“Doing the will of God”

Jesus got up from the table. Isn’t that unusual for Master of ceremonies to do? He got up. He had been reclined, as they did in those days. There wasn’t a wooden table and chairs as we’re so traditionally used to. He had been enjoying a meal with His disciples. There had been some banter back and forth, some laughter over a good cooked meal. Isn’t that how bonds, throughout time, have been further deepened? Over a meal, together, they bonded, they shared, they loved. Then Jesus got up. What was He about to do? The room was slightly stuffy, and getting warmer. There was a humidity in the air which matched the body heat of those gathered there. As each disciple had eaten their share of the food and had drunken a share of the wine, Jesus did not rest. He didn’t find the nearest lazy boy chair to recline in. He didn’t make his disciples go and do the dishes. He didn’t rest. Instead, He got up and after wrapping a towel around His waist, He filled a basin full of water. The disciples were caught off guard. Some were still chewing the last bits of food and draining their cups of the last drops of wine. Glances were exchanged, expressions of bewilderment and surprise replaced the revelry of celebration.

Having wrapped the towel around His waist and poured the water into the basin, Jesus begins to display for His disciples what a true discipleship looks like: a servant of all. Kneeling down before them, Jesus places himself beneath their dirty, filthy, smelly feet and washes them. He becomes a servant before them. He takes on the very job of a household servant. The son of God stooping down to wiping the dirt from the feet of His people. Is there any better description or account of doing the will of God? The actual Messiah, Jesus kneeling down and cleansing those who needed cleansing the most? Such moments like this had to have left deep impressions upon His followers. Having the One who had been present at the beginning of creation wiping away dirt from their feeble human forms, what a lesson to learn! Master becoming servant. Jesus coming down to their level and preparing them for leadership and for eternity.

This is Discipleship:

In Jewish custom, a disciple was to do as the Rabbi did. A disciple went beyond just ‘doing’ what the Rabbi did though, the purpose of a disciple was to become the Rabbi. Literally taking on his mannerisms, his theological interpretations, his actions…everything to become just like the Rabbi. Jesus knelt at their feet and washed them. Jesus displayed for his disciples what they were to become to the world around them…servants of God, serving others. Jesus even told them this when He said; “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28)

Discipleship is doing the will of God, not just as a part-time worker, but a full time servant. Many will commit to part-time work as a servant, but few, when faced with choices of comfort and personal gain will accept that full-time role. Yet isn’t that what Christ-followers are called to do? To be full-time disciples in our lives? Full-time disciples of Christ doesn’t mean we give up our professional vocations and don on ropes of white and live off of the land. God can and will use you as His disciples right where you are at. Sometimes He asks us to move and to switch vocations, but many times He can and will use you if you are available for His purposes. True discipleship though looks very much that Jesus with towel wrapped around His waist washing feet. True discipleship may take on roles we feel are beneath us, not befitting one from our status…yet Jesus knelt down and washed the disciples feet, are you prepared to do so as well to those around you? Are you prepared to be a full-time disciple?

William Law once wrote; “The devout, therefore, are people who do not live to their own will, or in the way and spirit of the world, but only to the will of God. Such people consider God in everything, serve God in everything, and make every aspect of their lives holy by doing everything in the name of God and in a way that conforms to God’s glory.” (William Law, A serious call to a devout and holy life)

Do you view your life in this way? Is everything God’s? Are you doing the will of God because you are His humble servant? This is the cost of discipleship, but it’s not drudgery or done with groaning but instead because of love we cannot help but to serve the One who has set us free. Are you prepared to wrap that towel around your waist? Are you prepared to kneel down before those around you and to wash their feet? God doesn’t need any more part-time workers, He wants full-time servants who are committed to do His will.

September 17, 2013 3

“From ‘Worst’ to Faithfully Appointed.”

“I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service.” -1 Timothy 1:12

The man once named Saul, persecutor and murderer of Christ-followers has been redeemed. Now, Christ’s ambassador, a humble servant renamed Paul writes to Timothy his protege and for all intense and purposes adopted son. Paul is nearing the end of his life. He knows that time is now running out for him. He isn’t bitter. He isn’t scorning and cursing his captors – Rome, instead he is making the most of his remaining time. He writes this encouraging letter to Timothy as a father would lovingly pen words on a page to a son. Paul considers himself the worst of sinners and even says son in his letter to Timothy.

