The Eye of the Storm

Acts 27:13-26, Psalm 139

Storms, giants, lions, jerks- they come and go. Life can seem full of troubles. But like most storms, they spin around and around, dizzying us up and confusing our wits so we can't tell right, wrong, left, right, or diagonal. Storms also have a center. When two contrasting air fronts hit each other, they begin dancing in power, releasing water in torrents and smashing into each other with electrical fury. We feel this fury and the barrage of the floodwaters in life. We can try to run from it, hide from it, or just accept the wetness in the knowledge that such pains are temporary. The dance of the tempest is circular and rotates, forming an eye in the middle. Strangely, the eye tends to be more calm than outside the storm. All the air is sucked into the weather battle, leaving a vacuum of action in the middle. When storms hit us in life, we don't always experience the eye because the storm has a mind of its own and moves around. However, Paul and the psalmist remind us that God is always with us and nothing is outside his watchful eye. God resides at the center of every trial and suffering. He awaits anyone who manages to get caught inside, waiting to embrace and them them with warmth and calmness. But God is not an escape from the storm, just a respite, a refuge, and a refueling station. In each storm, God is ready to strengthen us and prepare us to face the pain and suffering all over again. With God for us, none can be against us. Not even the storm can dispel God from its midst.

Take courage! God is with us! His love will never let us go.

More Transformation, Please?

Acts 9:1-9

Here's the story:
So this dude named Saul is on his way to Damascus (in Syria, north of Israel). He is on his way to kick some Christian hiney (that means backside)! He's got some burly other dudes with hm ready to take Christ-follower lunch money when he gets smacked with a giant divine apparition with a mag light. What!? So apparently its Jesus, the guy that the Christian nerds follow and who was executed by the authorities (even though his friends said "He rose from the dead!!!" Whatever.... no one believes in zombies seriously.) Anyway, Jesus shows up outta nowhere and is all like "Yo Saul, why you trippin' up in my grille?" Saul's all speechless becasue he's being addressed by the God of zombies (I'd be too). Jesus tells him to go to Damascus and wait for something...

That was a paraphrase of Saul's conversion. This is the pivotal point in Saul's life that begins his character evolution into the Apostle Paul. From here (and plenty other examples), Christians have learned that transformation in the light of Christ is extremely important, symbolized in many ways and central to imitating Jesus death and resurrection. Now, the question this raises for me at this moment is, are we just transformed once?

Some people can look back on a specific moment when they knew they were transformed forever. Perhaps this was baptism, confirmation, an anointing, a special worship, an intellectual/prayer/social breakthrough, or any number of other circumstances. However, can we be transformed more than once? Plenty of people (myself included) have been already transformed by God's grace, but still feel the need to keep changing. I'd say it is right to be always transforming. Every time we encounter God (whether in prayer, worship, or study) we should expect God to transform us. We cannot meet God face-to-face and leave the same way we arrived.

But we also need to be careful that we aren't changing simply for the sake of changing. Transformation needs to come FROM JESUS, not from our own boredom or need to find happiness or peer acceptance. Where are you in your transformation schedule? Is it time for you to break out of a cocoon and fly? Is it time to stop chasing your own ideas and simply be God's?

We Are Weak, But He Is Strong

Acts 8:2-8

Isn't it weird that so many of our stories and legends and fables consist of weaklings, underdogs, and people with issues becoming heroes, victors, and leaders? Consider it. We got...

In history: Alexander the Great, William Wallace, Clarence Darrow, Mohandas Gandhi, Susan Boyle, countless armies, a thousand sports teams, they happen everywhere!

In story: Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee; Harry Potter; Peter Parker; Luke Skywalker; Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie; Arthur Pendragon; Tony Stark; Rocky Balboa; Happy Gilmore; Atticus Finch; Babe the Pig; the Karate Kid; Neo; Aladdin; Mulan; Cinderella; Hercules; the Navi; pick a movie...

In the Bible: JESUS, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Joshua, the Israelite nation, Ruth, David, Daniel and his buds, all the prophets, Esther, the Maccabees, John the Baptist, the twelve apostles, Paul, Mary and Joseph, the early church, the church forever!

And how about us...

