Can't believe I found a youtube video that says everything I want to say.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
So Long and Farewell
Over the past few days I have been pondering the reasons I have for removing myself from the very popular and addictive social network site known as “facebook”. There weren't many reasons why I joined the social network in the first place. I basically wanted to be apart of what everyone else was apart of, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Growing up I was always living my life through others or even better not living it at all. In high school I always considered myself as having friends, but those friends were a few people who took five minutes to stop and talk to me. The truth is I was lonely. I remember times that I would sit at home and wish that I had somewhere to be or someone to hang out with, but the truth was, I knew I was alone. I was alone, depressed, and at one point suicidal. Life in my life was no life at all.
I came out of my depression and actually made some authentic and lasting relationships. Life in my life was actually starting to look like life. I was happy and fulfilled. Enter facebook. Slowly I became a recluse again. Walling myself into myself.
For me facebook creates a way for me to deceive myself into thinking that I was being relational when really I was pulling myself away from the real world. Sure I was looking at pictures of real people who would from time to time send me messages, but for the most part I was once again alone. Instead of forcing myself to get out and actually rub shoulders with others I tricked myself into thinking I was communicating with people. I have found myself sitting in front of my computer waiting for someone to talk to me. I was back in that place of thinking “why isn't anyone talking to me?” when the reality was that I wasn't talking to anyone else either. This thinking is the beginning of “social network depression.”
As I said in a recent post on facebook, “I can't stand all the changes” and its so true. I can't stand the changes that have occurred on facebook or in my personal life.
So these are the reasons I have chosen to unplug from the matrix. It is my prayer that if there is anyone else who is dealing with “social network depression” as I call it, that they would be encouraged to step out, choose the “blue pill,” unplug from the matrix, and communicate face to face with real human beings. Humans need actual human to human touch and face to face contact is the only way to do so.
Now is the time when I say... Play the video!!
Growing up I was always living my life through others or even better not living it at all. In high school I always considered myself as having friends, but those friends were a few people who took five minutes to stop and talk to me. The truth is I was lonely. I remember times that I would sit at home and wish that I had somewhere to be or someone to hang out with, but the truth was, I knew I was alone. I was alone, depressed, and at one point suicidal. Life in my life was no life at all.
I came out of my depression and actually made some authentic and lasting relationships. Life in my life was actually starting to look like life. I was happy and fulfilled. Enter facebook. Slowly I became a recluse again. Walling myself into myself.
For me facebook creates a way for me to deceive myself into thinking that I was being relational when really I was pulling myself away from the real world. Sure I was looking at pictures of real people who would from time to time send me messages, but for the most part I was once again alone. Instead of forcing myself to get out and actually rub shoulders with others I tricked myself into thinking I was communicating with people. I have found myself sitting in front of my computer waiting for someone to talk to me. I was back in that place of thinking “why isn't anyone talking to me?” when the reality was that I wasn't talking to anyone else either. This thinking is the beginning of “social network depression.”
As I said in a recent post on facebook, “I can't stand all the changes” and its so true. I can't stand the changes that have occurred on facebook or in my personal life.
So these are the reasons I have chosen to unplug from the matrix. It is my prayer that if there is anyone else who is dealing with “social network depression” as I call it, that they would be encouraged to step out, choose the “blue pill,” unplug from the matrix, and communicate face to face with real human beings. Humans need actual human to human touch and face to face contact is the only way to do so.
Now is the time when I say... Play the video!!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Hunt Deer, Save the Planet
Just watched a t.v. episode on going green and the many things we can do to save the planet. They suggested that we purchase electric cars, unplug all appliances before leaving the house, turn off all your lights when not in use, and planet your own vegetables. I think some of the things are a little extreme such unplugging "all" the appliances in your house when not in use, but some of the things they said are just common sense. However, I think that hunting your own food can also save the planet. Think about it. If I drive to the store (in my non-electric car) and buy a pound of beef (which was packaged by a machine which is always plugged in and uses plastic which is NOT biodegradable), fry up the meat on my stove (which again is always plugged) and then freeze that meat (again, my freezer is always plugged in) for one year, I am pretty sure I will make the hole in the ozone a mile bigger.
