2011

A new year. A new time for beginnings. I hope to write more here.

It can’t be tel't, it can only be felt

Someone  made this statement--

"It is a mystery as to why the plainness of "Jesus is God" is not present in scripture;"

I replied--
The mystery you speak of can only be known through revelation.

Matthew 11:25-27 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

All truth is made known to us as a gift from God called revelation. That is why Jesus often proclaimed "he who has ears to hear, let him hear". It also stands to reason that there will be some who don't have ears to hear--at least not yet. That's why the invitation is often given by our Lord--to see who has revelation going on.

One of the reasons Jesus told the people not to say anything about Him at various times seems so that He could have folks around Him who were hearing God* (or as I might say, are fixin' to be exposed to the unlimited favor and irresistible grace of God revealed through Jesus) and not just those seeing the signs like getting fed and healed and delivered--as important as those signs are to identify Him as the One. You can always raise a crowd of followers when you meet their physical needs—the idea of Jesus wanting to know who were being spoken to helped him to minister to those who are hearing.

If that makes any sense

1 Corinthians 12:3 ‘Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.’--my words here "by revelation."

Peace

Freedom In Christ

I wrote this in reply to the statement—“For all the ministry that goes on in the Church, we seem dogged by a lack of FREEDOM in Christ”

I have seen some whom I have led to faith in Christ experience freedom but certainly not very many.

There is a pattern of sorts (certainly not a formula) where true freedom is found.
Freedom is conditional. Jesus’ quote about freedom is often not complete. It is conditional, it contains an if-- John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The freedom Jesus describes is found only in abiding in Him. Being completely sold out, living in, and participating in Him.

The first disciples of Jesus left their nets behind—they did not drag them along with themselves, they even left their relatives behind. The disciples of the Baptist had to leave John behind and to follow after Jesus. Matthew got up and left all behind and followed Jesus. I believe most do not find the freedom they desire is because they have not left all. We have been sold a bill of goods which says ‘you can follow Christ and serve yourself’ when we are told by our Lord that friendship with the world is enmity with God—we cannot serve God and mammon, etc. We are told that Christ wants to be a part of our lives when in fact He wants all of our life—100% of it, not just the convenient spots. We hang on to our material attachments and then wonder why we’re not experiencing the freedom Jesus promises and in fact provides.

John 8:33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

There needs to be an awareness that we are indeed in bondage. Unless people know they are in bondage there will be no yearning for freedom. Unless one is free how can they themselves proclaim freedom? Too often we are talking about freedom through our cell door and hearer knows it.

I find many Christians want to have the best of both possible worlds, to live a life dictated by the flesh and asking God to bless that life.
Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
A yoke can be an ‘old friend’—broken in just right, comfortable around the neck, sitting in just the right position on our calloused necks.

“St Paul's cry of liberation from his own sordid past of persecuting and witnessing the killing of Christians” was only possible because he stopped persecuting and killing Christians and lived a new and converted life—a life which Paul required of those who would call themselves followers of Christ. The apostle writes to the devotees in Ephesus: “With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

Jesus said “I will make you fishers of me”—He will make us into something which we are not. He will provide the net, He will provide the proper environment to find fish, He will even provide the fish.

You said--“I am moved to begin to seek to understand and to live the Truth of being set free in Christ Jesus”. I am too. I know that true freedom is found only in the presence of Jesus. Living in Him 24/7. Devoting myself to Him and Him alone. Finding that best place, not in the activity of Martha but in the simplicity of Mary—sitting at the Master’s feet.

To borrow a text from the Vedas--
Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.32):"O Lord, the intelligence of those who think themselves liberated (free) but who have no devotion is impure. Even though they rise to the highest point of liberation by dint of severe penances and austerities, they are sure to fall down again into material existence, for they do not take shelter at Your lotus feet."

I hope this made some sense.
Peace, Jim

Preaching

It is the devotional life of the monastery lived out in the world. Bonhoeffer said that Luther’s actual rebellion against the world was not when he entered the monastery but when he left it and re-entered the world armed with the Gospel of ‘Costly Grace’.
That is the preaching—that is what brings conviction to those who are of the world, those in the vast ocean of ignorance. Captives in Kali-Yuga—this age, this zeit-geist. The appearance of real devotional life--bhakti--to Jesus in the midst of a world of ‘Cheap Grace’.

The apostle writes to the devotees in Ephesus:
“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

My 5 day crash course in KRSNA Consciousness.

ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness—brought to the West from India by a Vedic guru called A.C. Prabhupada. It’s goal was and is that the whole world will become Krishna Consciousness or aware of Him.

As some may know, my sister became a devotee, (one who is devoted to devotional service) a bhaktin a few years ago. She waits for initiation—when she will be given a spiritual name which will describe her soul—how she really is without material coverings which her guru will see and draw out from her in service to Krsna.

I am a devotee of the Lord Jesus Christ. A bhaktin as well. I have been initiated and anointed by the Lord Himself—His Spirit infuses me with truth and light. My identity is Yesu Dasa—servant of Jesus, the person I really am without my clay enclosure. I am not this body—their popular teaching, “it’s no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me.” I gave myself the name—I was asked about it and said anyone can be Yesu Dasa, anyone can serve Jesus. The devotee sitting next to me said “I can be Yesu Dasa” and I replied of course.

When I was packing I questioned which Bible to take, my New Living Translation or my new testament in my favorite version New English Bible. I brought the New English.

Thursday I shared a feast with 8 devotees, 5 had been initiated by their guru, SdG—an early disciple of Prabhupad. I was thinking about initiation and beginnings and even reminded of my own believer’s baptism in a cowpond some many years ago.

I went back to the house thinking about initiation. I picked up the NEBible and began reading 1 John 2 and came upon these verses—
“You, no less than they, are among the initiated; this is the gift of the Holy One, and by it you all have knowledge.” 2.20 and “But as for you, the initiation which you received from him stays with you; you need no other teacher, but learn all you need to know from his initiation, which is real and no illusion."2.26,27

So I’m bona fide—a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, initiated by Christ Himself as He has done for 2,000 years.

I have also been through the chain of disciplic sucession from spiritual master to student.
1 John 1:1 "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us."NLT

I was asked if I “believed that Jesus was God?” I said yes. I went on to say that I couldn’t find the exact place where that is made known in the Scriptures but that it can be known by revelation or ‘realization’ as they know it. God makes Himself known only by revelation through His Holy Spirit.

The Lord really blessed my time with them. I was able to casually talk about Jesus and was heard.

peace, Jim

What's going on

I've been dialoguing with some Krsna devotees. I am praying that the Lord Jesus Christ will shine through me. I am conversing with a few and becoming friendly with some older devotees--the same age as myself--the 60 somethings. I share my love of Jesus openly with them, they become friends, and I pray that Jesus will be revealed to someone through my own feeble and sometimes foolish devotion to the Lord Jesus.

peace

Interesting similarities

[Bhagavad-gita. 9.11]"Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be."

John 1:10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Disqualified?

1Corinthians 9:24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. NLT

I really like what Paul has to say here. Especially the shadowboxing reference. This life of following Christ is real—it is not virtual, not some undoable ideal, not some fantasy island. It is real and it is serious—a Jamaican Rasta once said to me ‘Rastafari is a serious ting, man’—Discipleship with Jesus is a ‘serious ting’.
I run with purpose, I train with purpose, for that high calling.
I want to avoid disqualification from obtaining the prize.
Could it be possible that somehow I (or anyone of us) should become disqualified?

JFK

So today it's 45 years since JFK was killed.
I guess I was in 8th grade. Walter Harms and I were the flag guys. We put the stars and stripes up in the morning and took'em down and folded it each afternoon around 2:55.
I was in class when the announcement came that day. Walter and I were told to lower the flag to half-staff (I used to call it half-mast and then was told that only applied to ships and boats) and to leave it that way until we were told differently.
We left school early that day.
The whole thing really made an impact on me as I'm sure it did on all who went through that time.

Record Dow drop

For those who are anxious or worried about Wall Street--

This Psalm speaks when the economy dives.

Psalm 121 (New Living Translation) A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?

2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!

3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.

4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.

6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.

7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.

8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

The thought presented was--

"Well, the original point seems to be that he wants to believe but cannot bring himself to do it. That requires more response from him. I have been meeting a lot of poeple like this and I have read many a quote from men like Ghandi. There is something about Jesus and His teachings that you cannot ignore and pull at you...but there is something about the church and the people within that tends to make it hard to reconcile this amazing figure in the Bible and or less than amazing subculture."

I’m going to try to keep what I am thinking as simple as possible.