Is there regret from his previous life, before Christ cast his light of salvation on him on a dusty Damascus road? Yes. But has this regret stopped Paul from living for Christ alone? No! Though Paul considered himself the worst of sinners, he indicates to Timothy that Christ had also deemed him worthy of calling.

What made Paul worthy? Was it his own hard work and effort to be ‘good’? No. How can a killer of Christians now be considered worthy & faithful? It becomes a matter of the heart. What lives inside our hearts only we and God know. What we feed on within out thought processes only we and God know. Paul was convinced, and the evidence of his ministry results are apparent, that Christ had judged him faithful and appointed him to serve.

What about us today?

Do you feel worthy of being called by God? Are you willing to serve Him wholeheartedly like Paul did? We don’t need to have a theological degree to serve Him. We don’t need to be highly educated to gather a towel around our waist and wash the feet of those around us for His glory. We don’t need to be preachers like Billy Graham to share this message of hope to the world around us. We just need to be faithful. Christ Jesus can and will strengthen you as well, just as He did with Paul. If we say ‘yes’ to His calling (whatever that calling looks like that enables us to serve Him) he will judge us faithful and then also appoint you as well to whatever task He needs you to serve Him in.

You may consider yourself in your own minds to be the worst of sinners also. You may think that God cannot forgive you for what you have done in your life…and you would be wrong! Christ is willing to forgive you if only you will let Him. When we open ourselves up to Him and His holy cleansing we will find love, grace and hope…we will find new life! And in this new life, we too will be judged as faithful servants of the Most High.

Are you willing today to trust Him? Are you willing to allow Him into your life? If you say yes to His calling on your life, watch out! You will never be the same again! Because the Apostle Paul said ‘yes’ to Christ many, many lives for changed including Timothy who did carry on in Paul’s footsteps. Because Paul said ‘yes’ to Christ the very world was changed because of His testimony. Today, this world needs more Pauls to boldly step up and say ‘yes’ to Christ…may you be a Paul today in your answer today!

-Just a thought.

September 13, 2013 0

Robin…about these Blurred Lines…where have all the Gentlemen gone?

I was criticized yesterday for writing specifically about Miley Cyrus and not even mentioning Robin Thicke, who also displayed deplorable acts on stage recently during the VMA’s that left many heads shaking…it was most definitely not a PG rated performance on national television. I haven’t intentionally given him a pass by any means. Let me just say this directly: Robin you are no better than your female counter parts…in fact you may be worse. Your womanizing ways are impressing upon young men around the world and in effect saying that it’s okay to objectify women and act like a dog on and off stage. Your persona exploits women and sexualizes them as mere objects instead of people. This whole ‘sexual shock pop’ is undoubtedly about making money. But again the message you’re sending to guys out there is that this is how women wish to be treated. You’re selling sex to make money, it’s not a new ploy, but it truly is a bottom-feeding business.

In 2012 over 25% (http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/famsoc1.asp) of all American kids were being brought up in a single family household…why do I mention this? Because only 1% of that statistics represents single fathers, the rest are single mothers trying to bring up their children as best they can. Some were unwed while others because of Divorce, but there is a growing demographic of young men out there that thinks it’s okay to sleep around, get women pregnant and then bail. Why would that be? Some of it can be directly attributed to guys like you who prance on performing stages and sing about the next women you’re going to sleep with. Bill Cosby, actor and Doctor of Education even rails against this issue within the African American community…but it’s not just an African American issue, it’s a cultural issue.

This country has lost its Gentlemen, men who respect women. Men who know how to treat a woman. This country needs less Robin Thickes’ and more guy willing to man-up, step up and take responsibility. The crude remarks, the condescending humor, the sexist attitudes…it isn’t improving matters, it’s making them worse. Robin, have some common decency…although I doubt anyone will read this, It’s solely my opinion…and since it’s still a free country I will share that with you.