However, if I were to go out and shoot a Deer with a shot gun using one bullet (which is reloadable) and clean the Deer myself using a knife and my muscles and chunk up the meat and use a hand grinder to make venison burger out of that meat and then wrap it in paper and freeze it, I think I just might save a whole lot of ozone. (Wow, that was one big run-on-sentence)
Hunting is not only helping us to save the planet it is also helping us to consume our lands natural resources so that we do not continue to destroy the environment, but rather help it thrive.
So the next time some talks your ear off about how hunting is wrong, just tell them the long run-on-sentence that I just told you. Even if they don't agree with you the sentence is so long that they will zone out and not even know what you just said.
Hunt Deer, Save the Planet!!
However, if I were to go out and shoot a Deer with a shot gun using one bullet (which is reloadable) and clean the Deer myself using a knife and my muscles and chunk up the meat and use a hand grinder to make venison burger out of that meat and then wrap it in paper and freeze it, I think I just might save a whole lot of ozone. (Wow, that was one big run-on-sentence)
Hunting is not only helping us to save the planet it is also helping us to consume our lands natural resources so that we do not continue to destroy the environment, but rather help it thrive.
So the next time some talks your ear off about how hunting is wrong, just tell them the long run-on-sentence that I just told you. Even if they don't agree with you the sentence is so long that they will zone out and not even know what you just said.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Wiggles vs. Mighty Machines
This morning our family sat down and watched the Wiggles for the first time. I barely survived. I don't know why four grown men would want to be so stupid. Marcus didn't even like it. So, we are now on to watching Mighty Machines. A much better show for a boy. He loves it. There aren't any songs being sung or idiots dancing around a stage. Just big steal machines doing mighty things. Now that is a show I want my boy to be watching.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Back to the Heart
Scripture: Hosea 1:2-3
What does it mean to worship?
It seems that we are so tempted to whore ourselves out like Hosea’s wife (in a spiritual sense). You remember Hosea from the bible. God told him to go marry a whore. This is not something that I would recommend, but that’s what God told him to do. Really what God was referring to was the nation of Israel. Israel at that time had once again walked away from God, doing their own thing. God viewed Israel as a whore, but He was coming for her. He was coming to redeem her.
That gives me comfort to know that God isn’t going to allow us to stay where we are. He wants to move us from making worship all about ourselves and He wants to where we are now back to focusing on Him again. And to be honest this is where I feel I have been the last few months as I have been leading worship. I have been doing my own thing. Running the show the way I wanted it to be run and consequently that is exactly what it became for me, a show. My worship has been lukewarm to God and I feel that because it is lukewarm He is gagging on the things I call worship.
The great thing about the story and prophecies of Hosea is that God restores Israel. I love this story because there is something so powerful about the redemptive story that we are living. You see Israel is not the only nation on the map. Because of Christ we are the whore who is and will be restored. Even if we are running in the wrong direction God is coming to redeem what is rightfully His.
As I have been studying this scripture I realized something that I had never thought about before and it strikes me as so profound for my life at this time. We should not only worship God for what He has done, but more for what He is GOING to do. Sure I have heard other preachers and pastors say things like this, but for some reason it hits home today. God is coming back. He is going to come as a mighty warrior and he is going to fight for His bride the church and we will be His.
We need to come back to the reasons why we are to worship God. Here is a list of four reasons we are to worship God.
1. He first loved us.
2. He bought us with His life.
3. He has forgiven our sin.
4. He is coming to redeem us.
These are the four main reasons why we are to worship God. So often we tend to forget about the fact the God loves us. Most of the time I find myself stuck on the fact that Jesus died for me. It is not that it is a bad thing to get stuck on, but we cannot stay there. We have to move past the crucifixion to the empty tomb. Christ arose from the dead so that He can redeem us. If there was no resurrection then there could be no redemption. Jesus had to conquer sin and death so that we could be redeemed by his blood.
