How did Jesus do it?

There are many examples of Jesus asking the diciples to follow Him. In Matthew 8:22, Jesus says to follow Him, and let the dead bury the dead. In order to follow, it may be a good idea to look at what Jesus was doing on a day to day basis as recorded in the Scriptures.

Taking this perspective, I find it intriguing to see Jesus sneaking away "early" in the morning before light to be alone and pray. Just after the hustle and bustle of healing and having swarms of people all over Him, He finds it necessary to hide away alone in prayer with God.

Before the crucifixion, Jesus took a few friends and went to pray alone in the garden.

Jesus had a habit of solitude. He had a habit of being alone with God. One on one.

What does this mean for us? Television, radio, demands of work, family, and all the rest can so overwhem us that we never have a quite dedicated moment to feel the presence of God, to seek His Will, or just say thanks. Maybe it would be good to just sit and enjoy God and show some appreciation for the life you did nothing to earn. For all those talents you were born with, maybe a little appreciation might be appropriate?

Something else on my mind is this: how much Christian radio can a person fill their space with and never enter into the presence of God. Two-way communication requires silence on our part to listen for that small voice. Many people have so many messages for us to hear, but what is God saying? Yes He can speak through others, but isn't He so much clearer on His own?

Solitude. Prayer. Hmmm. Like Jesus. Follow Him into a spritual life.

I'm not competent to run my life

I met this guy at work, a customer of mine. He chews tobacco, is a little rough around the edges, has a big ford diesel truck, and I may have heard him cuss a little here or there. But you know what I found out one day? This guy knows the Lord. Sometimes you can not be too quick to judge others. You never know what they experienced in life (abuse, neglect, disabilities, bad parents, poverty, disease, bad environment, etc...). To be honest, I had no idea this guy knew the Lord.

One day a conversation came up over lunch. I told him I was looking at going into full-time ministry. As we wrapped up our meal and went outside, he threw a lipful of tobacco in and we walked out to his Harley Davidson motorcycle and he proceeds to give me a lecture on Christianity and on God. He confessed he didn't attend church everday, but I swear when he talked about the Lord something lit up inside him. I am telling you, he knows God. He probably knows God better than some imitation Christian that just goes thru the motions.

He gave me an intense sermon on how all denominations were all just Christians and only wearing a different label. He talked about living the life everyday and not just on Sunday. He talked about how he saw his business as an opportunity to serve his community and to help out those in need when he can. He confessed he falls short in certain areas, but he also confessed his searching for God's heart on certain matters. He has saught the Lord. The Word states that he who seeks, will find. And also, God is a rewarder of those that seek Him.

What hit me more than anything else he told me was this, "I am incompetent to run my life." "I need God to help me." Those words have been ringing in my ears for the last week. This guy threw all the outside appearance places his life in God's hands. He trusts God and believes in Him to guide him.

Now I know you all will look at me and say, you think he's a Christian? He dips tobacco, gambles, and cusses AND you think he knows the Lord? Yes I am telling you. He knows the Lord. He admitted he could be better, yes. But can't we all? Who can throw the first stone at this guy, who out there has no sin, no imperfections?

I think this guy, this guy should be a pastor. Not me. This guy. I'm not competent to run my own life. Thats humility. Thats a guy who has seen the Almighty and the awesome power and glory of God.

I tell you Jesus has His church. Not all of them are attending the buildings. Not all of them look like saints.

Being a Christian

You are a Christian every day of the week, Not just Sunday.
It isn't about just being saved, like you just jump thru a hoop and you are done.
Being a Christian is a walk, not a destination.
Being a Christian doesn't mean you are perfect, but it does mean that you are dissatisfied with sin in your life and are committed to fight against it.

Being a Christian is not very popular and it seems most of television, movies, and music are dead set against it. It seems our society doesn't know what to think of a person with morality, a hope for purity, and loyalty to a cause. Why does someone with a foul mouth find it so easy to speak crudely as if no one else in the world might have decency about them? And yet as a Christian we can find it so hard to speak truth?