Some have suggested that we pray for you and others in the entertainment industry. I do. I really do. I don’t say it like someone does in a casual conversation as they walk down the hallway, ‘well I’ll pray for you’, I really will pray for you. I will pray for Miley too. I cannot imagine the stress artists like you are under to perform…that doesn’t take you off the hook for acting like a dog, but I can’t imagine. I don’t pretend to have all of the answers for any of you. And as someone rightly said, it’s the parents job to teach their children how to live. I for one am focused first and foremost on my kids. I’m concerned how this whole media circus effects kids, but my kids won’t be subjected to this garbage. I plan on raising my kids better than that. But I know that there are kids out there who don’t have parents who either know better or who care what they watch, read and listen to. I’m concerned about those kids too. They’re vulnerable. They’re susceptible to these lies that you’re selling. It’s like a drug to the mind, ear candy that holds no nutrition to grow and mature with.

For the Guys:

Guys, don’t look up to Dogs like this. I don’t wish to be mean to either Miley or Robin here…but their actions make them dogs on stage. Don’t be a dog. Treat women with respect that they deserve. They aren’t objects. They aren’t pieces of meat on display. Don’t buy the lie that musciains like Mr. Thicke are selling. We need more gentleman in this world. We need guys who will step up and be role models, who will set a good example for others to follow. Who won’t be led by their lusts. Who will think with their brains instead of their pants. It doesn’t take much to be dude or a dog…but it takes guts to be a gentleman. Be modest. It takes brains to act like a man…a real man. Show some respect, and step up.

For the Girls:

Don’t just fall for the first guy you see. Don’t be pressured to be someone you’re not or pressured into sexual activity prematurely. Be modest. Don’t buy the lie about what you should wear or how skinny you need to be. Or have any kind of body image issue because of what the entertainment industry is telling you. Don’t be swayed by the dogs of this world. Have some self-respect for yourself, some self-confidence…you are an important creation of God! You were created individually unique so don’t let some guy tell you who you are or how you should act or live.

Parents:

Step up to the plate. Filter what your kids are watching. Filter what your kids are listening to. Have conversations about this stuff. Be a parent, not a friend. They are your kids, raise them right! Proverbs 22:6 says: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

About my last article: https://scottstrissel.wordpress.com/2013/09/10/miley-you-make-me-sick/

It was initially called ‘Miley…you make me sick’ and I changed it to ‘Miley…please stop’. Let me clarify, I’m not sick about people in general I’m sick of the actions of people. Male or female, either and both. I see celebrities and musicians who have so much potential and yet they settle for this ‘shock’ garbage…and it makes me sick. I’m a parent of four kids, they’re my kids and my responsibility to raise and I won’t subject them to this junk. I spoke rather harshly yesterday, I recognize that…it’s not place to judge but I am passionate about this for two reasons, 1) my kids and what media is trying to sell them, & 2) other kids, guys and girls who either don’t know better or have parents who don’t care enough or know enough to teach them right. My issue isn’t solely with these two individuals that I named but, they are just at the forefront right now…the poster children, so to speak.

Sincerely, just another concerned Dad.

September 11, 2013 0

Miley…please stop!

I don’t mean to be rude or hurtful today, that’s not my intention. What I mean by that is this: Miley Cyrus…please stop! I think it’s safe to say that there are so many fathers out there shaking their heads in disgust. Is this what we want our daughters to become? You started out as a Disney star…kids looked up to you. I taught Sunday school and there were little girls who wore your Hannah Montana t-shirts. They wanted to not only meet you, they wanted to be you.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not healthy to want to be someone else, but when you’re on a public stage in this world, people will listen to you. People, specifically kids, will want to look up to you as a role model…and right now the life you’re modeling on stage makes me sick. It not only comes across as a desperate ploy to maintain a certain status and lifestyle, but it also comes across as extremely derogatory to the entire female gender. I don’t mean to sound hurtful, but your actions will have consequences and those consequences, like a ripple effect on a pond will impact the lives of many young impressionable girls in our world.

I know some could argue; “it’s her life let her live it the way she wants to“…rightly so, but at the same time how you conduct yourself and act on a stage like you did recently at the VMA’s is deplorable, and simply lacks musical substance and craves for any kind of public attention.

