They are here! And doing well! Check out the Myers Triplets blog for updates....
Saturday, December 30, 2006
I don't feel happy that he is dead. I know what he did to millions of people but I'm not happy he is dead. Is that weird/dumb/wrong? I do not believe in an eye for an eye. I truly believe in forgiveness of sin but...yeah. It gets so complicated. The thing is, now he can never know Christ. Actually, I'm sure he met Him yesterday and I can only guess how ugly that meeting was. God is just. But couldn't there have been an alternative? I told Joey they should have put him in a prison with a bunch of Christians for the rest of his life. That doesn't make a lot of sense either because why would the Christians be in prison? Then again, we all make mistakes. I guess I'm just surprised at how I'm feeling about it. I didn't think I would feel...sad? I think that's the word for it. He probably deserved it, though. Look at what I deserve. Nothing and everything. I should pay for my sins. Thank you God for saving me from that. Your grace and mercy make me thankful every single day. I don't have to die not knowing where I will be afterwards. With you is my home.
Being Offended Part 1
This is a tough entry to write. I pray you hear me out on this one. It is another growing pain. I’ve been rightly accused in the past of being vague. You know why I have to be…to protect the innocent…but sometimes a lesson is so big, I have to share it. Oh, yesssss. Another lesson I’m going through…
"I wish everyone would just stop being so Christian!"
The statement made my eyes sting a bit. I felt a tightness in my throat. My heart ached when I heard those words. They were painful. I wanted to simultaneously slap the person who said it and hug her out of compassion.
The crazy thing was, those words came out of my mouth.
I was tired of everyone for being so politically correct. For the first time, I wanted to stop hanging out with Christians and hang out with only my pre-Christian friends, the ones who are loyal to me and "my ways". Lately, I had been feeling uncomfortable in my weekend world. I actually looked forward to hanging out with my co-workers at work. I was feeling miserable during the weekend, crying all the way from Lansing to Livonia, stepping into Val and feeling overwhelmingly happy. This was a 180 degree change. I wanted to be around people who weren’t Christians. My fiancé listened to me rant and rave and feed off of my bitterness. In the middle of this fit, I said, "Jesus loved people but he hung out with 12 and was closest to only 3."
So there! Yeah! That’s right. Don’t I feel better….well…no.
I went to bed that night feeling horrible. Noel had just taught on friendships and that if we really value our friends, we will share the gospel with them. If we only want the hit off of the friendship, then we keep our mouths shut. If we share the gospel and our friends reject, that’s fine because they aren’t rejecting us. They are rejecting Jesus. We need to still hang out with the ones who reject because after all, there is still time. Don’t you want to see your friend in heaven? Yes, I do. Even if that means sacrificing that strong loyalty they have to me, I will.
I do like how everyone is trying to be Christ like but I have a feeling we are all getting it a little mixed up. We need to stay in the word, listen to the teachings of our pastors, worship our Lord, ask for help in understanding…seek counseling which is what I’m going to begin doing this week. I want to get this selfishness worked out of me. I need to truly let go of the resentment I have toward people.
Here’s another crazy thing. The next morning, I turned the TV on and through Joyce, God rebuked me for feeling the selfish ways I’ve been feeling. I knew I had to change my attitude and there will be follow ups to the rebuking posted in blogs to come. But at the very end of the program, Joyce said something that blew me away: "You can’t be the best friend of everybody in the world so you need to make your mind up what your divine connections are in life. Divine connections are people God has brought into your life and you know that there’s a spiritual connection. You might have a lot of acquaintances but you can only have a certain amount of really good friends. Did you hear me? There’s nothing wrong with being closer to some people than others. Jesus out of the 12 had 3 that He spent more time with. There’s going to be somebody you click with, somebody you are going to bond with."
I get it so wrong a lot of the time. I’m not the perfect Christian. I’m an imperfect human who camps out too much on her feelings (like I said, that post is coming). The question is, how does God see me? If He looks at me through the lens I think I deserve, then He sees my selfish, hypocritical, evil ways. If He looks at me through Christ’s blood…He sees me as perfect. I’m saved. But He has lessons for me. Man, so many lessons…
Don't forget, there are posts to come on how God is finally straightening me out after a year of suffering. He is finally helping to free me from the prison I put MYSELF into.
PS: I love Christians :o) I love pre-Christians :o) I am selfish but I am growing...
"I wish everyone would just stop being so Christian!"
The statement made my eyes sting a bit. I felt a tightness in my throat. My heart ached when I heard those words. They were painful. I wanted to simultaneously slap the person who said it and hug her out of compassion.
The crazy thing was, those words came out of my mouth.
I was tired of everyone for being so politically correct. For the first time, I wanted to stop hanging out with Christians and hang out with only my pre-Christian friends, the ones who are loyal to me and "my ways". Lately, I had been feeling uncomfortable in my weekend world. I actually looked forward to hanging out with my co-workers at work. I was feeling miserable during the weekend, crying all the way from Lansing to Livonia, stepping into Val and feeling overwhelmingly happy. This was a 180 degree change. I wanted to be around people who weren’t Christians. My fiancé listened to me rant and rave and feed off of my bitterness. In the middle of this fit, I said, "Jesus loved people but he hung out with 12 and was closest to only 3."
So there! Yeah! That’s right. Don’t I feel better….well…no.
I went to bed that night feeling horrible. Noel had just taught on friendships and that if we really value our friends, we will share the gospel with them. If we only want the hit off of the friendship, then we keep our mouths shut. If we share the gospel and our friends reject, that’s fine because they aren’t rejecting us. They are rejecting Jesus. We need to still hang out with the ones who reject because after all, there is still time. Don’t you want to see your friend in heaven? Yes, I do. Even if that means sacrificing that strong loyalty they have to me, I will.
I do like how everyone is trying to be Christ like but I have a feeling we are all getting it a little mixed up. We need to stay in the word, listen to the teachings of our pastors, worship our Lord, ask for help in understanding…seek counseling which is what I’m going to begin doing this week. I want to get this selfishness worked out of me. I need to truly let go of the resentment I have toward people.
