Spiritual Growth…

If you are at all like me, you can remember the day you were saved. Not that you were at all there at Calvary, when our Christ laid His life down for us… or 3 days later when He  magnificently picked it up again. That is when we were truly saved, 2000 years ago on Jesus’ behalf. But there is a day, for each of us who believe in Christ, where we can recall making a decision to accept this gift of grace and mercy and follow the ways of Jesus. My experience was shattering and unforgettable. There were tears then and occasionally tears today. These tears and many joys have made me a completely different person than I was before meeting Jesus.

Your experience may have been equally as emotional and inspiring or a more subtle, subdued situation. You may have been 14 and felt a soft calling to your heart. You may be middle aged and finally giving in to a constant voice deep in your chest. Wherever you find yourself at that initial moment of belief (hallelujah!), no matter your life experience, you are an infant again.

Being “reborn” comes with all types of  effects. There is a joy found that is irreplaceable and completely sustaining through trials. There are also some adverse effects. Because you live in a world that is broken and separated from God. You will also be, at times, separated. You will have to find a whole new way of communicating, relating and understanding. This can be a difficult place to find yourself, and at times very lonely.

Your worldly being and conscious has had several years to adapt and become accustomed to the ways of the world. Your spirit, in faith, is a newborn, young and, without God, vulnerable. Your best defense is to stay connected, as a child would his/her earthly parent, to God and His words (your bible).

Along the way you will most likely find that the most difficult times you have are not with relating to those around you however, but with growing spiritually and the lack of comfort you’ll find in yourself. Just as teens feel some growing pains and awkward, so will you. Thus far, I am noticing great difficulty in effectively communicating true love and sympathy. I feel them, and make attempts but maybe it’s all the years of cynicism that have me at a disadvantage.

Sometimes, I attempt to reach out to someone, as directed by spirit, in order to comfort, console, or credit them or their situation. To this point, I have been hugely ineffective at my attempts and they have even come back to smack me in my face. Does this mean I should just stop trying? No, when you are a child and you are learning to read, the vowels can sometimes cause you to stumble or look foolish. B-A-T duz knot spell bait. Practice makes perfect.

Phillipians 1:6 tells us this about God’s efforts in us:

“…God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work

until it is finally finished…” Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

Notice how it says work. Work is not easy. We have had so long to become worldly and a short time to reach spiritual maturity. You will still be angered, get frustrated, worry and make mistakes. A parents opinion of their child is rarely based on the results as much as they are the child’s effort. Our Father in heaven knows your effort just as you know or will know your own child’s.

Listen to your Father (read your bible), speak to your Father (pray), and love your brothers and sisters, no matter how they act, and your Father will bless you. Wisdom comes with age and experience. Do not expect Godly wisdom so soon. You, unfortunately, will find yourself in plenty of situations to build your wisdom from today forward. God bless you and be with you.

In effort to be a better man… Conversation w/ God Pt.1

In an effort to be a better man I am going to start sharing more personal things. I have many changes that I need to make in my life that I am aware of. I need to be more patient. I need to be more positive, especially about leaders. I need to speak with God more frequently in a manner of conversation. I seriously could ramble about the things I need to start doing better all day. But I need to stop rambling.

I believe that the man our heavenly Father is wanting me to be is a transparent one. A man that is put on a viewing table for all to see, flaws and triumphs. Any man who is doing the Lord’s work should be on display, not just when they are doing right but when they have not. We spend so much time explaining that it’s O.K. to not be perfect, that this is why Jesus came to begin with, but when it comes to letting others see our flaws we cover ourselves in self defense.

I’m not talking about the huge mess ups we have. Those are most likely to come out anyway and we’ll have to deal with them somewhat publicly. But the small, fractional, more frequent events are so much more useful to people of God, who want to be better and need an example, when shared.

I went to God this evening about an issue I am having with someone else. I have been frustrated time and time again with the same behavior and really have had no clue as to how I should handle things. Here’s how my conversation with God went.

Me: “Father, I’m going to speak to you about this standing up because I just want to talk to you. (sometimes praying on my knees gets to be too traditional and I can’t find good words, so praying standing or pacing becomes a conversation) How am I supposed to handle this situation?

God: Be patient. Be kind

Me: But I am patient and much more kind than they are. I don’t want to be run over.

God: Be patient and be the example, no matter how long it takes. Be kind and be the example, no matter how long it takes.

Me: Well if you are ALWAYS patient and kind every time the same behavior occurs, aren’t you just enabling bad behavior?