Being a Christian the world may find it difficult to make money off of us. Maybe that is why it doesn't like us. We know money can not buy peace and true joy. We know that true love is not selfish and we will fight against the selling of sex. We know that God is all powerful and we are mere men who depend on him for our next breath. We don't need all the status symbols and signs of success the world chases after. Our value comes from the one God placed on us when He created us and planned a life for us. God cares not for how much money we have, or how beautiful we are or what status symbols we have acquired.

Being a Christian is caring about what God cares about. Real life. Real love. Real relationships. True life. Life in the full. Not the empty pursuits up for sale.

In a culture of whatever feels good do it and in a culture of selfish pursuits of pleasure, I find being a Christian quite a satisfying alternative to the lies being sold in the marketplace. How long should it take our society to realize the damage that occurs to the family by divorce and selfish pursuits of pleasure? How many broken families do we have to see and how much pain for young kids before it wakes up?

Being a Christian, sometimes I can't bare to watch people heading for disaster and they seem obliviious to their situation. Being a Christian sometimes I just want to yell. I want to scream at the world and say Hey, Don't believe all that junk your music is telling you. Don't believe that a man gets his man badge by his sexual escapades. Don't believe dealing drugs is cool or women should be exploited. Don't believe money will make you happy. I want to say look at what it means to be dedicated and loyal and have a healthy trusting relationship. Look at what happens if both people are dedicated to following Christ and leave behind all the trappings the world sells you. We can have family life restored. It can happen.

Being a Christian is pursuing holiness before you are married so that when you are married you won't be tempted to cheat or to pervert your sexuality that makes it hard to have a healthy relationship with your wife.

Being a Chrisitan is being committed. Committed to God and to following God's ways. Following because His ways are better than what we can come up with and better because He is real.

Too many people out there are wearing the label Christian but they aren't being Christian. Too many people are giving others the wrong idea of what being Christian is. That makes me want to yell as well. Church is not something we just do on Sunday and leave there not to look at it or think about it during the week. God is always there. Every day. Every moment. He is there. You can't leave Him anywhere and you can't go anywhere He is not present. Instead of going thru some motions to fake or meet some part of your conscience you feel you need to suffice, take the first step of being a Christian and stop lying to yourself and come clean. You don't know Him. If you knew Him, you would love Him. When you love someone you are with them most of your time. You would talk to them, spend time with them, seek them, talk to others about them, sing about them, dedicate your life to them.......

These are some thoughts I had on being a Chrisitan. I am curious. What does being a Christian look like to you?

Two Ladies

The other day at work I ran into two ladies. I got to asking questions about their personal lives, which I enjoy getting to know people better. The answers to the question I asked perplexed my mind. One of the questions was, what are you passionate about?

Now to help you feel the shock I did you need a little more info. These two ladies are in their 40's. They have lived a good amount of life. No offense if you are 40 or older.

So back to the question. I asked what are you passionate about? With a blank look on their faces they stared back at me. "I don't know." "I don't think I am really passionate about anything." "What am I passionate about?"

Wow.

How can you be middle aged and not have purpose in life, not have passion? Have they ever asked themselves that question before? I don't know.

I love passion. Am I allowed to say that grammatically? I guess the noun form of passion would be the electricity that you feel in your soul about something. Passion. To borrow from Gatorade, "is it in you?"

When you find that electricity deep in your soul, you have to pursue it. You have to stay there. Explore it. Enjoy it. Don't let the worries of the world steal it from you. Be what God made you to be. Fight for it.

Whats your passion?

What is reality?

What is reality? Is reality what you think it is in your own mind or is reality something real out there? If I want to believe that the moon is made of cheddar cheese and trees taste like Dorito's, would I find anyone that would agree? Would that make it reality?

What if reality is not what we see...What if there is more than what appears...How would you tell someone about something they could not see? What if some people suddenly started seeing the reality of this world but others could not...what should they say to those that could not see and were bumping around in the dark hurting themselves because they didn't understand reality?

Is there more than meets they eye, to borrow a transformers slogan. Is this like Plato said, only shadows on the wall we are looking at and yet there is a whole other reality, a sun, casting shadows on the wall and we are so entertained with the shadows we don't realize there is a whole other world, full of light and awesome thigns, out there? Instead we sit in the shadows denying the existence of anything else out there.

