Falling Down - Revelation 5

You know when we were little children, toddlers, and we learned to walk we spent a lot of time falling down. We actually got good at falling since we did it so much.  But then we got older, more capable and more confident. We ventured farther and farther from the supports and people that held us up and we,, well we wandered down the road away from fathers house. Until we found ourselves falling again. Sometimes its a good thing to fall. 


Darla and I are reading a couples devotional together. We are alternating reading chapters or devotions each day or most days.  In the devotion that Darla read a few nights ago there was a reference made to "worship" and the word that is translated to worship in the New Testament. It was a pretty thought provoking bit of devotional material.


This little thought is coming together a little too hard actually, which usually means I have not completely processed (also fully possessed) what it is I have read or heard.  However what I have heard and read is so provocative that I need to talk a little about it.


I would imagine that nearly everyone who goes to a Christian church attends a service that has some point or time alloted for a practice called Worship.  Maybe it is a Worship service. Maybe it is a song and Worship service. Maybe it is the Word and Worship. Or maybe you just enter into a time of Worship.  I dont know what you might call it, but I dont think that I always do it right based on what I heard read to me the other nite.


Now dont anyone go and get "Jesus knows my heart, and thats what Grace is for, and how you do it is between you and God, etc, etc"  I would agree with everyone, but sometimes I think that we have to really crank up the voltage and let the light shine so it burns through us. I dont mean get down on yourself but I do mean put down the pillows and take the foam off the pipe that we use to chasten ourselves when we need it.


Does the Word do that to you? To anyone reading this? Does it come through so strongly some times that you find yourself somewhere between changing chapters and just putting the bible away.  I believe, for me, I need the Word of God to be exactly what I need and not what I always want (make sense?) So where is this short ( ha ha) thought going?


Well let me start with what I read. I was reading references about worship and spent a few minutes reading Revelation 5 and in two places in this amazing chapter the picture is painted for us of a great, great crowd around the throne and then in an instant the supplicants are compelled to "fall down" and worship.Twice this image is described for us with the last one in Chapter 5 being verse 14 "And the four beasts said , Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever." The Bible in Basic English (BBE) version says it this way, "And the four beasts said, So be it. And the rulers went down on their faces and gave worship".  The awesomeness of the moment, the experience, the One on the Throne was enough to cause this multitude to fall down face first before the Lamb and to offer Him Worship. I am getting the mental and spiritual impression of an intensity in that place and moment that I have rarely if ever experienced (but I have experienced it). 


What Darla read to me the other night was that the Greek translation for the word Worship has some or all of its root in a Greek word that communicates the idea to kiss, like a dog licking his Masters hand.  The forces at work to create that kind of response are massive. You would first have to obey that compulsion to get low. To get down. To fall down before this One and then to minister to him in utter submission with a kiss to His hand.  I think if you let that image cook for a little while in your mind and imagination you will join me in a sense of awe.


Now when is that kind of response easy? When is that kind of response appropriate? What kind of atmosphere is required to feel that kind of attraction? What activities must first be done to be in that place?  I think we view worship as a recreational activity often times.  I have said it before, "the worship service was awesome" or " the worship was a little flat today". Basically what I am saying is that my personal requirements for worship were not satisfied.  That might sound harsh, but if I am really honest with myself and you the reader, I measure the quality of the service by how I feel.  I have worshipped through not feeling well and felt better as a result, but for the most part (and it may be just me) I judge the worship more than I deliver it. 


When the Lord put the salve on my eyes and bound up my wounds and brought me to his dwelling place, I did not want this time to be like other times. I didnt want my faith journey to be an up and down experience.  I had determined that I would rather be cold than hot and then cold and then hot, and on and on.  Like I said I believe my eyes have been touched (to see inside myself).  The tabernacle or dwelling place of my faith is held up by 4 stakes that I drive and keep driving deeper and deeper into the ground of my heart and mind.
1) I must know who Jesus, the Almighty God, really is
2) I must know who I am in Jesus Christ
3) I must have an appreciation and understanding that the Gospel is the only way to come to Christ
4) I must have an understanding that Faith comes first as a Grace gift and then grows through obedience to the Gospel and continues to grow through intimacy and obedience.


Then I must be true to the calling and purpose that God has for my life. 


I said all that to get to this point.  My worship is not a by product of a good song service. It is the adoring expression of love by a once lost and separated being to the only One who could redeem and pay the debts that I had run up against my soul.  Mary was ridiculed for bringing and breaking an alabaster box of ointment and pouring it on Jesus head and beard.  It could have been sold for the poor. Yes no doubt it could and the poor would have been blessed. But this was an offering to the Master. Like a loving and submissive kiss to the hand.  


God doesnt have to do anything to get the kind of worship he deserves from me.  He has already done everything required to have my complete and undying adoration.  I just get caught up in me, thinking about me, about my feelings, about my needs, about me, me, me!  and then I dont think about Him and remember and say like that throng around the throne said, 
"12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying , Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power,be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.14And the four beasts said , Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever".
Some times it is a good thing just to fall down. 

Just A Just Man - Matt 1:19-20

Matt 1

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

The Christmas story is a wonderful and rich account of the birth of Jesus Christ, as told by Matthew in his Gospel.  Beginning with the lineage of the Saviour's earthly parents and then weaving the story of angels, wise men, shepherds, angel choirs and evil kings and the Hope of man lying in a manger.

Scattered in this (and other stories) are interesting and noteworthy bits of information and instruction that are often read over quickly as we take in the large and broad image of the narrative.  That's OK, but every once in a while God will cause a nugget to shine ever so brightly to our eye as we shovel scoop after scoop of the word into our lives.