God: Do you think I enable bad behavior?

Me: (WHACK!)… Well, what if you are patient and kind forever and they just refuse to change, and you spend your entire life taking it in the face while you get stepped on and spat at? (figuratively)

God: If you spend your entire life doing what’s right and hope that someone else betters themselves, then you have done what I have asked of you, regardless of their decisions or outcome. But if your hope is for someone to change then you must always be the example or you give them no reason to. Holiness does what is right eternally. Sometimes people see this and they decide to change themselves, to be better. Sometimes they don’t. But, as hard as it is not to, spending time working on others flaws only adds to yours. Be right, be the example.

Me: Well do you even mention it to them or just act as though they’re not doing anything at all? How do you do this? What if it’s affecting someone else?

God: You don’t have to ignore wrong behavior. But you do have to approach it wisely, if it must be approached. Politely, patiently attempt to dissolve it. You must be willing to get inside slapping distance to give a hug, same thing applies to resolution. You must be willing to accept that your intent will not be accepted the way you hope for but, to do as I ask, you must be willing… over and over and over… forever.

P.S. Although this situation has nothing to do with my children, He also said that I have to discuss with my kids what they’ve done wrong, even when they know what they’ve done wrong BEFORE punishing them.

REPOST!!! Rocks or Rock Stars…

The first time I posted this I was worried that my pastor could possibly take offense to this. Thank God, not anymore… I am blessed to have one that not only can say it but spray it! I am re-posting this, however, because of a recent event with one of our major churches in play. I honestly believe that whether there is any malicious fault on the pastor himself, he could have prevented much of what occurred. Pray for your leaders, please. They are under assault, and they are not Jesus. God bless- JP

“Simon, Simon! Indeed Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat”LUKE 22: 31

When I entered the church I was a member of a very “old school” Church of God. I have a lot of great memories from that church. The pastors spoke with such humility. I was saved in that church. I became an assistant youth pastor and grew in faith rapidly through my experiences there. The problem I had was that I was a very progressive personality in a contemporary environment. I grew up punk rock and was preaching country gospel. I taught with excitement and I’m uncontained in my appreciation for God’s grace. They taught fire and brimstone and I wanted the children to focus on a life with Jesus more than a death without him… they’re kids. I visited Oak Leaf Church and immediately I felt God say to me, “You say you need a certain environment to do My work, well here it is!” I was even more suprised to find out there were more churches like this out there. There’s a rock and roll appeal to these churches. The danger in this environment is that it can also produce rock and roll attitudes.

I recently had the opportunity to go see a prominant “today” pastor speak. I had a good time and took alot of positive considerations from the experience. This pastor was a good speaker, though controversial at times. The worship was terrific. Although I took some very positive material home with me, I had kind of a disturbed feeling in my gut. Some of my dissapointment was due to a difference in leadership philosophy, which I had to resign because he was obviously a very effective leader. The majority of the discomfort I felt was due, however, to the way he carried himself. Once I was home I watched some of the resources he had online and also payed more attention to some of the pastors he was kind of mentoring. Some of these guys I already followed and appreciated their candor, but the more I payed attention, the more I noticed the similarities. The more I noticed the similarities the angrier I got. There were some bad habits being presented, and worse, I was beginning to see a trend in church leaders.

What I am seeing is a small, but present, trend of “Rockstar” pastors. I don’t have a problem with pastors having personalities, it’s refreshing. People need to know that our ministers are human beings not “Godbots”. And it’s one thing for a congregation or society to elevate a pastor to a “rock star” level. It’s borderline idolotry, but…  When the pastor starts to see this he should humble himself before these people. Saying that it’s all about Jesus and showing it’s all about Jesus are two completely different things. A church’s personality will mimic that of the pastor.

“Everybody wants to be a rock star, but no one wants to learn the chords.It’s hard work to study God’s Word.  To pray for breakthrough.  To do spiritual battle on behalf of those we lead.  To charge forward in faith for the cause of Christ.  To run a church with the highest standard of excellence.”- Quoted from one of the pastors I follow frequently. I actually found this after I started writing this. This disturbs me because it tells me he knows the comparison is being made and rather than correct it he’s going to ride it. Two other pastors even call attention to the fact that they use profanity from the stage, unapologetically before they do it.

Building disciples is best done with strong actions not strong words. It’s not ok for a pastor to use profanity while preaching, and we do not casually refer to opposition or critique as evil. (And Jesus is the main event… not you!) Church leaders are open for critique, when scripturally sound:

Matthew 18:15-17 If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

1 Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

2First Peter 3:10 “For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.”