Too philosophic, I know....Can't help it:)

But seriously. Is there more than meets the eye? Do you believe it? Do you look for it?

God told me a secret the other day. Little human person insignificant as I am, and Almighty God chose to whisper a secret of the supernatural in my ear. Wow. I was humbled. I heard, "love is the secret to true passion and purpose in life!" Love is the universal secret, the reality of life of this world. When you lay down your life and unselfishly love on others and on God, you will find passion that burns in your soul. That is reality.

Reality is if everyone started loving their Creator and loving all the people around them, this would be a much better place to live in...that is concrete...that is reality...that is how this place works...that is true.

Love isn't just a nice thing to do or a nice word. Love is the secret to the universe. Without love there can be no purpose or passion. Is your soul burning on fire with passion? If not, do you love anything other than yourself? Love, thats the ticket.....

America, Who are you?

I should say, America who were you? Let's ask the founding fathers:

Alexander Hamilton (First United States Secretary of the Treasury and led calls for the Constitutional Convention)
"I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a sinner. I look to Him for mercy; pray for me."

John Adams (Second President of the United States, Sponsor of the American Revolution, United States Representative for negotiating the peace treaty with Great Britain)
"The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in the ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virture, equity, and humanity."
"The ten commandments and the sermon on the mount contain my religion."

Thomas Jefferson (Third President of the United States and Primary author of the Declaration of Independence)
"I am a real Christian...a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. Had (they) been preached always as pure as they came from his lips, the whole civilized world would now have been Christians. I have little doubt that the whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator, and I hope, to the pure doctrines of Jesus also."

The Mayflower Compact (November 11, 1620) Drafted by the pilgrims landing in America crossing the Atlantic on the Mayflower. They state their reason for risking their life to colonize in this new world.
"In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread (revered and feared) sovereign Lord King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the faith, etc., having undertaken, for the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do......."

What happened?

Have we drifted so far?

The haunting words of New York representative Peter Sylvester and Connecticut representative Benjamin Huntington show us our error. Here are their comments on the wording of the first amendment from the Constitutional Convention.
Peter "It might be thought to have a tendency to abolish religion altogether."
Benjamin "The words might be taken in such a latitude to be extremely hurtful to the cause of religion...the amendment (should) be made in such a way as to secure the rights of religion, but not to patronize those who profess no religion at all."

Let us not forget who we were. Our founding fathers fought and died for this country they loved. This was their chance to be unhindered from Great Britain and boldly explore Christianity without all the chains imposed by the Roman Catholic Church of England. They imprinted Christianity all over the money, the buildings, and they put it in school. At the core of America, was God Bless America, was God Shed His Grace on Thee, was One Country Under God Indivisible with Liberty and Justice for All, was In God We Trust.........

The founders intent was not to pull Christianity out of government. They did not want them separate. It is obvious by the actions they themselves took. If you look at what they said, they knew the strength of the country rested upon the individual to have Christian virtues. They believed in small government. Small government because the people were taught morality. They believed in the individual. They believed in him to work hard, honestly, and to be loving of his neighbor.

They believed in God and the Ten Commandments. They believed in a morality that is outside of human creation and governs our behavior. The whole reason we have laws was that they believed there was a fixed standard to go off of.

Have we gotten so lazy? Have we forgotten who we are? Are we all just entertaining ourselves and don't care what happens here anymore? Does anyone wonder why politics is all messed up and no one cares? Does anyone wonder why?

We have forgotten God. We are removing Him from His throne in our country by outlawing school sanctioned prayer, outlawing Bible reading in schools, and by outlawing the display of the ten commandments in schools. The list goes on and on.

Is there any wonder the overall character of kids is so messed up? We are in the dark of our true heritage here. The schools never taught me about the true nature of the Godly men that founded this nation.

Is there any wonder kids idolize drug dealers, pimps, and sports athletes? We haven't been taught who the true heroes and role models were and are today. We haven't been told the truth.

