There is hope and it is NOT in the church.

What impact does the church have on the way you experience life?  I mean really.  Does it change the way you act at work or how you treat your wife and family?  Does it encourage you to personally help the poor and less fortunate than you?  Does it care you suffer from depression?  Does it help you when you have lost your job?  Is the church even revelant to your life?  I think likely not.  The church is irrelevant to most.

Does that offend you?  I hope so.  If you are a believer you should be offended.  If you are a nonbeliever you should be offended.  I mean really. If you have the faith to be a NONbeliever then there should be distinguishing characteristics about you that the world can easily identify what group you belong to.  The same can be said for the believer.  If you have the faith to be a believer then the world should be able to easily identify you as such. 

Yet, six days and maybe even seven days a week we are no different.   We talk the same.  We eat the same foods.  We drink the same beverages.  We watch the same sports.  We take the same vacations.  We do it all, THE SAME!

Or at least that is the way it has been for generations, but there is change in the wind.  There appears to be a deep social and spiritual dissatisfaction with the way things are.  There appears to be an awakening from deep within our human consciousness to a driving desire for something more.  Do you feel it?  If you are honest with yourself, you know the feeling.  You may choose to keep it buried most of the time, but it is there. 

You feel it when you give change to the beggar on the corner.  You feel it when you hear of your friend’s child struggling with cancer.  You feel it when your spouse rejects you for someone else.  You feel it when your child is picked up with drugs.  There is within you a deep desire for something better. 

I want to encourage you with hope.  For you, it may not be in the local traditional church.  You may have already been let down or burnt by the church, but there is still hope.  The hope was never in the church to begin with.  The hope is in Jesus.  This is the change that is in the wind…

There are home churches springing up all over the state, country and world.  Members of these churches are unwilling to continue play acting the role of “good christian”.  The people of these home churches have taken seriously their social and spiritual conscious to do something positive in the world they live.  It is their total desire to be honest with themselves and friends while looking through the eyes of Jesus. 

The enlightened believe God is alive and well and desiring to do great things through each of them.  They are no longer passive participants in their faith.  They are actively, aggressively, sincerely and maybe even recklessly doing as God directs.  They are allowing God to shape their future, not letting others tell them what box they should live in.  They are part of the revolution. 

If you feel a similar dissatisfaction with your local traditional church, temple, mosque or cathedral experience, surf to: Fresh Connections and begin your journey, living a life with meaning and power!  God willing, Fresh Connections will have its first gathering in the new year.  God bless.

“If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin.”~Paul

My friend Rich Glenn posted this in his blog…  

 “Years ago, comedian Flip Wilson played a character who used to always say, “The devil made me do it!” Of course, it drew raucous laughter from the crowd. But not only is it not funny, it’s not true. No evil can make you sin. Evil merely tempts you to sin. When I sin it’s not the devil’s fault, it’s mine. I willingly gave in to whatever that sin was. In other words, sin was presented to me, I meditated on it, and I used my free will to give in to it. My fault. Not God’s, not the devil’s, but mine and mine alone.”~Truth From The Hip

I love the writings of Paul.  They are so rich and straightforward.  You don’t have to spend much time figuring things out.  He just says it like it is.  You choose to believe or not.  God tells us that when we are instructed and then ignore the instruction we are even worse off.  I wonder how many times today I will ignore God’s instruction through Paul.  I pray none, but as Paul says, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin.”

 Peace

Surf to: http://www.freshc.org for a Fresh Connection…

“We humans learn best when in relationship with others who share a common practice.” ~Margaret Wheatley

Surf to: http://www.freshc.org for a Fresh Connection…

My focus may be improving…

Have you ever seen God do anything? It’s not unusual for me to ask that question of friends or strangers alike. There was a time when God through Jesus did many miraculous things. In the Bible, John tells us, “The people realized that God was at work among them in what Jesus had just done. ” In Jesus ministry, His miracles often met people’s needs. He fed them and healed them. I think He hoped their faith would increase, but mostly they just enjoyed the show.

