dW 12.10.07

scripture

 

Matthew 1:18-21

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." [italics added for emphasis]

 

quote

 

After I set out to refute Christianity intellectually and couldn't, I came to the conclusion the Bible was true and Jesus Christ was God's Son. - Josh McDowell

 

blog

The Illusion of Unity

I am insecure

Poem - Strings

The Illusion of Unity

Reflections of Chapter 10 in Donald B. Kraybill's book The Upside-Down Kingdom.
(ISBN 10: 0836192362 or ISBN 13: 978-0836192360)

"A gospel which only attracts similar people blurs the good new that bonds Jew and Gentile, male and female, black and white."

What is the body of Christ? This body is the church. Not a church fellowship but the church of God, all believers bound together in Christ. This is a beautiful image but where is it in actuality.

I am long been confused with the existence of denominations. As a kid, my family always went to Southern Baptist churches. Therefore, I always wondered why everyone wasn’t Southern Baptist. I grew older and met kids at school that said they were Presbyterian, Catholic, Apostolic, and Seventh Day Adventist. I learned that Protestants wore crosses without Jesus and Catholics wore crosses with Jesus. Some people would tell me not to worry about it but that we were all Christians. Others would tell me that only my denomination was right or that mine was wrong and theirs was right.

In high school my brother and I were asking each other what we knew about other denominations compared to our own. My brother’s Sunday school teacher told him that God had created denominations. My brother asked why since there was all this division. This man then asked my brother, “Is God smart or stupid?” Of course he was smart my brother answered. “That is why there are denominations,” he explained. “God knows that some people like to kneel and others like to stand and still others like to dance. He knew that some people like to hear a loud preacher and others like the Mister Rogers type of preachers.” So my new understanding was that denominations existed because of individuality and preference.

Now I am being challenged with this idea of what church is. I don’t think that church is a once a week refueling station. I think that we are limited in our power to do the work of God due to our factions. Church is supposed to be a living, growing organism that exists for community and thrives in community. If church is not what it should be then should I give up on it? That would be easier. Instead I will search for people that see what I see, and long for what we do not see. Together we will pursue it. The goal I think will forever in my brief existence be in need of reshaping and we’ll need to be redirected on occasion but God will honor this pursuit.

I am insecure

Reflections of Chapter 6 in Donald B. Kraybill's book The Upside-Down Kingdom.
(ISBN 10: 0836192362 or ISBN 13: 978-0836192360)

"Blessed are you when people hate you. Woe to you when all speak well of you."

I wonder what others think of me. I wonder if what I said in a class discussion or in a conversation was thought to be intelligent or dumb, funny or lame. I wonder what others say when I am not around. I wonder if I should speak of spiritual things with my coworkers or just leave it shallow and superficial. This worries me because the scripture says it is better to fear God than to fear man.

Where do I find my worth? The world says that to be worth anything you must dress, speak, and act how it says you should. My old pastor has asked many times, “Why do we buy stuff with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t even like?” If you resist being caught in this trap then you are a fish out of water. If you decide to stay in the water you have no choice but to swim against the flow or be swept down stream. How can we fight a current this strong? If I am always fighting then when do I rest? If I tire out then isn’t failure inevitable? Perhaps but it isn’t final.

When people speak well of you there is a sense of pride that comes with it. There is a passage that says, God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. It reminds me of the story Jesus tells of the publican and the tax collector. Each went to the temple to speak to God. The publican said, “Thank you God that I am not like this tax collector.” The tax collector beat his chest and cried out, “God forgive me. I am a sinner.” Whose prayer did God hear?

When people speak well of you there is also a sense of security that comes with it. Without this security blanket the world often feels cold and uncaring. There is another passage that says God draws close to the broken hearted. I wonder if being spoken well of by men results in being far from God.

I am still learning but I think I am getting closer. However, the more I learn the more I realize that I don’t know and how far I still have left to travel.

dW 12.07.07

scripture

 

Matthew 25:21
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

 

quote

 

Searching for true happiness in the context of a godless life is like looking for a needle in a haystack that doesn't have any.

W. T. Purkiser

 

http://www.ktgjournal.blogspot.com

Atheist

An atheist became incensed over the preparation of Easter and Passover holidays.

 

He decided to contact his lawyer about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while atheists had no holiday to celebrate.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the long passionate presentation by the lawyer, the Judge banged his gavel and declared, “Case dismissed.”

The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, “Your Honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah...yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!”

The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said, “Obviously your client is too confused to even know about, much less celebrate his own atheists' holiday.”

The lawyer pompously said, “Your Honor, we are unaware of any such holiday for atheists Just when might that holiday be, your Honor?”

 

The judge said, “Well it comes every year on exactly the same date---April 1st. Since our calendar sets April 1st as 'April Fools Day,' consider what Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, in my opinion, if your client says there is no God, then by scripture, he is a fool, and April 1st is his holiday. Now have a good day and get out of my courtroom.”

dW 12.05.07

scripture

 

1 Corinthians 15: 50-57

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

quote

 

Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.
Jean de la Bruyere

dW 11.29.07

scripture

 

Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

 

quote

 

All a believer's present happiness, and all his future happiness springs from the eternal purposes of God.

Thomas Brooks

dW 11.27.07

scripture

 

Acts 2:44-47

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

 

quote

 

Order your soul; reduce your wants; live in charity; associate in Christian community; obey the laws; trust in Providence.

Augustine

 

thoughts

 

Look at the way that the early church lived. Should not we also live in a like manner? In our society dependency on others is seen as weakness while independence is seen as strength. We are taught our whole life to stand on our own two feet, and to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Help is seen as a hand out, that one could not do it on their own.

 

The Bible teaches and we see here in the above verse that interdependence is part of being a Christian. How do we reverse this independent state and pursue community? How do we foster interdependence in our lives? Community is a gift and we are missing out.

poem

God in heaven

holds

each person by

a string.

When you sin, you cut

the string.

        Then God ties

it up again,

making a knot –

and thereby bringing

you

a little closer to Him.

Again

and

again

your sins cut the

string –

        and with each

further knot God

keeps drawing you

closer and

closer

and closer.

 

From “What’s so amazing about grace?” by Phillip Yansey

dW - Thanksgiving Week

scripture

 

1 Timothy 6:17-18

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

 

quote

 

Ever seen the bumper sticker that reads God Bless America? Hasn’t God already blessed us?

Rob Bell, NOOMA video “Rich”

 

illustration

 

Imagine with me a bottomless pitcher full of punch. Beside it sits a large glass bowl with a tall glass in the middle of it. I take the bottomless pitcher of punch and begin to pour it into the tall glass. When it reaches the top of the tall glass I don’t stop pouring. I continue pouring until it runs over the top rim and begins to fill the large glass bowl.

 

The pitcher of punch symbolizes the limitless blessings of God. The tall glass symbolizes our lives and the large bowl symbolizes others lives around us. In our minds we think that the blessings of God are ours. We have this idea that as God showers down blessings that we are running around with an upside down umbrella trying to catch it. But God says that He wants to fill our cup and to make it overflow. We cannot contain all the blessings that He gives and they are not to be contained. He blesses us to the point that it overflows because He wants us to use those blessings to bless others.