I know it sounds so cliché but we do have to get back to the heart of worship which is the redeeming power of Jesus Christ. Yes we sing songs about Jesus death, but we cannot forget the reason we can worship and that is the resurrection.
What does it mean to worship?
There is always that pat answer that everyone gives. “It means to sing and give praise to God”. I would venture to say that our worship today seems to be more about us than it is about God. I know that many times that is what it is for me. I find that more times than not I am just going through the motions of worship. You know, sing a song here, sit down here and listen to a sermon, get back up lead another song, sit back down, try to act like I’m listening. I find myself wishing I was any where but where I am and I think the reason I feel this way so often is that I have made worship about myself. Do you ever feel that? Do you ever feel as though you have made worship about yourself? Have you ever thought about it?
It seems that we are so tempted to whore ourselves out like Hosea’s wife (in a spiritual sense). You remember Hosea from the bible. God told him to go marry a whore. This is not something that I would recommend, but that’s what God told him to do. Really what God was referring to was the nation of Israel. Israel at that time had once again walked away from God, doing their own thing. God viewed Israel as a whore, but He was coming for her. He was coming to redeem her.
That gives me comfort to know that God isn’t going to allow us to stay where we are. He wants to move us from making worship all about ourselves and He wants to where we are now back to focusing on Him again. And to be honest this is where I feel I have been the last few months as I have been leading worship. I have been doing my own thing. Running the show the way I wanted it to be run and consequently that is exactly what it became for me, a show. My worship has been lukewarm to God and I feel that because it is lukewarm He is gagging on the things I call worship.
The great thing about the story and prophecies of Hosea is that God restores Israel. I love this story because there is something so powerful about the redemptive story that we are living. You see Israel is not the only nation on the map. Because of Christ we are the whore who is and will be restored. Even if we are running in the wrong direction God is coming to redeem what is rightfully His.
As I have been studying this scripture I realized something that I had never thought about before and it strikes me as so profound for my life at this time. We should not only worship God for what He has done, but more for what He is GOING to do. Sure I have heard other preachers and pastors say things like this, but for some reason it hits home today. God is coming back. He is going to come as a mighty warrior and he is going to fight for His bride the church and we will be His.
We need to come back to the reasons why we are to worship God. Here is a list of four reasons we are to worship God.
1. He first loved us.
2. He bought us with His life.
3. He has forgiven our sin.
4. He is coming to redeem us.
These are the four main reasons why we are to worship God. So often we tend to forget about the fact the God loves us. Most of the time I find myself stuck on the fact that Jesus died for me. It is not that it is a bad thing to get stuck on, but we cannot stay there. We have to move past the crucifixion to the empty tomb. Christ arose from the dead so that He can redeem us. If there was no resurrection then there could be no redemption. Jesus had to conquer sin and death so that we could be redeemed by his blood.
I know it sounds so cliché but we do have to get back to the heart of worship which is the redeeming power of Jesus Christ. Yes we sing songs about Jesus death, but we cannot forget the reason we can worship and that is the resurrection.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Is Your Meat Rotting?
As I have been thinking about the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus gave in Matthew 5 I am drawn in by verse 13. “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”
I have been in church my whole life. My father is a pastor so naturally I have gone to church a very long time. I have heard this verse over and over again throughout the years. However, this is really sticking out to me today for whatever reason. I have always heard the illustration of salt preserving things like meat. But salt looses its saltiness over time.
However, I think this analogy doesn’t capture the whole point of the passage. Salt is one of the most abrasive natural substances known to man. Salt does tons of stuff. Yes, it can preserve things, but it also is a great cleaning agent. Reading on into verses 14-16; Jesus says, 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”.