In this over-sexualized world in which we live, we need less Miley sex-shock rock and more female role models who have more respective for themselves and for their bodies. We need women who will show young impressionable girls how to conduct themselves in public and have respect for themselves. How to make decisions based on not what guys view them as physically but what will nurture and help them grow. As a father who has a daughter in my house, I want more female role models who will display at least some measure of modesty. As a father who has a daughter in my house, you certainly don’t meet those requirements of the type of female role model I ever want my daughter to look up to.

Here’s some advice, stop trying to be someone you’re not. Stop shocking the world with your antics…it’s the same tired old routine tried by many, many starlets and artists and it never ends well. Look around you, it may be your life but there are people watching and looking up to you. Find some self-respect.

-Just a thought.

Now I like this woman…she totally makes a valid point:

September 10, 2013 1

Salvation Army Identity Crisis?

I’ve heard it from both sides of the argument. The Salvation Army is a movement not an organization…wait what? Is it an unorganized movement then? Certainly what began as a movement as grown, hasn’t it? We are an entity within the universal Christian church. We, in every aspect of the theological argument have become another denomination, though some within our ranks might spurn that notion. Don’t believe me? Look it up on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations scroll down towards the middle of the list of denominations and you will find The Salvation Army listed under ‘Pietists and Holiness Churches’.

So let’s move on from that identity issue to the two main pivotal perspectives that I would like to look at rather closely.

Argument #1: The Salvation Army has become just another social service institution.

I can certainly see why some within our ranks would argue this point. Within the US, specifically, many programs to those in need are either completely or marginally dependent upon government funding sources. Much of our professional staffing can also be used to lend support of this argument. Also another source that might lend credence to this assumption stems from the adoption of its newest brand in 2005 of ‘Doing the most good‘. If you merely look at the wording, one could make the leap that the identity of the Army is shifting in the face of public perceptions and opinions. Put a new branding on the Army such as ‘Doing the most Good’ and now you can compete with other social service agencies which are in turn competing for the same public/government funding sources. And as we compete, we now how place our services ahead of other agencies because, after all, we do the most good…better than the rest.

Now before you write me some hate mail, let me just clarify; I am merely presenting one of the arguments within this identity crisis. This is not specifically my opinion but it is an opinion or as our Army likes to say, it is a perception. Right or wrong when a brand, even taken out of context, is utilized within a media savvy culture this common perception may or may not prevail. To say that we do not care what the public thinks would certainly be erroneous and untrue. Public support, both financially and physically, are necessary to our success as a ministry to those in need. We need reinforcements as well as the means to make things happen.

This specific argument that we are shifting our identity to become more of a social service agency and are too dependent on governmental funds does have some merit and weight behind it. There is certainly a danger that we may lose our identity of origin if we are not mindful of mission that is…which brings me to the other side of the argument…

Argument #2: The Salvation Army is a Church.

This argument prevails within our corps’ mission at times. Corps Councils at times get together and bemoan the fact that there is little to no ‘bridging’ going on between corps ministry and the weekly social service office which is always packed with people in need. At the extreme end of this argument are those who are so pious and holy in appearance yet they do little besides complain about the state of things instead of actually doing something about it. Not only is it the job of the corps officer to find and enact engaging and relevant ministry, but it is the primary job of the soldiery of that corps to suggest, lead, engage and do this important work as well! All too often this identity argument that The Salvation Army is first a church is water thin because many corps are seeing a decrease in Sunday attendance. It is not that Officers are not trying, however could it be that some of the programs that we offer need to be revamped or even given the boot? If this identity of Church truly ‘sticks’ then why aren’t we seeing consistent substantial growth in our corps…and I’m not just talking about the bigger corps in large metropolitan areas either, every corps in every city. In my opinion (here’s my take), one of the reasons we are seeing this identity of ‘church’ diminish in the pews is because of our history. By that I mean, if we explore the reasons for our initial explosion as a ‘Movement’ we will find that our founders were willing to try and risk anything to get people saved. Slogans like ‘Go for the worst‘ didn’t come because the early Army was playing it safe. They tried anything and sought to connect with the culture in which they ministered to. Today, we have much to lose if we risk as they once did. Programs are great but I believe sometimes our programs become a crutch and limit what we actually do or risk. Booth would close corps in a heartbeat if they were not growing, today we have too much invested in them to watch them fail or close their doors. In essence we are protecting our investments and often times we are more willing to play it safe and rest on our laurels than do something different.