I believe that the problem you are talking about here is that the Church tries to do the calling of people into discipleship and it cannot do so. Only Jesus can call people into discipleship “Come and follow me” He said. The Church has the duty of proclaiming the Word and the call of Jesus clearly—which often she fails to do (clearly, that is). The dispensation of grace without any corresponding action of faith in obedience to the call. Bonhoeffer called it ‘cheap grace’—grace without a price, without costs. The Church says—“say this prayer and all will be well”. Jesus says “follow me and learn to die, follow me and I will make you…”.

What was the effect of Jesus call on the early disciples? They got up, left all behind and followed—‘we have left everything” they said to Jesus. The call of Christ demands a response—either yes as in Matthew’s case-he got up and left his table or no as in the case of the one who said ‘first let me go and…’.

"You say you cannot believe? You can't believe as long as you disregard or flee some part of Jesus command to come. First obey the call to come and you will find that faith comes with that first step.

Remember that only the obedient have faith and only those who believe obey. You cannot have faith as long as you will not take that first step. This is NOT a work which creates faith but one is given a situation where one can have faith. The point is to get into such a situation so that faith is true faith which reveals itself as obedience to the call." Bonhoeffer

Hear Jesus’ call—clearly (the responsibility of us preachers) and respond and the way of discipleship begins.

Peace, Jim

Overcoming temptation

John 13 :1 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. NLT

As I was reading this some weeks ago I noticed this--
"Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God"

The temptation to think of oneself too highly--the Soul (psuche) exalting itself over the Spirit (pneuma)--is common to man and therefore it would be a temptation the Son of Man would also experience.

What better way to escape temptation than to humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and to take on the role of a slave. Jesus humbled Himself and once again overcame the temptation.

Philippians2:3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. NLT

It's called SideB--click for link

A little about myself, what I believe and my choice to follow Christ as a celibate Christian. I purposely do not call myself a gay Christian even tho’ I am same sex attracted. Paul says that ‘if I am in Christ that the old me has passed away and that I have become a new creation in Christ’. I am definitely not ex-gay, just new and different.

Well, in the past I have found myself examining, reexamining and evaluating things in the light of scripture. I see the Leviticus/Deuteronomy verses which are often used to label homosexuality as an abomination, and to bash GLBT people over the head with, as part of the ritual laws which are not in effect today. As a matter of fact I see Jesus doing away with those ritual laws in His dealings with 'sinners’ in the Gospel accounts of His life. The touching of lepers, His defense of His disciples eating ‘corn’ on the Sabbath, healing on the Sabbath, also Peter’s vision of clean and unclean foods and Paul’s rebuke of Peter for trying to revert to Old Covenant legalism in Galatians 2. I find Jesus more concerned with religious people judging others and the attitudes of the disciple's hearts, and divorce than He was with the sins of Sodom which He certainly was aware of. Frankly His silence on that subject seems to be quite important to me in light of the amount of ranting much of the church does on the subject of homosexuality.

My reading, and I emphasize my reading of the New Testament, however, shows me that Christ followers are to abstain from all forms of sex-straight and gay alike-outside of the man/woman marriage (from the beginning) ideal, and that chastity/celibacy is the rule for non-married believers.

Since this is my understanding of the scriptures I live it for myself, only you can decide how to live out what you believe. I guess I have taken the Henri Nouwen approach to my sexuality and have chosen celibacy. Let me add that I have not regretted that decision--I have found great fulfillment and love in my chosen life of celibacy. I do not think that a person's sexual orientation is chosen nor do I believe that it is something which is changeable.

I have read some of the modern theology concerning re-interpretations of the texts in question including:

• Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay And Christian In America by Mel White
• Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus & the Bible by Nancy Wilson
• New Testament and Homosexuality by Robin Scroggs
• Freedom, Glorious Freedom by John J. McNeill
• Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality by John Boswell
• What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality by Daniel A. Helminiak

These texts leave me with more questions than they answer and frankly I am not totally convinced that their results conform to long held and accepted biblical hermanuetics. I will not use eisegesical methods to prove my point.

That being said I find that the Church today has been very hateful and untruthful in its approach to my fellow GLBT brothers and sisters. FUD (fear, untruthfulness and deceit) have no place in the church and its approach to the GLBT community. I also know that FUD helps fill the coffers and helps others feel self-righteous and holier than thou which makes for filled pews and big church membership lists. The Christian church needs to be open and welcoming, to all who would come. Jesus said 'whosoever will may come' and who are we to say everyone but you or them or even me. Welcoming does not mean affirming.