In the midst of persecution, Philip and the other disciples do what they do best: what Jesus told them to do always; love God and neighbor without hesitation. Philip ministered to the people in Samaria while his brothers and sisters in the faith were being arrested. Do we have that kind of determination and faith? Honestly, we do hesitate. We even doubt. A lot. But should we? I mean, look around!

In history, culture, and faith we have overwhelming evidence that the underdogs tend to be God's favorites to use. God favors no one hen it comes to love, but he wants to illustrate his almightiness by getting the unlikely, the poor, and the overlooked to do great things for him. Now, certainly these individuals are empowered by the Holy Spirit and her wisdom and power, but God chooses whom he chooses for a reason.

We are called to do something important. The call is evident in our lives, in scripture, and in prayer. So no matter what circumstances threaten to overpower us, God is right here, taking our hands and saying "I got you. Let's do this."

And then... we do it.

Just Hold My Hand, Lord

Matthew 14:13-21, Hosea 6:1,3, Isaiah 41:13-14, Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 78:1-4, Philippians 2:1-13, Matthew 21:23-32, Mark 6:45-52, John 20:1-10, 2 Corinthians 1:19

Yeah... that's a lot of scriptures... I am assessing the state of this blog and how I should proceed with its format and design. Perhaps rather than try to tie everything nicely together, I should instead let God speak to me as he will. After all, this is meant to be expressive of my spiritual journeys and ponderings, not an official publication, or a judged piece of writing.

Of all of today's scriptures, the idea that speaks to me most and lastingly is the God's hand holding mine. No matter where I go, God is there, not just hovering around annoyingly like an omnipotent whiny fly, but like a lover, holding my hand in both good and bad times. Jesus' miracles prove he CAN do anything. But he is not about doing mighty things all the time. He just wants to love and be loved, just like the rest of us. The difference is, while we spend our lives blind to truth, always searching and working and assessing; Jesus already knows the truth. So grab his hand, hold it tight, and let him take you away from what you think you know to what is beyond knowing. In every way, may this be so, including this blog and the way it retains its purpose, its love, and its blessing. Prayers, ya'll.

Caring Enough to Die and Let Live

Isaiah 61:8-11, Luke 7:11-17, Hosea 14:4-7, Matthew 9:13

Perhaps no active process best portrays God's compassion than healing. God cares not who we are or what we've done, he wants to heal all our pain, all our injury, all our sickness. He wants to mend broken relationships, painful memories, frustrating confusion. God wants to do all kinda of wonderful things for us, miraculous things, possible things. God came for the sick, the poor, the sinners. We are all in these categories, if we are honest. I certainly am.

And yet, I awoke this morning feeling good. I love such mornings. I was so thankfully aware of Jesus with me and all he has done for me. The love enveloped me in a cocoon of awesomeness. It was like I was drunk on Christ. Yes, that sounds silly and cliche, but honestly, silly and cliche things are what Jesus is all about, not complex and rational things. I mean, such love is not rational nor complex. To love someone enough to die for them; that is compassion, and that is what we are called to.

We heal others as Christ heals. We have been given that same power. Let us love in truth and action, friends!

I have found this week's reflections difficult, perhaps in light of my depressing experiences of late. Or perhaps because of my current comfortable settings. May God's freakin' awesome amazingness slap me in the face with stinging grace so that I have no choice but to embrace love and holiness and restore the reality of God to life. Ministry awaits, people!

The Call to Help

Matthew 9:35-38, Isaiah 61:1-7

Helping sounds like a blah word... meaning it has no definite definition. "I need help" could mean many things. "I want to help people" could mean many things. "Its important to help people" could mean many things. I would say helping is to give aid to someone do something. Jesus says the workers are few. There are a lot of people to help. We need to put ourselves second to others, and certainly second to God. It does seem hard to get our heads out of our rears, though, doesn't it? Letting go of our own desire for attention, credit, and pleasure is hard. We need some spiritual slaps. I do. Slap me Jesus. (Sounds crazy, but we need to wake up from this self-obsessed world so may of us live in).