This identity of ‘The Salvation Army is a church’ insulates us. It protects our accomplishments and we pull back in the risk department.

SO WHAT ARE YOU THEN?

Are we a social service agency or are we a church? The answer is….YES. 😉

What do I mean? If we lose either of these important aspects of our movement as an Army for Christ then we are finished. We might as well pack up and find another mission or ministry to serve under. There is a fine line here. It is a cautionary hazard reminding us not to veer too far in either direction. Church, get out of the slow, protective lane of tradition and heritage. Social Service, pull your hands back from the governmental piggy bank that places severe limits on what you can do in the name of Christ. Don’t become so dependent on money and thereby replace Christ with the worship of funds. We are a mission, an adaptive moving fluid mission for Christ. This is what we ought to be. We must not lose sight of why we are here in the first place. We must not forget that souls need to be both clothed, fed and with the physical and the spiritual. We cannot allow this notion that we are one or the other to divide us. We are One army, to quote our recent international theme. We must continue to serve Christ in such a way that He provides and He blesses instead of seeking for the approval man. Instead of playing it safe and insulating yet another army rich tradition behind polyester uniforms and archaic irrelevant programs, We need to keep moving forward not backward. The danger is when we shift from an organized movement to just an organization we stop moving…we stop striving forward in our relevancy in ministry.

We cannot afford to separate this identity as an Army. To do so, we face a slow, polarizing organizational death. I pray for more risk takers to be added to our ranks. I pray for more missionally minded Officers and Soldiers alike. I pray that we get up out of our pews and start doing something that reach a poor soul and touches the lost for Christ in the process. If we keep Christ as the face of our Army, we will not lose strength, we will ever be in tuned to His Holy Spirit’s prompting and moving for Him. If we ever get to the point that we care more about our Army than we do about Christ and His mission for us then we will have lost this vital and most pivotal identity and risk losing so much more than just our uniform.

September 10, 2013 0

Get Moving…into Spiritual Fitness

There was sweat pouring and pooling on and around the collar of my workout shirt. It hadn’t taken me long to break a sweat. ‘Is that normal?’ I wondered to myself as I continued to pump my legs up and down as I strained towards another invisible incline on the elliptical machine. I stared straight ahead, bored to tears at the lack of scenery in my living room all the while motivational ‘cardio’ music pumped through my earphones. ‘Don’t look down’ I kept saying to myself, ‘don’t look down’. One would imagine I was walking a tightrope a thousand feet in the air if they had heard my mantra. Yet my eye inevitably looked down upon the elliptical machine’s work out clock…I still had plenty of time yet to complete. My work out was far from over. I groaned.

Scolding myself for looking down again, I tuned into the music which pumped out another fast rhythmic beat. I matched the rhythm with my strides on the elliptical. I was determined to make it over the next incline. I gritted my teeth and pushed through the discomfort and the screaming protests of my muscles. The effort would be worth it, I kept telling myself. There was a goal in mind, to lose weight to feel healthier and to live a longer more productive life. I knew that there would be miles and a miles of invisible inclines to go but my goal was worth the sweat and tears. My goal would payoff in the end.

It got me thinking. Isn’t that the image that we get when the Apostle Paul talked about running and about the prize of eternal life?

Check this out:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” -1 Corinthians 9:24

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 3:14

Application:
The Apostle Paul, a former persecutor of Christians, humbly and openly admitted that he was not there yet. He hadn’t crested that imaginary incline of faith. He knew that there was still work to be done within his life. He still was lacking and coming up out of breath spiritually. Yet his short comings were not going to deter him from seeking and attaining his goal.

What is your goal? What are you striving to become within God’s kingdom? Are you serious about your pursuit of personal holiness? Are you committed to that seemingly invisible incline of faith? God doesn’t want to leave us (nor will He) at the Altar of our initial sanctification (our salvation story)! His Holy Spirit wants to do a work within us. An amazing work within us! He wants us 100% committed to Him for His purpose and mission! But we have to be willing to move from spiritual infancy to a deeper more lasting spiritual maturity. This move takes place when we get serious about our relationship to Christ. It’s deeply personal and only we can make the decision to move. The Holy Spirit will prompt, prod and even convict us but we are the ones who have to make the conscientious decision to get up and move. There will be sweat and sacrifice, of that we can be sure of. Yet if we make the move, we begin to tap into the very power of the Holy Spirit who can help us and sustain us in this discipline of holiness.

