Construction Instructions…

I was holding the instructions in my hands, but I had no intention of using them. Who needed instructions, after all this was a do it yourself project and what part of “do it yourself” included instructions? Casting the instructions aside, I began to build the bookshelf on my own. It felt great! I had the screw driver in one hand and in the other hand I was clutching one of the corners of the would be shelf, yet I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. So I did what I thought any great carpenter or construction worker would do…I guessed. Finally when I had put everything together, when all of the dove tailed ends were roughly fastened together with my best guess of the appropriate screws and fasteners, I stepped back from my project and looked at it. As I appraised my handiwork and my supposed craftsman skills I quickly realized in many of the steps of construct, I had made several mistakes. One of the main corner pieces was backwards and the unfinished side was exposed. Another corner had been added to a slightly shorter wood panel piece and the entire bookshelf was skewed awkwardly leaning to one side. What started out as a simple do it yourself project became a humbling lesson and the realization that I was not as skilled as I had first imagined. I was completely in over my head without the instruction manual. I thought I knew what I was doing, but when faced with my finished mess of a product, I had to come to terms with the realization that I wasn’t as talented as I thought I was. And to add insult to injury I had so many leftover bits and pieces unused still in the packaging. I knew that my “go it alone” plan had failed…it had failed miserably!

That’s what pride and self-confidence does to us in this life…leaves us with shabby, poorly constructed and down right embarrassing projects. And when we look over at what is left, bits and pieces, vital to the actual construction, remain untouched. They say pride comes before the fall and I would like to add that pride also comes before reading the instruction manual!

Am I the only one who has done this? Come on…be honest. Sometimes picking up the instruction manual feels tedious, unnecessary and time consuming, not to mention that it can be difficult to find the side that is in our language. But the truth of the matter is that without the instructions, most, if not all of us will undoubtedly create a piece of furniture that possibly will be unusable, unsuitable for anything and we will be forced to take it apart and start all over.

There is a very real spiritual application to this story. Dare I say that sometimes each of us has looked at God’s Word, our instruction booklet or guide to godly living, and thought, “I don’t need it, I already know what the instructions will say and I can do this project called life by myself.” This is a dangerous assertion. We proclaim that we don’t need any kind of help or guidance, and then we try it on our own and find that we have constructed a mess of things. I do not think it an accident that the first recorded message of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, begins with “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) In other words – be humble and you will not only be able to receive God’s instructions, but you will be able to apply it in life and be a part of God’s kingdom. Pride can blind us to this fact. Self-assurance and self-reliance are okay up to a certain point, but they can only take us to the foot of the cross and cause us to realize that our knowledge, understanding and wisdom are not enough. This realization isn’t about humiliating us or causing us to feel inferior, but rather puts our lives into perspective of the greater most excellent ways of God. When we begin to understand God desires full access to our lives and to our hopes and dreams, only then will we begin to see the big picture. Only then will we begin to live for Him and for others instead of only for ourselves.

When you step back from the project that is your lives what do you see? Are there still exposed, unfinished pieces that need correcting? Are there still bits and pieces left over in the packaging, untouched and unused? He wants to help us, He wants to create a master piece in us, but this transformation cannot begin unless we take a look at His guiding words and apply His love and wisdom to our life’s construction. Don’t let pride and self-reliance rule you! Don’t limit life’s construction by limiting the instructions to your own understanding and knowledge. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!” –Jesus.

February 18, 2013 0

The Arrow Beyond Us!

In the early hours of the evening, just as the shadows begins to touch the edges of the palace and the waning light of the sun slips quietly beyond the horizon, Jonathan arrives to the feast. This is the second day of the feast of new moons, Jonathan is apprehensive; his sworn oath to his best friend David still fresh in his mind replays itself over and over again. This task, this allegiance is not going to be easy. Jonathan is stuck in the middle, and yet he is motivated by an intense devotion to his friend, and there is a fire in his heart of certainty that David’s safety is in grave danger. King Saul, Jonathan’s father is extremely jealous of David and his popularity; for David is a true battle hero to the people. Songs are sung about him and children are being tucked in at night with tales of David’s war victories told with great exaggeration and embellishments. King Saul does not hide his distain and jealousy well, for his years in power has tainted his moral compass and his reasoning has become self-indulged and consumed by paranoia and hatred. Still, Jonathan hopes that his presence there with his father is enough to stave off any notion of murdering his best friend David. In a very real sense Jonathan’s seat at the feast tonight is a veiled attempted to gauge just how far his father will go to rid himself of David and his perceived threat to the throne. Jonathan is an optimist at heart and he hopes to hear and see any evidence of King Saul’s humanity and compassion. So he enters the feast as he did the night before and reclines himself down into his ornate arm chair of honor before dignitaries, war leaders, and his father who is nursing a large chalice of deep burgundy wine. King Saul appears troubled; then again he always appears troubled these days. But as he glances up from his cup and realizes David has once again not accompanied Jonathan to the festivities, his troubled brow that he has worn regularly like a uniform on a soldier becomes a deep ravine of creases like a tide rolling with anger and hatred.