Most of the last 10 years of my ministry has been to the forgotten and to the marginalized. I have lived my life as an example of what God can do in a life offered to Him. I have and will minister to all God sends my way with no pressure to live as I do or to force people to change into my image of what is good or godly.

I put no time limit on change. I simply lift up Jesus Christ and allow Him to do the drawing, the changing. The Holy Spirit is more than able to confront and convict others of their need to change, repent, or whatever you want to call it.

As I have said often, Jesus is able to deal with each one of His own and if the servant stands or falls it is up to the Master. Paul admonishes believers in Philippans 2:12-13 "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

I work out my own salvation as God shows me how, I live my life as I see it shown to me through the scriptures. That means to take the Sermon on the Mount very seriously. That includes not judging others in their walk with our Lord, and it most importantly includes loving each and every person I meet as Jesus would love them--touching the 'unclean' (as some might call them), loving the outsider, the hurt, the castaways.

It also means to me that I am to seek justice-love put into action in the social realm-for those who have no voice. I support equal rights for everyone regardless of social status, economic state, marital status, gender identification, etc. I long to see a church which will lift its voice for justice and loving treatment of GLBT folks.

peace Jim

Lesson From a Message Board

I asked this question recently on a message board--

"Just wondering how often you use stuff from the message board here in your sermons. Or how helpful is the day to day stuff you learn here in your preaching?"

My own answer to my question--

"I find a lot of things here. Mostly about myself which necessarily means it ends up in my preaching. Often the discussions and the points raised cause me to pause and consider and re-consider what has been said.

I have been forced to examine what I believe, I have repented more than once as a result of something I ‘saw’ from this message board.

I am driven to my Bible and I must do as the Bereans did--
Acts 17:11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

I also find that revelation will come as a result of what someone else has said. That the Lord will speak through this message board and drive me to search for the truth of what being a Christ-follower fully means.

Some things are easy to share--the fun of a photograph of four dozen pairs of shoes laid out in symmetry and color coordinated. Other things from here are hard to tell, the pain filled story of someone (Anyone) feeling abandoned and lost because the church has misplaced her Compassion and has taken it out on Anyone.

The hard stories are needful for my people to hear. Now I know that ya’ll probably don’t have any homophobic people in your congregations, but I have. I need to hear and be touched by the hard stories. Jesus demands we tell the hard stories—so the Good News will continue to be good.

Hardly “divulging confessional secrets” except that it is my own confession which I willingly divulge in my preaching. If I can admit that I have been wrong about something the folks will have courage to repent as well.

This message board abounds with wisdomfull things.

I need all the wisdom I can get and I’m gleaning the corners of this field and am being well-fed.

peace"

Reflections from a fishpond

I wrote--"Another one of those spontaneous, in situ revelations.

I have a small goldfish pond in my front yard and I like to spend some time out there watching the fish and dragonflies and other critters who live around that place.

I usually feed the goldfish a few times a week—somehow they seem to know when it is time to eat, I think they feel the vibrations as I walk up to the edge of the pond.

Anyway a few years ago I was feeding the fish and one of them was blind—she/he had cataract looking eyes.

Again anyway, whenever I would sprinkle the fish food into the water the other fish would come around the food and begin eating. The blind fish would also show up but usually never got anywhere near the food even though its mouth would be making all the proper moves in order to eat but it never really connected with dinner. I would watch that fish and be completely filled with pity and compassion for it so I would purposely drop some food right in front of the fish so it would get something to eat.

One day as I was feeding that fish the Lord spoke to me and said ‘Jim, you are just like that poor fish! You expend a lot of energy, go through the motions, your mouth going and going, trying to get something but left on your own you come up empty and hungry. If it weren’t for Me dropping just what you need in front of your blinded eye face you would starve to death.’

Of course He was right. I realized then and now that if the Lord had not provided for me on a daily basis I would be starving and lost and undone. What a loving Father I have, One who provides for all my needs and is the source and provider of my daily bread. Oh the riches of His mercy and His goodness toward me."

Steve said--"Jim, you're right on about us starving if it weren't for the grace of the Lord dumping stuff in our laps.It makes me wonder, though... can't we learn to sense the vibrations of the Master's footsteps and look in the right direction?"


I replied--"Of course we can learn that, actually we must learn that. That’s what discipleship is all about.

Getting to hear and know the sound of the Lord—whether it be the sound of His voice, or His certain sounding footsteps, or His scent in our noses, or even to recognize His shape or His shadow, even we aren’t seeing too clearly. I have friends (the ones I know well) that I can see 100 yards away and I know it’s him or her.