I believe it is God that causes us to notice these things. It's not that they were not always there or not always valuable for consideration, its just that sometimes we need Him to give us eyes to see.  There is a bit like that in the Christmas story that stops me now. It's not even the entirety of the verses I listed in the title, its a smaller glimmer than that which catches my attention.  For me, when my focus is snatched away like that, I need to stop and take a look. My wife would tell you that I am easily distracted by any red ball that bounces across the room. Probably, but I don't mind (usually) because I have seen and found some pretty neat stuff by bending down to take a closer look.

Aside from Joseph's lineage back many generations we don't know much about this young man other than what these few short verses share. That kind of information gap causes me to pause and think.   It says in verses 19 and 20 some interesting things to me about this man Joseph.   He learned some very shocking news about his bride, then it points out that Joseph was a "just" man and that he did not want to disgrace his young bride publicly, and that he "thought about these things".

It is important that Joseph's scene on this stage begins with this description, that he was a JUST man. It's important because it is this "plumb line" in his life that positions him for his Godly purpose and destiny.  The word Just, as translated in this verse has the obvious meanings that we would expect - upright, virtuous and just.  There is also an implied meaning that I think explains more fully WHY it was Joseph and WHY he reacted in the manner that he did.  The implied meaning is that his (Josephs) way of thinking, feeling and acting was conformed to the will of God.

It has been said by many wise sages, over centuries, in different ways that all that we are is a result of what we think.  Jesus tells us that our hearts contain the fuel for action and the guidance systems for our actions (Matt 12:34 and Luke 6:45). Our thoughts, our minds, our hearts, all of these are somewhat interchangeable conceptually. If I load up my heart with thoughts, they had to pass through my mind so...

So Joseph was identified as a Just Man.  His Thinking, His Feelings and His Actions were influenced, aligned and even conformed to God's will.  That doesn't just happen you know.  Joseph was not born that way.  The lineage doesn't go as far back as Adam and Eve in the story but it does.  Joseph was born in sin and shapen in iniquity.  He struggled with contemporary struggles and the struggles of the generations that were imprinted on his genes, on his family traditions, on his family secrets. He struggled with his personal goals and ambitions and is own fears, doubts and weaknesses.  He was just a man, but he was a Just man.

 I dont want to make this a War and Peace length writing so I will point at some things and you can think about them, research them, and conclude for yourselves. Like I said he wasn't born that way. It took and still takes work. If we back into his Justness and his conformity to God's will we have to acknowledge that in order for Joseph to be conformed he must be aware of, acknowledge and be in contact with the mold or conformer.  I don't know that Joseph knew all of the will of God. Does anyone?  We get wrapped around the axle sometimes because we feel that we need to KNOW and UNDERSTAND everything.  Honestly, if we were given the entire narrative for our lives immediately when we asked for it we would likely be scared to death or reluctant that our role was not more grand or important.

God is wise enough to feed us the food that is convenient for us - not easy for us, but what we can handle.  Joseph had been hammering and bending his life to conform to the Word of God and the Will of God for some time leading up to that night sitting on the edge of his bed in the dark, thinking.   The nugget for me is that even though Joseph was just a man, he was able, through regular and persistent and intentional effort to have at least a portion of God's perspective on this news.

Do we think that he had never heard the Old Testament verse that a virgin shall be with child? Come on.  What do you think he was thinking about? His Justness was pulling the current reality into the light of what he knew of God's word and His will.  He must have been examining the facts and struggling with the question, "Can this be Mary that the scripture spoke of?  What am I in this if that is the case? I don't remember reading anything about a husband or a carpenter?"  I am certain that he wanted to believe that All things were possible, because he had bent his thoughts way ahead of time to think that way, but now, here staring him in the face was a pregnant virgin!

The Angels words to Joseph confirm for me the struggle this young man was in. "the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, say, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife..." 
When we work at conforming our thoughts, our feelings and our actions to will of God some very beneficial things come to us.

1. First we are near to God and his Word.  We dont need to be "found" before we can be instructed. 
2. Next we have familiarity with His voice and in faith recognize it in our prayers, our devotions, our worship, and in our hearts.  
3. Also God can and will speak directly to our fears.  There are few hidden emotions and worries when we are working at conforming to Gods will.  He knows and we know that He knows so why withhold anything. 
4. Lastly (from me lastly cause this isnt all) we have the confidence that is required not only to hear, and to believe but to act.

Did God have to whisper to Joseph along the way to keep him moving in the right direction? Maybe. Probably.  He had to get through the wedding. He had to travel with a very pregnant wife (great with child). He had to find a place to stay in a town that was full to overflowing.  He had to fight back the pride, the probable anger and the questions of "why in a stable?" as he cleaned a space for his bride and his baby. 

The story didnt end there. This Just man was warned by Angels, guided to foreign lands, instructed to return and raise his son in the land of their fathers.  A continued life of conformity to the will of God.  His thoughts, his feelings, and his actions.  There is probably more here but if you have followed me this far,  you deserve to be let go now.  Thanks for your time and reading. God bless you!

Jim

Nothing for me today? - 1 Samuel 3:1 (NCV)

I dont know about you, but there is something a little exciting about going to the mailbox.  I know I am probably weird about this.  How about when you are expecting something in the mail?  This time of year there are often cards and letters and the occasional package that find their way into your mailbox.  Its that kind of potential for joy and surprise that creates the excitement I am talking about.