“Why isn’t Jessie’s son here at the feast?” the king asks spitting out the words as if he’s just bitten into something foul tasting or poisonous. Jonathan notices that his father can’t even bring himself to say David’s name. King Saul’s question is more of an accusation directed at Jonathan than anything else; there isn’t even a hint of concern or compassion in the accusation either. Jonathan looks over to his father and this sudden exchange quiets the regular chatter and festive atmosphere as all of the party guests sense danger in the air and they turn their attention cautiously to their king like an animal in the cross hairs of a predator. Saul looks directly at Jonathan for some sort of explanation. Jonathan, thinking quickly, recounts the phony explanation that he has rehearsed in his mind over and over again to the king. “David asked me permission to attend a sacrifice with his family in Bethlehem, his oldest brother, first born of Jessie ordered him to be there.” The excuse held some customary merit, a son honoring his family’s wishes, spending time together over this cultural holiday and harvest festival of sorts.

But Jonathan waits; he knows his father’s temper all too well. He waits for the explosion of anger, recalling other fits of rage that he has endured. The king’s other advisors, seated at the table, also hold their collective breaths while shifting their eyes in this moment of great agitation and dread as this intense silence blankets the room like a shroud on a death bed. Then it comes like a storm, the fit of rage arrives exploding like a kettle under pressure in a fire too hot, king Saul stands, red faced and convulsing in fury, beard dripping with wine as he bellows, “Jonathan you son of a bitch, I know you have helped that son of Jessie escape and you have brought dishonor on yourself and the mother who brought you into this world!”

The venom that the king has just unleashed to his very own flesh and blood reverberates off of the stone walls of the feast hall like a sentence of death to an innocent man. An uncomfortable silence replaces the outburst as the festival guests and dignitaries consider making an exit from this hall but knowing the king’s reputation are mortified to even move a muscle. The conversation isn’t over yet, as Jonathan, loyal as ever, stands up to his indignant father, “Why should David be here, you plan to kill him, what has he ever done to you?” Saul reaches for a nearby weapon in response to what can only be considered an accusation and insult to his station and stature as king of Israel. With spear in hand and murder in his heart, Saul takes aim at his very own son heaving this deadly weapon of war at Jonathan. If there was ever an indication that David’s life was forfeit before this king it is now evident to all.

Jonathan is stunned and stricken as the spear narrowly misses him, and with sadness he storms out of the festival hall certain that he will never trust his father again. There is a deep wrenching within the pit of his stomach and he knows now that he must warn David to flee.

Early the next morning, after a sleepless night of tears mixed with pensive resentment towards his now estranged father, Jonathan gathers his bow and an assortment of arrows and makes his way to the hiding place of his best friend. He has a servant boy with him and the plan is simple yet covert, no one else will know. With emotions brimming over and exhaustion nipping at his heels, Jonathan draws back the string on his bow, exhales and lets fly his arrow of warning. It sails overhead catching a small updraft on the breeze and hits the dark earth far off into the distance. As he does so he instructs his servant boy to run and retrieve it. While the boy runs to fetch the fallen arrow, Jonathan, with a lump in his throat calls out in a shaky and mournful voice; “Isn’t the arrow beyond you? Hurry quickly, don’t stop!” To any passerby or would be spy of the king this passing comment would solely be instructions to servant boy, yet he has just told the future king Israel to run for his life. Can you imagine such love and devotion? In a single command, Jonathan has warned David, knowing one day his family may be replaced in power and glory within this kingdom. This was not an easy feat but a gallant hope; Jonathan chooses the most honorable path. And minutes after the boy servant departs, Jonathan meets his best friend. They embrace one last time; they weep and with hearts heavy with these burdens thrust upon them forever vow loyalty and honor.

