Tag: ponder

You must be stupid or something!

You must be stupid or something!

“It seems as if we have come to a point of disagreement.” “It doesn’t appear as though we will ever see eye to eye on this issue.” “Can we just agree to disagree?” “It may seem arbitrary to you but to me it is a huge concern!” “Why can’t you see what I see? Why are you so ignorant!?” “You must be stupid or something!” “You have no clue how the world works do you?”

Through life, both cultural life and individual life, we have and continue to evolve, learn, grow; some would say the opposite is true, however. That we are actually unraveling socially and culturally. One thing is certain, our ability to have differing opinions and our further ability to discuss those differences considerately and compassionately have eroded to epic lows. Where at one time one might say, “It seems as if we have come to a point of disagreement.” We now say, “You must be stupid or something!”

Have you ever had a conversation with someone where you thought to yourself, “Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall.” i know i have thought, maybe even said that often. Here’s the problem, by me thinking or saying that i have put the assumption on the other person that i am superior to them or more intelligent than they…i have devalued their opinion and along with it any knowledge they may have on the subject. i have now limited my ability to learn from them or even for them to learn from me.

We live in a culture gone mad with a lack of humility. Everyone has become a know-it-all in every subject. Regardless of the facts. And since everyone knows everything or we know someone who knows everything we don’t research, we don’t ask questions, we don’t seek for truth because we don’t know what we don’t know unless we first seek.

This is why i love the interaction between Yahoshua (Jesus) and the woman at the well. (READ FULL PASSAGE HERE) Here is Yahoshua, who surely did know everything, have a conversation with a woman in a manner that inspired and did not condemn. In the end the woman heads back into town to tell others about Yahoshua. We are called to be like that. To live and love as He did. To inspire others with the truth of the Gospel in hopes that they too will react as this woman did, going and telling others.

“But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?” (Romans 10)

you are LOVED,
cj

A Lack of Faith in Faith Alone

A Lack of Faith in Faith Alone

So often we say one thing with our mouths and another with our actions. We listen to one side and not the other. We form ideas, strategy, methodology by impulse, think tanks, town halls, emotion and not by faith. It is the human condition. i am not chiding any side, any person, any idea, i am highlighting our lack of faith in faith alone.

i fully understand and want you to understand the Scriptures stance and wisdom in counsel. For example; Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; 24:6; in a nutshell, its better to seek counsel than to go it alone. i in no way want to contradict that here. However, i will aim at convincing you that sometimes we put to much faith in counsel while leaving the “Wonderful Counselor” out of the conversation. Even if we are having the conversation with Him!

Here is my historical claim to present my thesis, John 11:17-44 (you can click the link to read the passage in your browser). i will point out the facts to highlight my point. First, Lazarus has died. He has been dead roughly 4 days. Second, Martha is the first to greet Jesus and basically said, if you had only been here sooner! Third, Mary greets Jesus and basically says, if you had only been here sooner! Fourth, Mary and Martha had around them many consolers and counselors. Neither understood Jesus fully and both wanted to have faith, both claimed belief in Him, both followed after Him.

Jesus, was and remains patient. He asks Martha, a question, “Do you believe?” Jesus asks concerning resurrection. Martha responds in the affirmative, “Yes, Lord; I believe…” Jesus doesn’t always explain His methods. He saw the sadness and the emotion of those mourning the loss of Lazarus and He, Himself wept. He inquires of the body. They still don’t understand. He asks for the rock to the tomb be rolled away, they protest, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”

Sometimes our lack of faith is evidenced in our actions. Our lack of understanding fuels our lack of faith. So i submit for the record this, “Who can know the mind of the Lord?” We find this question sprinkled throughout the Word, Romans 11:34; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Isaiah 40:13; Just a few examples. What is my hope in pointing this out? Simply, that we do not, nor can we fully understand the ways of God, we are simply called to believe, to have faith. Let me submit this exchange between a Centurion of a sick servant and Jesus, found in Luke 7;

“’Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.’  When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.” 

