Once upon a time, a man got on a bus. It was a big bus with many seats. There were a lot of people on the bus, so many, that the man was a bit intimidated. He didn't know where to sit...and he had carry-on baggage to boot! Wherever he went people would say, "This seat is saved" or "Someone is already sitting here" or even "Go away, I don't want you to sit here".
He finally found a seat next to a man named Bill who was very kind and inviting. He sat down, got as comfortable as he could, and started talking with him. After a few miles he started to get uncomfortable. Bill started insisting that his way of sitting in the seat was the best way and his view out the window was better than everyone else's, even though everyone with a window seat on his side of the bus saw exactly the same scenery.
The man decided to try and find another seat at the next rest stop. When everyone got back on the bus, the only seat left was right behind the Driver. It was a single seat so there was no one to talk to..and the Driver wasn't supposed to talk to the passengers, it was against policy. As the bus started to roll again, the Driver reached under His seat and pulled out a Book and passed it back to the man. When he opened the Book, it started with an introduction of who the Driver was. He was the One to get you to your destination; He was the One in whom you could place all your trust, because He knew the route quite well.
There were some passengers with which the man could converse freely, and they seemed to know the Driver quite well. One woman told him that she only rode on this Driver's bus, that no one else could take her where she wanted to go...because she only wanted to go where the Driver went.
All the people had the same destination, but many would grow weary of the long road and request to be let off. They felt like the Driver was going in circles and the destination was Make Believe. The man, as he got to know the Driver through the Book and conversing with others who knew Him, was quite happy. He knew the Driver had the best Way to go and although not everyone saw what he saw and heard what he heard, they all knew and trusted the Driver...I guess you could say they had Faith in Him.
Think about it.
8/31/10
8/25/10
MORNING GLORIES
I love that I can look out onto my backyard as I sit and write. Right now I am looking at my wife's Morning Glories. They are various shades of purple and they look beautiful...I would have said they look "glorious" but that would have been stupid.
I find it interesting that they are only open in the morning. As the day begins, they spread their petals and absorb the moisture of the dew and the first rays of the rising sun. The spiritual symbolism I found is awesome and applies to us humans in a very thought provoking way.
The best time to spend with the Lord is in the morning. Your mind has lay dormant for several hours, except for maybe a dream or two and maybe a potty visit. You awaken to a new day, sometimes not very enthusiastically, but awake nonetheless. Your mind begins to function and can be very open to influence since it has not been bogged down yet with "stuff". If we come before our Father at this time, He can speak to us in ways that can get to be hard to hear later on in the day. Like the flowers, we spread our mind's "petals" and absorb the sweet dew of the Holy Spirit. He will nurture our hearts and minds to be ready to accept the rays of light that shine forth from the face of Jesus.
This "dew" is a daily foretaste of the Rain that will fall/is falling on believers to make them/us over into the image of Christ...to make them/us fit ambassadors to the world. The light that shines upon us, as our minds open to Him, is the light that should reflect out onto this same world. Jesus said, "Let your light so shine among men that they may see your Father in heaven." We are always reflecting something, let it be His grace and love and mercy, and your little part of the world will be a taste of heaven to all those around you.
Think about it.
I find it interesting that they are only open in the morning. As the day begins, they spread their petals and absorb the moisture of the dew and the first rays of the rising sun. The spiritual symbolism I found is awesome and applies to us humans in a very thought provoking way.
The best time to spend with the Lord is in the morning. Your mind has lay dormant for several hours, except for maybe a dream or two and maybe a potty visit. You awaken to a new day, sometimes not very enthusiastically, but awake nonetheless. Your mind begins to function and can be very open to influence since it has not been bogged down yet with "stuff". If we come before our Father at this time, He can speak to us in ways that can get to be hard to hear later on in the day. Like the flowers, we spread our mind's "petals" and absorb the sweet dew of the Holy Spirit. He will nurture our hearts and minds to be ready to accept the rays of light that shine forth from the face of Jesus.
