in regard to what we DO.
A list of "don'ts" is old news- The 613 or so commandments in the law, they were pretty much about don'ts, save the ones I mentioned and maybe a few others, like, do wear tassels and junk. But DON'T cut the hair on the sides of your face. And DON'T eat pigs. Lotsa Don'ts.
But Jesus started something new. It's almost like He's saying, you've gotten the DON'Ts. You should know better by now that it's impossible, and you've gotta count on me to be your redemption. Period.
Now, what is important is the DO. DO DO DO DO DO DO. What are we supposed to be DOING?
Today's Christian congregations focus way to much on the DON'Ts, and we think it's enough. Christianity is defined way to much by the DON'Ts, and it is giving the wrong impression. Been there, done that. If you are a Christian, you should KNOW the DON'Ts, and you should grow and learn to trust in the Spirit enough that you've got that part down. And, I'm not saying we'll be perfect...obviously there will be slip-ups. Big and small. However, my point is this: It's time for the American church to be a DOING church. DOING the work our Lord has prepared for us in advance, DOING the Will of our Lord as we are seriously supposed to be doing. And I say serious because it's eternally serious. "Not all who say to me, Lord! Lord! will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but ONLY THOSE WHO DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THE WILL OF MY FATHER IN HEAVEN. DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Time to DO, folks. Time to DO.
It is interesting to me that the two commandments that Jesus says are most important (Love the Lord w/ all heart, soul, mind, strength/love neighbor as self) and the "new" command (Love each other)- are in regard to what we DO.
A list of "don'ts" is old news- The 613 or so commandments in the law, they were pretty much about don'ts, save the ones I mentioned and maybe a few others, like, do wear tassels and junk. But DON'T cut the hair on the sides of your face. And DON'T eat pigs. Lotsa Don'ts.
But Jesus started something new. It's almost like He's saying, you've gotten the DON'Ts. You should know better by now that it's impossible, and you've gotta count on me to be your redemption. Period.
Now, what is important is the DO. DO DO DO DO DO DO. What are we supposed to be DOING?
Today's Christian congregations focus way to much on the DON'Ts, and we think it's enough. Christianity is defined way to much by the DON'Ts, and it is giving the wrong impression. Been there, done that. If you are a Christian, you should KNOW the DON'Ts, and you should grow and learn to trust in the Spirit enough that you've got that part down. And, I'm not saying we'll be perfect...obviously there will be slip-ups. Big and small. However, my point is this: It's time for the American church to be a DOING church. DOING the work our Lord has prepared for us in advance, DOING the Will of our Lord as we are seriously supposed to be doing. And I say serious because it's eternally serious. "Not all who say to me, Lord! Lord! will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but ONLY THOSE WHO DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THE WILL OF MY FATHER IN HEAVEN. DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Time to DO, folks. Time to DO.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Reflecting on Easter...
So, yesterday's Easter was fantastic. I felt like I was really enveloped in the joy of the day- the fact that my Lord is NOT dead, but risen, alive, and kickin'. The idea of that, being once dead but now alive, is so bizarre, you have to force yourself to believe it. You have to concentrate. You have to let yourself be sucked into it.
I think, for the first time, I did that. I was truly celebrating it, singing with my guts. It was pretty cool. Very cool. Super cool.
More than anything, yesterday makes me want to do more about 'this'. 'This' being my life lived for God. I know there is more for me to do, I know He has intended more for me and my life- however small and insignificant I may see it to be, He has work for me to do, that my whole life must be centered upon, and I want to do that, be that. More, more, more.
One of my greatest, um, thought activities centers around 'me as mommy'. I don't know if God has put this within me, but I get very, um, weird about being a mother, giving birth, all that jazz. I know that the Lord is responsible for every child I conceived and will conceive. I want to let that all up to Him- but nowadays, that's considered irresponsible, unreasonable, or even crazy. But why? Why do people think mother-of-19 Michelle Duggar is horrible? She has put her trust fully in the Lord, completely, down to the smallest detail, and to the largest- the fact that she will let HIM decide how many children she will have!
Um, isn't that how it is supposed to be? That we trust the Lord with all our heart, and lean NOT on our OWN understanding? Our own understanding being something along the lines of 2 kids is enough? Or once you have a boy and girl, you're good?
I just don't know. Well, I do, but I am influenced by this world, I admit. I want 5, 6, 7 children. I realize that my c-section situation will probably limit my chances of having a big ol' quiverful, but, should I not trust God and just keep going til the doctors remove my uterus because it's kaput? (you can only cut it open and sew it shut so many times, 6 is the most I've heard from my doctor's previous patients.)
