Out of This World

I spent a lot of time this morning reading, researching, meditating etc and out of this the disturbing trend that believers say on the one hand, "we are not of this world" and yet we tend to read the things we read and surf the places we surf and watch the things we watch, justifying it on the basis we are believers and can handle it. How absurd!  We sometimes give ourselves a pass and cross over the line into temptation believing our faith protects us-that we know right from wrong.  When we do this we cross over into dangerous territory because we believers are still very vulnerable.  Knowing this, why do we feel it's acceptable to allow our behavior so close to the danger zone?  Mom reads that book, dad watches that show and the kids see both going on. Top that off with parents actually escorting their daughters to see The Twilight movie. Sounds pretty harmless until you research the teen sub-culture that is arising from this stuff. All of us as parents and grandparents need to get a better grip on what we are doing in our homes and even with our kids in tow. In the world and not of it? We can do better at proving it I think. It's difficult I know. Some of this stuff comes out of nowhere and blindsides us. There are plenty of other times however we seek this stuff out.  Sadly there are too many of us crossing the line these days.

A lot is made lately about making disciples and discipleship programs or even creating a culture for discipleship. The thing is, in my opinion, true discipleship happens passively. When we live right our behavior is an encouragement and an example for others seeking behavior they want to pattern for their own life. I think if we each take a moment and think about who we wish we could be more like, we might begin to see a shift in our behavior patterns. It's something I need to engage in more earnestly and I don't think I'm alone.

Mommy Porn

Mommy Porn; that’s how you’ll see the best-selling book "50 Shades of Grey" labeled when you Google it.  For the record I haven’t read the book nor will I.  I have read excerpts and heard several comments now from women who have read the book.  I also know my wife won’t read it because she knows God wants her to be a godly woman. I’m grateful that she is making a wise choice.   

I’ve heard so many comments about the book.  Here’s a common one from married women: “I read some more of the book and was so horny I had to get a jump when I got done reading.”  So what’s the harm? I suppose most men could care less what your motive is to jump his bones but the thing is you brought another person into your bed.  You see it isn’t your husband that got you aroused-it was someone else, your fantasy.  

I’m overreacting of course-right?  I’ve also heard women say this book is not porn (which is classified as Erotica by the way) because there aren’t any pictures like there are in men’s magazines. This is interesting that most women wouldn’t want their husband reading Playboy but its okay for them to read text-only porn.  Do you know men have access to text-only porn as well?  Its been around for years.  God forbid a teenage boy gets his hands on one of his dad’s Playboys.  That’s just not good and I don’t think any mother would think otherwise.

Now if you think any of what I just said is just a lot of nonsense coming from someone who obviously doesn’t like sex or his wife doesn’t let me set the record straight. I love sex very much and if I may speak for my wife-she does too.  My concern is that there is recklessness in this kind of material and you moms need to come to grips with it. 

Mom’s if nothing else you have a responsibility to raise your daughters to be godly ladies and that is the example you need to set.

A female friend told me this morning that she hadn’t read it yet and she’s curious to know what all the excitement over it is. She said she is waiting for her 14 year old daughter to finish reading it. She had a sense of urgency as I enlightened her a little about what I know about the book.  You married moms have an outlet when you get aroused from a book like this but let me ask you-who is your unmarried daughter’s outlet going to be? 

Show and Tell

God uses our imperfect motivations to bring us close

People came to hear Jesus teach because word had spread of His story-telling, healing, feeding and comforting. He entertained, healed, fed and comforted first.  He met people where they were at-He met their needs.  God uses our imperfect motivations to bring us close.  Once He did that people were open to listening to Him and they wanted to know more. He was drawing crowds. Likewise today the un-churched have little interest in hearing a gospel message until they know what’s in it for them.  That sounds selfish-right?  Not so fast.  We love to tell people “Jesus will meet you right where you are at” but preaching and reaching can be very different. Meeting needs up front is not wrong; it is understanding who it is you are trying to reach and showing them the gospel before trying to teach it to them.  Today if you preach too much about what Jesus can do for you, you get criticized.  If your worship band is responsible for filling most of the seats you get criticized for caving to consumerism.  Either Jesus caved or He simply knew that telling stories (He was an entertainer too), making someone feel better, comforting them and feeding them was going to make a way for explaining why He did these things.  That’s not consumerism-that’s just plain common sense. One of the biggest challenges for churches is to win a person’s time. If that means you have to tell a great story or put on a great worship set then so be it. Jesus Himself knew He had to reel them in before they would be open to His teaching.  Jesus did not however reel them in with false hope and the rewards He spoke of were not all reserved for the afterlife.  To believe that Jesus would not reward those in exchange for their time is absurd…He did...often.

Hebrews 11:6~And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Just Add Milk!

We want what we want and we want it now! 