I love God Spots. I coined this phrase meaning, “A God Spot is when God periodically authenticates His presence and I get to blog about it.” In reading how Jesus performed miracles in person and the people who witnessed them just wanted more, concerns me. They were not any closer to Jesus before the show then after the show. I don’t want to be another spectator. I want to be a willing participate when God shows up.

I’ve recently been thinking about what it means to “focus on Jesus”. I’ve come to believe in part that a focus on Jesus is to see the world through His eyes. Might it be possible God Spots have become more prevalent, because my focus on Jesus is improving? How about yours?

Surf to: http://www.freshc.org for a Fresh Connection…

Hey! I like your hair! huh?

I was hanging out on the Starbucks patio.  It was evening and I was waiting for Cora, as she was teaching Holy Yoga to her friends.  God always shows up on the mat and she looks forward to the opportunity.  If you are in San Antonio, you need to share in the Holy Yoga with her. 

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     Check it out at: http://holyyoga.wordpress.com.

 

Anyway, so much for the spider web I just wove. This guy hollers at me from an adjacent table. He says he likes my hair. Huh? Wants to join me at my table. I’m always looking for a God Spot so I say, “Sure”. He wants to smoke and wants to know if I mind. I say, “No” but I’m thinking I hate 2nd hand smoke. He asks me what business I’m in. I think perfect. My answer will put an end to whatever expectations he might have. I say I work at a church. He says, “Oh.”

 

My turn. I ask him when he quit going to church. I figure that is a safe assumption. The story unfolds he was saved and baptized at 21 years of age. He was old enough to know what he was doing. He says he quit going about 6-7 years, ago. I suspect longer. He said he became disillusioned because of the hypocrisy of the church. Also, that his mother has tithed her entire life and hasn’t had anyone visit her since before her husband died.

 

I asked if he would ever go back. He said probably not. He wasn’t willing to give up his lifestyle. As I was leaving, he said maybe someday he’d try it again. He needed a Fresh Connection.

Surf to: http://www.freshc.org for a Fresh Connection…

Code Red! Only God…

I remember a time in my life when all hell broke loose.

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Life is not always easy.  In fact, is it ever easy?  It was in this bad time, I wondered if I would live or die.  I really didn’t know.  I think this time was as much for me as it was for you.  Without the dark time, it would be hard for me to understand the tough times in your life.

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I know how cheap it may sound for someone to say, “I’ll pray for you” and the pain doesn’t get any better.  I know what it’s like for someone to ask in passing how things are going and you start to tell them and they see someone else they’d rather talk to.  I know what it is like to see nothing but darkness.  I was there.

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I have earned the right to say and with expectations that you will listen, “There is hope!”  There is a God alive and well that loves you.  He is big enough for you to not need to pretend to be Holy.  He is there for you in the midst of your anger,  your pain, your embarrassment,  and your feeling of defeat.  God has a plan.

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Yes.  He really does.  God created you with a plan and purpose.  God chooses that you will worship Him in the good times and the bad.  What will you choose?  Will you tell God to go to hell or will you tell the evil one to go to hell?  In the midst of your pain, who will you choose?

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If you choose God, He will be there with you.  He will encourage you.  He will be with you in the fire.   He will save you.  I know this to be true because I have been there.  Turn to truth.   Turn to God.  This is your day!  Make it God’s day.

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If I can help, post a comment and let’s make a Fresh Connection.

“Change your life, not just your clothes.
Come back to God, your God. And here’s why: God is kind and merciful.
He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, This most patient God, extravagant in love,
always ready to cancel catastrophe.

Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now,
maybe he’ll turn around and show pity. Maybe, when all’s said and done,
there’ll be blessings full and robust for your God!”~Bible

Is your Angel happy with you?

“Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood… Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!”

Surely, you agree there must be angels?  Ever wonder what an angel does with his day.  Does he wake up and wonder where yesterday went.  Does he count his scars from doing battle?  Is it possible that as God loves you, angels have a love for you? 