Another thing about that mailbox is that it is Your Mailbox.  Your neighbors may have one too, but not with your name or house number on it. That baby is there to get your communications. There are occasions, but all in all pretty infrequent, where someone elses mail ends up in the wrong box but that is my/our box.

The mailbox is really a pretty serious thing sitting out in front of our homes.  There are Federal Laws regarding "My Mailbox" (and yours). It is a crime for anyone to take a piece of mail out of a mailbox and not give it to the addressee. The person can be fined and/or imprisoned for up to 5 years. It is against the law to willfully deface, damage or destroy a mailbox. Doing so could incur a fine and/or a 3-year prison sentence. The point is that my mailbox is for the correspondence destined for my home, ONLY!


Going to the mailbox and finding nothing is a little deflating (for me anyway).  I know that there are readers saying, "if I never see another bill in my mailbox that would be alright" or "if the junk mail or political ads didnt come that would be All Right".  Generally though seeing nothing in the box can leave you a little flat. "Isnt anybody thinking about me?" might be the thought. "Did the mailman lose my mail"? " Has the mailman been by yet?" and "Is it some kind of Government holiday today?" Regardless the reason - Flat. 


Wheres all this mail talk leading you are probably wondering if you didnt read the scripture reference in the title. The reference comes at the beginning of the chronical of the Prophet Samuel in the Old Testament.  He was a mighty man of God during some monumental times for Israel. However this story begins at a very dark time for Gods people.  The Prophet Eli had lost his potency and the respect of the people and his children were corrupt. Worse of all the Almighty was not talking to anyone at that time. 


As I thought about writing another entry in this blog I have been struggling for a thought to share.  Its not that I havent read the Word, and its just that nothing seemed to speak to me.  I dont know if that will make sense to the reader, but the Word of God can and does speak to the reader.  It shines a light on to darkened areas. It breaths a refreshing breeze on a weary brow and it showers blessings upon the parched and dry ground of the seekers heart.  The Word of God is alive, but sometimes it doesnt say my name or put anything in my box. 


One day and you think, "well I read in Psalms tomorrow, they always speak to me" and you read 6 or 8 of them and still nothing speaks to you. The next day you go to some solid gold verses, John 3:16, Acts 2:1-4 and of course Acts 2:38,,, and nothing goes into your box. 


There is a grim verse of scripture in the minor prophet book of Amos.  Because of Gods displeasure with His people he tells them that He was going to send a famine, but it would not be a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but hearing the Words of the Lord. At some point, depending how long the mailbox stays empty, we might begin think that a famine of the Word may be why we are not hearing from God.  If we have been disobedient or rebellious toward God then maybe the silence we hear is really because we have left the place where God speaks. What we so quickly forget or maybe never really understand is that even though we may not be where He is, He is always aware of where we are and His arm is not short that it cannot reach us where we are. However, these quiet times can be very difficult.


Its very hard to share a word from the Lord if the Lord is not sharing any Words. I have been here before however.  Often times what I have learned is that when the heavens have the volumn turned down to me it can be attributed to my eagerness to give away what has been shared with me.  There is nothing wrong with sharing, as a matter of fact it is a command. However I can be so eager to take a nugget or a gem and turn right around and post it for everyone to share and then go look for another. Some times things are just for me. Sometimes the Word that I get placed in my heart is meant to work a work in my heart and it will need to stay in place for a time, and not be plucked up and spread around.  


I think where I am now is a place that for some can be frustrating. Especially some of the Type A readers. Not moving forward is moving backwards! Not doing something, anything is a waste of time. It is times like these when my heart is longing to hear and be thrilled by some truth that what I need to do is quite simply be still.  


Being still is not a waste of time and it is not a lack of progress, it is the best way to hear the smallest voice.  I have strained to hear a sound in the woods, to see if what I hear was a deer or something less desirable. But my listening must be done first by staying still and not talking and quieting my inner voices as well.  Concentration on listening is important.  Not letting my mind wander all over but focusing it on the sound, in the direction, wait for another hint about its source. 


So I think that is where I am at now with my blogging. I need to be still and listen for the Master. He will speak and I will hear.  I will not turn away on disgust or anger because my timeline is not considered.  My plans and wisdom have led me down an empty path too many times to listen to that nonsense too long.  One of the worst things you can do when you find yourself lost is lose your cool and start running.  If you are not sure what to do, stay still and wait for your instruction from the Shepherd. See as a Sheep I know the Shepherds voice and if I cant find him, I KNOW that he will come looking for me. Its a promise. 


So the mailbox is empty tonight, but hang in there something fresh is coming. I may sneak in some other peoples writings that I think are good and can edify the reader till the mail is flowing again.  Thanks for your patience and God Bless you.  


Jim 

Move Over Negativity!

Let me just begin by saying that I did not write this (that is quite obvious) but the connection between this business article and some foundational truths regarding our, actions, attitudes and thoughts was for me navoidable.  This article came from the Center for Creative Leaderships monthly newsletter.  I'm fighting a bit of a headache today so this will be my blog-effort for today.  Something original tomorrow, so I am sharing this in the spirit of Spiritual Development.  Thanks!

2 Peter 4:1-9

Galatians 5:22-25

Move Over, Negativity!

Has negativity taken over at work? With the experience of a long, painful recession, the usual level of stress, complaints and worries has ratcheted up for most of us. But research from Dr. Barbara Fredrickson says it's time for a much-needed shift to positivity.

Fredrickson's book, Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the 3-to-1 Ratio That Will Change Your Life, pulls together her 20 years of research on positive emotions. "Negative emotions are contagious, but so are positive emotions," Fredrickson says. "Leaders who cultivate positivity have the chance to tip the scale from narrow, negative thinking to foster broad, innovative thinking and resiliency. This has enormous implications for the productivity of your teams and organizations."