Here’s another crazy thing. The next morning, I turned the TV on and through Joyce, God rebuked me for feeling the selfish ways I’ve been feeling. I knew I had to change my attitude and there will be follow ups to the rebuking posted in blogs to come. But at the very end of the program, Joyce said something that blew me away: "You can’t be the best friend of everybody in the world so you need to make your mind up what your divine connections are in life. Divine connections are people God has brought into your life and you know that there’s a spiritual connection. You might have a lot of acquaintances but you can only have a certain amount of really good friends. Did you hear me? There’s nothing wrong with being closer to some people than others. Jesus out of the 12 had 3 that He spent more time with. There’s going to be somebody you click with, somebody you are going to bond with."
I get it so wrong a lot of the time. I’m not the perfect Christian. I’m an imperfect human who camps out too much on her feelings (like I said, that post is coming). The question is, how does God see me? If He looks at me through the lens I think I deserve, then He sees my selfish, hypocritical, evil ways. If He looks at me through Christ’s blood…He sees me as perfect. I’m saved. But He has lessons for me. Man, so many lessons…
Don't forget, there are posts to come on how God is finally straightening me out after a year of suffering. He is finally helping to free me from the prison I put MYSELF into.
PS: I love Christians :o) I love pre-Christians :o) I am selfish but I am growing...
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
Merry Xmas!
I had a Christian get upset about the word Xmas so I thought I would clear this up with an explanation from Snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/xmasabbr.asp
The abbreviation of 'Xmas' for 'Christmas' is neither modern nor disrespectful. The notion that it is a new and vulgar representation of the word 'Christmas' seems to stem from the erroneous belief that the letter 'X' is used to stand for the word 'Christ' because of its resemblance to a cross, or that the abbreviation was deliberately concocted "to take the 'Christ' out of Christmas." Actually, this usage is nearly as old as Christianity itself, and its origins lie in the fact that the first letter in the Greek word for 'Christ' is 'chi,' and the Greek letter 'chi' is represented by a symbol similar to the letter 'X' in the modern Roman alphabet. Hence 'Xmas' is indeed perfectly legitimate abbreviation for the word 'Christmas' (just as 'Xian' is also sometimes used as an abbreviation of the word 'Christian').
None of this means that Christians (and others) aren't justified in feeling slighted when people write 'Xmas' rather than 'Christmas,' but the point is that the abbreviation was not created specifically for the purpose of demeaning Christ, Christians, Christianity, or Christmas -- it's a very old artifact of a very different language.
The abbreviation of 'Xmas' for 'Christmas' is neither modern nor disrespectful. The notion that it is a new and vulgar representation of the word 'Christmas' seems to stem from the erroneous belief that the letter 'X' is used to stand for the word 'Christ' because of its resemblance to a cross, or that the abbreviation was deliberately concocted "to take the 'Christ' out of Christmas." Actually, this usage is nearly as old as Christianity itself, and its origins lie in the fact that the first letter in the Greek word for 'Christ' is 'chi,' and the Greek letter 'chi' is represented by a symbol similar to the letter 'X' in the modern Roman alphabet. Hence 'Xmas' is indeed perfectly legitimate abbreviation for the word 'Christmas' (just as 'Xian' is also sometimes used as an abbreviation of the word 'Christian').
None of this means that Christians (and others) aren't justified in feeling slighted when people write 'Xmas' rather than 'Christmas,' but the point is that the abbreviation was not created specifically for the purpose of demeaning Christ, Christians, Christianity, or Christmas -- it's a very old artifact of a very different language.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Why Christ?
I’m presently reading “The Jesus I Never Knew” by Phillip Yancy. It is redefining who Jesus is to me…who he is to everyone. I’m seeing a new, different, real Jesus—God and human. Some of the adjectives Yancy uses to describe Jesus are as follows: humble, approachable, underdog, courageous. The courageous description fits a deity. Humble? Approachable? Underdog? These do not sound like a powerful, fiery Lord.
That’s kind of the point.
Here is another look at Christmas, the day God decided to come to earth as a baby. The how and the why…
“The God who came to earth came not in a raging whirlwind nor in a devouring fire. Unimaginable, the Maker of all things shrank down, down, down, so small as to become an ovum, a single fertilized egg barely visible to the naked eye, an egg that would divide and redivide until a fetus took shape, enlarging cell by cell inside a nervous teenager…”
“The Messiah who showed up, however, wore a different kind of glory, the glory of humility…the God who roared, who could order armies and empires about like pawns on a chessboard, this God emerged in Palestine as a baby who could not speak or eat solid food or control his bladder, who depended on a teenager for shelter, food and love.”
I’ve been doing some much needed “get to know you” time with the Lord, lately. Desperately, I’ve been searching Him for answers to some life questions I have and the answer I keep getting back is “do you know Me? Do you understand who I am?”
Yancy makes an excellent point about God: He’s scary.
The Old Testament times were ruled in fear. “Stories of the sacred mountain in the desert that proved fatal to everyone who touched it, mishandle the ark of the covenant and you died, enter the most Holy place and you’d never come out alive…”
God is too big for us to comprehend. If we see Him, we die. Yancy relayed a story about keeping a fish tank which I can relate to. He told about having to monitor nitrate levels and ammonia content, pumping in vitamins and filtering the water…all of this because he cared about his fish. “You would think, in view of all the energy expended on their behalf, that my fish would at least be grateful. Not so. Every time my shadow loomed above the tank they dove for cover into the nearest shell. They showed me one ‘emotion’ only: fear.” Can you imagine God showing up at your front door and asking to go for a walk and a little chat ‘bout last night at the bar? “To my fish I was deity. I was too large for them, my actions too incomprehensible. My acts of mercy they saw as cruelty; my attempts at healing they viewed as destruction. To change their perceptions, I began to see, would require a form of incarnation. I would have to become a fish and ‘speak’ to them I a language they could understand.”
So, God became human. “What can be less scary than a newborn with his limbs wrapped tight against his body? In Jesus, God found a way of relating to human beings that did not involve fear.”
Happy Christmas and if you’ve missed the point of the real gift, I pray your heart accepts it this coming year :)
That’s kind of the point.