Might Angels live for the opportunity to bring God glory by their service in providing for your needs.  What if a bad angel tries to hurt you?  Does a good Angel step up and do battle for you?  When angels battle, do they get hurt?  If they get hurt, should you feel pain because they suffered because of you?

If you are a jerk of a believer: someone who knows God personally, but continues to offend and insult His Holiness.  Do you think the Angel goes into battle eagerly for you or do you think he might regretfully enter battle.   What if your treatment of God fuels or kills the Angels desire for battle?  What if your attitude is reflected in the Angels attitude? 

I like to think, my Angel is proud of me and would take another death blow in battle for me.  I like to imagine my Angel is always on guard, riding a white horse, always looking to my back in a protective stand.  I like to think my Angel’s white horse prances with pride to serve me.  I like to think the scars my Angel has doing battle for me are worn proudly. 

I like to imagine…

And you call yourself a Christian…

It makes me angry!  How many times have you heard this, “And you call yourself a Christian!”  Paul and Barnahas got in a heated argument and “TEMPERS FLARED!”   Nobody in there right mind can question the authenticity of Paul’s Christianity.  Yet, he had a temper.  I can imaging the “nay sayers” shouting. “And you call yourself a Christian!”

It is encouraging to me, we can be who we are in Christ and still be the person God designed us to be.  Sometimes we are opinionated and sometimes tempers will flare.  But we are still a child of God with every intent to be faithful and willing to die for the love of Jesus Christ.

It is miraculous how God works things out for the good of those that love Him.

“Barnabas wanted to take John along, the John nicknamed Mark. But Paul wouldn’t have him; he wasn’t about to take along a quitter who, as soon as the going got tough, had jumped ship on them in Pamphylia. Tempers flared, and they ended up going their separate ways: Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus; Paul chose Silas …”

Check out Archie’s Life Stream.

Looked death in the face…

“We picked men we knew you could trust, Judas and Silas—they’ve looked death in the face time and again for the sake of our Master Jesus Christ.”

It makes me wonder about the men of God and by what credibility they come to share with us “the way”.  One might say, “I have been called by God”.  That is pretty special in itself, but requires some interpretation and faith in the individuals ability to discern his calling.  By Biblical standards the question would be, has the one called looked death in the face time and again for the sake of our Master Jesus Christ?

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not knocking pastors.  My dad was one and I loved him.  I just wonder how important it is for a pastor to chase a lion in a pit on a snowy day.  If you were to send your pastor out as your representative, by what credibility would you send him?  Would it be something like, “Listen to this man.  He can bring a great dish to a potluck dinner?”  Or would it be, “Listen.  This man has looked death in the face for Jesus.”

I just wonder…

Christians are wimps! Don’t argue. Go!

“…the Master said, Don’t argue. Go! I have picked Saul as my personal representative… And now I’m about to show him what he’s in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job." archie paraphrase

What ever made you think that being a believer of “the way” meant you would not suffer?  Do you think God made you and gave you eternal life so you could have the world massage your feet and feed you grapes? 

Get over it.  It is tough being a believer.  It is even tougher to be faithful and be a believer. 

God made you to bring Him glory and lay it at His feet.  God made you to love Him.  He has loved you from the beginning of time.  It is your time to return His love by bringing Him glory in the midst of the raunchy circumstances you find yourself in.  Praying to your version of the magic slot machine in the sky is not God’s idea of you gifting Him.

Bringing Him glory is praising Him for what He has done for you in sacrificing His Son on the cross.  That is but a minimum.  Getting past the minimum is sharing His love with others through kind acts, Words and thoughts. 

When you lead a lost person to a knowledge and appreciation of God’s love, you hit a home run with God!  Really!  That is why you are here.  You are here to share Christ with others, which places glory at God’s feet.

So get out of the batters box and do what you were designed for.  Praise God.  Then, show others “the way”.  God bless.