I got to thinking last night and again this morning that my own personal key to being physically fit and eating a diet of healthy foods is not by avoiding exposure to the unhealthy but rather by looking at my choices as short-lived.  Twice in the last week I had a choice of giving in and eating pizza for a meal because that is what the plan was where I was at.  I decided in both cases to make a healthier meal choice and did so because I realized that whatever choice I would make was only going to be about 30-minutes in duration.  In essence my choice would 30-minutes later leave me with a feeling of guilt or of victory over temptation.  Either way-my choice was going to be but a memory.  My choice was whether or not temptation for instant gratification was going to be allowed to have long-lived consequences or be encouragement to press on and continue to make a wise choice.

My challenges have been foods.  For others, the need for instant gratification comes in the form of alcohol, drugs, pornography, rage, anger-you name it.  The thing is I believe we stand a fairly good chance of victory over these temptations if we look at them as temporary rather than something that can (or will) control our life.  I believe that part of a winning strategy over temptation is coming to grips with the fact that it can be short-lived.  If the temptation is food then have alternative healthy foods on hand.  If the temptation is more of a serious kind such as I mentioned, keep the phone close by with at least a few friends on speed-dial that you have confided in to expect your call in a moment’s notice-and why.    

Just add milk!  Oh-if only all of life was as instantly gratifying as a bowl of cereal…and as harmless.

Clutter

Where are my car keys? Where is my wallet? Where is my phone? UUuuuuugh!!!

Is your outer world a reflection of you inner world? I would have to say that's how it is with me.  Clutter in my life tends to reflect the pace of my life.  When the pace is fast you can pretty much tell by my physical surroundings.  If everywhere I look there is a mess it is usually the result of disorganization mentally, physically or both.  I think that's true of many of us.  We take on so much that we barely have time to think.  We can be plugged into so many things that before long we begin to short-circuit.  Clutter can be defined as anything that doesn't improve you or those around you.  Even our kids can become part of our clutter if we allow it.  We allow (or encourage even) their involvement in so many different activities that it reduces what little free time we have to being a taxi-service and forcing us to handle errands in drive-by shooting fashion.  What's worse is it fragments the family depending on its size.  We end up with family life that can't but rarely share an evening meal together and we wonder why our kids are disconnected from the reality of what OUR childhood was like while we push them into a reality of the here and now.  Clutter affects everyone that comes in contact with it regardless of who owns it.

We need to learn to remove clutter.  We need to unplug from excess.  If an activity is stressing you out to the point it does not bring value to your life in relationships, positively effect your attitude with a sense of well-being it may be time to unplug for a while. Take a look at everything you've been doing day in and day out and begin to rewire and bring order to your chaos.  Stop and smell the roses, take a day off work just because, read a book, take time for your soul.  Find a time of day to talk to God.  Make each day count so you don't spend so much time looking forward to the weekend.  If you consistently find yourself saying, "thank God it's Friday" chances are there is too much clutter in your life and it's time to rewire.  Better yet it might be time to just pull the plug on a few.

Happy Holidays!

I'm taking a few moments during my lunch break to comment on something that just rubs me the wrong way and that is this: Every year at this time the senseless debate over a mere gesture becomes a point of contention and downright (nasty at times) “Dudley Do-Right”-masked indignation.  Heaven forbid a Christian ever greet anyone by saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” lest the wrath of fellow believers descend on them with a correction of ensuing blows to the head or gut.  Good grief!  I’ve even seen checkout clerks who cheerfully wish someone “happy holidays” only to get a nasty response of “Merry Christmas” from someone with a scowl intent only to make a point.  I guarantee you that Jesus looked more favorably upon the clerk than the patron and how ironic.  The Christmas holiday should not be cause for debate and division but of inclusion, happiness and joy.  Rather than take up a self-righteous stance on something that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans, instead donate some time at a homeless shelter or food pantry this season and help someone have a “happy holiday!”

The Dwelling Place

To encounter something, you have to go there.  There's no getting around it-you have to move.  


Last night in our Life group we discussed briefly the busyness of life.  In fact most of us were very tired.  I know that I was after having put in a full day of physical work (not my day job) following minimal sleep left me very fatigued. Fatigue was evident in the others as well.  I could see it in their eyes.  We talked about the Sabbath, sabbaticals...rest.  We talked about the things we should be doing and what we are called to do but our hands are so full of junk that to grasp the important things means to release the junk we cling to.  We can't hold everything in the palm of our hands and so choices have to be made in order to grab on to that which is good.


Our weariness isn't limited to our physical being but our inner-being, our spirituality in spite of the fact that God's dwelling place is with you and me.  This is His choice; it always has been His desire to dwell with man and yet we can't seem to hear Him.  


I look at my phone's calendar app and it's loaded with "do this and do thats."  I can schedule time for even the dumbest of things but where in November have I set aside time with God other than church; I mean real quality time?  Quality time-not the kind where I squeeze Him in but where I actually plan an encounter, a day where I decide the "to-do list" isn't going to make the cut...or anything else for that matter.


The scripture that is working on me this morning are these:


Revelation 21:3~"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.


Revelation 3:20~"Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to Him and eat with Him, and he with me."


A true encounter happens when we leave our laundry list at home.  It happens when we set aside a time with God that has no agenda but to just be in His presence without one peep from a cell phone, the kids-from everything.  The encounter happens when nothing else in our life matters than being alone with Him and that is probably the highest form of worship we could ever give.