Here is another look at Christmas, the day God decided to come to earth as a baby. The how and the why…
“The God who came to earth came not in a raging whirlwind nor in a devouring fire. Unimaginable, the Maker of all things shrank down, down, down, so small as to become an ovum, a single fertilized egg barely visible to the naked eye, an egg that would divide and redivide until a fetus took shape, enlarging cell by cell inside a nervous teenager…”
“The Messiah who showed up, however, wore a different kind of glory, the glory of humility…the God who roared, who could order armies and empires about like pawns on a chessboard, this God emerged in Palestine as a baby who could not speak or eat solid food or control his bladder, who depended on a teenager for shelter, food and love.”
I’ve been doing some much needed “get to know you” time with the Lord, lately. Desperately, I’ve been searching Him for answers to some life questions I have and the answer I keep getting back is “do you know Me? Do you understand who I am?”
Yancy makes an excellent point about God: He’s scary.
The Old Testament times were ruled in fear. “Stories of the sacred mountain in the desert that proved fatal to everyone who touched it, mishandle the ark of the covenant and you died, enter the most Holy place and you’d never come out alive…”
God is too big for us to comprehend. If we see Him, we die. Yancy relayed a story about keeping a fish tank which I can relate to. He told about having to monitor nitrate levels and ammonia content, pumping in vitamins and filtering the water…all of this because he cared about his fish. “You would think, in view of all the energy expended on their behalf, that my fish would at least be grateful. Not so. Every time my shadow loomed above the tank they dove for cover into the nearest shell. They showed me one ‘emotion’ only: fear.” Can you imagine God showing up at your front door and asking to go for a walk and a little chat ‘bout last night at the bar? “To my fish I was deity. I was too large for them, my actions too incomprehensible. My acts of mercy they saw as cruelty; my attempts at healing they viewed as destruction. To change their perceptions, I began to see, would require a form of incarnation. I would have to become a fish and ‘speak’ to them I a language they could understand.”
So, God became human. “What can be less scary than a newborn with his limbs wrapped tight against his body? In Jesus, God found a way of relating to human beings that did not involve fear.”
Happy Christmas and if you’ve missed the point of the real gift, I pray your heart accepts it this coming year :)
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Bakker son is 'One Punk Under God'
NEW YORK (AP) -- He was born into the glare of televangelist parents Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Then the "Praise the Lord" empire collapsed in scandal. His father went to jail for fraud.
Jay Bakker spent his teens in the darkness, rebelling and bent on self-destruction from alcohol and drugs.
But now, with his 31st birthday next week, this tattooed, multi-pierced pilgrim is on a righteous path: preaching God's grace to a flock of young, downtrodden and disillusioned parishioners most any other church would turn away.
Parable 3: Wise and Faithful Servant
Yay! I always love it when the phrase “gnashing of teeth” is used.
Matthew 24:45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luke 12:42 The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Okay…where to start with this one….
Where is Jesus at the time of this parable? Luke says he has just finished dinner at the Pharisees house where he pretty much b-slapped them silly. Matthew says he has just left the temple where he just finished slamming the Pharisees and is now at the Mount of Olives.
Who is Jesus talking to? Specifically, he started speaking to just the 12 disciples but a crowd had gathered (as they usually did) so Jesus was speaking to everyone…including us.
What up with the message? Man, this guy was complex. I know he is speaking to hypocrites. I thought of me as a kid behaving and sharing my toys while mom was sitting in the room. The moment she left, I refuse to share, take other people’s toys and turn into a real jerk. Then, I hear my mom coming down the hall so I quickly put the smile back on my face, give all my toys to the other kids and pretend to be a pleasant person. God sees me J Genesis 16:13. Even though Jesus left, all eyes are on my actions. It is a matter of heart. God will know on judgment day if I was true or faking it.
Speaking of judgment day, Jesus is telling everyone to be prepared as though his return will happen soon. Of course, he is hinting to leaving which I don’t think the disciples are picking up on.
Is Jesus primarily speaking to church leaders, the people he says are “the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?” Is this message warning them not to lead us astray or take advantage of their position?
My last thought is this: the more knowledge you have, the more will be asked of you. Am I reading this correctly?
Any questions, comments, dirty words? Hello? Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone home?
Matthew 24:45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luke 12:42 The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Okay…where to start with this one….
Where is Jesus at the time of this parable? Luke says he has just finished dinner at the Pharisees house where he pretty much b-slapped them silly. Matthew says he has just left the temple where he just finished slamming the Pharisees and is now at the Mount of Olives.
Who is Jesus talking to? Specifically, he started speaking to just the 12 disciples but a crowd had gathered (as they usually did) so Jesus was speaking to everyone…including us.
What up with the message? Man, this guy was complex. I know he is speaking to hypocrites. I thought of me as a kid behaving and sharing my toys while mom was sitting in the room. The moment she left, I refuse to share, take other people’s toys and turn into a real jerk. Then, I hear my mom coming down the hall so I quickly put the smile back on my face, give all my toys to the other kids and pretend to be a pleasant person. God sees me J Genesis 16:13. Even though Jesus left, all eyes are on my actions. It is a matter of heart. God will know on judgment day if I was true or faking it.
Speaking of judgment day, Jesus is telling everyone to be prepared as though his return will happen soon. Of course, he is hinting to leaving which I don’t think the disciples are picking up on.
Is Jesus primarily speaking to church leaders, the people he says are “the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?” Is this message warning them not to lead us astray or take advantage of their position?
My last thought is this: the more knowledge you have, the more will be asked of you. Am I reading this correctly?
Any questions, comments, dirty words? Hello? Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone home?
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Because of God
Because of God
Sometimes I forget that it isn’t about me. Sometimes I forget the reason behind doing something…anything…everything! Will I get the satisfaction? Will I be rewarded? Will I be condemned? And what provokes me to do anything?
Remember that series Noel taught last year called “Because of God”? Thankfully, he forwarded a segment of it today as a reminder:
"Carson Daly is Wrong" - http://www.rivwarehouse.com/resources/messages/1024x768/noelheikkinen_carsondaly.mp3
Here's what I said:
1) As you know, we as a church support tons of families during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season
We bring them meals and presents and all that
2) Well, one year, Grace and I signed up to help a family with kids the age of our kids
My wife tends to go nuts with stuff like this
And she totally hooked them up
Food
And presents
Not just for the kids, but for the parents, as well
She went all out!