Positivity isn't just about nixing the negative, according to Fredrickson. It requires experiencing and cultivating 10 positive emotions and the patterns of thinking that lead to them: joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe and love.

Here's the short version of how positivity works, adapted from Fredrickson's book:

Fact 1: Positivity feels good. This may be obvious, but it is an essential point, says Fredrickson. The sparkle of good feelings makes you want more, creating motivation to change. But the good feeling is just the beginning.

Fact 2: Positivity changes how your mind works. Positivity doesn't just change the contents of your mind, trading bad thoughts for good ones; it also changes the scope or boundaries of your mind. It widens the span of possibilities that you see. Although this broadened mindscape is temporary, you escape the tightness of negativity and gain elbow room for greater flexibility and seeing the big picture.

Fact 3: Positivity transforms your future. Positivity literally brings out the best in you. It builds resources for the future. However subtle and fleeting, your moments of positivity accumulate and compound over time to build lasting resources for life. You become stronger, wiser, more resilient and more socially integrated.

Fact 4. Positivity puts the brakes on negativity. When hard times threaten to suck you down negativity's downward spiral, positivity applies the brakes and allows you to bounce back. Even in dark times, positivity continues to broaden your mind and build your resources.

Fact 5: Positivity obeys a tipping point. This may be the most stunning and practical fact to emerge from the science of positivity. Effects that are virtually nonexistent at one starting point grow disproportionately large at a different starting point. Most people experience a 2-to-1 ratio of positivity to negativity. But as you raise your ratio above 3-to-1, a transformation occurs. You feel more alive, creative and resilient.

Fact 6: You can increase your positivity. Through your own efforts, you can raise your positivity ratios and tip yourself from languishing to flourishing. You have more control over your ratio than you realize.

Feeling Positive?

Noticing what's good and positive about your work and the world around you is more about choice than you probably think. Positive interpretations of your situation — even the most difficult ones — lead to positive emotions and positive outcomes.

Barbara Fredrickson, author of Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the 3-to-1 Ratio That Will Change Your Life, says that emotions are "highly individualized, depending more on your inner interpretations than on your outer circumstances." She has studied a constellation of 10 positive emotions that, when experienced often and over time, build our resilience and create mental, emotional and physical benefits:

• Joy
• Gratitude
• Serenity
• Interest
• Hope
• Pride
• Amusement
• Inspiration
• Awe
• Love

Fredrickson says to ask yourself: When did I last experience these feelings? What were the circumstances? How could I create more of those moments?

What's your ratio of positive to negative emotions? Take the Positivity self-test and sign up for online tools at www.positivityratio.com.

Everybody Wants Something This Time of Year - Mark 10:36,51

OK, let me just warn you up front this is not going to go in the direction that you think it is. It would be good to write a few words about the true meaning of the Christmas holiday and encourage the reader to not get caught up in the materialism that seems to be on steroids at this time of year, but I wont. At least not any more than I just did. 

No this is going to be a few words on indulgence and wrack your brain for the perfect gift idea. There is an old saying that, "You never look a gift horse in the mouth". Now before Google I would not have understood that saying at all.  I missed the farm by 2 maybe 3 years and thats where all that animal wisdom gets taught.  However Google informs me that the this saying probably originated around 400 AD by St Jerome. Meaning not looking at a gift and judging it for value and not appreciating the spirit of the gift ( old horses likely have worn teeth and older is not as valuable as younger).  Personally I dont like the sounds of that old saying. Who brought that up anyway??

Oh yeah, tis the season to think hard about what you want for Christmas. Think, think, think!!  I did a Yahoo search for 2010 Christmas Gift List and it returned 3.5 million hits. A search for 2010 gift ideas returned 6 million hits. You get the idea, there are a lot of people now-a-days thinking about what would make the best Christmas (or your birthday, wedding, anniversary) gift/present.

The scriptures that I have in the title of this post are both questions that Jesus asks on two different occasions, but its basically the same question. "What would you like me to do for you?"  Think about that for a second.  The guy that has been walking all over Galilee and Judea healing people and causing a stir is asking "what can I do for you?" One response was deemed unreasonable and they requesters were told so. The other was not and it was granted - that he might receive his sight.  I would imagine that a lot of thought went into these requests, even the one that was denied.  Thats the way it is with gifts and gift giving, when someone offers you a gift you really want to think about it. What do I really want?

I think it would be an interesting exercise to see what we would respond to the Master if presented with that question. Im sure that no one would say, " I want an X Box 360 and the new COD game" but some might say  that they would like more money, or a new car, or a different job or a bigger house.  These things are not bad are they, but they might fit more into the WANT category than the NEED category. I know that this wasn't the question that Jesus posed in either situation but like I said lets think, think, think about how we would answer that offer.

What would we want/need that God could give us? Maybe that only God could give us. I could give you a television but I couldn't heal your heart condition.  I could give you that XBox but I couldn't take away your breast cancer.  I could get you an iPad or iPhone but I couldn't take away your fears,doubts,worries or anxieties.  I couldn't give you hope. I couldn't give you peace. I couldn't give you comfort for the inner man/woman. I couldn't save your eternal soul. But

Jesus was Gracious enough and big enough to offer to anyone and everyone that could hear him, "To come unto Me, and I(He) will give you rest. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light"  It wasn't a big flashing sign that said "Limited Time Only", rather he stood up and said in a loud voice COME UNTO ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST!!!!!