3 James 3:9-12 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

The personality of church leaders should take a backseat to the person they are representing, Jesus Christ. It’s ok to be an individual as a leader, but you are influencing souls, and this must stay constant in your mind. Jesus called on Peter to be the rock of his church. A rock is sturdy, strong and constant but it certainly doesn’t take attention from the mountain. I’m happy that the church has become progressive and proactive in going after souls like Satan is. I just don’t want the church to be proactive in going after souls like Satan does.

Confused christians…

MARK 4:33-34 …Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with His own disciples, he explained everything.

Jesus did not mean for every person to understand Him. Mark 4 tells us openly that when Jesus spoke to crowds of men gathered that he spoke in a way that only those that made a strong effort to understand would understand. In this passage Jesus is surrounded by so many people who are interested in His teachings that He has had to get into a boat and be pushed from shore in a lake so that he can speak to all the people gathered.

He was SO ENGULFED BY THE CROWD THAT HE HAD TO GET INTO A BOAT AND PUSH HIMSELF FROM SHORE SO THAT THEY ALL COULD SEE HIM. Would your pastor have to do this on a Sunday morning? Are there so many people crowding your church that your pastor has to knock out the wall behind him and space himself so that everyone can hear his message? Jesus had to make room for every one to hear His message… And then He confused them, purposefully. He did not say anything to them without using a parable.

Pastors, no matter the size of your church, this describes your church. Your church is the crowd. Your church represents this crowd, no matter what size, so large that the Lord must board ship in order to speak, knowing that most will not understand the message. God then tells us that only to His own disciples, he explained everything. Only to those that had dropped all of their own wills and desires, only to those who had committed  their entire lives, only to the very very few who chose all that came with being a follower of Jesus did He reveal His message.

Jesus tells us in MATT 7:21-23 that not all those that call Him Lord, Lord will make it into his kingdom. There are many sitting in your church today who are being called but few will be chosen. If you are looking out into those that congregate at your church and feel comfortable with the thought that those people are going to heaven, you are mistaken. Many in your church will be gnashing teeth. It takes a personal interest on an individual basis to make a notch on God’s belt. The “very few”, or disciples of your church understand your message each week. The crowd came for a miracle, or to say that they had been there.

For those that want to understand Jesus’ message it takes following. If  you think hearing or seeing Jesus’ words gives you understanding, you are wrong. You will not simply read the bible and understand what those that truly choose to follow Christ understand. If you want understanding you must follow first. If you want your church members to understand, your job is to make disciples; meaning those that believe… and follow Jesus. Those in turn, that truly are disciples, will go out and make disciples.

Jesus did not explain himself so that those that understood Him would follow. Those that followed Jesus were shown while those who showed up were confused through equivalence.

He did not say anything to them without using parable. Jesus’ true message is personal, it’s not meant for the masses. The masses may receive the message but they will all accept it through a personal relationship. We must take interest in the individuals of the church and not find a percentage acceptable. We are the shepherds who are more interested in the 99 than the 1. Who are your disciples to which all is explained?… and who are theirs?

Christian Politics PT2.

I don’t normally post in this manner but I received a response from a man that I respect the opinion of very much in the subject of my last post, Christian Politics. I felt the need to debate this matter a little further because it is so important. The vast majority of the Old Testament, from Judges on, and much of the New Testament are directly related to the subject of God’s politics.

Leaders that make the choices of God’s heart bring blessings and virtue to their countries, leaders that don’t bring disaster.

This is a response to a message I wrote earlier, and further thoughts. I will keep you updated on the conversation. Please feel free to express yourself…

READER:

People’s political views like their upbringing in many cases define what they believe as a person. It’s natural for this to influence what political party they choose based on their stated beliefs.

The two can co-exist and actually be mutually beneficial to one another. Most of this countries founders were devout Christians and reference the providence of God constantly as they worked to create this country.

I would agree that Jesus was not a politician but he did not separate himself from the political or religious establishment either.

RESPONSE:

_____, thanks for the response…. sorry I took sooooo long to get back to you… I would state though, before all else, when you say devout Christians… that generally means expressing devotion to… can mean a mode of behavior. To be honest with you, I have not noticed much difference in behavior between most unchurched, or “heathen”, and most “devout” Christians. Neither has most of the non-Christian world.

Jesus came at a particular time in history where the rift between the “holy” and “unholy” was most recognizable, only to side with those who were seen as the unholy. I would suggest that if Christ were to return today, it would be a very similar case.