This remarkable exchange occurs just before Jesus raises from the dead a son of a widow, found in the same chapter of Luke. Prior to, from what we can gather of timetables, scripturally speaking, of Lazarus’ death and subsequent resurrection. This had to have followed Him, Jesus; as many brought their sick, possessed, dying to Him. Yet, for some reason when forced to believe outside of our understanding…we faultier in our faith.

Now, all is not lost my friends. i am not in anyway writing to you to suppress any hope you have in yourself, or your cadre of counselors. In fact, the opposite is true, i am writing to affirm, that you are fully capable of the this faith the centurion displayed. That even in our doubts, like Mary and Martha, Jesus is still Lord and He is still able. That even when the counsel we have assembled disagrees as in the case of King Saul, we can be like his son Jonathan, armed only with faith, “Come on now, let’s go across to these uncircumcised pagans. Maybe God will work for us. There’s no rule that says God can only deliver by using a big army. No one can stop God from saving when he sets his mind to it.” (1 Samuel 14)

By all means have counselors, i have counselors. Please, seek advice and formulate plans, i seek advice and formulate plans. But, and i say it again, BUT, do not forget to sincerely seek the counsel of God, do not forget to seek His Wisdom, His plan, His ideal…DO NOT FORGET to consult the WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, the PRINCE OF PEACE. And when in doubt, as it surly will arise remember this exchange between a father of a boy with an unclean spirit and Jesus in Mark chapter 9; “Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!” Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!”

Be willing to live on the edge of belief, on the cliff of faith, in the pool of dependance, and lie in the bed of trust…against all odds, proclaim, “I believe Lord, help my unbelief, for there is no rule that says God can only deliver by using a big army. No one can stop God from saving when He sets His mind to it!”

 you are LOVED,
cj

Discipline & Self-Respect

Discipline & Self-Respect

As we look at putting on Christ we have looked at this passage in Colossians 3:12; “So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline.” We have looked deeply into each of these, most recently “Discipline” on Tuesday Night. Here are a few more thoughts for you to ponder beyond what we talked about and leading into our next Tuesday gathering.

One can not receive discipline without first having respect for someone. For example, the discipline or training i give my boys is only received based on their level of respect for me. The less they respect me, the less they will receive from me in way of discipline or training. The same is true for self-discipline, which is really what is being talked about here in Colossians. If one does not respect themselves than it will naturally be more difficult when it comes to self-discipline. It goes to humility over self-loathing. We are called to be humble and sometimes we take that too far and we consider ourselves nothing. Let me assure you, you are something! Something so great that God thought you worth dying for.

If Jesus, in His great Love, sees you as worthy of His life…you are worth respecting. Begin to walk in that love, when life comes at you and gets you down remind yourself, YOU ARE BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED A CHILD OF THE KING, WORTH DYING FOR! Hold your head up, walk with confidence in who you are in Christ and you will be more open to receiving self-discipline and begin to live in and cultivate a heart of thankfulness which will lead to a deeper respect for what Jesus truly did for you, us on the cross…which will allow us, you, me, individually and collectively, to receive the discipline of the Lord leading to walking in true LOVE.

Happy Valentines Day…

you are LOVED,
cj

Act Like It

Act Like It

Colossians 3:1 in the Message paraphrase says, roughly, if you are serious about this new life in Christ, act like it! In Ephesians 4:1 in the NLT is says, “I, (Paul) beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” Paul the author of both of these letters has a central theme, Jesus is to be taken seriously and our lives should reflect our desire to please Him.

We are called to lead with a “quiet strength”. As defined it is perseverance, tenacity, get up, dust yourself off and keep going, kind of attitude. Its a leading by example. Colossians 3:12-17 gives legs to this idea and breaks down putting on Christ, with these as bench marks; Compassion, Kindness, Humility, quiet strength and discipline. It goes on to mention forgiveness, quick and complete forgiveness, as quickly and completely as you have been forgiven.