I think that I may have said this in another piece, but when the heat of life gets turned up on us a lot of the silly things that we think about or obsess about are quickly boiled away. What is left is the dry salty remains of things hoped for and dreams long gone.  It sounds sad and in fact it is tragic, but in order to get what I really need sometimes I need to have all the crap cleared out. One of my favorite scriptures is found in the small Old Testament book of Malachi. The last OT book before Matthew starts up the NT. It says that God will sit as a refiner and will purify his people (the sons of Levi) and purge them as gold and silver. I have heard and read that a silversmith will sit and watch over the silver that he is refining.The heat of the furnace boils or burns or forces impurities out of the material and they are skimmed off.  The refining process is complete when the smith looks at the molten metal and sees his own reflection on the surface.

 The Apostle said it best when he said , This ONE THING I DO.  There is no easier decision to make than one that has only one right answer. We are however sitting in front of an expensive piece of computing equipment reading this. Probably in a home, or coffee shop or even at our jobs right now.  So things are not as simple as we would like. We have a lot of chaff floating around our heads and surrounding our lives. Chaff, although serving a purpose, is considered a waste material when considering the valuable grain or seed that it once surrounded. The process of loosening the chaff from the grain is called THRESHING. The process of separating the loose chaff from the grain or seed is called winnowing.  The chaff servers a purpose but not the higher purpose of the fruit. In fact it hinders the gathering of each individual seed unless it is removed and destroyed.

My sister works at a street mission and kitchen on the weekends. She tells stories of men and women who have their whole life in a shopping cart. That sleep where they can find space and eat what is available if it is available.  For these souls a lot of the chaff has already been winnowed away. The chaff that clutters most of our lives. And she is there on Sunday's encouraging them, helping them with that day, bringing a meal and some comfort to them.  And she is living the life that reflects the refiners image. St Francis of Assisi said, " Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words". Now let me say I am not calling my sister a saint, neither am I not calling her a saint (at least not in the terms of the Roman church).  What I am saying is this, if we have lived our lives in such a manner that when people look at us they saw Jesus' reflection, then for them, should the question be posed, "what would ye that I should do for you?" by the master ( He is speaking to them! He speaks to all of his creation, and he causes us to be in the right place, and frame of mind to hear him too) the response I think would be quick and it would be clear. They would say, "I want what they have"!

This may seem like a long bit of writing to get to this simple finale, and it probably was. Let me dig at the wish lists a little bit before put the last period on the page.  What heads the top of our list? I can tell you this of a certainty that the Master is coming in your direction and He is coming as He has always come. With healing in His wings, with a Word of recovery for the halt, blind and lame. He has already purchased for us the peace that some of us so desperately desire. He has paid our debts and all of the handwritings and ordinances that were against us He nailed to His cross. This Abundant Saviour is coming in your direction and if you can muster the courage and faith to call out to Him. Call out His Name, like the blind Bartimaeus and say, "Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me!" and if you have to, cry out all the more loudly.

We will only have a life that reflects the Masters image and character if we are real about what it is we need from him. If we could do this world saving thing on our own, well, we wouldn't need a Saviour would we. We would need an action plan and an ad campaign and a website and some merchandise (oops sounds a lot like church). Before the Christmas holiday make a gift list for yourself but have only one gift giver in mind.  Be real. Be genuine. Be ready for the question you have been waiting for and then, receive from Him. It wont be forced on you, but if you can muster a bit of faith, then receive from Him. That confidence will grow. Faith is alive and when we exercise it , it grows and grows.

Merry Christmas everyone and the Peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.

Count Your Blessings Psalm 7:17

Apostolic Pentecostal Church - Wateloo IA  Circa 1999

"I will give thanks to the LORD because of "............. 

When I was found by the Lord back in 1978 (actually he found me a lot earlier than that, I just quit running away in 1978) we attended church in Waterloo at the Apostolic Pentecostal Church on the corner of West Second and Wellington Streets.  It was an old church when we moved in, I think I must have been about 6 yrs old  when Pastor start the church, and when I got there it was a very old church building.

You know what though, that building and the assembly that occupied it under that APC banner had a reputation among, at least my family members, that if you stepped inside for a service you were going to be IMPACTED by the Holy Spirit of God. It was an airtight lock that Jesus Christ was going to find room right beside you, between you and Brother and Sister Bell (My sister Karen) and their family, and He WOULD talk to you by name through that entire service.

How did these guys know what songs to pick for the song service? How did the pastor know about the issues that we were facing in our lives that day? How did he know about my secrets? My hurts and pains? My longing for more than I had in my parched spirit and soul? What was going on in this place??

Well if you "know" Jesus then the answer to the questions I asked is clear.  What was going on was we had come into the very real presence of God. Coming in to a place where the fallible, very human Christians were making them selves available to the Savior and His plans for us that day. This won't cost you anything extra, but its interesting how we can become so critical of people and put them into such ugly categories AFTER we know the Lord.  That is pure irony to me. After we "know" the One the makes us Righteous by His Mercy, Grace and Love, we then look about and say such petty and immature things. Maybe not everyone does this but then again maybe everyone does, God knows. I will tell you reader, I have been one of those people looking around the beam in my eye and spying the motes in the congregation. All my good works, well that has to count for something right. Right?? Yep - filthy rags. Thank God that He is God and I am not!

 Which brings me full circle to Count Your Blessings!  In that old church we used to sing an old song, "Count your blessings name them one by one, Count your blessing see what God has done, Coouunnnt your blessings, Name them one by one. Count your many blessing see what God Has Done.