Jesus quoted and claimed the words of Isaiah when he taught in Nazareth. The "Year of the Lord's favor" had come when Jesus changed the world. We are free to think about others and about God. Its not impossible. We are not captives to ourselves anymore. The chains are gone. And yet we sometimes remain in the dungeon with the door wide open. Why don't we run out and be free!?

Triangle of Compassion

Hosea 14:2, Mark 6:30-44

To be compassionate is to reflect God. Since the beginning, God's behavior toward humanity has been of compassion. As I explored yesterday, God has done a WHOLE lot for us. He treats us as his children despite our rebelliousness and constant running away. God will not disown us. We are told that Jesus looked with compassion on the hungry multitude that followed him as he taught in Galilee. He miraculously fed them and requested his disciples help him act on that compassion. As his disciples today, we gotta keep acting on Jesus' compassion (even if we don't always feel compassionate). Mother Teresa emphasized Jesus teaching that the way we treat people reflects the way we treat God. Almost literally, Jesus identifies with those we reject or support. The compassion we show to others is to God a living sacrifice of praise and love for his other children, just as a parent loves to see his or her children getting along and helping each other. So, God has compassion on us, we reflect that compassion on others, and that same compassion returns to God.

Its a way cool compassionate triangle of awesomeness!

The Progress of Compassion

Hosea 13:14, Exodus 16:2-15, Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45, Philippians 1:21-30, Matthew 20:1-16, Colossians 3:12

So, compassion... such a nice word. Its like "passion", but with "com-" at the beginning. Passion is strong feelings, usually intense. Compassion is passion extending toward others well-being. Kinda like positive empathy. Jesus had plenty of this, we do not. As I ponder where compassion comes from and why it is important in a Christian life, I find a kind of procession.

God has compassion on all of us. That's gotta be first! With God's graceful compassion, we were brought into existence, were led, guided, and saved, and given innumerable joys and blessing in life. God's plan was always to free us from sin and death.

God did all this in spite of our grumblings. Despite God freeing us from bondage to sin (like the Israelites were freed from Egyptian bondage), we complain and wish we were back in chains. Yet, God still provides for us. Compassion is not just. Compassion is grace.

Paul reminds us and the Philippians that we have been gifted with extraordinary favor by the Most High. He also reminds us all that we not only share in God's goodness, but his suffering as well. We are all in continual need of compassion.

We must wear compassion as a character trait. It must be part of who we are as Christians. When we see anothers' need, we must become as Christ to them.

Jesus' parable of the vineyard workers teaches that our motivations for being compassionate have nothing to do with earning salvation, goof favor, or prestige (or even self-worth). Rather, compassionate living should be our heart's desire. Our well-being is tied inseparably to the well-being of the other. We thank God for his compassion when we imitate his goodness.

Be compassionate, as your heavenly father is compassionate.

Why, When, and Where

Isaiah 58:6-9, Acts 14:21-23, Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48, Matthew 4:1-4

Sometimes what we interpret as tragedy cannot be prevented by our passionate prayers. Altered yes. Prevented no.

The scriptures here remind me on one hand that God is powerful enough to do anything and he wants us to channel that awesome power by trusting his Holy Spirit.

But, it is also clear that the things we pray for, powerful as it is, are cautioned. Jesus refuses to pray four physical nourishment, he DOES however, heal people's physical ills. Isaiah tells us to help the oppressed and stand up for justice. Clearly, prayers for others well-being takes priority over oneself. I am interested in thoughts. Comment. NOW!

Accepting the Call

Acts 13:1-3

Saul and Barnabas were some of the first Christian missionaries. In fact, Saul spent much of his life persecuting and hunting down suspected Christians, only to repent and convert after a transforming vision of Jesus he had on the road to Damascus. Here, we find Saul and Barnabas meeting with the new church in Antioch, probably the most significant church of the later half of the first century besides Jerusalem. All of the elders of the church met with Saul and Barnabas in worship. It was there, before Saul undertook his epic missionary journeys around the Mediterranean, that he and his companion experienced the call of vocation. In worship, the Holy Spirit came down, speaking to the young Christians about the future of the newcomers.

