The Spear

One of the most difficult things to do is to ask for help. Also one of the most difficult things to do is to help. The desire might be there to help a friend but not always the knowledge or the ability. Among the Christian community I find this to be a kind of epidemic of people wanting to help others but really lacking the wisdom on how to actually make a positive impact on others.  I have watched pastors exhaust themselves on an individual that ultimately hurts others in the congregation. I have watched volunteers put themselves needlessly in harm's way to save a poor soul. I have seen organizations waste resources for years on people that are not getting any better and have no intention of changing.  The realization that helping others can be hard is oftentimes what holds back an otherwise willing aid. Deciding how, and when, and in what way a person is to be helped is stressful. It requires wisdom, maturity and strength of character. It ...

Have you thought recently, “How did I end up here again?” or “Why is the same pattern repeating itself, day after day?” Are we to the point where we can finally say, “Something’s GOT to change! I can’t go on like this?” If so, believe it or not, that’s a good place to be…because change is most possible when we are all-in. Let’s look at the unproductive cause/effect cycle and see how we can change this program that is on repeat. Do these look and sound familiar? “Hey!” “Ahhhhhhhhhh!” “Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmmy, I need ___.” “I hate you!” “Sissy hit me!” “Look at that truck [squirrel, mess, etc]!!!!” “Waaaaaaaaa! [sniffle, sniffle, with a pouty lip] These are the manipulative tricks our sweet little beloved children have learned in order to get their parent’s undivided attention. They have learned what buttons to push, when to push them, and what props/people are around them to use in order to maximize the dramatic effect. But don’t we all do some version of these when we have needs that we fea...

|| Return to Series Menu || << Previous Post in Series        Next Post in Series >>   Here’s where we left off … Sin is in you. It is part of our nature as humans. It will always be there knocking at the door, asking you to try things your own way. “Get it now”, “don’t wait”, “This feels better”, Etc. But, being a sinner…that is not certain. That is not inevitable. Jesus died and gave us the power to shed the mantle of “Sinner” in exchange for, “son of God”. Sin will still be there, but it doesn’t’ have to own us. Each Spirit can be beaten down, uprooted, and caged. We can master them.

FYI. This list is not found in the bible. These things are found in the bible but not in a list. The term "Seven Deadly Sins" what invented by the church. Fun picture though. || Return to Series Menu || << Previous Post in Series         Next Post in Series >>       “Satan made me do it!” Now, I’ve never actually heard someone say this and be serious, but I think many Christians live as if it’s true. The world was brought down by Satan. He is the inventor of sin. He is the reason life is hard for us and why we must constantly battle temptation. Well, if you are nodding and agreeing right now, I’m afraid I just don’t agree with that line of thought.

The church has morphed and changed so much over the past couple thousand years. What started out in individual’s homes, eventually moved into colossal buildings. There was a familiar feeling among the early church. People crammed into a house to pray and learn and be together. The love between believers was the crux of its effectiveness. People cared for each other. Peter was made aware that orphans and widows still needed to be taken care of and so established people to make sure that they were. Stephen, the first to die in the name of Christ, was among these people. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and made sure that the people were given food ( Acts 6-7 ). It was also important to visit those who were persecuted. They ate together. Prayed together. Suffered together.

I love the story of Stephen. He is the first believer to be martyred, or at least the first one that is recorded. He speaks with such passion and knowledge. His love for Jesus is obvious. It’s a story that begins some time before he is brought before the teachers of the law.

Have you ever noticed that everyone seems to be looking for “the line”? That imaginary space that divides what “is OK”, from what’s “not OK”. The first one that comes to my mind is, “Is drinking alcohol wrong?” Someone always says, “The bible says that we should not, ‘become drunk on wine’” ( Ephesians 5:18 ). To which another responds, “yes, but Jesus drank wine. He even turned water into wine for a party” ( John 2:1-11 ). Then… it happens. Someone establishes the line. So, it’s OK to have some wine, but not enough to be drunk. OK cool we’ve got that now, but wait… does that apply to whiskey too because I don’t like wine. And, how do I know when I’m drunk if I’ve never been drunk, and I’m not supposed to be drunk. Oh no, Maybe I have been drunk I didn’t know it. I’ve been accidentally sinning this whole time.