These areas are not suggestions, if we are serious about living out our faith, living for Jesus, we need to act like it. We need to begin to allow Jesus to work in and through us to develop these characteristics within us. If we as the church are unable to live these out how can we expect a fallen world to do it? We are the Mantle bearers, the standard bearers, of Christ. We are the ambassador’s of Christ, the building of the church should be the consulate, the “safe place” the lost and the hurting, the broken and confused, come to in their hour of need…but if they see us out in the world and we are no different why would they seek refuge from us?

…lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called BY God. And if you are to be serious about this new life in Christ, ACT LIKE IT.

You are Loved,
cj

One Constant

One Constant

Theresa May is the new Prime Minister of Great Britain as of course Donald Trump is the new President of the United States. These democratically elected officials work with their respective governing bodies to enact law, provide for the common wealth, and protect its citizens. Their power is limited, and ability to do anything is based on their ability to build consensus. They make speeches and share thoughts in order to do just that, although they only need a simple majority to get  most things done. Which means there might be nearly 50% of people left feeling less than represented. This is government and this is how it works, eventually one side or the other assumes power and shifts happen in the populous. Like it or not, people, broken, fallen, hurting people make decisions, cast votes, and change over time.

There is one constant, only one. There is One Eternal King, only one. There is one eternal government, only one. There is one way into this Kingdom, only one, Jesus.  One does not just enter the Kingdom, the Word is clear on that. Regardless of mans feelings or opinion the Sovereignty of God stands supreme. The path into the Kingdom is narrow and few find it. So in light of this, let us seek out how one is to live in this Kingdom. If indeed you have chosen to become a follower of Jesus then what must one do?

Well lets look at Colossians 3:12-17

12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

15-17 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

It is about us conforming to the ways of the King not the other way around. He sets the laws, makes the judgments and declares the punishments. He is the Sovereign King. And if we desire to live within the Kingdom, if we desire to live this new life in Christ Jesus we better get to it…we better start putting on Christ and getting rid of those old garments. We in and of ourselves are not able on our own, therefore Jesus knowing this made a way for us through the cross. His Spirit now in us abiding with us is our change agent. He is the One doing the work in us to make us more and more like Christ. We however, forgetting what is behind us, we must press on towards Christ Jesus our Lord.

“So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.”

You are Loved,
cj

Inauguration Day

Inauguration Day
Hello, Greetings from afar yet truly just down the street from where you are, grace and peace to you. It is my hearts desire to express to you my prayers for you. That you would be bold in your faith and that you would walk humbly with Jesus as He calls you onward and upward; challenging you to walk as He walked.

i spent the day watching the Inauguration of the 45 President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump and in a video conference call about summer camps. Watching the Inauguration  reminded me as the media did the play by play of the days events that although we submit to the government our hope is not in it but in Christ alone. Whether you voted for Trump or not remember that. Looking at the world we really do have a great system of checks and balances and in four years we will go through this again, if the Lord tarries.

However, the power in the Heavenly realm will never change. Jesus is King now and forever. Although, i believe He does look upon our world governments His concern is for the church. It was displayed in His last arrival into Jerusalem when He went to the Temple and not to the governors house. (Matthew 21)

9 Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, “Hosanna to David’s son!” “Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!” “Hosanna in highest heaven!”

10 As he made his entrance into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken. Unnerved, people were asking, “What’s going on here? Who is this?”

11 The parade crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth in Galilee.”

12-14 Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text:

My house was designated a house of prayer;
You have made it a hangout for thieves.

Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.

My favorite part of this passage is the end, “Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in…” The Church has work to do regardless of who sits in earthly authority We must be busy making room for the less fortunate, the weak, the blind, the crippled, the hopeless and the lost. May we be about the work of the KING!
you are loved,

cj

You are Loved

You are Loved

“Tired from his journey, Jesus, sat at the well, it was noon.” A glimpse into the humanity of Jesus. He was tired and sat to rest at a well in the middle of the day. A part of the day when the well should have been void of people, and it was until, a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. This was completely out of the ordinary…sure i imagine there were times and circumstances where water was drawn in the heat of the day but it was most definitely the exception and not the rule.

