Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Of moments in Life that stand out from the rest…

perhaps the most important

were these words from Jesus Christ..

that are John 14:6.

I read it on a headstone.

I was on my morning run,

and as some of you know, it winds through a local cemetery, where I often pause to pray.

This ‘marker’

stood out from all the rest,

and, like being at a rest area on the thruway..

or an info board in a mall..

looking at one of those maps that say

‘You are here’.

I stood there in the 'reality' yard,

by myself,

with some personal frustrations, asking ‘God why?’

A good friend and follower of Jesus Christ once put it to me this way-

I was ‘sick and tired of being sick and tired’.

‘God..’ I asked again

‘why?’

We’ve all been ‘here’

A place where we forget that God sent His only Son to explain just that.

To offer His hand as your personal guide, saying

‘Come.. I am, and will be with you always’.

I know at times we can't simply accept this ‘Gift’..

and want to figure it all out.

You know…

‘God??

‘In human form??’

How?…’

Why?’…

‘What?’

Somedays,

We all need to just take the pause…'selah'

Take a deep breath…

and read this..

like that info board,

and know ‘you are here’.

Then begin your journey, again with Him.

John 14:6

6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Probably the most important part of this verse..

Is in Its entirety.

He is not ‘a’ way,

He is not ‘maybe’ truth,

He is not ‘some kind of’ life,

but ‘The Way, Truth and Life.

It is certain.

With the questions you have when you say ‘God why’,

His Son is here to tell you.

Let Him speak to you through His Spirit…

Through His servants.

Let Him speak to you…

through the living Word..

The Bible.

Friday, September 9, 2011

The Right Place

I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
I'd of said the right thing
But I must have used the wrong line
I been in the right trip
But I must have used the wrong car
My head was in a bad place
And I'm wondering what it's good for..

(‘Right Place Wrong Time’-from the 1973 albvm ‘In The Right Place’ by Dr. John)

-I made a 'wrong' turn, and found myself in the 'right' place-.

Have you ever let that happen to you?

Or...are you so preoccupied with the 'wrong turn' that you completely miss realizing the purpose in the 'right place' it has brought you.

This is one of the Spiritual disciplines to a renewed mind.

One that walks in the Spirit…

^{John 4 vs 24} God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

bringing all things subject to Jesus, even as our perceived path brings us

to an obscure destination.

John 4 vs ⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.^[a])

One that transforms a journey to a building,

into a trip to your 'closet',

where God wants to meet you in 'secret', not in spectacle.

Today,

try again to drink the Water of Life- the Cure to your 'heart ' condition- and read again Matthew 6,vs 1-15.

And if you wind up at vs. 34?

It is not about a 'wrong' turn.....

Its about the 'Right' place.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Yardsale Queens

‘What's the matter with the clothes I'm wearing?
Can't you tell that your tie's too wide?
Maybe I should buy some old tab collars?
Welcome back to the age of jive.
Where have you been hidin' out lately, honey?
You can't dress trashy till you spend a lot of money..."

(‘Still Rock and Roll to Me’ from the 1980 album ‘Glass Houses’ by Billy Joel)

There was a time in recent history,

a time.. when it wasn't so much about 'the money'.

a time where three women would gather at the chosen meeting place…early in the morning…

joyful in the moment....

                                                 knowing they were once again preparing to hit the streets

   in search of the lost....

                      the broken....
the abandon....

                                                             !the good deal!

They were 'The Yard Sale Queens' - my mom and her two sisters.

They saw the value in what other people discarded..but for a few pennies.

They found great joy ( I mean these chicks were really happy about this!!) going from home to home..

seeing the beauty,

the usefulness...
items that were just plain valuable...treasures!!

They just needed some t.l.c.

a little cleaning...

maybe a couple of parts...

an investment of their time.

My mom has since gone Home, along with her two sisters, to our Father..

And I can only imagine the conversation…

the laughter.. that is going on this very moment.

As my wife and I go through her 'treasure chest', in cleaning out her house ,

it has given me a perspective

that I can choose

or not

to believe.

It is that the 'Queens' weren't about things that were 'done'

Things that were ‘ready to go’.

Yeah, its true..

they didn't have much money,

but

I believe their hearts knew,

that money wasn't where True Joy lives.

It was about these ‘things’ cast aside by others...

as broken....

hopeless..

that were still useful.

That could be restored.

It's about some gals that received more,

by investing a little bit of the time they were given

into ‘something’.

Something that was thought to have had lost its value..

and you know.. it can be the same for us..

encountering Life as we go.

Today.. Have a blessed day.

And be on the ‘lookout’

Matthew 25

⁴⁰

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

knowing there is a 'really Good Deal' ..

just waiting to meet you..

along The Way.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Friend

‘The long and winding road

That leads to your door

Will never disappear

I’ve seen that road before

It always leads me here

Lead me to your door.’

(the Beatles – from the 1970 album ‘Let It Be’)

Imagine your best friend, that you know and trust.

Someone you have known for years.

Take a moment and put a face to it, it helps. ( I see Gordon.. Harry.. Joe.. JB….)

Now imagine looking at him as he says ‘I love you’ , or

maybe ‘I love you man’.

Because you know him, you believe him.

You might tell him you 'love him' too.

Because you know him.

Now..

Imagine he is killed. Ruthlessly

You share the love he gave you, with your family, your children.

