Monday, September 29, 2008
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.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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
"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
Thursday, July 17, 2008
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
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
Friday, July 11, 2008
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:
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
Sunday, June 8, 2008
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"
"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"
Friday, June 6, 2008
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."
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
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
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