This "dew" is a daily foretaste of the Rain that will fall/is falling on believers to make them/us over into the image of Christ...to make them/us fit ambassadors to the world. The light that shines upon us, as our minds open to Him, is the light that should reflect out onto this same world. Jesus said, "Let your light so shine among men that they may see your Father in heaven." We are always reflecting something, let it be His grace and love and mercy, and your little part of the world will be a taste of heaven to all those around you.
Think about it.
God & Baseball
I wish I could take the credit for what follows...but I'm just sharing.
I was taking my 2 youngest kids to school the other day and was listening to a CD by Bob Bennett. He has a song called, "A Song About Baseball". I've had this CD for several years now and still love it. Bob is a great songwriter and has not been given due credit in the Christian music industry. He is a master storyteller and the smoothness of his voice, as well as awesome acoustic guitar playing, just make it a major treat to be able to listen to him. I got to see/hear him about 15 years ago with Michael Card...don't even get me started on the brilliance of Michael Card.
Anyway, it was only about 2 years ago that I really listened to the Baseball song. He talks about himself, growing up playing Little League and watching games...he grew up "when the Angels still played in LA". He talks about baseball cards & bubble gum, saying "I think there's a hole in my glove", swinging with eyes closed holding his breath, dying on the way back to the bench. But then he says something that, again, after listening to this song for over 10 years, hit me...and it hit me again this morning.
"None of it mattered after the game, when my father would find me and call out my name. An ice cream, a sno-cone, a candy bar, a limousine ride in the family car...he loved me, no matter how I played...he loved me."
Life, like baseball, is not about the "game"...it's about the experience. It's about what happens after it's over. What happens if you lose in baseball? There's another game around the corner. What happens when you lose a battle in life? There's another one around the corner. What we do and how we handle it afterward is the main thing. Who we turn to can make all the difference in the world, both figuratively and literally.
I have a friend who subscribes to this blog. We have known each other for a long time. They have recently given up on God as they have known Him and they are searching...and I want to encourage them in their search, because if they are really searching, they will come full-circle and find Him, this time as He really is, not as a denomination has instructed them to see Him.
It doesn't matter if you swing and miss, it doesn't matter if, in the outfield, you lose the ball in the sun and miss the catch. It doesn't matter if you fall down running down the baseline or if you're thrown out at first...because none of it matters after the game, when your Father will find you and call out your name.
Think about it.
I was taking my 2 youngest kids to school the other day and was listening to a CD by Bob Bennett. He has a song called, "A Song About Baseball". I've had this CD for several years now and still love it. Bob is a great songwriter and has not been given due credit in the Christian music industry. He is a master storyteller and the smoothness of his voice, as well as awesome acoustic guitar playing, just make it a major treat to be able to listen to him. I got to see/hear him about 15 years ago with Michael Card...don't even get me started on the brilliance of Michael Card.
Anyway, it was only about 2 years ago that I really listened to the Baseball song. He talks about himself, growing up playing Little League and watching games...he grew up "when the Angels still played in LA". He talks about baseball cards & bubble gum, saying "I think there's a hole in my glove", swinging with eyes closed holding his breath, dying on the way back to the bench. But then he says something that, again, after listening to this song for over 10 years, hit me...and it hit me again this morning.
"None of it mattered after the game, when my father would find me and call out my name. An ice cream, a sno-cone, a candy bar, a limousine ride in the family car...he loved me, no matter how I played...he loved me."
Life, like baseball, is not about the "game"...it's about the experience. It's about what happens after it's over. What happens if you lose in baseball? There's another game around the corner. What happens when you lose a battle in life? There's another one around the corner. What we do and how we handle it afterward is the main thing. Who we turn to can make all the difference in the world, both figuratively and literally.