I have to learn--
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, (Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; KJV) because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. NLT

I have to observe Him--
John 15:15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

I have to imitate Him--
Matthew 10:25 Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master.

I have to be so infused with the learning of Him that ‘it is no longer I that lives but Christ that lives in me’--
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

This prepares me to recognize Him in whatever way He chooses to reveal Himself to me at any one particular time. Often the Lord comes to me in ways which if I did not know Him in some of His own peculiar ways I might miss Him. I might miss His approach."

Remembering June 6th

Remembering June 6th 1968

A voice of faith and reason fell silent.

Bobby we hardly knew ye!

"We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times. We've had difficult times in the past. And we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it's not the end of disorder. But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings that abide in our land."

(Interrupted by applause)

"Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people. Thank you very much."

(Applause)

Robert F. Kennedy - April 4, 1968 on the assassination of Dr ML King




Also remembering June 6, 1944
my Uncle Joe--my Dad's brother,
killed at Normandie on D-Day while liberating Europe
from the Nazi's.

Thanks Uncle Joe

My rights!!

Some random thoughts--

As Christ-followers what rights are we allowed to keep? I hear a lot of talk about the rights we have—happiness, peace, boundaries, love, self-esteem, and others.

Doesn’t the Gospel teach that when we are in Christ we forfeit our own rights and our own lives as well?

Luke 14:25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. 28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost.

“No one should be surprised that they cannot come to believe so long as, in deliberate disobedience, they flee or reject some aspect of Jesus' commandment (to come). You do not want to subject some sinful passion, an enmity, a hope, your life plans, or your reason to Jesus' commandment? Do not be surprised that you do not receive the Holy Spirit, that you cannot pray, that your prayer for faith remains empty! Instead, go and be reconciled with your sister or brother; let go of the sin which keeps you captive; and you will be able to believe again! If you reject God's commanding word, you will not receive God's gracious word. How would you expect to find community while you intentionally withdraw from it at some point? The disobedient cannot believe; only the obedient believe.”- Dietrich Bonhoeffer - from Discipleship p65-66 Fortress Press

"...it could well prove to be a major turning point in our life if we would ask ourselves if we really do intend to be life students of Jesus. Do we really intend to do and be all of the high things we profess to believe in?” Dallas Willard. Adapted from The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering our Hidden Life in God. Reprinted in The Christian Century, 1998.

Too often we want to get out of this cross carrying business. We protest-
'I have rights! I have the right to stop turning the other cheek, I have the right to be angry, I have the right to go my own way and live my own life.'
We look to be rid of what God has given us to endure—

“Perseverance, translated literally, means: remaining underneath, not throwing off the load, but bearing it. We know much too little in the church today about the peculiar blessing of bearing. Bearing, not shaking off; bearing, but not collapsing either; bearing as Christ bore the cross, remaining underneath, and there beneath it - to find Christ. If God imposes a load; then those who persevere bow their heads and believe that it is good for them to be humbled - remain underneath! For remaining steadfast, remaining strong is meant here too; not weak acquiescence or surrender, not masochism, but growing stronger under the load, as under God's grace, imperturbably preserving the peace of God. God's peace is found with those who persevere.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer - from A Testament to Freedom 291 from A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer Carla Barnhill, Ed., HarperSan Francisco, 2005

2 Corinthians 1:5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ… 8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. NLT

Spring Is In The Air

So spring is here in Tennessee.

The dogwoods are flowering and the redbuds have peaked. I've got some irises ready to open and this is the first year I've had 5 tulips.

Passover and Orthodox Easter are almost here as well.

Once again I'm reminded of deliverance and resurrection.

I thank God and our Father for sending His only Son for us.

He Is Risen, Indeed

So Christ emerges victoriously from the tomb.

He has conquered sin and death and hell!

He is our Champion!

Revelation 1:18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. NLT

A great day!

It was a beautiful day today here in Tennessee.

I called pastor friend-who is also a best friend-David, and asked him if he wanted to go with me and cut thorns.
I'm fashioning a crown of thorns for the cross on the altar for tomorrow night's service.

We ended up in a hollow with no cars, people, noise.
Just some crows and turkey buzzards flying above us.
Talking about Jesus, a clear blue sky, feeling surrounded by
a 'great cloud of witnesses'.

Sensing the Spirit at work in our lives.

It was a great day!