What are your personal goals as a Christ-follower? There is a purpose for each of us as fellow sojourners. God does not want us to settle for mediocrity in our faith. Nor does He want us to become out of shape (spiritually), lazy and without missional purpose. There is so much more He wants of us, but in order to accomplish anything for Him, we have to have the right priorities in place in our lives.

Prioritizing Spiritual Fitness:
These priorities begin with our daily spiritual workout. That spiritual workout consists of our daily even moment by moment conversations with God. How can we train, how can we run in this faith without first being plugged into the very source of our hope and salvation? A daily discipline of feasting on the word of God, coupled with our prayerful conversations with Him will set us in the right direction of forward progress in our personal and spiritual growth. Without these two main components placed as top priority in our lives, we face the possibility of becoming utterly lost in our jumbled world which could be full of empty pursuits. The Holy Spirit can shape us and mold us, if we allow Him to, but it takes effort and willingness on our part. We have to be available and willing to move.

Are you ready to work out? Are you prepared to sweat and strain for the goal of being Christ-like in your life? Then it’s time to get up and move. Don’t ignore the Holy Spirit’s promptings in your life, He wants to complete that work in you…are you willing? Are you ready? Let’s go.

September 9, 2013 2

Extinguished Light

Another light has been extinguished
Smoldering, wisps of smoke ascend
The questioning eyes, the long goodbyes
Break our tattered hearts,
tearing hope from our fingertips.
And from our lips
The utterings of soul wrecked grief.
You extinguished this flame
You wouldn’t let go
Too slow we’re our footprints
And empty hands have replaced
The warm embraces that we once knew.
Why the sudden, awful quickening of time?
Why the rhythmic motion of stories left untold?
How we wish to turn the next page
To find out what’s next as this story unfolds…
Yet you ripped it from our grasp.
Life be damned, but we were left
stricken and alone.
We were struck
by your darkened night
As you blew out your light
And we are left hold and picking
up the shattered pieces while
floundering in the darkness.

September 8, 2013 0

Shine!

“He said to them, “Do you bring a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” -Mark 4:21-25

Okay, let’s get it over with…”this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

Jesus spoke to His disciples and to the crowd that had gathered there. He spoke wisdom and truth to them and in the midst of these parables He begins to speak about a lamp. What does a lamp do? It illuminates a room doesn’t it? When someone walks into a dark room the first thing most people do is switch on the light so that they might see. The same principle is applied any place that is dark. One would never venture into a deep dark cave unless a flashlight was lit. Does one go into places that are dark without prior preparation? Of course not because that would be dangerous and foolish!

Similarly the Light of Christ is never to be hidden from the world! To do so is dangerous and foolish. Fellow Christians who play church on Sunday yet keep the truth of the gospel to themselves like some sort of private VIP only club are foolish and narrow minded…but if I were truly honest with myself there are times that I have treat the light of Christ this way. I have been one of those ‘members only’ Christians.

Yet if we look at how God works, does He need us to shine the light? Yes and no. Yes God wants us to share His good news to the world and yes we are partakers of His kingdom but does He need us more than we need Him? Of course the obvious answer is ‘no’! So why are we called to be ‘Light bringers’ into this world of ours? The short answer is; so that we can be Christ’s faithful ambassadors to those still in the darkness! He could clearly call someone else, and if we’re not careful He will call someone else. But He wants us to be the torch bearer.

Exposed by the Light:

This world is a dangerous and dark place. Christ brought the light so that everyone might see. What is it that we see when His light is shone upon us? For starters we see how lost we truly are. It is easy to wander in the darkness and to ignore the filth that we have allowed to blemish us. But when His light is cast upon us we find ourselves wanting, dirty and guilty. The prophet Isaiah was given a vision of heaven and in the Light of God and all that he saw, he knew that he was unclean and marred by sin. The light of God does that to His people; exposes the sins. Nothing is hidden from God. Nothing is kept locked away and private. He light shines upon us so that we might finally be free from this life sucking filth which is sin.

