Where Do I Fall?

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly....
In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

2 Tim. 2:15-16, 20-26; 3:1-9

Why you "can't"

Your actions follow your beliefs.

Quotes to Question

• "'Your job is the relentless pursuit of who God has made you to be. And anything else you do is sin and you need to repent of it.'"-pg. 114
• "I am not defined by what I am not."-pg. 115
• "Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn't as bright as it could be."-pg.166
• "If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody."-pg.167
• "One of the illusions of faith is that at some point we get it all mapped out and things get smooth and predictable. It is not true. The way of Jesus is a journey, not a destination. On a journey, the scenery changes. A lot."-pg.168

Curious? Check out the book Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell.

Man of Sorrows

No one has suffered more than God.

Golden

The happiest people are those that realize

their happiness isn't the point of life.

matt7.12

Windgazers

God is Mystery.
And we say that because
Life is a mystery.
So if God is Mystery,
and God made Life,
then Life is . . . what?
Exactly. And we all try so desperately,
passionately,
excruciatingly,
(or sadly not quite that much,
or tragically not at all)
to search out the mystery.
We label life. We speculate on love (our favorite topic).
We try to fit
God in our heads instead of
our hearts in His hands (the latter is
a safe and spacious fit. No, not safe.
Maybe safe. And space might not have
anything to do with it. But it’s a
right fit.
The right fit.)
And the mystery is never solved,
because there is no Mason or Holmes,
even though we all try, and that’s
who we’re all striving to be:
Detectives of Reality, PLUS—or maybe x10 to the highest power.
And some are painters,
some, musicians,
some, crafters or biologists or historians,
or some writers,
and the colors, the notes, the tools,
the formulas, the fossilized choices—
and especially words, those wisps
of thought that are the reaching
arms of the mind—all of these
are the portals of humanity:
the portholes through which we
peer to get a better glimpse of
the land we’re inevitably approaching,
all of us.
From this, the ship Existence, we strain our eyes,
pushing our sight past the sea-spray
and the seaweed and the salt
caked on our windows.
The notes,
the words,
the colors,
the choices—
they all are not quite enough.
But they’re the only bridges we have.
In seeking out as best we can,
The Question-Maker, the Mystery Land—
The Eternity of this: ?
or maybe this: .
(who knows?)—the best
we can do is pianos, pens,
paintbrushes, and the past and present.
From here to there,
they’re the only bridges we have,
these tendrils from us to the edge of . . .
just what, we have no real clue.
That’s why we keep reaching.
That’s why we should never stop.
Bind yourself to the sky, like a lover,
and let nebulas—where suns are birthed—
be the playground you know you want,
where Mystery is your favorite slide.

"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings." Prov. 25:2

Favorite Verses

These are some Bible verses that have been important to me in my walk with God. If you need a label, we'll call them my "life-verses." As you'll probably notice, this is a much longer list than four or five. I found that once I started skimming the Bible for favorite verses, it was hard to stop:

John 17:3--Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Zeph. 3:17--The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

Heb. 12:1-3--Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses [see chapter 11], let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Phil. 4:4-8--Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Prov. 3:5-6--Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Ps. 37:3-4--Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Ps. 34:14--Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Rom. 12:9--Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Ps. 51:10--Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Ps. 119:9;105--How does a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. . . . Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Prov. 4: 23--Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

2 Cor. 4:16-18--Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Col. 3:1-2--Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Isa. 32:8--But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands.

Prov. 16:9--In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Prov. 19:21--Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Matt. 6:33--But seek first his kingdom and his righeousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Luke 9:23-25--Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

I Pet. 1:13--Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hopes fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Josh. 1:9--Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

John 15:5--I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 10:10--The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Ps. 46:10--Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

I John 4:18--There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives outfear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Col. 3:23--Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

I Cor. 16:13-14--Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.

I Cor. 10:31--So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Jas. 1:19-20--My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires.

II Tim. 1:7--For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

I Pet. 3:15-16--But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Jas. 1:22--Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Other passages: Eph. 3:16-21; Rom. 7:7-8:39; Rom. 12; Mark 12:28-31; I Cor. 13; Gal. 5-6; Matt. 6:19-21; Matt. 7:24-27

Prayer of Understanding

God,

Grant me correction when I am wrong,

Humility (but courage) when I am right,

And wisdom to know when being right or being wrong

isn't even the point.