It was here that Saul and Barnabas were set apart for evangelism. They accepted their vocational calling as missionary ministers and God would go on to use them in extraordinary ways to expand the Kingdom of God. It is interesting that Saul had already converted on the Damascus road. He had to constantly return to God in worship, communing with the Holy Spirit to seek the unfolding will of God. If Saul had simply stopped searching and praying once he had a great experience, he would never have evolved into the Apostle Paul!

On the Damascus road, God changed Saul's name to Paul, but he isn't called Paul with frequency until later in this chapter, after he begins his evangelistic ministry. Saul must LIVE INTO the person he was meant to be before he can really be changed. He had to accept the vocation, the calling, the responsibility of God's presence in his life before authentic change could occur. He met with the Holy Spirit in a small group of committed Christians, dedicated to seeking God's will and word. Then, only then, do we become true Christians.

It is not in transformative experiences that we can claim the name Christian, it is through living our transformation in our special called way. God has plans for each of us. May our transformative experience lead us to determining where we are called, that we might be surrounded daily in the Holy Spirit's presence. Where is God calling you now? We all have Saulish aspects remaining, but find out how to live more into our Paulish aspects! Be the new human. Be the Christ-made human. Be the human driven by the Spirit of love, not the Spirit of self.

How Far We Have Fallen!

Luke 2:36-38

I am reminded of how much we NEED to be with God! Anna spent days AND nights praising God in the temple! How much do we spend praising God?! Ugh! What depths we have fallen to when we think it takes just a moment here and there and even a sabbath. Every second is on loan! Wake up to your mortality, your insignificance, your inferiority, your temporary nature! We NEED a God who saves, a savior who redeems, a redeemer who lives, a living friend who walks beside us, a companion who loves!

We have this in Jesus, friends! There is no better news! Stop pulling covers over your ears! Our infatuations will decay, our sexuality will fail, our addictions will kill, our desires will melt away. We cannot escape our nature as finite people.

Become greater than you are now. Let Christ build you up into the image of God. Spend time with Jesus. I love him more than anything, and despite my failings, he loves me beyond the grave!

Letting God Do His Transforming Thing

Ezra 8:21-23, Exodus 34:29-35

Ezra was a brave dude. He led the Jewish people back to Israel from exile in Babylon. While most Jews remained scattered across the known world, a group of them was determined to return to the land of their ancestors. Ezra was to be their new high priest. However, it was a long and dangerous journey from Iraq to Palestine. We are told that Ezra prayed hard and fasted, asking God to keep them safe. Having told the king of Persia how great the God of Israel was, he did not want to ask for armed men to protect. Ezra wanted to trust God to provide for his people. To strengthen his trust and to affirm it he prayed and fasted. Likewise, we pray and fast for God to protect us. When we claim in song and word that Jesus is awesome and can do anything and loves us all, do we back that up with actions that prove we are not hypocrites: saying one thing, but doing another? Do we take "chances" and make room for God's miracles? Do we give God to devotion we need to strengthen that trust? Or are we scared that our prayer will be rejected or ignored or in vain?

When we give God time to build our relationship daily, Christ will transform us. He will empower and strengthen our faith and trust. And with faith, even as large as a mustard seed, we can move mountains with the power of God within us. When we meet with God, our faces shine like Moses (symbolically/spiritually). We transformed as creatures of trusting power, having cultivated unity in spirit between us and God so that when we do dangerous things for Jesus' sake, the power of God will flow through us.

Now that's some cool stuff!

Having God Means Letting Go of Something Else

Luke 11:2-4, Matthew 6:16-18

We in America tend to walk around with hand full, pockets full, and stuff hanging all over us. Spiritually, we have to realize that God cannot enter our busy lives with both our hands full of stuff. With have to let go of stuff in one hand so we can firmly grasp God. How many of us want to find God and know Jesus better, but make no room for him to come into our over-scheduled lives. We make no sacrifices for the divine.

Jesus calls us to radical devotion through transformed spiritual disciplines. He gives us a model of prayer we common call the "Lord's Prayer" or the "Our Father," which Christians throughout the ages have taken and turned into a memorized prayer pattern to guide us through our times of prayer. Intentional prayer is time to make room for God. We have to stop rushing about and slow down the rate of speed of our over-stimulated minds to see God clearly.