How do we know that this wasn’t just one of those exceptions? Well, (pun intended, heres another) we can draw from the conversation (you can pause here and read the whole of the story in John 4 here). i want us to think on this encounter for a moment. This divine encounter where Jesus, meets a woman, no one wanted to associate with (in public) and ‘loves’ her.

We are in advent week two popularly known as the week of LOVE, the advent of love coming to dwell among us. That’s not all, love came to hang out with those no one else wanted to. To meet us right where we are…no change necessary to come to Him where He waits for us. His desire, for us to know Him.

“If you recognized God’s gift and who is saying to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would be asking him and he would give you living water.” Knowing Him and asking Him and receiving from Him…living water, life everlasting. Love so freely offered to a woman trapped in a life of sin. Love.

You are loved,

cj

Bizarro Universe

Bizarro Universe

Sitting in a chair thirty thousand feet (30,000ft) in the air being served food (gingerbread cookies) and beverage (coffee black) is by far one of the most amazing advances in human technology. Some others, the phone that is in your hand or tablet or iPad that you are reading this from…another technically advanced achievement of mankind (humankind for my socially liberal or progressive friends).  That device and the information it contains, the things that it can do, once filled an entire room and even then only did 1/1000 of what your phone can do now (it takes and sends pictures and videos, not even kidding).

i recently purchased a bluetooth headset for my phone for this trip i am currently on (Alaska bound for a visit with my boys and some hockey). i turned it on, hit connect and that was it…no programing, no software downloads, no app required, just turned it on. Soon after i was listening to the music stored on my phone from another music source that basically has every song you can think of…which means i had endless possibility of music choice. While listening to my music a call came through, i was alerted by a beep, i clicked a button and talked through my wireless bluetooth headset that look like regular earbuds (my phone was in my pocket). The call concluded, my music resumed, i grabbed my phone from my pocket, clicked over to my news app and began reading a news story (related to the most recent election) from my phone that was still streaming music to my wireless bluetooth headset.  Did i mention i am writing this from 30,000ft thats thirty thousand feet in the air!

Shortly after takeoff i looked out my window, i have a window seat, and by the way, was given a free upgrade on this leg of my journey. It might have something to due with the fact that i wore my Skywest jacket…but neither i nor they mentioned it. However, this happens to be a flight operated by Skywest for Delta. Anyway, i looked out my window a bit ago and caught the glimpse of another plane flying in the opposite direction of the one i am traveling on. i couldn’t help but wonder about the passengers on that plane, where was it going and was there someone like me on that plane headed in the other direction? Like maybe my doppelgänger, you know my alternate universe twin, like bizarro superman or for my Seinfeld friends bizarro Jerry? Those people along with my possible doppelgänger traveling to who knows where for who knows what except them of course; i am left to wonder as they are for us on this plane, i wonder if anyone on that plane even saw us? Perhaps, bizarro cj.

This brings me to this question, have you ever wondered if you are the best version of yourself? We all have special quirks that make us who we are so i am not suggesting in anyway that our individuality is bad…but are we the best version of ourselves? Can we improve on aspects of our life to make us better humans? There is a line in a movie, As Good as it Gets, where the main character says to the leading lady, “You make me want to be a better man.” Of course she is flattered by his comment. That’s a movie however, the idea is still there; are their things, people, ideas, that make you want to be a better person? And if so what does that “better” version of you look like…more profoundly, how do we get to that “better” version of ourselves? In the bizarro world the character is the opposite of the other, so if one is good the other is bad. For example, Bizarro Superman is a villain because of course Superman is a hero. Which version of you, are you?

Unlike the bizarro universe, we are not stuck being any version of ourselves that we don’t want to be. In fact because of Jesus we are able, through His transforming power, to become better people. Paul writes to the Ephesians in Chapter 2 the following:

“4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.”