Seth says we are done at 4. I have made it clear it is up to him to take care of that, because I don't want to do any "controling" in that area of my life. God controls that- and He is spectacular control, ask Sarah, Rebekah, Hannah, Elizabeth, Anna the prophet, and any other woman in the Bible who had trouble conceiving, or didn't at all.
My children are like arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior, and oh how blessed we are to have 3, and to be blessed with more? Yes, please, Lord. More and more and more! Whether by my body or by adoption, we will have a house full of children! (And right about now, having the children doesn't seem to be an issue, it's the house to fill at the moment!!) But think about that, even. What sort of insane person would get pregnant just as they are moving their family of 4 into their inlaws?!? A blessed person, that's who!! To have all that crap going on, selling our house at a huge loss, being packed into a much smaller space with active boys, Seth losing a job and finding another at 1/2 the salary...what nutball gets pregnant? I'll tell ya who- somebody who trusts the Lord, who will not say, "no thank you" to the blessing of a child!! As many as you want me to have, Lord!!!
I think, for the first time, I did that. I was truly celebrating it, singing with my guts. It was pretty cool. Very cool. Super cool.
More than anything, yesterday makes me want to do more about 'this'. 'This' being my life lived for God. I know there is more for me to do, I know He has intended more for me and my life- however small and insignificant I may see it to be, He has work for me to do, that my whole life must be centered upon, and I want to do that, be that. More, more, more.
One of my greatest, um, thought activities centers around 'me as mommy'. I don't know if God has put this within me, but I get very, um, weird about being a mother, giving birth, all that jazz. I know that the Lord is responsible for every child I conceived and will conceive. I want to let that all up to Him- but nowadays, that's considered irresponsible, unreasonable, or even crazy. But why? Why do people think mother-of-19 Michelle Duggar is horrible? She has put her trust fully in the Lord, completely, down to the smallest detail, and to the largest- the fact that she will let HIM decide how many children she will have!
Um, isn't that how it is supposed to be? That we trust the Lord with all our heart, and lean NOT on our OWN understanding? Our own understanding being something along the lines of 2 kids is enough? Or once you have a boy and girl, you're good?
I just don't know. Well, I do, but I am influenced by this world, I admit. I want 5, 6, 7 children. I realize that my c-section situation will probably limit my chances of having a big ol' quiverful, but, should I not trust God and just keep going til the doctors remove my uterus because it's kaput? (you can only cut it open and sew it shut so many times, 6 is the most I've heard from my doctor's previous patients.)
Seth says we are done at 4. I have made it clear it is up to him to take care of that, because I don't want to do any "controling" in that area of my life. God controls that- and He is spectacular control, ask Sarah, Rebekah, Hannah, Elizabeth, Anna the prophet, and any other woman in the Bible who had trouble conceiving, or didn't at all.
My children are like arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior, and oh how blessed we are to have 3, and to be blessed with more? Yes, please, Lord. More and more and more! Whether by my body or by adoption, we will have a house full of children! (And right about now, having the children doesn't seem to be an issue, it's the house to fill at the moment!!) But think about that, even. What sort of insane person would get pregnant just as they are moving their family of 4 into their inlaws?!? A blessed person, that's who!! To have all that crap going on, selling our house at a huge loss, being packed into a much smaller space with active boys, Seth losing a job and finding another at 1/2 the salary...what nutball gets pregnant? I'll tell ya who- somebody who trusts the Lord, who will not say, "no thank you" to the blessing of a child!! As many as you want me to have, Lord!!!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Romans 4 - Passage Lookup - The Message - BibleGateway.com
Romans 4 - Passage Lookup - The Message - BibleGateway.com: "We call Abraham 'father' not because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, 'I set you up as father of many peoples'? Abraham was first named 'father' and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, 'You're going to have a big family, Abraham!'
19-25Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, 'It's hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.' Nor did he survey Sarah's decades of infertility and give up. He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That's why it is said, 'Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.' But it's not just Abraham; it's also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God."
Ok, so, you can't copy and paste stuff from Biblegateway anymore, and you have to do it this way. Thus, the entire part of the passage I want was "too big" or something, so I had to cut it down to this. Anyway, not important.
I am very interested in what I have bolded and italicized up there. It speaks very much to FCC. Everybody knows we've got some issues- financial, mixed in with some spiritual. We are in this spiritual leap forward, I believe. What a place to be in when we are financially freaked out.