So today do yourself a favor and write down  just 3 things that you can and will tell God (out-loud) , "Thank you for this blessing!" sometime today.  A little coaching now. Dont write The Snow or My Job or Our Church or my Family,,,,, unless you/we are truly thankful. You will know what those things are. Being honest always brings about the most remarkable results in our lives. Honesty with Jesus has the most transformational effect.  New creation kind of stuff.

Have a good Sunday and thanks for your time.

PS,  I have put a poll up if you would like to participate and help me make this a more valuable read. I really want to know what you think.

Its Winter Time and Its Time To Insulate -

Well tonight, if the forecasts are accurate, we will get our first real dose of Iowa Winter. The forecast is calling for first sleet and freezing rain and them high winds and snow. We are under a blizzard warning till tomorrow night. Oh well, Its all good.

Except its now that the little leaks that this old house has become glaringly obvious and the condemning voice in my head asks, why didn't you get the windows caulked?, or covered with plastic? or ,,,,,,,,?.  Luckily my lovely bride had a stroke of brilliance and bought some reasonably cheap insulated curtains and we have put them up behind our mini blinds.  The house is quite dark at all hours of the day now. We could film episodes of Dark Shadows in here I think. More importantly the wind is not making its way into the house. Good Job Darla!!

Insulation does basically  the same things during all seasons.  It doesn't make your house any warmer, neither does it make it any cooler.  It can be credited with Keeping your house warmer or cooler, but it will not create these environments. What it does is it separates the inside of the house from the climatological experience going on outside. Insulation is a separator. It is a barrier. It is specifically intended to keep things apart. 

Some things insulate better than other things , depending on the purpose. Electrical wire is insulated completely differently than an attic ceiling.  But both methods can do their jobs quite well. 

So what does all this chatter about insulation have to do with a Christians life? Well insulation is part of our lives whether we know it or not.  We try to insulate ourselves from evil influences 2 Cor 6:16-18 , we are and  were called out to a separated life style by the Gospel and the Grace of God.  The Christians life is or should not be one of isolation from the world. Truly we would insulated from the ungodly influences, but we would also be unable to fullfil the commandments of God to reach for the lost and to bring the Good News (If we have any) to the people sitting in darkness. No, we must be insulated from the world but we cant be isolated from it. Insulated so that popular fads and culture dont entice us away from the narrow path that leads to life.  We must insulate our selves with the promises and faith in Christ so that the heart ache and misery of sojournuing in this strange land does not overwhelm our hearts and our calling. 

As a Christian, I must have something to offer. Something different and worthwhile if the Gospel is to have any effect in my life beyond my life. I cant afford to allow the outside to mix with inside, or in the very least I have to work against that mixing.  Jesus reminded his disciples that a little leaven, leavens the whole loaf (or a little yeast added to the dough will make the whole loaf rise)  What was the warning purpose of that statement? It only takes a little bit of the wrong thing to impact and perhaps ruin the whole thing.  There is risk in being different but there is reward that comes only with Risk.  That is a fundamental investment principle that the greater the reward the greater the risk that goes with it. 

There is another type of insulation that people can wrap them selves in. Although it can take many forms, its purpose is always the same, to keep people away from us.  To not allow anyone to get close enough to interact intimately.  This kind of insulation is most often a defence mechanism. I know that in my life I have wrapped myself at times unknowingly.  Slowly and over time the insulation is wrapped around to cover over all the bare and vulnerable parts. This insulation is anger. 

One of the management principles that gets drilled into your head in corporate America is that the Intention of an action is not a consideration when compared with the Impact of that action. The meaning is probably clear but let me say a couple of words in explanation. Before we say or do anything, it is the responsibilty of a person in leadership, not only to check their own motivation and intent but also to more closely and carefully consider the impact of thier words and actions on others before they "let the arrow loose".

I think this is a good principle for Christians too.  I know in my own life, I sometimes think that because what I have to say is scripturally right (by my private interpretation) that speaking my mind is acceptable and let the chips, as they say, fall where they may (thus saith the lord).  I dont think that this is scripturally accurate however. In the least it is a journeyman's use of a very sharp instrument and the hearer could very well bleed to death as a result (metaphorically of course). If that should happen ask yourself that question about intent and impact.

Lastly let me speak from my own experience on this idea of insulation.  One of the most effective insulation materials that a person can wrap themselves in is Anger. The insultation of Anger will be demonstrated to those around us by one of two ways, in most instances.  As Wrath, or externally demonstrate and manifested anger OR as Sullenness a brooding ill humor or silent resentment. This sullenness is the silent or oblique communication of stay clear and walk wide around me. I Do Not Want To Talk!

Im no psychologist by any means, but I am 51 years old and I think that I am pretty self reflective.  And after falling down as many times as I have in all these years you start paying attention to what it is that trips you up and you get, You Have To Get, pretty honest with yourself about what you see, hear and learn.  People that love us will likely not lie to us about our insulation if we ask them, but believe me we will lie to our hearts, minds and souls about our state because, well because we are human. In my darkest hours of life, when I searched for meaning, purpose, joy, hope, and relief my greatest inhibitor to finding these things was the wrapping of Anger that I had meticulously encased my self in.  Putting something on yourself, intentionally or unintentionally seems to make it harder to shed somehow.  There were some days that I was sure that I could not have gotten through at all unless I held up not a shield of faith but of sullenness and presented to anyone and everyone a clear message that I was in possession of a wrathful club behind this shield if you dare to venture too close. 

How do we shed this coating of life draining and relationship damaging insulation? Well for me I have always had to follow just a few steps.