They know you , and maybe had met him, so they believed you.

Time goes on.

Your children have children.

They know you as their ‘grandparent’, and they hear the story of a man

who loved ‘granpa’ (or ‘granma’).

They never met this ‘man’ who loved, but listen to their parents, believe

them,

and like the story.

They have children…who never met grandpa..or the ‘man’..and they

share the story with their children.

It passes the time at the dinner table. Now just a good story.

And after 20 generations..

The ‘story’ had drifted far from the core.

it had become only a story.

Far from the believing in what had been done, back when the ‘best friend’ gave his love.

And his life.

The spirit of the story was lost.

This ‘Man’

Who looked at His close friend and said

I Love You’.

and to the ruthless..

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Today..

give The Gift..

by giving back what has been given to you, through Jesus Christ

so that He can start telling the Story in the First person again….through you.

By believing It as the Truth.

There was no compromise then…and there never will be in Him.

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Fish Story

He wakes up in the morning
Does his teeth bite to eat and he's rolling
Never changes a thing
The week ends the week begins…

(‘Ants Marching’ by the Dave Matthews Band from the 1994 album ‘Under the Table and Dreaming)

5am morning I pulled up behind a sharp lookin 2 door convertible at the light..

I recognized the model...

it was one of the pre-retro Fords, that had its' name embossed in the molded rear bumper in gold letters...'MUSTANG'..

I thought, yep..

that was a cool concept, though I am forever a '69 guy.

anyway.. my eyes drift up, and there by the right ‘blinker’ is a ..'fish'.

I immediately thought.. ‘ahhh cool’!

feeling all comfy.

The car proceeded to make a right turn...

and ohhh yeah...the light was still red..

right next.. to the old 'no turn on blahblah' sign.

I say 'blah blah' because if it actually said something, I am sure that (being a 'Christian' and all) he would have got the 'message'.

My mind then went to a 'message' of my own..

thoughts..

about the fish story that I just got...

It was a title of a book..

a reality in gatherings of people that congregate in the name of God... maybe like me and you

...with a clubhouse mentality..

-how Christians shoot their own wounded-

We see and read great illustrations..

in the safety of your own home, be it church or where you go afterward..

about how our biblical 'heroes'...

instrumental in Gods hand..

were murderers,

adulterers, eccentrics,

hookers, thieves etc ...and how God used them.

How we can all relate to the 'outward' appearance..

The way we see them…

and justify alot of our own actions there...you know?

?but what about where God ‘sees’?

Beneath the actions of 'the body ‘..

and all the things we like to make following Jesus the Christ about..

where the Truth is the only thing between ‘ye’ and He…

²³ Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life....

Those 'heroes' whose ‘hearts ‘ God saw.. and loved...

...and how man was ready to kill them at every turn.

yet...

a right on a red with a fish on the trunk makes me think...'tsk...tsk...tsk...

you are giving a bad witness.'

and how that fish is to represent the higher standard...and well... I saw you do what you did...

and ..

well.. people will talk...

'YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DIFFERENT!!!SO WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE RUNNING THAT LIGHT YOU BIG FAKER!!!!WHAT KIND OF TESTIMONY IS THAT'

‘

‘ blahblahblah...’

hey you (and me)..

with the bold print...

it is time to move on... you broken.. judgmental creation...

to..

forgiveness...

⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
¹¹"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

it's what we have to do ..

²³"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

Before we can Love...

³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'^[b] ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[c] ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Love that is Impossible... outside of Jesus the Christ.

ok.. back to my Mustang trunk.. mmhmm

yea, you have thought about it..you know, the fish..

and maybe for fear of judgement when you screw up..

man keeps you from slappin' a fish on your proverbial ‘bumper’.

rather than it being a testimony that you... the driver..are in great need of 'fixing'.

that 'you' are a work in progress....who has accepted the 'Work'..

²⁹Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

(that I quote 6-29 alot, is because He is everything you need ...He is where your Life starts)

You divorced?

cheat on your taxes?

look lustfully at women?? men??

bowl too much??

‘flip’ somebody the ‘bird’ when they cut you off..get in your way??

ah yes...the 'bird' ...I have raised that hand before.

you know, there was a message my wife heard at a visit to a church gathering ...

(by the way...any of you ever been out for a nice stroll..maybe waiting for a friend... and a bird craps on you? like, out of nowhere you find yourself with bird poo in the 1st person? I have.. right in the palm)

anyway...

it could have been a story of that bird...my hand...and me waiting for the bird to return to clean his crap out of my hand.

The poo gets hard and crusty due to the birds delay...and Sunday rolls around ( time to put 'on the church')

and I still have this crap on my hand because ...I refuse to let go of the idea that

'its the birds job..he offended me..'

rather than the bird just did what it did...and I should get over myself, and wash my hands of the poo..

and maybe focus on the birds song or color rather than 'that malicious’...

‘unthinking’......blah blah blah bird'

whoa ahh …

-FORGIVENESS-

and if you don't...the bondage that 'crap' in life can put you in.. makes your witness stink.

professing Jesus and can't forgive?

here is one good answer...

if your holding onto a lot of crap, you have probably forgotten you have been forgiven from alot more.

Forgive...so you can get on to Love.

I am going to get a nice fish for ‘my trunk’...and tell the car behind me, the only difference there may be in us....

is Jesus