This would be the last time Jonathan and David would meet each other, but their bond of love, companionship, and loyalty displays for us integrity, strength of character and the kinds of priceless qualities that are rare in our world today. How far would you go to stand up for what is right? For what is just? For what is best? This tale of honor and loyalty should cause us to examine our own relationships and what truly matters in this world no matter the threat or pressure and peril we might find ourselves squaring off against. Mahatma Gandhi once said; “be the change that you want to see in the world!” I believe that to be true for all of us. Jonathan selflessly sacrificed everything for his friend, his crown, his safety and his fortune, because of this he changed the world around him. What are we doing to change the world around us? The arrow is beyond us, so stand up, be bold and change the world!

February 15, 2013 0

Trouble with the Follow-through

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. -1 John 4:4

I thought I was a good golfer…not great but good…okay, maybe average to moderately decent.

Perhaps my old roommate from college could attest to my outstanding golfing skills. He has, after all, witnessed my spectacular athleticism by teeing off with what was to be a 300 yard tee shot only to hit a birch tree next to the tee off area and bounce back at us…yes did I say spectacular? Maybe I meant spectacle. Nonetheless, my perceptions of my golf skill level was and still is greatly exaggerated…Tiger Woods I am not. Flash forward to a couple of years though, and I thought that I had this game figured out. I could tee off fairly regularly, I would slice a lot but I was compensating for my learned form, my thrift store golf clubs had been replaced with a wonderful Christmas present golf set that was all mine. I was entered into a golf tournament, a four person scramble and had been practicing quite a bit…I felt pretty confident. I felt great about my skill level that is until I had my picture taken on tournament day.

Glancing at it now I can recall how confident I felt, how proud I was of my seemingly incredible skill level. Then I looked at the picture. I didn’t look like Phil Mickleson, or Ernie Ells or any other professional golfer for that matter; in fact what I saw troubled me. The picture was of me in full swing, my 1 Wood club in hand and I had just taken a swing at the tee. The thing that troubled me was my form. I had just assumed I had mastered the golf swing, but the photograph before me didn’t lie. My form was terrible and evident to all who saw that picture. In this infamous photograph the golf club that I was holding was stuck in a half swinging arc that represented how I traditionally struck the ball…and it was not pretty. Long story short, my follow-through looked dreadful. In golf the definition of follow-through is: to complete (a stroke or shot) by continuing the movement to the end of its arc, to pursue or aim to it’s conclusion. What I saw that day in the photograph was a half-follow-through…the end of the arc within my swing was supposed to be behind my head, but my swing ended at my shoulders with the golf club pointed skyward. To a non-golfer perhaps this image doesn’t mean much, but to anyone who plays golf, or attempts it like I do, you will know that without a good follow-through swing the golf ball will inevitably slice left or right, the power behind a shot will be limited and finally repetitive motion and form like this could cause physical harm within the back of the would be golfer.

There is a very real spiritual application to this important golfing principle. The Spiritual Follow-through of a Christian is his or her spiritual formation…their learned form within the context of salvation, scriptural understanding and basic theology. Without correct follow-through in the spiritual realm of things, one can learn dangerous and often times harming half-truths. The golf club, so to speak, will only arc skyward and within this ill-form, the follow-through could lead to slicing holiness, biblical understand, moral living way out into some very dangerous hazards on the course of life. God’s Word should be treated with respect and reverence. Biblical understanding of life principles is a shared task between the spiritually mature and those still young in their faith. Application of holy living should be practiced and displayed within the context of the Christian community. After all, if we are Christ-followers, we are to be set apart for His holy purpose and his example to the world of God’s redemptive and restorative love. When we venture out into the world untrained and ill prepared to declare this good news to the masses we potentially short change and misrepresent God’s message to those who need it most. In essence our follow-through could be lacking depth and godly form. Don’t misunderstand me, His Holy Spirit can and will equip us for His holy purpose, but we also have work to do! 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”

How do we correct bad form within our spiritual follow-through? We study scripture; we ask difficult questions, we surround ourselves with brothers and sisters in Christ who are spiritually grounded in the Word of God and will challenge us to deepen our faith and hold us accountable when we are lacking. How is your spiritual follow-through at this moment in your life? Are you lacking? Does your follow-through need work? If it does, and I’m sure we all need a little work in this area of our spiritual walk…let’s get serious about improving our swing! Let’s get serious about deepening our faith in Christ. When we improve our follow-through, His Word can and will become a greater, more equipped source of hope and light to those we minister to in this world. So take your follow-through to the next level…and keep swinging!