I was going to wait until after the election, but I have decided that that would be the coward’s way out. I am not going to tell you who to vote for. I think we can all agree that our choices are far less than perfect. But I do want to put something in perspective for us.

I have been reading a book by John Eldredge, “Waking the Dead”. There are many things in it that are review but also revealing. I’ve enjoyed it and would recommend it as a book that can help bring healing to the hurt places in your heart.

The other night I was putting my oldest son into my parent’s car and saying good bye as he was preparing for a fun night with Grandma and Grandpa, all to himself. I was reminding him to be a good listener. He turns to me and says, “Sometimes I listen. Sometimes I don’t. But I only listen to people who love me.” We all had a good laugh about it, but it struck something in me. Aren’t we all that way?

I didn’t grow up in a charismatic church, but for the majority of my married life, we have been part of churches that believe in things like speaking in tongues, miracles, and prophesy. It was kind of a new thing for me to have someone I don’t know come up and say things like, “I feel like God is telling me that He really loves you and wants you to know that.”

No matter how much man learns, he continues to think that he has discovered it all. At one point it was believed that there was nothing smaller than an atom. There was a time when man thought that the earth was flat. There was even a time when it was believed that every day there was a new sun. A burning ball of light came up and then died, and a new one took its place the next day. No matter what, man has been defiant in his ignorance. We are like the stubborn teen who thinks they know everything.

I have heard it said that mediocrity is the enemy of greatness. I am forced to agree. There is a delusional comfort there that lulls us into a kind of coma, keeping us from life beyond what we know. There are even those who fiercely oppose greatness because it threatens that comfort.

I have recently picked up on something. People really struggle with being told that they have done something wrong. Immediately, they take offence. How can we then offer help as God instructed? (Galatians 6:1) How can God correct people? ( Revelation 3:19 , Psalm 94: 12 ) I have talked to people about things that this world now accepts, but God still says are wrong. The biggest reason that I find for people’s inability to grasp His truth on the matter is because they feel that who they are is being attacked. They cannot accept correction because they feel that if they are wrong, they will have to confront the fact that they are NOT perfect and then, therefore, in need of a savior.

I remember hearing most of my life how I needed to give my life to God. When there was a call, I was on board. It made sense in my head. But then, as I got older I had some plans of my own. Something I have always wanted was to travel. I also enjoy public speaking. (I know, it’s weird.) So when I became an adult and was told that I needed to give my life over to God, I was a little nervous.

I can be one of the first to stand up and scold my generation for their selfishness and stupidity. I am fully aware of the sins, curses, and just plain ruthlessness that plague the people that are stepping up to rule the world now. But, I look around, and I remember what it was like in our formative years. We were left to figure out life on our own. Many were abused in one form or another. It would be hard for me to find a woman who hasn’t been sexually abused or used at some point in her life. It would be hard to find a man that hasn’t had to fight on his own to try and figure out what it means to be a man in a world that either hates them, or tells them to be immature boys for the rest of their lives.

I’ve come across people who have asked me about getting the most out of their time with God and how to read the bible with understanding. All the time I hear people talk about their struggle to spend quiet time with God. Let me see if I can lay this out. Maybe this sounds familiar.

Now there is a tough question. A lot of people will shout out the answer quickly, "No one owns me. I own myself". Then follows the long speech about America and freedom. That's what it's all about right? Being an American means you are your own person. You choose what you want to do and pursue it with our blessing. As America grows more and more tolerant, this philosophy grows in strength. It doesn't matter who you are or what you want to do, you should be allowed to. Anyone who says otherwise is a bigot. Add church on Sunday and a little Jesus, and you have American Christianity.

First off I wanted make a statement. Just because I am challenging normal religious views does not mean that I don’t see wrong for wrong and right for right. However, I do feel that a wrong response to a wrong action is still…wrong. More often than not, religion has held tight to what they believe is wrong, but then overreacted and created more of a detrimental problem rather than address it in a productive way.

I believe that giving to the poor is one of the most important ways in which we share the love of Christ. He cared for them very, very much. Now, while he was here there is nothing that indicates that he was wealthy. In fact, we know that he wasn’t. When Jesus told the disciples to provide food for the crowd of people they looked at him with shock and explained that it was going to cost too much. (Mark 6:37).