So how do we keep our saltiness? All salt looses its saltiness at some time or another, right? What I think Jesus is saying here is this. Don’t let yourself get to the point where you are no longer going “against the grain” of this world. Don’t ever stop fighting and swimming up stream. Don’t start to loss your grip and start to become like this world, because that’s when you start losing your salt. That’s when you start becoming un-effective. When people stop feeling the sting of the salt in your life, look out because you’re starting to get bland and your meat is starting to rot.
I love the beginning of verse 14 because Jesus is telling us what we are. He is telling us that we are the light of the world. I love how that phrase sets a vision for us as believers. You ARE the light of the world. Not you are going to be the light of the world, someday, but right now you’re really not doing such a great job. He says you ARE the light of the world. That just makes me tingle all over because I am the light of the world. Jesus just told me so. However, there is a “but” that comes to my mind. Have I lost my saltiness? Jesus was salt too and people loved and hated Him for it. Notice that in the crucifixion story it is the religious leaders that find the salt of Jesus the most painful, the most repulsive. However, through out the life of Jesus sinners and thieves were the ones that found Him irresistible. His salt made them thirst for more.
Don’t lose your saltiness. Stay grounded in the Scriptures. Be the light that Jesus has empowered you to be. Shine before all men.
I have been in church my whole life. My father is a pastor so naturally I have gone to church a very long time. I have heard this verse over and over again throughout the years. However, this is really sticking out to me today for whatever reason. I have always heard the illustration of salt preserving things like meat. But salt looses its saltiness over time.
However, I think this analogy doesn’t capture the whole point of the passage. Salt is one of the most abrasive natural substances known to man. Salt does tons of stuff. Yes, it can preserve things, but it also is a great cleaning agent. Reading on into verses 14-16; Jesus says, 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”.
So how do we keep our saltiness? All salt looses its saltiness at some time or another, right? What I think Jesus is saying here is this. Don’t let yourself get to the point where you are no longer going “against the grain” of this world. Don’t ever stop fighting and swimming up stream. Don’t start to loss your grip and start to become like this world, because that’s when you start losing your salt. That’s when you start becoming un-effective. When people stop feeling the sting of the salt in your life, look out because you’re starting to get bland and your meat is starting to rot.
I love the beginning of verse 14 because Jesus is telling us what we are. He is telling us that we are the light of the world. I love how that phrase sets a vision for us as believers. You ARE the light of the world. Not you are going to be the light of the world, someday, but right now you’re really not doing such a great job. He says you ARE the light of the world. That just makes me tingle all over because I am the light of the world. Jesus just told me so. However, there is a “but” that comes to my mind. Have I lost my saltiness? Jesus was salt too and people loved and hated Him for it. Notice that in the crucifixion story it is the religious leaders that find the salt of Jesus the most painful, the most repulsive. However, through out the life of Jesus sinners and thieves were the ones that found Him irresistible. His salt made them thirst for more.
Don’t lose your saltiness. Stay grounded in the Scriptures. Be the light that Jesus has empowered you to be. Shine before all men.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Days of my Youth
There has been a lot of things going on in my life lately that have stolen my affections from my God. The simple business of life, the overwhelming crunch of managing a store, and the raising of my son. It simply seems as though I have lost sight of the one true way to live life. This morning I was thinking back to when life was much simpler and life was pretty good.
Back when I lived with my parents life was good. I could come and go as I pleased. No one really asked too much of me, but now it seems that life has caught up with me and I feel the weight of responsibility getting heavier every day. I can remember when I would worship God in the car on the way to work and home again. I can remember when I would spend hours in my room just listening to worship music pouring out my heart to God in song. It is my hearts desire to not return to that place, but to once again have that relationship with my Father God as we once had.
I feel like I as though my desire to worship God has diminished in these last days. I find myself wishing I could stay home from church and not do anything. When I think these things I get the feeling that my insides are crying out to once again worship from the depths of my soul. Maybe it is the fear of being real with everyone. Maybe I am afraid to worship in my own way. Maybe I am afraid of being me, of giving my all to a church that I'm not sure will make it. In my heart I think it is all of the above. Maybe it is the pressure I have put upon myself to do current songs and in doing so I have left behind the songs of my youth and in turn lost a piece of true worship that I once had.