1. Acknowledge that no matter why (if I can remember) I am angry the result is too destructive to maintain.
2. If I am unwilling or unable to see this angry covering then I have to ask someone who knows me and give them free license to tell me the truth. This will not be easy because we have likely scared everyone near us into keeping silent (think about that for a second).
3. Then I have to pray. I have to repent. I have to apologize and I have to release to God the cause of my anger and my desire for separation or even for vengeance.
4. Lastly, I have to let others in to help me recieve my liberty. Anger has roots that wrap and hold down. Who can help us?  The body of Christ is designed for that very ministry.

I know I have rambled on far too long again. I am sorry for wearing out the reader. Let me close with this one  scripture. "What will you gain, if you own the whole world and destroy yourself?" Mark 8:36 Contemporary English Version. 

You Are What You Eat - Mark 7:20-23,29

Mark 7:20-23, 29

Over this past summer I was afflicted with an illness. The illness would be hard to explain in this space and I already write more that most people want to read in one sitting already.  Suffice it to say that my illness was throughout me, top to toe, inside to out.  I am very pleased and thankful to say today that I am quite a new man. Am I healed? Well that is another interesting question. Healed yes, but not completely or forever without risk of relapse.  The extent and the duration of my health (inner and otherwise) is dependent on a number of variables.

Many times people, who have been sick, when they become better or are healed if you like, forget that state very quickly and end up living the very life that they led up to their calamity. So if I were to be asked am I healed I would most likely have to answer that my life is completely different today than it was 5 months ago.  I am a new creature, by the Grace of God and the care and support of my family and friends.  My ongoing health depends on those very same things.  I could too easily be quite sick and negotiating with death on the terms of my departure and his possession of my soul should I wander too far from the things that I needed to do to have the health that I enjoy today.

Lets me be clear about something.  I experienced a very physical disease and it controlled my physical self, but my spiritual self was also quite sick and in need of a deep healing.  The journey from ill to well was and is marked with many lessons for my whole life (physical and spiritual).

One of the changes that I was helped to make in my physical life was to the kinds of things I put into my body - food and drink.  The title of this devotion is a very old proverb or axiom. In a book from 1826 an author whose name I cant pronounce wrote, "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are".  His meaning was to tie the physical condition of a person to the diet that they regularly partook of.  The truth of this saying is still valid and perhaps more so today given the abundance of things that are advertised and sold to us as "food" but that are really chemicals and processed forms of foods that bear no likeness to their original form, and in some cases are in fact toxic rather than nutritious. Im not trying to be a food Nazi but I am quite serious about this food thing.

Anyway every good thing that we eat and drink is nothing more than fuel for this amazing machine called the human body. Down to the smallest cell what we take in is translated into the building block materials to continue this human life. Too much of somethings is bad and not enough of somethings is bad. For instance going on a low or no carb diet could be very, very bad for someone who does or might suffer from depression, because carbohydrates are one of the building blocks for the neurotransmitter Seritonin. And thats the way the body works everything is made out of something. The wiring in our bodies, the messenger systems, the coverings, the levers and pulleys.  Everything is made out of something and that something comes from what we put in our mouths and consume as "food".

The scriptures that are at the start of this devotion, to me show a stark contrast between something coming out of someone who has taken in only junk and someone else who has taken in things wholesome and nutritious.

How do these evil defiling things come out of a person? Where did they come from? What building blocks were taken in to assemble an evil thought or murder or foolishness?  Somewhere during the day this person was unconcerned with what went into their lives and that carelessness manifest itself in the list of things that can and do come OUT of a person. This idea of the outside affecting the inside is pretty easy to understand.

Part of this new way of eating for my wife and I includes trying hard to avoid processed food.  The challenge is that when you avoid or exclude processed ingredients or additives the food that you buy or make just doesn't have much of a shelf life.  A loaf of wonder bread can site in the bread box for days and even weeks.  It will get hard and dry before it starts to turn green. Most of the things that extend shelf life are in fact chemical in nature and, well not to be too dramatic, they can be toxic to humans.  In the least they are not helping us attain health and well being.

A lot of what we eat we eat only because it tastes good. There you have to tongue, that unruly member, controlling the entire body and the life that the body experiences.  Taste is important but taste alone can be a trap.

Ok nearly finished. On the other hand the last verse in the title shows that something quite different came out of another person. What came out was evidence of faith, it was evidence that they had taken into their body and life things that led them to life and not destruction.  Some of the things that she took in may have been bitter to her and hard to tolerate, but she knew she needed to have them so in they went.  Some things may have seemed a waste of time because their evidence was slow in coming, but she knew she needed them so in they went. Some things might not have made a lick of sense to her, like seven dunks in a puddle (an old sermon reference) but she knew that she needed them.  She needed them for that moment she was faced with.

Asking was not enough. She needed to persevere through the pain that the first answer might have raised and drawing on the deep storehouse of grace and patience and reverence that she had accumulated she gave out of herself again, " True Lord, but the dogs under the kings table eat the scraps that the Kings children throw on the floor".  That response was the key to unlocking her great lifes desire. Jesus said, "because of this saying, go thy way, the devil is gone out of your daughter."  I dont think she asked again. I dont think she wanted clarification. I dont think that she wondered or hesitated. In fact I can see this woman turning and gathering up her garments and running back to her house to see the thing that the Lord had done.

Becareful what goes into these bodies of ours. Remember we take things in through the eye gate, the ear gate and the mouth gate.  Lets get hungry for the pure Word of God, no artificial sweetners added or needed.  Lets get serious about pushing away from the table where things might taste good but are not good for us. We can do this. We may need a new hunger and new tastes but those things come as we take them in. The old will lose its sweetness and it will no longer satisfy when we ask of God bread and meat from his Word.