When Christ spoke of the light, He was talking not only about Himself but about the truth of God. Everything in this world both hidden and dirty will be exposed and known. We, as His ambassadors are to be faithful to Him. The good news is this world can be freed from the enslavement of sin and death! The good news is that darkness is just the absence of light. The good news is that God is the light that will shine upon all people here on earth. The amazing news is that Christ has come to set us free from these bonds that keep us in the darkness!

This good news must be shared to the world! This amazing light will deliver us all…and in so doing we are then called to pick up His light and share that good news to those still in the darkness.

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…”

September 6, 2013 3

At the moment of resignation and surrender (Poem)

I want to grasp your hand dear Lord

But my grip is oh so weak

An ebbing strength of childlike hands

dulled senses, calloused and poor.

Yet as fingertips extend to where

They have never touched the heavens

All blood escapes as gravity closes in for a closer look

Kissing the heart strings as I strain

But Lord how feeble I must seem

All the while you, in all your glory

Indescribable in your majesty and might.

Even though I reach and strain

Gritting teeth and labored breath

I am no closer to you than when I started…

It is in a moment of complete resignation

Shoulders slumped, eye lids shut

Bitterness on the tongue pushed back

Swallowed and helplessness in my heart…

It is in this moment of complete and utter

Abandon of self-worth and personal gain

That I feel something.

That I feel a touch.

That I feel a warmth, like never before

As blazing fingertips extend and grasp onto mine

As I pull back in surprise for but a moment

As I recognize that I am in your very presence

Totally lost, powerless and surrendered…

You hold my hands in yours, I can feel your power

I can feel your strength as if it beckons me to

Believe.

Looking up, hesitant, penitent

I find love.

I find joy.

I find peace.

All of my labored aching ceases

I am whole.

I am found.

I am Yours.

September 6, 2013 0

Catching A Glimpse of God

We were sitting in the car, another long drive up and down the mountainside. Where were we? On vacation in Yellowstone National Park. Looking out of our windows which were slightly to moderately marred by finger smudges, forehead grease and happy meal stickers, we became enthralled with the landscape around us.

Everywhere we turned, our eyes fell upon sights that are difficult to describe, yet magnificent to behold. In the back seats our older boys who had been previously engaged with electronic devices in hand now found themselves on the edges of their seats soaking in the landscape as it traveled past our rear bumper like a people-mover at an airport. We found ourselves a midst trees and rock and mountain located inside the heart of an underground, still active volcano. Wild life teemed all around us as if undisturbed by our passing presence there. Ravens, nearly the size of adult predatory hawks stalked the picnic areas looking at us with its cimmerian eyes black as night and cawing with its haunting and foreboding calls as if to say ‘pay your price, pay your price and feed us!‘

Our journey there, coated in mystery, brought on its coat tails the afternoon rains and fog. They swept swiftly in lathering the vistas with a deep apprehensiveness with wild abandon. Mesmerized, we carted off the beaten paths, viewed the very hand prints of God as pots of steaming rock burnt its undeniable offerings to the heavens.

How could one not believe in a place like this? To find solace as we kiss the faith of the One who created such a wonderment? As God, in all the wrapped mystery and awe spoke such foundations of rock and earth into being…it is no wonder we found our jaws on the floor or in the seats of our van? Is it no wonder that we lost track of minutes, even hours as we soaked in His presence like nourishment to the soul?

There was this strumming in our hearts as if we had come close to the very doors of eternity, catching mere glimpses of God through His marvelous works, drawn out and craft over thousands, even millions of years. Yet the strumming hasn’t ceased…it still continues now as I write these words. I pray it continues in the throbbing valves of my children’s hearts until they see the very face of God as well. For born out of this solitary journey we touched His hands and kissed His feet. We brought the expensive perfumes and anointed Him head and feet knowing just moments in His presence was more than we deserved…and yet He called us His own. Yet we found Him and His heart. We were caught so blindly unaware of His passionate love for us. Blown away we staggered back, brought up short by His grace and mercy as love showered down upon we, the undeserved. In those moments on that mountain, in the heart of an active underground volcano we found God…and we are defiantly reticent to return to the way we once were.

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

-Gerald Manly Hopkins “God’s Grandeur”.

September 3, 2013 1