Treasure

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:21 (see surrounding verses, as well).

What is my treasure?

Pharisees: Part II

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!"
Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

" 'These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

They worship me in vain;

their teachings are but rules taught by men.' "

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' "
Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?"
He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
Peter said, "Explain the parable to us."
"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' " Matthew 15:1-20

Hypocrites. Jesus called them hypocrites. In current Christian circles, we have come to equate the term Pharisees with hypocrites. They're synonymous. I know I look at the Pharisees and think, "Boy, they really didn't get it! They're laws weren't based on knowing God. If that were the case, they would have accepted Jesus. They're morals were based on their own pride, their own selves, their own ideas. Their religion was man-made, not God-made. How dense can you get? Jesus was right there in front of them, and they missed Him. They focused on perfection, not on The Perfect--following a set of rules, not the Ruler--being Good, not knowing God. Hypocrites!"
And then I cringe, because I know, though pointing fingers:
I am one of "them."

A good question to always ask myself:

Where is my heart, and what is inside?

Why do we fear "fear"?

I think we have lost in our culture what it is to fear God.
It seems that is something that we often leave out.
When you're reading through the Bible, are you like me, looking at the phrases like,
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Prov. 1:7),
and thinking, "fear = respect. Got it,"
and then moving on?
How many times in the Bible does it say "fear" the Lord?
(A quick search on BibleGateway.com elicits 130 results.)
If it's in the Bible so much (and one only has to look through Proverbs to run across it...a LOT),
then why do we overlook it?
What is it about fearing God that is so
uncomfortable,
awkward,
or flat-out hard?
Or is it just me?

Just think...

"Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny."
What destiny might your thoughts reap someday, if you continue to think as you do now?
What exactly are your thoughts?
"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."

Matt. 15:19; Prov. 4:23

We are what we think.

(A side-note: If you're like me, you probably looked at those verse references and thought, "I might look those up someday, but not now." Why not now? Why do we always skim over verses as if they're in parentheses, as if we know them already? Even if we think we do, we're missing the very thing that will make our thoughts holy. I'd like to try to start looking up every verse I see. I must expose myself to the Bible--oh, what might happen if I do, as much as possible!)

...there is no period

to the sentence of Truth

Am I now?

"Beware if in sharing your personal testimony you continually have to look back, saying, 'Once, a number of years ago, I was saved.' If you have put your 'hand to the plow' and are walking in the light, there is no 'looking back'--the past is instilled into the present wonder of fellowship and oneness with God (Luke 9:62; also see I John 1:6-7). If you get out of the light, you become a sentimental Christian, and live only on your memories, and your testimony will have a hard metallic ring to it. Beware of trying to cover up your present refusal to 'walk in the light' by recalling your past experiences when you did 'walk in the light' (I John 1:7)."
--Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

This is something that hit me square between the eyes the other day. It does not matter what good I have done in the past. What matters to God, and what should matter to me, is where I am in my relationship with Him NOW. A Christian's life isn't gauged by where he's been, and he cannot measure it by where He's going (for that would be an invisible ruler to his eyes). Instead, it is a day by day endeavor. I should not brag about the good I have done, as if I have filled my quota for life. I must be good (a.k.a. be with God) today.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." (II Cor. 4: 16)
Day by day.
Every day anew.

The Child Metaphor

I have discovered what I have come to call "the Child Metaphor." It is a simple exercise of spiritual interest that requires little: Watch children. It is amazing how much one can learn about the relationship between us and God when you watch the relationship of a child with his/her parents. Try it out. Next time you're watching a little child play or cry or whine, ask God to show you how it relates to you and Him. You might be surprised at the truth you discover.
I'll have more to say about children soon.

Who is "good"?

Here is a question to consider:

If a good man falls, is he still good?

I would say it depends on from where he is deriving his sense of goodness.

For a man is not good because the man says so.

A man is good because God says so.

So perhaps a good man is not one who does not fall, but rather is one who gets back up--

--one who knows that walking is not about how long he can stay up on his own, but about how willing he is to let God lift him up...

higher than he could ever be of his own ability.