There is the answer to the new life. Jesus in us because of God’s great mercy and love. Paul writes to the Corinthians in his second letter the following:

5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

New life. We no longer need to settle for who we once were because we are bing made new in Christ. We need only to allow Him to do what He wishes in us to make us more and more into His image. That we might carry the light into dark places in our world. We can even enter the bizarro universe and shed light there too!

you are loved,

cj

Part Two

Part Two

i have been thinking about this for weeks now.  How to exactly followup because as i wrote my heart was being stretched. i want to start by expressing the point i briefly stated in my previous post, Jesus has placed the same value on all humanity because He paid the same price for every soul that would choose Him, His life. i am not talking about self worth, i am talking about individual talent, individual gifts, individual ability, individual lives; lived out however, in one body, with one objective, one goal, one purpose, one mission, one calling.

Let’s look again at the story Jesus told of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30: (full Text Here)

(The Message) Matt. 25:14-18 “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.”

Here is what i see, two guys were blessed to do the work they were called to; two guys were unfazed by amounts because they were focused on the goal. One guy was frozen, fearful, lazy, unaccepting and judgmental. Here are the take aways, first, do not compare yourself to anyone. Second, don’t sit idly by while time and the world pass you by. Third, If you are busy with your talent, gift, ability, basically your life and you do so in the context of the Body with its objective, goal, purpose, mission…basically its calling; you will not return void that which you have been given.

Life doesn’t make sense. Why one is given more and another less with the same mission, doesn’t seem fair. However, the one in the middle didn’t think himself less than the first. He went to work with what he had and doubled the amount, still less than the first guy. Yet his reward was the same acclaim, the same prize. It was the one who refused to be about the master’s business who in the end lacked reward but faced a tragic judgement.

Here is the third servant…

24-25 “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’

26-27 “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.”

Before we get to the judgment lets look at this conversation. The servant knew the expectation of the master, yet he refused to take risks, refused to live on the edge, refused to take serious the mission. Did he doubt his talent? Did he feel slighted by the amount he was given? Did he feel he couldn’t do anything because he didn’t have enough?

There are a lot of Pastors and Churches that are much like this third servant. They live cautious lives, they wonder why they aren’t bigger, why they have no growth; they feel stuck and restricted while they look out the window and think if we only had the money, the talent, the people, the resources, the….fill in the blank. It is they that have taken the talent, the gift given them and have hid it in a safe place securing it for themselves until the master returns; it is they that i fear will hear what the third servant heard.

28-30 “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’”

Jesus didn’t just talk for the sake of conversation, His words were measured, chosen, and spoken with authority for the purpose of instructing. You are right life isn’t fair. It may appear some have more breaks than you, others may appear to be better equipped; but you are not tasked with being like everyone else…you are tasked with increasing that which you have been given. Sometimes, things need to be stripped away before real growth can occur. Sometimes, things need to be broken before they can be mended. Sometimes,  the foundation needs to be firmed up before a structure can be built.

We need to understand that we won’t ever understand everything…but what we do understand is that we don’t need to understand everything for Jesus to do what He does. He is only looking for the willing heart. The one who says, i don’t get it but yes Lord i will do it. He is looking for the Noah’s, the Daniels, the Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah’s, the David’s, the Ananias’, the Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, and Paul’s…He is looking for servants who don’t look at what they don’t have but look at the goal and say, “With God all things are possible.”

Let me close with this, it is a simple verse, about a simple idea that is also complex and complicated. It is a charge to do, to be, to not give up, to seek, to love…

1 Corinthians 13:12The Message (MSG)

12 “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!”

you are loved,

cj

Don’t Complicate Things

Don’t Complicate Things
In speaking to the teens on Tuesday Night we have been in Colossians 2 and this will be our 3rd week on the following passage. Colossians 2:6-7 i want us this time to look at in the message.

6-7 My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.

i like this rendering because it is straightforward. He doesn’t mince any words, getting right to the heart of the matter. i don’t feel i need to add much to this accept that he isn’t saying we shouldn’t continue to learn and grow…but what he is saying is that we need to take the knowledge that we do have and begin to live it out in our daily lives. We know what it means to love someone…we don’t need much study on that Luke 6:31-34

Jesus said, “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.”

Let’s not make it more complicated than we need to.