So, we loaded our van up with her stockpile and headed over to their apartment
When we knocked on the door, the family was so excited to see us
We brought the goodies in and hung out for awhile
Our kids were running around with their kids
3) When we left that day, we saw how God touched their lives
As well as ours
Here was a family, the size of ours
Jammed into a one bedroom apartment
And they were thankful to have it
4) We went in because of God
And through us, God blessed them
And through them, God blessed us
5) But it doesn’t always play out that way
There are so many of you who have done the same thing we did
You loaded up your cars with tons of goodies
And you headed over to support these families in need
And when they opened the door
They took your stuff
And slammed the door in your face
Unappreciative
I know this happens because we hear the stories every year
Some of you have delivered meals to homes that are better furnished than your own
With TVs bigger than your own!
And if your focus was on them
You would say
“They don’t deserve this!”
You would grow bitter
And if your focus was on yourself and feeling good about it
You would feel slammed
And you would never want to step out again
Because it didn’t make you feel good at all!
6) But that’s the key!
It’s not “for you” or “for others”
It’s because of God
Because you are his plan to reach the world!
7) That’s why the focus must be on God
When people slam the door in your face
You can walk away
Knowing you have done the good that God has planned in advance for you to do
And that was the plan
And if that was the plan
The slammed door was the plan
And you can rejoice in that
So, sometimes the lesson is for someone else. Sometimes it is for us. And sometimes for both. Do everything because of God. Not for you. Not for someone. Not even for God. Because of God.
I remembered being in Germany last summer. Yi, Joey and I went out to a club to try to get to know a girl we met. We were not allowed into the club because of our attire. The door was slammed in our face. We headed back to the train station and watched as the last train of the night pulled away. Faced with a long walk home, Yi and I grew a bitter. We were emotional and angry. Joey was trying to be the silver lining but we wanted none of that. Half way back to the hostel, we stopped at Dom, the ancient cathedral. As we complained and vented trying to feel better, we saw lightening and a storm quickly approaching. Was this night going to get any worse?! We raced back to the hostel and got there just before the downpour. I think it was around 1:30 am. Looking back, I can see that we went out to that club for God, not because of God. Our skin has toughened a lot since then as we now know people aren’t rejecting us, they are rejecting the Lord if we share the gospel and they don’t want to hear. But it is not about the feeling we experience.
We do not give things away to feel happy with ourselves. We don’t do things for others so they like us. We do not feel angry when a door gets slammed in our face. We just shrug and say, “because of God.” “I did what He asked me to do because of everything He has done for me and because of who He is.” If our attitude is “because of God,” then we know that it isn’t because of us. It’s not about us. It is about Him.
Sometimes I forget that it isn’t about me. Sometimes I forget the reason behind doing something…anything…everything! Will I get the satisfaction? Will I be rewarded? Will I be condemned? And what provokes me to do anything?
Remember that series Noel taught last year called “Because of God”? Thankfully, he forwarded a segment of it today as a reminder:
"Carson Daly is Wrong" - http://www.rivwarehouse.com/resources/messages/1024x768/noelheikkinen_carsondaly.mp3
Here's what I said:
1) As you know, we as a church support tons of families during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season
We bring them meals and presents and all that
2) Well, one year, Grace and I signed up to help a family with kids the age of our kids
My wife tends to go nuts with stuff like this
And she totally hooked them up
Food
And presents
Not just for the kids, but for the parents, as well
She went all out!
So, we loaded our van up with her stockpile and headed over to their apartment
When we knocked on the door, the family was so excited to see us
We brought the goodies in and hung out for awhile
Our kids were running around with their kids
3) When we left that day, we saw how God touched their lives
As well as ours
Here was a family, the size of ours
Jammed into a one bedroom apartment
And they were thankful to have it
4) We went in because of God
And through us, God blessed them
And through them, God blessed us
5) But it doesn’t always play out that way
There are so many of you who have done the same thing we did
You loaded up your cars with tons of goodies
And you headed over to support these families in need
And when they opened the door
They took your stuff
And slammed the door in your face
Unappreciative
I know this happens because we hear the stories every year
Some of you have delivered meals to homes that are better furnished than your own
With TVs bigger than your own!
And if your focus was on them
You would say
“They don’t deserve this!”
You would grow bitter
And if your focus was on yourself and feeling good about it
You would feel slammed
And you would never want to step out again
Because it didn’t make you feel good at all!
6) But that’s the key!
It’s not “for you” or “for others”
It’s because of God
Because you are his plan to reach the world!
7) That’s why the focus must be on God
When people slam the door in your face
You can walk away
Knowing you have done the good that God has planned in advance for you to do
And that was the plan
And if that was the plan
The slammed door was the plan
And you can rejoice in that
So, sometimes the lesson is for someone else. Sometimes it is for us. And sometimes for both. Do everything because of God. Not for you. Not for someone. Not even for God. Because of God.
I remembered being in Germany last summer. Yi, Joey and I went out to a club to try to get to know a girl we met. We were not allowed into the club because of our attire. The door was slammed in our face. We headed back to the train station and watched as the last train of the night pulled away. Faced with a long walk home, Yi and I grew a bitter. We were emotional and angry. Joey was trying to be the silver lining but we wanted none of that. Half way back to the hostel, we stopped at Dom, the ancient cathedral. As we complained and vented trying to feel better, we saw lightening and a storm quickly approaching. Was this night going to get any worse?! We raced back to the hostel and got there just before the downpour. I think it was around 1:30 am. Looking back, I can see that we went out to that club for God, not because of God. Our skin has toughened a lot since then as we now know people aren’t rejecting us, they are rejecting the Lord if we share the gospel and they don’t want to hear. But it is not about the feeling we experience.