Jesus also speaks of fasting. Technically fasting refers to giving up food for a certain period of time in order to focus on what really matters: spiritual food = the Word of God... and also realizing just how dependent we are on God's provision and mercy. However, when we look at spiritual disciplines and making room for God in general, we can see that they are all really about fasting: giving things up so we can be closer to God. I've decided to give up something after praying today. How about you? What can you give up? No one can serve two masters.

Making Room for God's Power and Grace

Isaiah 58:10-11, Exodus 14:19-31, Psalm 114, Romans 14:1-12, Matthew 18:21-35

Today we start a new week that will explore the theme "Making Room for God." Today we have several scriptures that explore ways in which God needs to have room to work where frequently we deny him space to work. Specifically, God has impressed on me that desires us to allow him to work in two ways: through power and grace.

Making room for God's power:
In Isaiah we are told to feed the hungry and help the afflicted. In so doing, God can work miracles. Now, too often Christians argue about the insidious question "Are we saved by faith or good works?" This question is a trap! Be careful! Be creative in how you respond, PLEASE! One thing from this passage that pops out to me is that God longs to act through our deeds of service and compassion. So often Christians either...
(1) don't believe that their simple actions will do much good, or
(2) are too focused on their own spiritual life to bother about the physical sufferings of their neighbors (everyone!), or
(3) they are simply too lazy...!

Whichever the case is for you right now (for me its probably #3...) God desires for us to endeavor to do good deeds because God can make them great. We do not do great deeds simply for our own sakes. We must make room in our good deeds for God to accomplish great things. So help someone out! Feed the hungry! Assist the needy! Give God the chance to act! After all, we see in Exodus how good used Moses to part the Sea so that the Israelites could pass through on dry ground. God didn't have to use Moses, but he did! He could have just done it himself (after all, he IS God!). Likewise, we are called to do great things in God's power by Jesus, but we rarely give God the chance to act through us. Take a chance! You'll be surprised!

Making room for God's grace:
In Romans, Paul urges us to accept those with both weak and strong faiths without judgment. While for Paul the issues of petty division were eating certain foods and treating certain days as holy days of special importance, for us the issues may be the same or different (like radical lifestyles, ecological habits, manner of dress, movie and music choices, etc.) Do we think that being Christian requires us all to agree on these minor details. Some people may be able to live comfortably at peace with God without the radical lifestyles others are pressed to search for in order to maintain a closer, deeper relationship with Christ and creation. Who are we to judge!? Certainly discuss these things, but don't let them be divisive. We are all united by Christ, our common foundation! Allow God to treat people with grace and mercy just as we treat people with grace and mercy. Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant illustrates how important it is for us to live out a lifestyle of grace and mercy. Let God convict each of us on how we are to live our lives. Be a good influence, hold each other accountable, and love each other as a family; but let grace define relationships.

A Judgment, a Pardon, a Calling

James 2:8-13, Romans 8:31,35-37

Such is the pattern of the Christian life. The progression begins with failure. We fail to live up to the Law. We sin, we are inadequate, we let people down, we don't know what to say or do. James says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." It doesn't seem to be about counting our victories and counting our failures. God doesn't care how MUCH we've sinned or how MUCH we've done good. When we do one good deed, we have simply done good. When we fail once, we have failed period.

Luckily that is not the end, or else we'd all be doomed. God is FOR us! As Paul says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" This whole week, we have studied the power of God's mercy and grace. Frankly, there is nothing like it. That's why we worship: out of thanksgiving! We are more than conquerors over sin, we never even had to fight. God fought for us and delivered us from our own weaknesses.

Again, this is not the end. If it were, we might pretend that we don't have to do anything good and just do whatever we want, knowing there is forgiveness for whatever evils we engage in. Some do this anyway, but James calls us to "speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful." We are called to live above our old selves, our pre-grace selves, our selves controlled by natural desires and not by the love of Jesus. In honor of the mercy which saved us, we should be merciful to others. Jesus is our role model and personal savior, why would we not want to be just like him, and let the mercy we've experienced roll over to all we encounter.

May grace free us from the sin we have known, so that we can be about God's business of goodness in the world: telling people about Jesus' love, and living that love in every way possible.