I believe it is time to return to some of the old songs of my youth and give more of myself in worshiping Jesus. As I write I am listening to some of the old songs I used to play in worship or at least some that I listened to as a young man. I can feel Christ stirring my heart as I listen to them. I want to get back to a passionate worship experience. Not just a fun listless song list, but deep emotional, life changing worship that can change the smallest life and an entire generation.
Back when I lived with my parents life was good. I could come and go as I pleased. No one really asked too much of me, but now it seems that life has caught up with me and I feel the weight of responsibility getting heavier every day. I can remember when I would worship God in the car on the way to work and home again. I can remember when I would spend hours in my room just listening to worship music pouring out my heart to God in song. It is my hearts desire to not return to that place, but to once again have that relationship with my Father God as we once had.
I feel like I as though my desire to worship God has diminished in these last days. I find myself wishing I could stay home from church and not do anything. When I think these things I get the feeling that my insides are crying out to once again worship from the depths of my soul. Maybe it is the fear of being real with everyone. Maybe I am afraid to worship in my own way. Maybe I am afraid of being me, of giving my all to a church that I'm not sure will make it. In my heart I think it is all of the above. Maybe it is the pressure I have put upon myself to do current songs and in doing so I have left behind the songs of my youth and in turn lost a piece of true worship that I once had.
I believe it is time to return to some of the old songs of my youth and give more of myself in worshiping Jesus. As I write I am listening to some of the old songs I used to play in worship or at least some that I listened to as a young man. I can feel Christ stirring my heart as I listen to them. I want to get back to a passionate worship experience. Not just a fun listless song list, but deep emotional, life changing worship that can change the smallest life and an entire generation.
Monday, August 02, 2010
The Movement
This morning as I was spending time with The One who created me He pointed something out to me that stirred the passions of my heart. In the Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson there is a section chuck full of scripture with which Anderson is trying to get a point across. One of the last passages was a story of two people called Ananias and Sapphira.
The church at this time was being persecuted by a guy named Saul (who would later become a Christ Follower). However, the church was thriving to spite the persecution. People where selling their land, homes, anything to further the kingdom of God (Acts 4:22-36). People were giving selflessly so that others could be blessed. The church movement was growing and God was moving in people lives.
Ananias and Sapphira were one of the many couples who sold their land to give money to the church movement however, they held back some of the money for themselves thinking that no one would know. Now there is nothing wrong with keeping some of the money, after all it was their land. However, they had told the church that they had given it all. God saw their hearts and struck both of them dead in front of the church.
Now death to me seems a bit harsh, but according to the bible they lied to God.
As I continued to ponder over how this scripture could possibly apply to me today I realized that the early church had something unprecedented going on here. The world would have told them they were crazy, and they were crazy, but in a good way. They gave as anyone had need. They shared everything, held nothing back as their own. Everything was God’s and they lived as if everything was God’s. People where selling land for crying out loud. That’s crazy talk. Selling your land to give the proceeds to the church, who does that? As I continued to roll this heavy peace of scripture around in my brain I began to long for a community like this where everyone gave as anyone needed and where people where going crazy to sell anything and everything to fund the movement of the church.
What would happen if the church today would grasp this biblical concept of God’s ownership? What if the church today went hog-wild and sold their lands, cars, homes, toys, to fund the movement of God’s church? I look around the community that I live in and I see churches that are barely making ends meet. I see my own church barely making ends meet and yet we as Christ followers simply stand by as our preverbal ship sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Yet I see good hearted citizens giving thousands even millions of dollars to fund a candidate running for state Governor and they don’t even know if this candidate will win. We as Christ followers know how our story ends, we know we win, and we are still hanging onto the sides of the ship hoping that some how God is going to save our churches from falling apart. God has put us here, “the Church” to further his kingdom, but we need our faith community in order to do this effectively. Without the financial resources to keep our churches running our communities will fall apart, we will sink. God wants us to pull together to give as anyone has need to further His kingdom.