We do not give things away to feel happy with ourselves. We don’t do things for others so they like us. We do not feel angry when a door gets slammed in our face. We just shrug and say, “because of God.” “I did what He asked me to do because of everything He has done for me and because of who He is.” If our attitude is “because of God,” then we know that it isn’t because of us. It’s not about us. It is about Him.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Hair Brush Experience
HAIR BRUSH EXPERIENCE
For those of you who do not know Beth Moore, she is an outstanding Bible teacher, author, nationwide speaker and is a married mother of two daughters. I have watched her on occasion and can relate to this woman’s walk with the Lord. I feel like I could have written this experience she had on an airplane. God asking us to do something that seems absurd—will we do it? Here is her experience:
April 20, 2005, at the airport in Knoxville, waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you. You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego.
I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man. I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face.
As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport...an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us Somewhere? There I sat, trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him.
Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man. I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing. I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, please, no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!" There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane.
"Then I heard it..."I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair." The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, "God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this, Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man.
"Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. "That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair." I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?" God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:17) I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself.
Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?" "May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that." At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?" At which point, every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Longlocks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, "If you really want to."
Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hair brush."
"I have one in my bag," he responded.
I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull. A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair.
Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair.
I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while. The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's.
His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's. I slipped the brush back in the bag, went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees, and said, "Sir, do you know my Jesus?" He said, "Yes, I do." Well, that figures, I thought.
He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride."
Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it.
Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft. I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?"
I said,"Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!" And we got to share.
I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted because you're hungry, when you're serving in the wrong place or if it is time to move on, but feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need and he will fill it!
I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way...all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that old man He sent that old man to me.
John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly shouting, "Wow! What a ride! Thank You, Lord!"Be Blessed!
Beth Moore
For those of you who do not know Beth Moore, she is an outstanding Bible teacher, author, nationwide speaker and is a married mother of two daughters. I have watched her on occasion and can relate to this woman’s walk with the Lord. I feel like I could have written this experience she had on an airplane. God asking us to do something that seems absurd—will we do it? Here is her experience:
April 20, 2005, at the airport in Knoxville, waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you. You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego.
I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man. I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face.
As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport...an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us Somewhere? There I sat, trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him.
Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man. I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing. I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, please, no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!" There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane.
"Then I heard it..."I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair." The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, "God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this, Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man.
"Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. "That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair." I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?" God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:17) I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself.
Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?" "May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that." At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?" At which point, every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Longlocks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, "If you really want to."
Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hair brush."
"I have one in my bag," he responded.
I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull. A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair.
Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair.
I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while. The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's.
His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's. I slipped the brush back in the bag, went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees, and said, "Sir, do you know my Jesus?" He said, "Yes, I do." Well, that figures, I thought.
He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride."
Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it.
Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft. I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?"
I said,"Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!" And we got to share.
I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted because you're hungry, when you're serving in the wrong place or if it is time to move on, but feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need and he will fill it!
I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way...all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that old man He sent that old man to me.
John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly shouting, "Wow! What a ride! Thank You, Lord!"Be Blessed!
Beth Moore
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Parable #2: The Cost of Being a Disciple
Luke 14
25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
31"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
Hold your donkeys, Jesus. Are you teaching hate? What is this all about? Hate moms and pops? What about the 10 commandments? It states to honor your parents and that is what our society does—honors ma and pa. What you are saying is highly offensive to our culture.
And what is this nonsense about carrying a cross?! That is how the wicked are killed by the Roman Empire! I would not choose to be jeered and ridiculed while carrying the weapon in which I would die on. Why would I ever want to carry a cross…especially for you?
I know you are referring to the ampitheater that fell down a couple of years back (AD 27). How embarrassing. Is that what you are saying it takes to be your disciple? I don’t want to be ridiculed and embarrassed. I don’t want to hate my parents. And that last statement about giving up everything I have to become your disciple?? Give me one good reason I ever would want to do that, Jesus?!
Okay, so I’m sure you caught on that these aren’t my feelings. When I read this parable, I put myself in the audience and tried to imagine what it was like to hear Jesus say these things. I then checked my concordance which filled in some holes.
Simply stated, Jesus is not asking anyone to hate their parents. He is using “hate” as a hyperbole.
Just for fun, let’s review what a hyperbole is:
hy·per·bo·le (hahy-pur-buh-lee)
noun, Rhetoric.
1. obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”
Jesus is trying to make a point. In comparison to the love we should have for Christ, the love we have for others will be less. This would have been highly offensive to the Jews who followed the 10 commandments. And Jesus is offensive because….???? Because He is trying to change the thought process. Jesus is radical.
Jesus also wants people to know that it will not be easy to be His disciple. I have experienced that first hand. No, I have not been killed or my life threatened for my faith. However, I have had friends and family members reject my new found “crazy Christian” beliefs. “You shouldn’t be taking all of this so seriously,” I heard more than once. As easy as it wasn’t, my life has improved a great deal. There is a cost to count. There is a cross to bear. The hope and love given in return is more than enough.
The part I struggle with is that last part about giving up everything. Back in the day, the disciples did not really give up all they had. It’s true that they immediately left their jobbys to follow Christ but they still had homes which were visited. What the disciples did do was share all that they had. Jesus is saying, “you can not love possessions and be my disciple.” We must share what we have, not to the point where we are needy but not have our fists gripped tightly around what is “ours.” Truthfully, it’s God’s. I know I joke about that sometimes but nothing you have is really yours at all. Remember that if God asks you to give it up. We are like Golloum from Lord of the Rings (I can see me sitting with my fingers tightly wrapped around my laptop, gently stroking the keys whispering, “my pretty.”). God does not ask us to give up everything we have. He asks us to share it. Will I let it go?
Two things stick out in my mind. Both are told by Noel (my pastor) but I found the story online and made some minor changes.
The Necklace
Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl. One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic necklace priced at $2.50. How she wanted that necklace, and when she asked her mother if she would buy it for her, her mother said, "Well, it is a pretty necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what. I'll buy you the necklace, and when we get home we can make up a list of chores that you can do to pay for the necklace.
How Jenny loved that necklace. She wore it everywhere: to kindergarten, bed and when she went out with her mother to run errands. The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower. Her mother had told her that it would turn her neck green!
Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would get up from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny her favorite story.
One night when he finished the story, he said, "Jenny, do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said.
"Well, then, give me your necklace."
"Oh! Daddy, not my necklace!" Jenny said. "But you can have Rosy, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit, too. Okay?"