Not Even Death Can Separate Us

Romans 8:1, 13-14, 31-39

Paul tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Awesome! Question: can WE separate ourselves from love? Can we refuse God and thereby be the only thing that might get in the way?

It is interesting that Paul declares the job of justifying belongs to God and the job of judging belongs to Christ. So often we turn that around. Yet, perhaps we are the only thing that prevents us from being justified and judged righteous; just our refusal to surrender.

I am convicted today to "be spiritual" nonstop. I say that I am thus convicted frequently, but not as frequently do I live that out. I want the Spirit to be present with me literally, so that I can talk to it, listen to it, and be aware of how it interacts and responds to me. With its help, I can put my sinful nature to death and live fully as I was meant to live! I have taken some steps to affirm this choice. Sometimes we have to do tangible, visible things to establish our honest decision to surrender to the Holy Spirit's guidance. I have also been honest with others about my struggles and callings, allowing for the community of Christ to do its job, love and support with accountability! Nothing will separate me from God's love. Sin will meet death. And the Spirit of Christ WILL guide me into all truth.

MERCY

Psalm 34:11-22

Oh my Lord! We people are so weak! So incapable! So far behind and distant from where you are! We are like little infants failing to adequately respond to the loving care and blessings of our eternal mother. She lavishes her little baby with such love, such tenderness, such concern; and all we can do is say a few meaningless words, follow dead routines, and flail are body in what we call "service" and "worship" and "generosity"! Whatever! These things are so small compared to the awesomeness that God has given us! Only by his great mercy can our feeble attempts to return love be accepted.

Psalm 34:22 reads, "The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him." So wonderful! And yet so obvious!! If God is the source of love and we are her children, then by choosing to follow her we choose a life of love everlasting; but if we choose to reject God, then we choose against such love... perhaps forever... Such ungrateful children we are, even those of us that do follow. We cannot repay our parents for the love and care they have invested and poured out on us, and yet good parents will love us yet, unconditionally, simply for being their children, wanting only our love in return. There is no condemnation for children of God who do not reject their father in heaven.


I love God! :) Do you? Please tell me about it!!!

What About the Change?

Romans 6:12-14, John 8:1-11, 1 John 3:18-24

Sometimes we don't talk about grace enough as Christians. I mean, it is what makes us unique and distinct from all other religions. On the other hand, sometimes we don't talk enough about life after grace.  The grace of transformation, learning that we are forgiven for everything we have ever done or will ever do, is earth-shattering! There is nothing like being born again into new people. But while this may indeed be THE Good News, there is more to be said. Paul reminds us of it in his Letter to the Roman Church, urging all of us not to let our sinful passions control us. We are instead to live lives worthy of being changed from dead to alive, from lost to found.

Jesus also says something similar to the woman found in adultery. While most people focus on the incredible grace he bestows on the woman by defeating the execution-hungry onlookers with merciful wit, we must remember that afterward he tells her to "Go and sin no more". How often do we genuinely leave our old sins behind? I am one of those people who constantly return to the old habits. It is SO annoying! I accept the greatness of grace, but turn around and behave as though nothing has changed. Perhaps this is because it takes more than cheap grace to change (to repent). It takes a plan, a spirit-filled prayer life, a change in routine, and accountable Christian friends. So much of the Bible pertains to love and faithful service. Perhaps here is also a connection to ridding ourselves of certain sins; we must replace them with holy acts and intentional communion with the Spirit of God. Its time to change. May grace be the starting point for a life of godliness!

Spirit v. Sin

Romans 8:1-11

Tough stuff here. While it is absolutely true that those in Christ have no condemnation, elsewhere in Paul's letter to the Roman church we find an explanation of sinfulness and spirituality. Life guided and driven by the Holy Spirit leads to life, whereas life guided and driven by our natural, sinful desires leads to death. They are opposite and contrary directions: spirit and sin. When Christ saves us from condemnation, he also provides the Holy Spirit so that we can walk in a direction away from sin (though it will ever be a part of our lives). However, what about those people who have real life-giving relationships with Christ AND experience the death-dealing power of sinful desire on a regular basis? Tough stuff, I say again. Tough stuff.