In my heart I feel an awakening brewing right underneath the surface of the faith community that I am apart of, Imagine This LLC. I feel the spiritual muscles of our faith community flexing as we brace ourselves to either go down with the ship or to start passing out buckets to start giving toward the movement of God.
There are many ways that we can give to the movement of God, not just monetarily but, with our time, serving the faith community. Rolling up our shirt sleeves and getting our hands dirty. I know in my faith community we need people all over the place. We need people in the kid’s ministry, café, the tech booth, cleaners, greeters, and youth workers, and the list could go on and on. The kingdom of God is at stake!! The ship is going down, and the waves are getting higher. We need to have an uprising of people to stand up and say that “we are willing to jump into the trenches, to start bailing water out of the boat, to give everything we are to see the movement of God go farther.” These are the people we need today in the church and I know that they are there. The movement will not fail, not if we all start giving everything we have to the movement of our God!!
The church at this time was being persecuted by a guy named Saul (who would later become a Christ Follower). However, the church was thriving to spite the persecution. People where selling their land, homes, anything to further the kingdom of God (Acts 4:22-36). People were giving selflessly so that others could be blessed. The church movement was growing and God was moving in people lives.
Ananias and Sapphira were one of the many couples who sold their land to give money to the church movement however, they held back some of the money for themselves thinking that no one would know. Now there is nothing wrong with keeping some of the money, after all it was their land. However, they had told the church that they had given it all. God saw their hearts and struck both of them dead in front of the church.
Now death to me seems a bit harsh, but according to the bible they lied to God.
As I continued to ponder over how this scripture could possibly apply to me today I realized that the early church had something unprecedented going on here. The world would have told them they were crazy, and they were crazy, but in a good way. They gave as anyone had need. They shared everything, held nothing back as their own. Everything was God’s and they lived as if everything was God’s. People where selling land for crying out loud. That’s crazy talk. Selling your land to give the proceeds to the church, who does that? As I continued to roll this heavy peace of scripture around in my brain I began to long for a community like this where everyone gave as anyone needed and where people where going crazy to sell anything and everything to fund the movement of the church.
What would happen if the church today would grasp this biblical concept of God’s ownership? What if the church today went hog-wild and sold their lands, cars, homes, toys, to fund the movement of God’s church? I look around the community that I live in and I see churches that are barely making ends meet. I see my own church barely making ends meet and yet we as Christ followers simply stand by as our preverbal ship sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Yet I see good hearted citizens giving thousands even millions of dollars to fund a candidate running for state Governor and they don’t even know if this candidate will win. We as Christ followers know how our story ends, we know we win, and we are still hanging onto the sides of the ship hoping that some how God is going to save our churches from falling apart. God has put us here, “the Church” to further his kingdom, but we need our faith community in order to do this effectively. Without the financial resources to keep our churches running our communities will fall apart, we will sink. God wants us to pull together to give as anyone has need to further His kingdom.
In my heart I feel an awakening brewing right underneath the surface of the faith community that I am apart of, Imagine This LLC. I feel the spiritual muscles of our faith community flexing as we brace ourselves to either go down with the ship or to start passing out buckets to start giving toward the movement of God.
There are many ways that we can give to the movement of God, not just monetarily but, with our time, serving the faith community. Rolling up our shirt sleeves and getting our hands dirty. I know in my faith community we need people all over the place. We need people in the kid’s ministry, café, the tech booth, cleaners, greeters, and youth workers, and the list could go on and on. The kingdom of God is at stake!! The ship is going down, and the waves are getting higher. We need to have an uprising of people to stand up and say that “we are willing to jump into the trenches, to start bailing water out of the boat, to give everything we are to see the movement of God go farther.” These are the people we need today in the church and I know that they are there. The movement will not fail, not if we all start giving everything we have to the movement of our God!!