"Oh no, darling, that's okay." Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Good night, little one."
A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you."
"Well, then, give me your necklace."
"Oh, Daddy, not my necklace! But you can have Ribbons, my toy horse. Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is so soft, and you can play with it and braid it and everything. You can have Ribbons if you want her, Daddy," the little girl said to her father.
"No, that's okay," her father said and brushed her cheek again with a kiss. "God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams."
Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling.
"Here, Daddy," she said, and held out her hand. She opened it and her beloved necklace was inside. She let it slip into her father's hand.
With one hand her father held the plastic necklace and the other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside of the box was a real, genuine, gold necklace. He had had it all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap stuff so he could give her the real thing.
So it is with GOD. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so he can give us beautiful treasure. Isn't God good? This made me think about the things I hold on to and wonder what God wants to give me in its place.
God offers us the real thing but will we give up the fake stuff to receive the real? Did I just give you another parable?
Noel: Give so you feel it but not so it hurts.
Questions? Comments? Dirty Words?
25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
31"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
Hold your donkeys, Jesus. Are you teaching hate? What is this all about? Hate moms and pops? What about the 10 commandments? It states to honor your parents and that is what our society does—honors ma and pa. What you are saying is highly offensive to our culture.
And what is this nonsense about carrying a cross?! That is how the wicked are killed by the Roman Empire! I would not choose to be jeered and ridiculed while carrying the weapon in which I would die on. Why would I ever want to carry a cross…especially for you?
I know you are referring to the ampitheater that fell down a couple of years back (AD 27). How embarrassing. Is that what you are saying it takes to be your disciple? I don’t want to be ridiculed and embarrassed. I don’t want to hate my parents. And that last statement about giving up everything I have to become your disciple?? Give me one good reason I ever would want to do that, Jesus?!
Okay, so I’m sure you caught on that these aren’t my feelings. When I read this parable, I put myself in the audience and tried to imagine what it was like to hear Jesus say these things. I then checked my concordance which filled in some holes.
Simply stated, Jesus is not asking anyone to hate their parents. He is using “hate” as a hyperbole.
Just for fun, let’s review what a hyperbole is:
hy·per·bo·le (hahy-pur-buh-lee)
noun, Rhetoric.
1. obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”
Jesus is trying to make a point. In comparison to the love we should have for Christ, the love we have for others will be less. This would have been highly offensive to the Jews who followed the 10 commandments. And Jesus is offensive because….???? Because He is trying to change the thought process. Jesus is radical.
Jesus also wants people to know that it will not be easy to be His disciple. I have experienced that first hand. No, I have not been killed or my life threatened for my faith. However, I have had friends and family members reject my new found “crazy Christian” beliefs. “You shouldn’t be taking all of this so seriously,” I heard more than once. As easy as it wasn’t, my life has improved a great deal. There is a cost to count. There is a cross to bear. The hope and love given in return is more than enough.
The part I struggle with is that last part about giving up everything. Back in the day, the disciples did not really give up all they had. It’s true that they immediately left their jobbys to follow Christ but they still had homes which were visited. What the disciples did do was share all that they had. Jesus is saying, “you can not love possessions and be my disciple.” We must share what we have, not to the point where we are needy but not have our fists gripped tightly around what is “ours.” Truthfully, it’s God’s. I know I joke about that sometimes but nothing you have is really yours at all. Remember that if God asks you to give it up. We are like Golloum from Lord of the Rings (I can see me sitting with my fingers tightly wrapped around my laptop, gently stroking the keys whispering, “my pretty.”). God does not ask us to give up everything we have. He asks us to share it. Will I let it go?
Two things stick out in my mind. Both are told by Noel (my pastor) but I found the story online and made some minor changes.
The Necklace
Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl. One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic necklace priced at $2.50. How she wanted that necklace, and when she asked her mother if she would buy it for her, her mother said, "Well, it is a pretty necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what. I'll buy you the necklace, and when we get home we can make up a list of chores that you can do to pay for the necklace.
How Jenny loved that necklace. She wore it everywhere: to kindergarten, bed and when she went out with her mother to run errands. The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower. Her mother had told her that it would turn her neck green!
Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would get up from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny her favorite story.
One night when he finished the story, he said, "Jenny, do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said.
"Well, then, give me your necklace."
"Oh! Daddy, not my necklace!" Jenny said. "But you can have Rosy, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit, too. Okay?"
"Oh no, darling, that's okay." Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Good night, little one."
A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you."
"Well, then, give me your necklace."
"Oh, Daddy, not my necklace! But you can have Ribbons, my toy horse. Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is so soft, and you can play with it and braid it and everything. You can have Ribbons if you want her, Daddy," the little girl said to her father.
"No, that's okay," her father said and brushed her cheek again with a kiss. "God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams."
Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling.
"Here, Daddy," she said, and held out her hand. She opened it and her beloved necklace was inside. She let it slip into her father's hand.
With one hand her father held the plastic necklace and the other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside of the box was a real, genuine, gold necklace. He had had it all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap stuff so he could give her the real thing.
So it is with GOD. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so he can give us beautiful treasure. Isn't God good? This made me think about the things I hold on to and wonder what God wants to give me in its place.
God offers us the real thing but will we give up the fake stuff to receive the real? Did I just give you another parable?
Noel: Give so you feel it but not so it hurts.
Questions? Comments? Dirty Words?
God is Just
“God is just. He knows when people aren’t treating us right. He knows when we’re doing the right thing, yet the wrong thing keeps happening to us. He knows when we’re operating with integrity, and yet somebody comes along and cheats us out of what should have been ours. God sees every time you’ve been taken advantage of. He sees every time you turn the other cheek and let an offense go by. He sees every time you forgive, or attempt to restore a broken relationship, even though it wasn’t your fault. God sees all that. And He’s promised to take all the evil that’s come into your life, turn it around and use it for good.” J. Osteen
"Prayer is the most important tool for your mission in the world. People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers. Like an intercontinental missile, you can aim a prayer at a person’s heart whether you are 10 feet or 10,000 miles away." R. Warren
"Prayer is the most important tool for your mission in the world. People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers. Like an intercontinental missile, you can aim a prayer at a person’s heart whether you are 10 feet or 10,000 miles away." R. Warren
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Thoughts by Eric Fields
John 10:7 and 9-10
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it in full."