I really want the Spirit to be the crap out of my sinful desires. That would be awesome! And it will too! However, I do not always WANT to lose those desires. Neither am I in the disciplined mood to seek the Spirit with all I am. Why can't we humans just choose life instead of death?

We must take practical steps to expose sin for what it is. One of the best was is to confess them to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Accountability is less about judging and more about loving. Find those who love you unconditionally and confess. If you can't think of friends who love you unconditionally, I will try. But we all need someone!

The Heart of the Gospel

Romans 8:38-39, Exodus 12:1-14, Psalm 149, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20, John 8:11, John 3:17, Romans 8:34

We come to it at last! The heart of the Gospel is grace and forgiveness. This week we will be following the theme "No Condemnation." What an amazing phrase because for those in Christ there is no condemnation. In fact, I might go do far as to say that the definition of Christian is one who is saved from condemnation. That is not to say that in Christ there is no condemnation. Jesus is spoken of biblically as not only providing unlimited love, but also as the judge who will separate the sheep from the goats, the worthy from the unworthy, and deliver them each to the consequences of their actions and allegiances. Nonetheless, the free grace of Christ is the good news of the Gospel and the primary purpose of his existence. No matter what wrongs we have done, who we have insulted, what secrets we hide, or what sin we live in: Christ's grace is enough!

In the overwhelming scripture attack above, we find instance after instance of this divine deliverance from ourselves. We are our own worst enemy, but "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to do good deeds and live life to the fullest out of thanksgiving and joy, rather than as chores and obstacles to overcome before we feel we have done "enough"? Grace does this. Grace relieves the pressure of conscience weighing down our hearts, reminding us of how horrible we are and how we are never good enough. Grace frees us to see the world through God's eyes, to relish in the blessings around us, to seek out the lost and needy because we genuinely want to and NOT because we feel it is our solemn duty.

This message hits me perfectly today as I had a troubling dream last night where I was a murderer and killed a friend of mine and most of the dream involved me panicking about what was going to happen to me and how much I deserved the worst fate possible for my stupidity. When I awoke and read these scriptures, I felt joy and relief. Certainly, it WAS a dream, but it was also symbolic of our guilt and shame that we so often feel towards ourselves. God would have it that all would seek him, repent (turn away from) their sins, and be forgiven; but many refuse to submit themselves to such injustice. We are a vengeful people who feel a need for justice EVEN when the offender is ourselves. We know we do not deserve a free ticket of grace, nor do we deserve the sacrifice of another person's life in our place, but God's love is greater than "an eye for an eye" justice. Grace IS amazing because God is the only one who could use it to rescue us from ourselves so we could thereby live life as we were meant to live it. By sharing the love that saved us with everyone else and o live in grace and forgiveness with all.

This intention of God's has always been around. In Exodus, the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians such that God promised to send a plague that would kill every firstborn in Egypt. God commanded the faithful to smear the blood of a lamb without defect on the door frames of their houses. The innocent lambs died in place of the Israelites' firstborn. When the plague came to such doors, it would see the innocent blood and leave (pass over) the house untouched. Similarly, Jesus became the innocent lamb who laid down HIS OWN LIFE for all would accept him. When judgment and condemnation and death come to take our lives for the wrongs we have committed, Jesus will judge us based on whether or not we have his blood smeared on our hearts, for only the blood of God (the blood of one truly innocent), could genuinely cover over all of our defects and allow us to be saved. This is why people say Jesus died for our sins. He died in our place. And he rose again to defeat death and usher in a new era of loving humanity. The Church should stand as a symbol of that loving humanity. Unfortunately we do not always... We use words like grace and atonement and "Jesus died for our sins" as meaningless catchphrases. This cheapens their worth. May we be intentional when we use them so as to maximize their worth and multiply God's love!

When everything falls into place

Isaiah 42:1-9, 1 Corinthians 10:3-4

I pray that everyone might drink from the living water of the rock of Christ. We all need to eat and drink daily SPIRITUAL food and drink to sustain our souls and spiritual life, not just our physical life.