I have a friend who subscribes to this blog. We have known each other for a long time. They have recently given up on God as they have known Him and they are searching...and I want to encourage them in their search, because if they are really searching, they will come full-circle and find Him, this time as He really is, not as a denomination has instructed them to see Him.
It doesn't matter if you swing and miss, it doesn't matter if, in the outfield, you lose the ball in the sun and miss the catch. It doesn't matter if you fall down running down the baseline or if you're thrown out at first...because none of it matters after the game, when your Father will find you and call out your name.
Think about it.
8/9/10
Caring for the Poor the Jesus Way
It dawned on me this morning (no pun intended) that there is a major disconnect between the Church here in America and the way Jesus said to care for the poor and marginalized...and not the way some of you “compassionate” or “liberal” Christians may think. But hold on, you “conservative” Christians, this blog is for you too.
I am reading a book right now called, RADICAL by David Platt. David is a pastor of a pretty darn big church in Alabama, but has come to the conclusion that Christianity, specifically here in the West, really is not living and breathing the Gospel the way Jesus presented it. His point: caring for the poor EVERYWHERE is part and parcel of the Gospel message. Paul told Timothy that caring for the fatherless and the widow was “undefiled religion”, and in Paul’s day, being fatherless or a widow was synonymous with being poor. We don’t have to go too deep into the 3 ½ year ministry of Jesus to see that He had a special affinity for the poor and, if we look at the Older Testament, we find that God condemned Israel, and more specifically the priesthood, for neglecting the poor. He even said that forgetting the poor in our midst was a blight on an entire nation.
There is a growing number of Christians who, with good intentions I’m sure, “lobby” the government to do more for our nation’s poor. They agree with policies that extend welfare benefits to people who could work, but don’t. With that being said, there are those who cannot work or who are part of what we call the “working poor” who need the help and it should be provided...by someone, which leads to my next point.
What is sad about this whole situation is:
1) How the church has allowed the world (read: government) to co-opt it’s responsibility to help those in need, and...
2) It shows how easy it is to side-step our own personal involvement by letting a faceless entity do our job for us.
Now, those of you who are saying, “Yeah, you tell those liberals how it is! Expose them for being the hypocrites they really are!” Well, you guys who are more conservative, wipe that smug look off of your faces. You guys are guilty of something as bad, if not worse. “What would that be?”, you may ask. Writing checks in order to side-step your personal involvement in making disciples for Jesus. That’s right...both liberal and conservative Christians AVOID really doing what Jesus said to do and that is, make it personal. I can hear the cries of “foul” already - “I’m not called to do this...” or “I don’t feel led to do that...”! We’re all called, period. When your boss tells you to do something, do you cop the plea, “That’s not in my job description!”? With being a follower of Jesus, there is only one job description and it’s found in Matthew 28:18-20.
A friend of mine told me once that he didn’t mind paying higher taxes in order to help those less fortunate than he. My open question to those of you who feel the same way is...If you actually knew someone who was in serious need, would you write them a check for the same amount as your tax liability you have at the end of the year? Chances are, no you wouldn’t. This addresses the material, practical side of the issue.
Then there are those who, like I said, would rather write a check to pay an evangelist or a missionary to “spread the Gospel”, than get down and dirty with the Holy Spirit and people who don’t know Jesus. We’ve become so comfortable in our multi-million dollar buildings (that get used maybe 10 hours a week at best), with millions of dollars worth of cars in the parking lot, that we forget that there are those who don’t have this luxury and walk miles in the dark to meet in the middle of the night on dirt floors to pray with each other so they will be strengthened to tell others about Jesus.
As I write this, I feel that the sword that I am wielding cuts both ways. I, too, have felt the sting of truth in these very words I write. The shame and guilt of NOT opening my mouth to tell of the love of Christ haunts me. I’m not one of those who could write a check to ease my conscience..heck, my family may be foreclosed on any day now, so shelling out cash to ease my guilt is not a problem I have. As with everything of a spiritual nature, it comes down to the heart. Is your heart in your wallet, or in your chest where God put it? Is you heart sitting in government coffers, or is it willing to seek out those in need and do it yourself?
When Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, at the end He asked who of the 3 men who approached the injured man proved to be his neighbor. The people answered
the one who showed him mercy. Jesus response? Go...and do likewise.
Think about it.
I am reading a book right now called, RADICAL by David Platt. David is a pastor of a pretty darn big church in Alabama, but has come to the conclusion that Christianity, specifically here in the West, really is not living and breathing the Gospel the way Jesus presented it. His point: caring for the poor EVERYWHERE is part and parcel of the Gospel message. Paul told Timothy that caring for the fatherless and the widow was “undefiled religion”, and in Paul’s day, being fatherless or a widow was synonymous with being poor. We don’t have to go too deep into the 3 ½ year ministry of Jesus to see that He had a special affinity for the poor and, if we look at the Older Testament, we find that God condemned Israel, and more specifically the priesthood, for neglecting the poor. He even said that forgetting the poor in our midst was a blight on an entire nation.
There is a growing number of Christians who, with good intentions I’m sure, “lobby” the government to do more for our nation’s poor. They agree with policies that extend welfare benefits to people who could work, but don’t. With that being said, there are those who cannot work or who are part of what we call the “working poor” who need the help and it should be provided...by someone, which leads to my next point.
What is sad about this whole situation is:
1) How the church has allowed the world (read: government) to co-opt it’s responsibility to help those in need, and...
2) It shows how easy it is to side-step our own personal involvement by letting a faceless entity do our job for us.
Now, those of you who are saying, “Yeah, you tell those liberals how it is! Expose them for being the hypocrites they really are!” Well, you guys who are more conservative, wipe that smug look off of your faces. You guys are guilty of something as bad, if not worse. “What would that be?”, you may ask. Writing checks in order to side-step your personal involvement in making disciples for Jesus. That’s right...both liberal and conservative Christians AVOID really doing what Jesus said to do and that is, make it personal. I can hear the cries of “foul” already - “I’m not called to do this...” or “I don’t feel led to do that...”! We’re all called, period. When your boss tells you to do something, do you cop the plea, “That’s not in my job description!”? With being a follower of Jesus, there is only one job description and it’s found in Matthew 28:18-20.
A friend of mine told me once that he didn’t mind paying higher taxes in order to help those less fortunate than he. My open question to those of you who feel the same way is...If you actually knew someone who was in serious need, would you write them a check for the same amount as your tax liability you have at the end of the year? Chances are, no you wouldn’t. This addresses the material, practical side of the issue.
Then there are those who, like I said, would rather write a check to pay an evangelist or a missionary to “spread the Gospel”, than get down and dirty with the Holy Spirit and people who don’t know Jesus. We’ve become so comfortable in our multi-million dollar buildings (that get used maybe 10 hours a week at best), with millions of dollars worth of cars in the parking lot, that we forget that there are those who don’t have this luxury and walk miles in the dark to meet in the middle of the night on dirt floors to pray with each other so they will be strengthened to tell others about Jesus.
As I write this, I feel that the sword that I am wielding cuts both ways. I, too, have felt the sting of truth in these very words I write. The shame and guilt of NOT opening my mouth to tell of the love of Christ haunts me. I’m not one of those who could write a check to ease my conscience..heck, my family may be foreclosed on any day now, so shelling out cash to ease my guilt is not a problem I have. As with everything of a spiritual nature, it comes down to the heart. Is your heart in your wallet, or in your chest where God put it? Is you heart sitting in government coffers, or is it willing to seek out those in need and do it yourself?
When Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, at the end He asked who of the 3 men who approached the injured man proved to be his neighbor. The people answered
the one who showed him mercy. Jesus response? Go...and do likewise.
Think about it.
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