I’ve been studying a lot about business lately and there’s one adage that I learned to embrace. It’s that you make your profit when you buy something; not when you sell it. If you take that thought a bit deeper you understand that it’s when and how you make a decision to do something that determines success or failure.
What this verse refers to is more than salvation to me; it’s referring to life! It says that if you’ll go through the gatekeeper (seek him before you make a decision), and allow him to open the gate (wait on his timing), you’ll find pasture (abundance).
I try not to make decisions based on emotions or desires anymore. Those types of decision rarely if ever work out for me. I always try and take time ask God for direction before I make a move. I can honestly say that I’ve seen doors miraculously open, and some close in ways that I didn’t understand. But He’s never failed to give direction one way or the other whenever I’ve asked him!
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it in full."
I’ve been studying a lot about business lately and there’s one adage that I learned to embrace. It’s that you make your profit when you buy something; not when you sell it. If you take that thought a bit deeper you understand that it’s when and how you make a decision to do something that determines success or failure.
What this verse refers to is more than salvation to me; it’s referring to life! It says that if you’ll go through the gatekeeper (seek him before you make a decision), and allow him to open the gate (wait on his timing), you’ll find pasture (abundance).
I try not to make decisions based on emotions or desires anymore. Those types of decision rarely if ever work out for me. I always try and take time ask God for direction before I make a move. I can honestly say that I’ve seen doors miraculously open, and some close in ways that I didn’t understand. But He’s never failed to give direction one way or the other whenever I’ve asked him!
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Jen & Nate's Testimony
“Wow, so much has changed that when I think about it I am in utter amazement at how powerful God is to save us from ourselves,” my friend wrote to me.
I hadn’t spoken to her in over 10 years but she was my best friend in grade school. Myspace brought us back together. Oh, Myspace…reuniting long lost friends (sigh). Jenny sent me her testimony a couple of weeks ago and I asked if I could share it. She said absolutely. I love people’s testimonies and hers is yet another one I have learned from. She had her first child when we were sophomore’s in high school. She married my step-brother’s best friend and moved from Charlotte to Grand Rapids. She was addicted to alcohol and contemplated leaving her husband…but why summarize when Jenny can tell her own story….
“It really brings tears to my eyes, because if it weren't for God I know our family wouldn't still be in once piece, under one roof. Thankfully He stepped in right on time! That's one thing about the Lord; He's always on time -but never early!
“So you know Nate and I were together way back. January 7th, 1995 to be precise. We were a pair. Life was about having fun. Partying and getting high. Nate proposed to me while we were both in a drunken stupor. We were destined to fail and end up divorced, but Nate had always said he would never in a million years let me divorce him. He made me promise several times that I wouldn't bail on our marriage and do that to our kids. I did, but only to appease him, really. I didn't know the first thing about commitment.
“Fast forwarding a bit; Nate and I moved out to the GR area about 9 years ago (1998). Ashley and Haleigh were just turning 6 and 2. Kenny wasn't even a thought yet. We had been together for 3 years, but had only been married at that point for 1. The honeymoon seemed to be over! I worked more than full time managing an employment agency which demanded most of my time and energy. I was so busy that when we moved I had Nate find a daycare for the girls. (after being home with my kids now for over 8 years I can't believe I trusted anyone other than myself to do that!) But he did a good job.
“He had actually hired one lady, but then as he was driving through the country by our new place, he saw a sign for another Daycare and was drawn to it. He knew he needed to check it out. So he did and he immediately sensed something different about the woman who ran it. (we now know it was the Holy Spirit that just pours out of this family). He hired her on the spot.
“Nate worked long hours, too and was out of town often so there wasn't much time for family. We weren't in church, yet. I was a believer, but not a follower. Had no idea about God and was still very confused mostly about all of the strange teachings from the Mormon church that I had attended for a few years in Jr./high school. Nate was claiming atheism. My dad had given him the nick-name ‘heathen-dog.’
“We were heading in two different directions. Working all the time and away from all of our old partying friends. (which I now see was God's handy-work) I barely had enough time for the girls, let alone Nate and he was in the same boat. At the time I was a pack and a half smoker and I drank nightly in order to just sleep at night. I tried to hide this from Nate, because he grew up with an alcoholic and was afraid I was heading down the same path. I probably was since I had resorted to trying to hide it from him. I was stressed out and missing my friends and realizing this man of mine was driving me mad! My way of dealing with things was always to run when it got tough, so I decided I was going to leave him and move back home.
“I had looked for an apartment and was in the process of figuring out how to do it when this daycare provider of mine asked me to go to church with her. She had no idea of the turmoil I was in. She actually had argued with God all day about asking me! She later told me she was so intimidated by me, because I seemed so professional and put together. HA!
“Well, the weird thing was that I said yes! I went and it was a Spirit-filled church. A little different from my Mormon background where you didn't even dare cough in church. Worship was silently bowing your head there! Not clapping and lifting your arms. But I clearly saw that these people had something that I wanted. Joy! They didn't even need alcohol to sing and dance and get happy! They cared more about their experience with God than anyone’s opinion of them or how they looked. It was the beginning of a brand new life.
“But when I got home and told Nate he was furious and for about a year the enemy used Nate in particular to try and discourage my walk with God. He hated the changes in me. Even though I was more attentive to him and the kids, even though I was instantly delivered in prayer one night from the addiction of alcohol and 2 packs a day (if you even knew what a source of tension that was, you would see how huge of a miracle that was.) and even though I was actually learning how to love Nate like I never thought I would, he was still absolutely dead-set against going to church and even tried to keep me from going on many occasions. He even took the starter out of the car one Sunday morning!
“In the middle of all of this we had Kenny. I had complications early on in my pregnancy that caused me to have to take a leave from work. Nate felt very strongly that I should stay home with the kids at that point. After all, we would have 3 in daycare and that would be steep. But besides a few bumps in the road I still kept in touch with Cindy (the daycare owner that led me to Christ) and continued my bible study with her and her husband.