In Isaiah we find an account of the "servant of the Lord" who will bring forth justice and freedom and old things become new and good news is everywhere. Else where we hear "Let just roll on like a river." Living water gives life and frees people from thirsty souls. It also symbolizes the power of righteousness as all the sinful structures of evil in our world fall to justice and peace.So many of us are dry and parched, awaiting the river of justice and the water of life. Look at the deserts of the world, where water can be found, oases form, paradise-like islands of overflowing life in a otherwise dead, sandy world of harsh wind where people get lost and forgotten. Be an oasis! Be an island where the spring of living water can pour from Christ through you to the world. Once they know that water can be found in you, they will seek your truth and they will form springs of their own with the living water Christ deposits in them.

This week God has opened new doors of grace and awesomeness through the Living Water idea. SO much of it is more than words, so I find it difficult to really write much here.

Streams of salvation

Revelation 7:13-17, John 7:37-38

What an inspiring day! Thank God I found this awesome idea: living water! Thank God for living water! So much meaning and power has flowed from these words this week. I am reminded of the fountain of youth and the quest so many of fantasy of undertaken to find it. Like the holy grail, the fountain of youth promising life everlasting to the drinker. In one sense, it is the quest for ultimate meaning and fulfillment in life. The quest itself is full of meaning and power. However, it is frequently the case in stories of such adventures that the seeker realizes true life comes not from some physical goal, but instead has been there all along, in the form of love, of grace, of purpose.

It is important to notice that streams of living water are not only for the drinker (US). Jesus says such streams will pour forth from within us. They pour out, into the world, providing opportunities for others to drink deep of God's grace. Our cups runneth over! As we drink deep today, let us not forget to share the refreshing liquid with all whom we come in contact with. All we need do is believe in Jesus the Christ.

Fresh as the morning, hard as our heads

John 7:37-39

it is a paradox that that which gives greatest joy is so hard to find. It is also a paradox that the greatest obstacle to finding that joy we desire is... ourselves. Weird... Cool...

John equates the promise of living water with the Holy Spirit. This same spirit is elsewhere called a consuming fire, a mighty wind, a companion, or an Advocate. The Spirit manifests in many ways, as we need her, and as God knows we need her.

There is much happening in my daily life. Sometimes it can seem hard to connect with the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it would help to just stop moving and sense what is around me. The Spirit manifests itself as all sorts of things as it will. If I stop to look around me, perhaps I can better perceive the Spirit nudging me kindly on, or getting sassy with me to do what's right. It is a gift. We got to be aware of it.

The waters of kenosis

Isaiah 12:1-6

I just finished watching the film "Interview with the Vampire." As I write this post, I am listening to credits roll to the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." If I am left with one feeling and idea from my viewing, its that of emptiness. The main character, Louis (Brad Pitt), is a vampire who regrets agreeing to become a vampire and wishes he had chosen death instead. The emptiness he feels and lives out is similar to the real experience of many in our world, those who have given pieces of their souls away to people who mistreated them, in behaviors that turned rotten, to false messages of culture that entice and promise satisfaction, meaning, and love; but end up leaving only that empty feeling of regret, mixed with hopelessness.

Then again, as with so many words in any language, emptiness can have an opposite, if related meaning. Rather than a lifeless emptiness that comes from giving our souls to things that attract, but were never meant to have our souls; this other emptiness comes from giving our souls and our SELVES to God. Sounds simple, doesn't it? This was a major breakthrough in my spiritual life. I worked and worked to be a "good Christian," until I discovered (through no feat of my own, but rather God's spiritual smack) that we don't work to please God; we surrender all of our efforts and striving to God's grace, so that any good we do is God working through us. This is called kenosis: self-emptying. We find God less in reaching out to him, and more in giving up and falling back into his waiting, loving arms.

Living in that state of kenosis is like swimming. We move, but everything seems slower, graceful, more flowing, more dance-like. For indeed, God is our dance partner, leading us around the dance floor of life. Salvation becomes very real in those waters. Rather than a heaven-or-hell afterlife as the primary focus of salvation, it becomes instead a transforming moment in life: more transformative even than birth or death. You might say it is being "born again," but maybe not. Kenosis' sweet surrender happens over and over again, every time we return to the Gospel of salvation that is provided for us and that we do not achieve. God draws the living water from his well of salvation and offers us a drink.

Drink deeply, friends. Let go and drink in...