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
More Fogiving Than Jesus Part 2
There is something frightening and yet so beautiful about God using humans to do His advertising for Him. God has called of us as Christ Followers to proclaim His freedom, grace, and love. The gentleman I had the run in with in the store really is a good example of what many of use would like to say on many occasions, we just have the sense to keep our mouths shut, most of the time.
There are way too many of us, who if given the chance would blow an O-ring over something as little as a few dollars and our principles. Where has our joy gone? Where is our first love? Our first love never went any where. We simply stopped paying attention to Him. At first we miss a day of our devotions and then we go a day without praying before our meals, and pretty soon we have stopped talking to God altogether.
You see, just like in a relationship with your spouse or friends. If you’re not communicating something is wrong.
We have to get back to a place of communication with God and as we move toward Him, He will move toward us. The more we want of Him the more He is willing to give, but we have to move. We have to accept what He is offering to us.
If we are willing to offer all of us, He is willing to give all of Him
There are way too many of us, who if given the chance would blow an O-ring over something as little as a few dollars and our principles. Where has our joy gone? Where is our first love? Our first love never went any where. We simply stopped paying attention to Him. At first we miss a day of our devotions and then we go a day without praying before our meals, and pretty soon we have stopped talking to God altogether.
You see, just like in a relationship with your spouse or friends. If you’re not communicating something is wrong.
We have to get back to a place of communication with God and as we move toward Him, He will move toward us. The more we want of Him the more He is willing to give, but we have to move. We have to accept what He is offering to us.
If we are willing to offer all of us, He is willing to give all of Him
More forgiving than Jesus
A few weeks ago now I was at work taking care of business when I was called to the store front register to complete a return. Standing there was a gentleman who wanted to return three items, two small $1.99 books and a pin of some sort. He had purchased them for his small group at church.
Our store (Gift and Bible) has a return policy of 30 days with a receipt. Well, this man had his receipt but it was more than double to 30 days. I politely told the man that I was sorry, but I could not give him any cash back however, I would be willing to exchange these product for something else.
What the man said next really took me off guard and by total surprise. He said, “well, I hope Jesus Christ is more forgiving than you are!” and walked out of the store without the products he had brought in.
At first I could not believe what I had just heard. First of all why is this guy allowed to be a small group leader at church, and second, where does he get off making a statement like that. In my mind I was ready to rip this guy a new one, but on the out side I stayed in control and let the man walk out of the store unharmed.
The sad thing is as I continued to think about this encounter I realized that this is the way so many Christians live their lives. Walking around as if their “their shit don’t stink”. I know I am guilty of it. I find myself often times thinking that I am better than someone else because I am a Christian and they aren’t. This thought is a bunch of piled up, stinky, smelly, crap. The only thing we have that they don’t have is a rescuer and the really sad part about is that God has left us in-charge to introduce the lost to the “rescuer”, Jesus.
Our store (Gift and Bible) has a return policy of 30 days with a receipt. Well, this man had his receipt but it was more than double to 30 days. I politely told the man that I was sorry, but I could not give him any cash back however, I would be willing to exchange these product for something else.
What the man said next really took me off guard and by total surprise. He said, “well, I hope Jesus Christ is more forgiving than you are!” and walked out of the store without the products he had brought in.
At first I could not believe what I had just heard. First of all why is this guy allowed to be a small group leader at church, and second, where does he get off making a statement like that. In my mind I was ready to rip this guy a new one, but on the out side I stayed in control and let the man walk out of the store unharmed.
The sad thing is as I continued to think about this encounter I realized that this is the way so many Christians live their lives. Walking around as if their “their shit don’t stink”. I know I am guilty of it. I find myself often times thinking that I am better than someone else because I am a Christian and they aren’t. This thought is a bunch of piled up, stinky, smelly, crap. The only thing we have that they don’t have is a rescuer and the really sad part about is that God has left us in-charge to introduce the lost to the “rescuer”, Jesus.
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