February 14, 2013 0

On Grace and Good Friday…

On Grace:

Sometimes laughter is

the medicine best consumed

Removing any bitter pill

catching our fill of joy

hopefully by the bucket full

While we scratch and scrape to obliterate

The evidence of the empty

Other times there exists

this wish, this droaning desire

the brush fire of urgency

to unwind the vivid recall

that catches our fall

into this levity

we attempt,

we yearn to protect

this fragile sanity

casting shadows on the walls

of our iniquities

all the while struggling

refraining from peering

at that tree on Calvary

Could this be our undoing?

The unraveling of life’s

Guilt and selfishness

We have been pursuing this…

We the murder guilty

Hands crimson and stained..

Our eyes struggling to ignore it

Pulling our attention away

Yet discovering the end of our wit

Our wisdom, our inadequate understanding

Yet this heart,…

This shackled slave to self

is crash landing

bailing out…expanding panic

I think I’ll be sick

As I find myself wading

Through my own filth

Which eclipses feeble strength

Within these tired hands

This vacant soul…

Hallowed and emptied out

I have lost control

Shattered, bits and pieces

Sharp and jagged

Course as no longer whole

And glancing once more

Rugged cross in view

Life’s blood is spilt

Redemption, salvation, new life

Comes Crashing through…yet I will not

Comprehend it… just yet

No, not yet…

For hell has to relinquish

Diminish in the world…in me…

Then three days

Three gut wrenching, tear bursting

Sleep fleeting days…

To grave side

Torn pride, without guide

I will make my way

To mourn, to break again

But only then…only then

Will I meet nail shattered hands

Light from the cave of death

I will catch my breath,

I will catch His grace

And from His lips I will

Hear I love you, this…

This…was all for you.

February 13, 2013 0

Here comes the pitch…

“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you”

Psalm 55:22

I always get this image in my mind when I think of this passage of some guy throwing this big heap of cares in the general direction of Jesus like a pitcher would a ball to home plate. Yet when I pause and truly consider the implications of such a passage however, I quickly realize that this passage is about my cares, my concerns, my frustrations. Everyone who reads this passage ought to find some peace of mind in the knowledge that this verse is for us!

Do you have cares? Concerns? I know I do, and what I am reminded of is that I don’t have to carry these concerns and troubles alone. I am reminded of the promise at the end of this verse, not only do we find peace of mind in that we can cast our worries, concerns and cares onto Him, but the verse promises that He will sustain us through it all! The word sustain is an interesting word to me it means to support, to keep something in position and also to nourish. With so many descriptive definitions of this one solitary word I can begin to find more comfort in what it is that He will do for me when I relinquish control of my cares and concerns.

He will hold me steadfast, support me and also nourish my feeble strength…now that’s a promise worth checking out today! I’m at the pitcher’s mound…here goes.

February 12, 2013 0

Calling… the freaks, the geeks, the rejects and the not good enough!

Mark 2:13-17 (NIV)
¹³Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. ¹⁴As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

The sounds of the crowd echoed off of the small lean-to as they passed. Some of the people scowled as they walked by then shaking their heads in disgust and finally disappearing out of sight. This repeated numerous times within the hour, and the occupier of the rickety shack was used to the looks his line of work emitted from the population. He was a tax collector after all, and the reputation of such an established profession was despised by most and avoided by the rest. The whispers and cursing under the breath was all a part of the hazards of the job. He lets the moment pass by, exhales a deep breath, and then bends over the weathered table again to resume his work.

He is so consumed with his “paperwork” that he almost misses the most epic moment of his life. As the sound of rustling paper replaces the echoes of the passing crowd he begins to sense that he is being watched. He looks up from the stack of papers still needing to be inspected, and sees a man looking directly at him. He doesn’t know how long the man had been there just looking at him, but the tax collector is nervous. “No one looks directly at a tax collector” He thinks to himself, “Why is he just staring at me?” he wonders. Then the most peculiar thing happens. The man calls this collector of taxes by name, “Levi, come with me” He says. For a moment, for one single solitary moment, Levi is absolutely still, as if he is firmly glued to the ground within his work space. “I can’t just get up and go…can I?” He wonders to himself. His entire future hinges on this one pivotal moment in time and he doesn’t know it yet. On one hand if he says “no I’m not going anywhere, I have work to do” then things will remain the same. Taxes will be collected, harsh expressions on faces, and he will always be unwanted within many social circles around town. On the other hand, if Levi does go with this teacher what will happen? What will happen to his family? Will he be able to return home? So much hinges on this decision, so many variables and yet Levi, finding the strength to move once more picks himself up and makes the decision to follows Jesus.