Jesus has promised to be with us each step of the way. In Jeremiah 29:11, that verse that I keep on the tip of my tongue, God promised the Israelites: "I KNOW the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, and NOT to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." We hear that, we see it in writing, and we hold it in our heads. But what should we do?
What did Abraham do? He trusted, and he MOVED. Don't get me wrong, it is right to think about our finances and see what we can do to alleviate that issue. However, we cannot stand around this place, stunned. We can't focus on something that God has said HE has control of. The work the Lord has planned for us in advance, it doesn't get put on hold simply because we are having financial issues. We must go on.
So, we need to all make a choice- a crazy choice for some of you, because concentrating on finances when they are in trouble seems like the logical, smart thing to do. But we can't tiptoe around God and what He is doing with us. We can't say, "Hold up, God, let's get this straightened out before we go on to the next thing..." We must go about our business of blessing, and trust God that He will provide what we need. FCC is a strong church- not because our building is pretty and taken care of well. That is a product of our strength. We are strong because the Lord has made us strong, we, the people of this church. Our spirits reach out for God, and His hand is upon us. The more we seek Him, trust Him, and obey what we believe He is asking us to do- we will see Him take care of these struggles. In His way. In His time.
How is your faith? Are you ready to do as God is asking us, and trust that He will provide for us in the way we need Him to? If you believe that- if you dare to trust in our Lord- plunge into His promise! Let us go out and bless! Let us trust that God will put things right- in His way. In His time.
19-25Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, 'It's hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.' Nor did he survey Sarah's decades of infertility and give up. He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That's why it is said, 'Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.' But it's not just Abraham; it's also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God."
Ok, so, you can't copy and paste stuff from Biblegateway anymore, and you have to do it this way. Thus, the entire part of the passage I want was "too big" or something, so I had to cut it down to this. Anyway, not important.
I am very interested in what I have bolded and italicized up there. It speaks very much to FCC. Everybody knows we've got some issues- financial, mixed in with some spiritual. We are in this spiritual leap forward, I believe. What a place to be in when we are financially freaked out.
Jesus has promised to be with us each step of the way. In Jeremiah 29:11, that verse that I keep on the tip of my tongue, God promised the Israelites: "I KNOW the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, and NOT to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." We hear that, we see it in writing, and we hold it in our heads. But what should we do?
What did Abraham do? He trusted, and he MOVED. Don't get me wrong, it is right to think about our finances and see what we can do to alleviate that issue. However, we cannot stand around this place, stunned. We can't focus on something that God has said HE has control of. The work the Lord has planned for us in advance, it doesn't get put on hold simply because we are having financial issues. We must go on.
So, we need to all make a choice- a crazy choice for some of you, because concentrating on finances when they are in trouble seems like the logical, smart thing to do. But we can't tiptoe around God and what He is doing with us. We can't say, "Hold up, God, let's get this straightened out before we go on to the next thing..." We must go about our business of blessing, and trust God that He will provide what we need. FCC is a strong church- not because our building is pretty and taken care of well. That is a product of our strength. We are strong because the Lord has made us strong, we, the people of this church. Our spirits reach out for God, and His hand is upon us. The more we seek Him, trust Him, and obey what we believe He is asking us to do- we will see Him take care of these struggles. In His way. In His time.
How is your faith? Are you ready to do as God is asking us, and trust that He will provide for us in the way we need Him to? If you believe that- if you dare to trust in our Lord- plunge into His promise! Let us go out and bless! Let us trust that God will put things right- in His way. In His time.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Once more with feeling...
New year, new brain. No, actually that should be new baby, new brain. Needless to say, my noggin is different- sleep deprived, focused on keeping a toddler from smashing goldfish crackers into the carpet, and pondering the mystery of unending laundry.
Somewhere, there is still room for this other stuff. Seeking, searching, asking.
On a lake somewhere in Israel, the Disciples were on a little boat. A storm blew up. Crashing waves, crazy lightning, booming thunder. Not the best place to be. Suddenly, they spy something through the torrential downpour, lit up at every flash of lightning. It was Jesus, walking on the water, all casual and calm.
First response? Well, I know I would have dropped my jaw, though still clinging to the boat in some way. I don't think I would dig my fingernails out of the mast, even if I did see something as amazing as Jesus walking out in the middle of all that chaos, not to even mention the fact that he was ON TOP OF THE WATER, not sinking or anything. Yeah. But still. I wouldn't be amazed to the point of...well, Peter.