I am not suggesting that people should be without political opinion or views. I will tell you, though, that 99.9% of those who are “devout”, or self proclaimed, Republicans or Dems are simply not any closer to Christ’s politics than the other.

Republicans tend to ignore the needs of the underprivileged and call it Capitalism and the Dems tend to lean towards idolatry and sexual ambiguity and call it freedom.

At the end of the day, I understand your points and consider you, honestly, part of the .1% in this matter. But let’s not draw truth at a party line. I know many of the same Grand Ol’ Crusaders as you and many of the Underdog Dem’s as well. There are a COUPLE… of them that honestly consider Christ at the poll. Most of them are simply looking out their own back doors. If the problem doesn’t effect them, they think someone else is responsible to fix it. Jesus donated without a tax write off.

It seems that the only time a Righty will discuss Jesus in politics it’s when he’s slamming a Dem for supporting abortion. The Left is generally worse because they seem to ignore that Jesus’ political views gained most of them something for free or cheap… food, clothing, shelter, medicine… err etc.

I respect your devotion, not your party. You are a good man. I pray that more men like you find their ways to the polls, whichever way they choose to vote.

Conscious men and women with Jesus’ ultimate goals in mind really could change this world. God would get behind them. But if you believe that there are enough of them with the integrity to break party lines for Christ’s true values to make that change… I’d challenge you to prove it.

Christian Politics…

If you consider yourself a Christian and a Republican… or if you consider yourself a Christian and a Democrat… well to be honest I’m having to refrain from using the term “idiot” right now. I am really tired of people using their faith to defend their politics in America. God’s love and (get this conservatives) grace is way bigger than your political lines. As a matter of fact I’m pretty sure that if you defend your politics strictly by your faith you are either doing a great job of playing the gullible role or you are an outright liar.

Do you think God would align Himself as a Republican? I can tell you these things that do not agree with your belief. God was not concerned with a capitalist economy (Matt 21:12) . God’s message was not a message of earnings. God gave freely and expected us to do the same (Matthew 10:8). Jesus asked for ALL of your goods and each would be given unto their own need (Acts 4:32). Jesus believed in free medical. Jesus believed in feeding the poor (Matt10:8). Jesus believed that, if their were in fact a tax, you pay it (Matthew 22:21). Jesus believed that rich should give more than the poor (Mark 12:41). And Jesus certainly didn’t believe in judging others’ sin (Luke 6:37).

Do you think Jesus would vote Democrat? God speaks decisively against homosexuality (Corinthians 6:9). Jesus tells us that with our gifts we are expected to work in order to produce (Luke 19:11). God is the creator and any destruction of His creation is sin (abortion). These issues are enough to separate God from the Democratic party.

Some will be quick to defend their party here by saying that these issues don’t necessarily define their organization. I’d say pull your head out of your own ascot. In theory, you may be right. But by those that you not only allow to, but support in, representing your views you have defeated your own argument. Bill O’Reilly has an agenda, Bill Maher has an agenda, CNN has an agenda, and by all means Fox News has an agenda. None of these groups represent Christ. They represent capitalism.

Too often, we associate views that only effect our comfort on Earth with God’s intent. Jesus was not a politician, He was a savior that, quite honestly, came to deliver us from politicians. He was not concerned with social agendas and ran special interest groups right out of the church. Why are we so purposefully inviting those groups back into His house?

You can throw as many punches as you want at any political groups in America and vomit as many facts as you’d like about your opposition, but none of this makes you or your affiliation holy. Don’t kid yourself by thinking that either Republicans or Democrats represent Christ any closer than the other. Both parties maintain some Christ like views, both have more that separate them  from God’s message than place them closer to it. At the end of the day, if you value yourself a Christ follower, you are well advised to placing yourself far from either parties’ affiliation and paying more attention to each issue individually.

The disturbing part of this is that the views that build a strong, self-sufficient country are the same ones that alienate the weak within that country, and the views that build a supportive, socially conscious country are the same ones that alienate the biblical moral. The truth is you can’t have either of these realities without the support of God, and you can’t have the support of God without supporting each other.

Feed those that need feeding. Clothe those that need clothing. Heal the sick. If you have, give. You were given freely, give freely (Matt 21:12). Anything you worry about beyond this is only you concerned with your comfort. With food and clothing we will be content (1 Timothy 6:8). God says this definitively, “My grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Which party is running that platform?