Levi, known to us by the name of Matthew made a crucial decision that day which would not only change his life, but the lives of all those who would one day read his writings also known as the gospel of Matthew, one of the four gospels of Jesus Christ.

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus selected a tax collector, a profession despised by most people in society to help him spread His story of redemption to the world! Among his other disciples were the rejects, outcasts and the not-good enoughs. He turned the world upside down with His message of love, redemption and grace. He used both men and women, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, the educated and the street smart to convey this all inclusive message to the lost, seeking, and broken.

Still today, the Lord calls to you and to me to follow Him! We may be far from perfect. We may be lacking education, self-confidence, social and peer acceptance and many other inadequacies. Yet He calls us, and can use us if we are available to accept His direction for our lives. Matthew couldn’t have imagined that day where Jesus would lead him, yet he followed. We too are asked to do the same. “Follow me” Jesus says to us…what will your answer be?

February 12, 2013 0

Here’s to you (Perseverance)

February 8, 2013 0

Prayer: connecting the finite with the infinite

“Children do not find it difficult or complicated to talk to their parents, nor do they feel embarrassed to bring the simplest need to their attention. Neither should we hesitate to bring the simplest requests confidently to the Father.” –Richard Foster

Prayer is often misused, abused, and treated more like a bartering system with God than a moment by moment, daily conversation with our Father in Heaven. It’s something that we’re all guilty of, but if we are to grow, we need to adjust and change our perception and importance of prayer in our lives. Brother Lawrence once said on the topic of prayer; “One way to recollect the mind easily in the time of prayer, and preserve it more in tranquility, is not to let it wander too far at other times. You should keep it strictly in the presence of God; and being accustomed to think of Him often, you will find it easy to keep your mind calm in the time of prayer, or at least to recall it from its wanderings.”

Misconceptions of Prayer:

We are obligated to pray.

Prayer should not be considered an obligation. If we feel as if it is our duty to pray and that we are forced into prayers of penitence, petition and supplication then we are more inclined to just go through the motions with little or no true significance or meaning. When prayer becomes routine and obligatory we lose the true significance of communing and fellowshipping with our God who greatly desires a moment by moment inclusion in our day.

Prayer is like a fire alarm.

We only pull the fire alarm in a building if we are in great need of help and for the fire department to come out and extinguish a fire. We sometimes treat our prayer life like this as well. We think that God is only available to us in times of need. It’s like the quote “as long as there are tests there will be prayer in school”. We often treat our communications with God as if they are for emergencies only. We pray prayers like; “Lord if you get me out of this situation I will…,” and the fire alarm of prayer is pulled and we expect God to honor our cries for help when our discipline of prayer in all seasons is nonexistent.

We have to pray in King James Vocabulary.

Believe it or not, God doesn’t want our big and lofty words when we pray. He doesn’t require of us to speak eloquently by using words like Thee and Thou and speaketh…if you don’t talk like that to your friends and family then why would you need to speak to God in that manner? Of course we are to be reverent before God, but that doesn’t mean we need to have all the right words and pray with intricately crafted archaic speech. God knows who you are, He knows where you come from and He will meet you where you are at in your life right now. He doesn’t need us to speak in a way that is foreign to us. Simply communicating to Him as we would our friends and family is what is best and most sincere when it comes to prayer.

The Facts on Prayer:

We need to discipline our minds and hearts when we pray! Prayer is more of a constant conversation with our God than just about kneeling at our bedsides before bed time. He wants us to talk to Him and include Him in our daily routines through a moment by moment relationship to Him. Prayer can and will become much, much deeper when we train our thoughts and surrender who we are to Him with every opportunity that we get. It might be one of the most difficult things that ever do, many times we will fail, yet if and when we train our thought processes to constantly consider God in our conversations, actions and decisions, our perspectives, priorities and motives will drastically change! Prayer is a mighty and powerful thing that connects the finite with the Infinite! When we can find true discipline within our thought processes to consider the Almighty in every aspect of our lives, our spiritual walk and relationship to Him will greatly deepen and we will wonder how we ever lived without this deep connection to our Father in Heaven.