These men risked their lives. They stood up for truth, justice and the American way. They liberated a people with God on it's side. All for the glory of the one true God who sits enthroned in heaven. Where are the men like that anymore? All we get are men telling people whatever they want to hear, rather than standing upon truth.

America was supposed to be a Christian nation. As it was from the beginning.

The popular ideas to fix our problems all seem to involve rolling out communist ideas and expecting big government to fix our problems. The only problem is, God is the only one who can fix us.

God awaken the people of this country to our true identity. Revive us oh Lord.

Remember John Adams,
"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one dissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."

Remember Daniel Webster,
"If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity."

Rejoice! Didn't you hear me, I said Rejoice!!

Philippians 4:4-6
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I love that. Rejoice. I said Rejoice! With an ! point behind it! That pretty much means, be happy sucka. God is awesome and if you have been redeemed and are experiencing true life....There is no greater reason to have joy.

Some friends and I were having a discussion over dinner about it being ok to be happy and to express joy in Christ AND at church. All too often I wonder if young people get the wrong idea about being a Christian. Sometimes it may appear that being a Christian is all serious and somber all the time. It should not be "all the time." Because salvation is a happy thing and should bring you true joy in higher forms than a drug or crude joke can bring you.

My wrongs are wiped away. Love has entered my life. True love, the kind that is unconditional. A relentless love that persists no matter how far I have strayed or how lost I have been. Through all my failures and shortcomings, I am still loved. This can bring nothing but deep joy that would make you want to stand up and rejoice. Maybe even throw your fist in the air and pump it a few times!

Destiny Moment

This is where destiny is. This moment in Tennessee with a group of 21 high school students holds so much of what I desire. Oh! that these young students would take a little piece with them from these moments that can encourage them onward with Christ. May it set the truth before them. May their lives benefit by avoiding the traps and false sources of fulfillment the world will offer them. In heaven, in God's presence, I hope I can witness the glory of the outcomes in their lives and their childrens and their childrens.
I hope they anchor on the rock of Christ and build their lives on Him and Him alone. Strong happy marriages, solid environments for children, faithful to their spouse, giving to those in need, caring for everyone......

From this appointed time. I hope there was a difference made for the good guys. May Truth, Justice, Mercy, Compassion, and Love increase in this place. In this fallen world, drowning in selfishness, corruption, and debauchery, may the good sound their trumpet to announce a victory against those that delight in dark deeds.

The week comes to a close. There is a certain peace in me. Whatever was supposed to happen, whatever God wanted....there is a peace, that it was done. It is satisfying. It is good.

The Song

What is the source of Truth?
What is it about truth that resonates in the soul
Penetrating deep within
What is the source of Love?
Who first loved us
Lighting a fire deep within
What is it about the outstretched arm
helping those in need
Extending out to help up

Out of the dirt
Out of unfaithfullness
Out of lies
Out of cheating
Greed, dishonesty, cruelty, self indulgence, hatred, and selfishness
Out of the dirt comes Love, breaking through it all

Oh how glorious, how beautiful is love springing up out of the dirt!
What a glory of God!
What a miracle!

Out of the dulldrums
there is a song
bringing to life those that hear it
A song of hope and love
inspiring wonderful mercies
in a land of dirt and unfaithfullness
There is a song of love being heard
being danced too
How awesome
Coal becomes diamond
Rainy days turn into sunshine bright
Out of winter comes Spring rising up through the dirt

What is it about this song?
When you hear you just know its true
Awakening the heart
Releasing all fear and joining in it's tune
Resonating throughout time and place
Inspiring courage and self sacrifice

Who wrote this song?
I can imagine certain attributes about Him
He is most certainly forgiving, loving, faithful, and just
Someone you can really trust

I know this song
I see it in my mind and my heart
I never want to have it cease, I always want to be engulfed in it's rhythms
I want to be lost in it and hear it grow louder and louder
So crystal clear with singing and dancing never ceasing
Drumming me on higher and higher
Lost in the beauty

Running

The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win. Roger Bannister

Roger Bannister was the first man to break the four minute mile, once thought to be impossible.