Pharisees: Part I

I think it's kind of funny how within the word "Pharisee," there's the word "see". The reason I find this funny is because, in Jesus' day, the Pharisees didn't really see. Look at Matthew 9:9-13:

"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and 'sinners' came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and "sinners"?'
On hearing this, Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'"

Here you have a rather disagreeable character--Matthew. He collected taxes, and everyone knew what vile, dishonest men tax collectors were. But Jesus chose to make him his disciple. In picking His disciples, Jesus verified what he was saying to the pharisees here: He came for sinners. Look at the men He chose: fishermen, tax collectors, Judas...Peter. Not exactly the prestigious and righteous.
I don't think it's because he didn't like the Pharisees, though. I've heard it said that Jesus probably loved the Pharisees. If you look throughout the Gospels, the Pharisees are the people with whom Jesus spends a lot of His time talking to! And following Jesus time here on Earth--well, you have Paul. Jesus chose Paul as His messenger--the new Apostle. And Paul was a Pharisee bent on wiping out those lowly Christians before He came to know Christ.
But that's not my whole point. My point is, there's a lot the Pharisees were missing. Here, Jesus is sharing company with those the Church of that day deemed unholy, unclean, unfit for spending time with. And Jesus answers their question, "Why?" by telling them to go find out the meaning of this phrase: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."
It comes from Hosea 6:6, and it's God that's speaking. Sacrifice was the most commonly known practice of Jewish custom. It was the act of repentance and homage to God. Unfortunately, as with a lot of religious practices, it had become ritualized. Jesus is basically saying to them here, "It's not your religious practices I'm wanting. It's hearts of compassion and sincere love."
The Pharisees thought they had it all together. Jesus was letting them know that He hadn't come for those who were on top of things. He came for the needy. The irony is that the Pharisees, in their lack of seeing, were likely the neediest of them all.

Hymn 2: O Perfect Love

This is a prayer. For family, for love, for home.

"O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
Lowly we kneel in prayer before Thy throne,
That theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
Whom Thou forevermore dost join in one.

O perfect Life, be Thou their full assurance
Of tender charity and steadfast faith,
Of patient hope and quiet brave endurance,
With childlike trust that fears no pain nor death.

Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
Grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife,
And to life's day the glorious unknown morrow
That dawns upon eternal love and life."

Gurney, Dorothy B.; Joseph Barnby; John Stainer. The Baptist Hymnal. Convention Press, Nashville. © 1991.

Hymn 1: The Servant Song

I love hymns. Songs that have been around awhile have a way of saying things that conveys to us they know something. This is one of my favorites. It's called "The Servant Song"

"We are trav'lers on a journey,
Fellow pilgrims on the road;
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold the Christ-light for you
In the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
Speak the peace you long to hear.

Sister, let me be your servant,
Let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to
Let you be my servant, too.
Brother, let me be your servant,
Let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to
Let you be my servant, too.

I will weep when you are weeping,
When you laugh, I'll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow,
Till we've seen this journey thro'.
When we sing to God in heaven,
We shall find such harmony,
Born of all we've known together
Of Christ's love and agony."

Gillard, Richard; James H. Wood. The Baptist Hymnal. Convention Press, Nashville. © 1991.

Each Shall Resonate.

I think a bell choir is a beautiful picture of The Church. Everybody has a note to play, and if someone doesn't ring, the song doesn't happen.

I was watching a bell choir the other day at church, and it really is quite an apt portrait of the Body of Christ. Now, I'm certain that people's hearts were beating quicker in anticipation of their turn to ring their bell, and perhaps a few people rang their bell at the wrong time. It didn't matter, though. The song was heard anyways, because a song is more than the sum of its parts. And the choir is unified by the song they sing...or ring, as the case may be.

"No man is an island," they say. For that matter, no one should be a lone bell, either. We all have our notes to play, but if you "play the loner," it's not too much of a song on your own (there's only so many songs you can play with one or two notes). See, what happens is every bell has a place. It takes every note to make a song. Some people feel bad that their bell isn't as impressive as another's. But all notes are important--it's the smaller bells that play the higher notes, you see.

"But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body....Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it."
I Corinthians 12:18-20,27 (NASB)

It's real beautiful when all the notes play together. You see, it's in the variety of bells that the music comes to be.

The funny thing is, we have a tendency to try and make everybody the same note. Now why do we want to go and do that? What's so scary about difference? That's where the music lies--in difference. So, sure, that person next to you may have a different sound than you. But try harmonizing. Try being a part of the bell choir.

Play your note--it's yours alone to play, but to not play alone.

And Jesus' Love is the song we play.