Peter hops up and yells out, "Hey! Lord! Let me walk out to you!!" For real? For real. Peter must not see the freezing cold rain drenching his body to the bone, the enormous waves waiting to swallow him up, the wind, the thunder...you know, chaos! He sees Jesus, and in that moment, his trust-o-meter must have skyrocketed. Because he does it! He walks out there with the Lord! On the water!
See, it would be one thing to hop out of the boat during calm waters, with the sun all shining and sea birds twittering and such. I mean, yeah, it would be quite a feat! But during a storm? That is an entirely different, and much more amazing scenario. And it speaks volumes to us, as well.
Our lives are constantly tossed- particularly right now. Losing jobs, dwindling financial security, cars breaking down, medical bills, loved ones faced with cancer. We often find ourselves in the midst of tornadoes. Our first response? Grab something and HOLD ON.
But is that what we are supposed to be doing? Maybe sometimes, but probably not the majority of those times. I think maybe God wants us to let go and move toward Him, even if it seems impossible to move. We see our lives in such a different way than God sees them. In moments where we feel the need to batten down the hatches and curl up in a ball in the corner somewhere to ride out the storm- God might want us to get up, like there's nothin' goin' on, and move toward Him, even if the steps we take in that direction lead us to something that doesn't seem possible.
Many things seem impossible right now. How are we going to afford this? How are we going to grow our congregation? Nothing makes sense! It's turmoil. So, what do we do? Hang on to everything for dear life? What are we holding on to? Old ways, traditions? Or this building? Our ideas that we had once we came to this building? Or maybe it's not that- I don't know.
All I do know is that God doesn't want us to try and save ourselves from whatever it is we think we need saved from. We need to step out in boldness- toward Him. Does that mean something in particular for you? It may mean something entirely different to the person on your left or right. God wants us to react to this turmoil like Peter. I don't know what our next move is, but I do know it must be toward God, regardless of what the weather looks like in that direction.
Somewhere, there is still room for this other stuff. Seeking, searching, asking.
On a lake somewhere in Israel, the Disciples were on a little boat. A storm blew up. Crashing waves, crazy lightning, booming thunder. Not the best place to be. Suddenly, they spy something through the torrential downpour, lit up at every flash of lightning. It was Jesus, walking on the water, all casual and calm.
First response? Well, I know I would have dropped my jaw, though still clinging to the boat in some way. I don't think I would dig my fingernails out of the mast, even if I did see something as amazing as Jesus walking out in the middle of all that chaos, not to even mention the fact that he was ON TOP OF THE WATER, not sinking or anything. Yeah. But still. I wouldn't be amazed to the point of...well, Peter.
Peter hops up and yells out, "Hey! Lord! Let me walk out to you!!" For real? For real. Peter must not see the freezing cold rain drenching his body to the bone, the enormous waves waiting to swallow him up, the wind, the thunder...you know, chaos! He sees Jesus, and in that moment, his trust-o-meter must have skyrocketed. Because he does it! He walks out there with the Lord! On the water!
See, it would be one thing to hop out of the boat during calm waters, with the sun all shining and sea birds twittering and such. I mean, yeah, it would be quite a feat! But during a storm? That is an entirely different, and much more amazing scenario. And it speaks volumes to us, as well.
Our lives are constantly tossed- particularly right now. Losing jobs, dwindling financial security, cars breaking down, medical bills, loved ones faced with cancer. We often find ourselves in the midst of tornadoes. Our first response? Grab something and HOLD ON.
But is that what we are supposed to be doing? Maybe sometimes, but probably not the majority of those times. I think maybe God wants us to let go and move toward Him, even if it seems impossible to move. We see our lives in such a different way than God sees them. In moments where we feel the need to batten down the hatches and curl up in a ball in the corner somewhere to ride out the storm- God might want us to get up, like there's nothin' goin' on, and move toward Him, even if the steps we take in that direction lead us to something that doesn't seem possible.
Many things seem impossible right now. How are we going to afford this? How are we going to grow our congregation? Nothing makes sense! It's turmoil. So, what do we do? Hang on to everything for dear life? What are we holding on to? Old ways, traditions? Or this building? Our ideas that we had once we came to this building? Or maybe it's not that- I don't know.
All I do know is that God doesn't want us to try and save ourselves from whatever it is we think we need saved from. We need to step out in boldness- toward Him. Does that mean something in particular for you? It may mean something entirely different to the person on your left or right. God wants us to react to this turmoil like Peter. I don't know what our next move is, but I do know it must be toward God, regardless of what the weather looks like in that direction.
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