I like that quote. I enjoy training and running. There seems to be many life lessons in this quote. Many life lessons I take away from running and training. Obviously, there is always the pain from working out or even those points you reach that you just want to quit. Pushing past those points toward that goal whatever it is, you learn something about yourself.

Life seems to be much like this. There are problems that barrage you every day. All the time I have moments where I don't feel like doing some thing. But I do it anyway, because I have goals and I have a vision. I know the things I am doing right now, whatever that thing is I don't like fits into the big picture of things I do enjoy.

In running, there is that freeing feeling in the physical of overcoming all obtacles. Overcoming the pain, pushing past the problems, you can find yourself set free from the troubles that come in life as well. It can reengerize you to take on those problems fresh having conquered other problems/pains/challenges during a run or other physical challenge.

In faith, we are called to be faithful till the end. We are to hit the finish line at full steam. I have heard Chuck Swindall I believe say, I don't want to limp into heaven.

There are obstacles, temptations, and pains we will experience and just like Roger Bannister quoted, we are too drive ourselves further to Christ and hold onto the Word ever tighter to overcome the troubles of life. We are called to be holy, to grow in faith, to change. By the grace of God, may we bend ourselves to God's will to let this happen to us.

May we lay down those things in our lives that are not of God's Word.

Remember

Forgive me Lord for all the things I have forgotten. Forgive me for not carrying your praises with me to freely proclaim your awesome power.

Like the time that you delivered me from my empty pursuits. No money, no drug, no pleasure, no status, no not anything but you can satisfy my soul. How you look upon such a lost soul and shine your mercies and graces. How you filled my heart with purpose. Thank you for saving me in my waywardness and watching over me during my car crash. My God has set a path before me to walk in. A path that takes me away from what I once knew. Takes me away from lies and guides me into truth. Truth a life can be built upon.

Like every time you have answered prayer. When I prayed to be used by you for your glory. So numerous are the times, I am ashamed to forget them in my day to day life. As you opened the way to Kokomo Urban Outreach. As you worked miracles of baptism of my immediate family into your kingdom. As you work your plan to place other travellers on your path beside me for fellowship. As you open doors into my neighbors lives.

So great in your timing are your answers to prayer. You heard me pray for my brother, his wife, and my nieces. Awesome to watch them turn to you for leadership and making choices to do your will. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine my 44 year old brother being soft enough to be baptised, or my 65 year old mother.

Remember the time that you delivered two-fold the amount of shoes prayed for needy children in Kokomo. What I asked you doubled and worked a miracle on the day beyond what I had enough faith to trust for.

I wish I could carry with me every day how Great you are God to answer and deliver to the fullest my feeble prayers. I wish I would always remember how you deliver me and watch over me. When my body hurts, when things don't go my way, when stresses overwhelm, when tragedy strikes, things seem impossible, then I wish I would remember what you have done and trust you for deliverance in all troubles.

"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life." Psalm 23

Remember, remember, remember what God has Done!

Light Has Entered the World

John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

There is truth among the lies being spread. Just like watching the sun rise in the morning was Jesus Christ coming into a dark day. There is something beyond comprehension or words to explain that is the life of Jesus. Reading His words and about His life, is just like looking at a beautiful sunrise. There is just something about it that grabs you and you just can't help but sit and wonder at the glory of such a thing. All of nature worships God and is orchestrated just as He created it to. But humans are given the choice to conform to God's will or to follow their own. God so loves us He gave His creation the ability to accept or reject Him. I find it harder and harder to imagine that so many love the darkness, when instead you could for all eternity be looking at the sunrise.

There was a time on earth, that the truth of all the ages was set in the flesh and dwelt among us. His life and words are recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Anyone that is rejecting the light of Jesus must please take the opportunity to read those books of the Bible and then tell me if you do not find the glory of God...the truth of the ages....something beyond this worldly wisdom or created by man stored in those pages. If there is the opportunity to look into the mind of God, would you not take a chance and take a look for yourself? Many can describe how beautiful God is, but at some point, everyone has to make the decision to look away from the darkness and toward the light on their own. He is waiting for all of us to make that journey. I hope you do.