“When Nate did come to church he would sit with his arms folded and a scowl and would barely lift a hand when someone wanted to shake his hand and greet him. But I kept praying for him. I kept literally envisioning him walking through the doors of the sanctuary and falling to his knees at the altar, fully surrendering to God. And one day God broke through his tough exterior and something changed ever so slightly. But eventually he did end up at that altar, fully surrendered. And that was amazing! All of our kids have followed and all of them have been baptized in Jesus' precious name and filled with God's Spirit. (They are great kids, Holly. I was such a selfish, defiant and mean-spirited kid. I can't believe how wonderfully different they are from me at their age!)
“Anyway, now Nate is the first one to humbly fall on his face before God at the altar and the last one left praying at the end of service. I now consider every single day and every one I encounter as an opportunity to serve Christ and minister to others who may not know him. I fail constantly, but try to make every day count somehow. We've had our share of obstacles and struggles, but they've all brought us closer to each other and to God. I know I gave you a double testimony by including Nate, but he's my other half and they're kind of intertwined ;o)
“So as you can see; God has been the glue in our marriage and family and He's the only one who can take any credit for that success. ('cause Nate and I are a couple of the most stubborn people alive.)”
“It really brings tears to my eyes, because if it weren't for God I know our family wouldn't still be in once piece, under one roof. Thankfully He stepped in right on time! That's one thing about the Lord; He's always on time -but never early!
“So you know Nate and I were together way back. January 7th, 1995 to be precise. We were a pair. Life was about having fun. Partying and getting high. Nate proposed to me while we were both in a drunken stupor. We were destined to fail and end up divorced, but Nate had always said he would never in a million years let me divorce him. He made me promise several times that I wouldn't bail on our marriage and do that to our kids. I did, but only to appease him, really. I didn't know the first thing about commitment.
“Fast forwarding a bit; Nate and I moved out to the GR area about 9 years ago (1998). Ashley and Haleigh were just turning 6 and 2. Kenny wasn't even a thought yet. We had been together for 3 years, but had only been married at that point for 1. The honeymoon seemed to be over! I worked more than full time managing an employment agency which demanded most of my time and energy. I was so busy that when we moved I had Nate find a daycare for the girls. (after being home with my kids now for over 8 years I can't believe I trusted anyone other than myself to do that!) But he did a good job.
“He had actually hired one lady, but then as he was driving through the country by our new place, he saw a sign for another Daycare and was drawn to it. He knew he needed to check it out. So he did and he immediately sensed something different about the woman who ran it. (we now know it was the Holy Spirit that just pours out of this family). He hired her on the spot.
“Nate worked long hours, too and was out of town often so there wasn't much time for family. We weren't in church, yet. I was a believer, but not a follower. Had no idea about God and was still very confused mostly about all of the strange teachings from the Mormon church that I had attended for a few years in Jr./high school. Nate was claiming atheism. My dad had given him the nick-name ‘heathen-dog.’
“We were heading in two different directions. Working all the time and away from all of our old partying friends. (which I now see was God's handy-work) I barely had enough time for the girls, let alone Nate and he was in the same boat. At the time I was a pack and a half smoker and I drank nightly in order to just sleep at night. I tried to hide this from Nate, because he grew up with an alcoholic and was afraid I was heading down the same path. I probably was since I had resorted to trying to hide it from him. I was stressed out and missing my friends and realizing this man of mine was driving me mad! My way of dealing with things was always to run when it got tough, so I decided I was going to leave him and move back home.
“I had looked for an apartment and was in the process of figuring out how to do it when this daycare provider of mine asked me to go to church with her. She had no idea of the turmoil I was in. She actually had argued with God all day about asking me! She later told me she was so intimidated by me, because I seemed so professional and put together. HA!
“Well, the weird thing was that I said yes! I went and it was a Spirit-filled church. A little different from my Mormon background where you didn't even dare cough in church. Worship was silently bowing your head there! Not clapping and lifting your arms. But I clearly saw that these people had something that I wanted. Joy! They didn't even need alcohol to sing and dance and get happy! They cared more about their experience with God than anyone’s opinion of them or how they looked. It was the beginning of a brand new life.
“But when I got home and told Nate he was furious and for about a year the enemy used Nate in particular to try and discourage my walk with God. He hated the changes in me. Even though I was more attentive to him and the kids, even though I was instantly delivered in prayer one night from the addiction of alcohol and 2 packs a day (if you even knew what a source of tension that was, you would see how huge of a miracle that was.) and even though I was actually learning how to love Nate like I never thought I would, he was still absolutely dead-set against going to church and even tried to keep me from going on many occasions. He even took the starter out of the car one Sunday morning!
“In the middle of all of this we had Kenny. I had complications early on in my pregnancy that caused me to have to take a leave from work. Nate felt very strongly that I should stay home with the kids at that point. After all, we would have 3 in daycare and that would be steep. But besides a few bumps in the road I still kept in touch with Cindy (the daycare owner that led me to Christ) and continued my bible study with her and her husband.
“When Nate did come to church he would sit with his arms folded and a scowl and would barely lift a hand when someone wanted to shake his hand and greet him. But I kept praying for him. I kept literally envisioning him walking through the doors of the sanctuary and falling to his knees at the altar, fully surrendering to God. And one day God broke through his tough exterior and something changed ever so slightly. But eventually he did end up at that altar, fully surrendered. And that was amazing! All of our kids have followed and all of them have been baptized in Jesus' precious name and filled with God's Spirit. (They are great kids, Holly. I was such a selfish, defiant and mean-spirited kid. I can't believe how wonderfully different they are from me at their age!)
“Anyway, now Nate is the first one to humbly fall on his face before God at the altar and the last one left praying at the end of service. I now consider every single day and every one I encounter as an opportunity to serve Christ and minister to others who may not know him. I fail constantly, but try to make every day count somehow. We've had our share of obstacles and struggles, but they've all brought us closer to each other and to God. I know I gave you a double testimony by including Nate, but he's my other half and they're kind of intertwined ;o)
“So as you can see; God has been the glue in our marriage and family and He's the only one who can take any credit for that success. ('cause Nate and I are a couple of the most stubborn people alive.)”
I love people's Jesus stories. I'll love yours, too. Please tell me sometime :o)
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