February 8, 2013 2

Dear Posers: Stop Faking it!

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30 Msg version)

Are you tired of phonies? Tired of posers? Fakers who claim one thing and live completely opposite of their words? Me too! Not to sound hypocritical because I have my faults, I’m sure you have yours as well. I just can’t stand it when someone has this “holier than thou” attitude and acts judgmentally – going around convicting people of their sins and or pointing out other people’s flaws when all along they aren’t being honest with themselves. Sometimes I think people like that are so afraid of facing their own issues and struggles that it is just easier to point out the issues and struggles in others instead. The problem is I’m tired of these modern day Pharisees standing up and being the “poster children” for what a Christian represents. That model of Christianity is hateful, judgmental, and often hypocritical. It preaches raising the standard high but hardly ever addresses spiritual maturity, discipleship, personal accountability or holiness. This fundamental Christianity is hell bent on damning people to hell, protesting at soldier’s graves, slamming other “Christians” because of differences or because they don’t have the same translation of bible as they do, goading and harassing single parents because of their choice to live and raise their children alone…yet never attempting to try and understand their circumstances and situations.

I’m tired of this false representation of Christ in our world! It grinds on me like course sandpaper to the skin. Would Jesus really have acted this way? If this is what Christ-like love looks like, then I want nothing to do with it! That is not the Christ I follow! The Jesus I know, had more harsh things to say to the fakers, the arrogant teachers of scripture, the actors praying in the streets…He had more harsh things to say to these hypocrites than he had to say to the lost, the lonely, the downtrodden – the empty.

Why was Jesus so rough on these teachers and posers over others? Why them? For starters there is the obvious, they treated scripture blatantly incorrect. They twisted it to apply to everyone besides themselves. Who was to benefit from such usage of scripture? It certainly wasn’t God. The Pharisees, teachers of scriptures had so many laws that no one could go through a day without breaking at least one of them. On top of this inappropriate application of God’s word, there was also the irreverent attitude, a sense of importance and arrogance that accompanied their authority. Jesus even called the Pharisees hypocrites, vipers, whitewashed graves. He went on to say that they outwardly looked bright and clean, but inside they were full of dead men’s bones (Matt 23). That’s pretty harsh! The Sadducees weren’t off the hook either, Jesus declared that these teachers and scribes had made His Father’s temple a den of thieves (Mark 11:15-18).

Long story short, if we know better and still live contrary to what we preach we too are posers…we too are fakers. This above all things scares me. James 3:1 says that preachers and teachers of God Word will be judged more harshly. Why? Because if we claim to know God’s word and that of what He desires of us and do not hold ourselves first and foremost to His standards of living then we are truly in a heap of trouble. How dare any of us cast judgment on the sinner before we are on our knees daily submitting whole heartedly to Christ in every aspect of our lives? I’m not sure about you, but I do not want to be a faker for Christ…it’s all or nothing. When we as Christians can live like Christ, act like Christ and love like Christ, then and only then will we have the power to change this world around us for His glory.

Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying here. I am not advocating any kind of liberal application of God’s Word towards sin, accountability and loose living…what I am advocating and railing against is hypocritical, “you know better” behavior that is so pervasive in the modern church from pastors on down to laity in the pews. Godly living is required of His people! Without it, we are worse off than anyone who is still ignorant to God and in the darkness of sin within our world. Either act and live like Christ or get out of the way and stop the damage that you are inflicting on this world through your half and half lifestyle. It’s either you live for Christ or you don’t.

This for me is a very difficult pill to swallow so to speak. It is a very unpopular message…but I am convicted of it, I have been the hypocrite, the actor at times and I know God requires more from me. Yes God’s grace is sufficient, yet what we do with that grace once we know how to live is on us. Get on with it, live it and cast off the poser in us all.

February 6, 2013 0

Dishwater (poem by Ted Kooser)

Slap of the screen door, flat knock
Of my grandmother’s boxy black shoes on the wooden stoop,
The hush and sweep
Of her knob-kneed, cotton-aproned stride out to the edge and then, toed in with furious twist and heave,
A bridge that leaps from her hot red hands and hangs there shining for fifty years over the mystified chickens, over the swaying nettles, the ragweed, the clay slope down to the creek, over the redwing blackbirds in the tops of the willows, a glorious rainbow with an empty dishpan swinging at one end.

February 5, 2013 0