Proverbs 30:8 "give me only my daily bread" NIV

A Steady Diet of Kryptonite - Mark 7:5-15

My kids were great comic book fans and readers. They knew (and still know for the most part) the storylines and the histories of the characters in their favorite stories.  How they became who they are, who their enemies were, who their allies were and what were their strengths and weaknesses.  Superman was and is a standard hero figure and much loved comic book figure. Humble and tragic beginnings, selfless devotion to his calling and purpose, just in time saving powers and a fatal weakness that few know about. Unfortunately, some did know.

Mark 7:5 "And the Pharisees and scribes kept asking [Jesus], Why do Your disciples not order their way of living according to the tradition handed down by the forefathers [to be observed], but eat with hands unwashed and ceremonially not purified?" 

This is where this devotion starts.  The religious establishment was looking for something to hang on Jesus. Some failing or flaw that they could exploit and show Him to be a fake or blasphemer or in the very least no different than any other "sinner" of the day.  They (the religious establishment) were rabid to make His Word and His Teaching of none-effect. Here they attack the behavior of His disciples, thinking that they would only do what they had been instructed or taught by their teacher. And clearly this behavior showed a complete and utter disrespect for the traditions of the day, that were older then this man Jesus and his band. 

The story of Superman includes the discovery of a fragment of his home planet Krypton, which was destroyed by a horrific natural disaster.  The unfortunate thing is that these fragments had the ability to take the powers away from Superman and make him like everyone else - vulnerable to the attacks of evil.  The plot twist of why portions of his home world would be toxic to him is interesting from a spiritual perspective (at least to me its interesting).  Obviously the whole of the planet was not toxic because the people of that place thrived and prospered. Yet small portions of it had the effect already described. Interesting.

Its at this point I will try to turn away from the comic toward the seriousness of the here and the now.  Jesus quickly responds to these religious experts and teachers of traditions. He says that Isaiah called it dead right when he prophesied that this people would honor God with their lips but their hearts would be far from Him. And in vain (this is a sobering statement) they worship Me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Laying aside the commandments of God, they hold to the TRADITION of men, like washing pots and cups and hands and many other similar things as they (the religious establishment) do. 

I can almost hear his voice raise a small bit in volume and focus as he says, "Full well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your own tradition." There is a very distinct difference between a tradition and a commandment.  A tradition is something that is passed on or given up/over from person to person, whose origins are not necessarily certain or even correct.  They get passed on so many times and with such fanfare or reverence from teacher to student that they have a mock-aura of authority, but they do not have authority when stood up in comparison to a commandment.  

A commandment is a an order, command, charge, precept, injunction that which is prescribed to one by reason of his office. The key difference is WHO is giving the instruction, not so much the WHAT that is being instructed. The  words of a police officer have and rightfully carry much more weight than do those of a civilian.  The words of a General have more authority than do those of a Sargent in the military. Authority comes from office not from tradition. And that is where the Kryponite comes in.  There is just enough of the home planet (the authority) to cause you to pay heed to its presence but not enough Authority to make it healthy. In fact it has now become toxic. I heard one time of a wife that killed her husband over several months by sprinkling a little bit of arsenic on his powdered sugar donuts that he loved for a breakfast snack.  No one donut was toxic but over time this poison accumulates and finally one day a threshold is breached and death comes. 

Later in this chapter (verse 13) there is another sobering statment made by the Chief Authority. He told these religious leaders that their teaching of warped and semi-true commandment/traditions had Made the Word of God of None Effect.  In other words they had rendered void the Word of God and stripped it of its power and authority.  Think about that a minute.  It was still the words of God but because of the traditional teaching of some, its power had been drained away so that these words, the words spoken by God, were no different in their power than those of mere man who has no authority to decree a commandment.  The power of life is replaced with a slow incremental dose of Kryptonite robbing the hearer of faith, hope, healing and power. 

I should say I am not accusing anyone in any church or organization of doing this with malice and forethought (although some do these things with both malice and forethought). I am however saying that what we need is not tradition or historical interpretation translated into tradition, but the pure word of God. The whole Word of God not just a part. 

Jesus by this time has turned his attention away from these teachers of tradition that were trying to trip him up.   Now he turned to the people who had been gathered around listening to this exchange and he said plainly and clearly to them the heart of the matter - the reason for the teaching washing and cleanliness in the former testament of Moses.  He said, "Hearken unto me everyone of you and understand. There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man has ears let him hear me."

The tradition was a shadow of the truth, but the Commandment in its wholeness has power and authority. There is no way that we can have power and authority in our lives as Christians if we do not read the Word of God and take it deep into our hearts.  We must be discerning hearers of the Word so that we are not snared by a false tradition. We can take the Word our selves and craft a pleasant sounding tradition but it is no different than those if this story. They are just words with no power or authority. Living diligently according to the traditions of our own creation or those of other men will not make us right. Our sincerity will only make the Word of God of none effect in our lives. THINK OF THAT!  The more we believe our tradition the harder it will be to lay it down in favor of the Commandment and liberating Truth. 

Do we have something that we believe deeply? I mean so deeply that we are living and teaching it others? Then we need to be sure that have fully submitted it to the Master to prove it against His Commandments. I dont want to sincerely believe a tradition and in the end sincerely be lost. 

Let me close now with this. Read Psalm 119 to get a feel for what a heart that is hungry for the commandments of God is like.  No tradition for that writer, just the Word of God! Just the Precepts of God! Just the Commandments of God!  Just the Laws of God!!

Psalm 119:23 NIV

I told you my plans, and you answered.

Now teach me your decrees.