As honest as I can get…

You’re all right. Most of our lives suck for… well most of our lives. Sure, I believe in a saving grace. I believe in the promise of God. But looking back and to what lies ahead sometimes, if I’m honest, my heart is heavy. You have to be strong to wake up each day and plaster a smile to your face while you grandmother is slowly passing in an ICU room somewhere, or while your children don’t seem to have the desires for life or respect for themselves that you want for them. You have to be strong to nod pleasantly at strangers while you battle breast cancer or think of someone that you hurt in the past. I’m not raining on your parade, I’m being honest with you.

I live in a beautiful world with beautiful people who care for me and each other so openly. We are friendly, even in disagreement. We pray for each other, especially the ones we have the most issue with. We are concerned with the family members of others we have never even met. We are generally more honest with others than we are with ourselves. The people in my life treat each other fairly. But all of us, in our own little ways, suffer for or from the memory of someone else. Whether it be someone we lost, someone we left, someone who left us, or even someone we just didn’t do enough for. We have all been wronged by and done wrong to someone else. We leave and receive scars on peoples hearts and our own and scars don’t go away.

Our Bible is full of trial and error. We have record of many of God’s chosen who have failed and been failed. The Bible is a who’s who in suffering. The successes of the Bible are not celebratory stories of men who lived righteous lives and lived blessed all of their days without pain. The men and women we respect, who really pull at our souls and minds, from scripture and history are people with drama and suffering, people who lost battles and to many what would seem wars. Our closest to heart are the ones that “went down swinging”. We call the stories of the characters who run off with the damsel in the end to live happily ever after “fairy tales”.  We do this because we know the truth of the world, that it is broken… just as every heart beating or that has ever beat has been broken, at least once.

Whether it be by your mistakes, or at the hands of another, or just by some random encounter with coincidence or disease, we are all broken. And strength, wisdom, desire, will, love and faith is what it takes to make sure that the nod you offer that stranger seems believable at times. This is the theme of the book that God has left for us. He left us stories of abuse and illness and loss among other disasters and made those men or women that survived them, faithfully, our heroes. See, we wake up as followers of Christ and put on a pretty face for others because we don’t want them to think that we don’t know how lucky we are to have Jesus. It’s a genuine feeling after all, we are so happy to have him as a savior. But, I think that the pretty face is sometimes meant to conceal the things that make Jesus so necessary to begin with.

The world is broken and so are you, and so am I. Along with our family members and those living on the other side of the world, we are broken. Somewhere someone or something hurt your feelings. God, presented us with rules of life or maybe, just as our Father, with simple requests of how He desired we treat our brothers and sisters because He knew how messed up it would all seem once the first man was mistreated. See, the heroes of the bible were never victorious in life because that’s not the point. The heroes were the one’s who, when a troubled life came to an end, had mustered up enough strength to still love the ones that they were leaving behind, enough wisdom to love those that caused their troubles, even when that person was themselves, and enough faith that God would make it all ok in the end.

God tells us many times not to search for success in life because He knows how misrepresenting worldly success really is. It’s a half hearted victory, because the scars will still remain. Success in God’s vision is surviving the trials with enough love left in you to still love in the end, then you’re a hero. Your trials, just like Paul’s and John’s and Jesus’ are valuable. That is why God shared those stories with you instead of the water cooler conversations from scripture times. God isn’t looking for you to mock your trials, He wants you to be honest about them with yourself as well as others, and faithful through them.

So continue to nod at the stranger you pass and be as joyous through life as you possibly can, but remember that what you are experiencing is real and that life really is tough at times. As long as you understand that God knows this is hard for you you’ll probably keep trying to smile.

Psalms…

I know that every last word of the Bible is holy. I know that I should proceed into studying the Bible with joy and thankfulness. I don’t know that I’ve been obedient in this as I have trekked through the Old Testament. There are some difficult reads, and quite honestly I have approached some of it with hesitance and resistance.

I finished Psalms about a week ago, as I journey through the Bible cover to cover for the first time.  I’ve read the gospels several times, I’ve studied the epistles. I’ve now taught, on a collegiate level, the Old Testament from Genesis to the last prophet. I enjoy reading the Bible. I am conscious of how God is speaking to me directly, almost every time read. But, I will admit to you, I had a very hard time through Job and Psalms.

There is so much to learn from both of these books. God would not include a word that was unnecessary, nor has he left a word from His perfect covenants. Believe me, I cherish my Book. Something about the poetics that just seem to just trudge along though. I’m just being honest with you here. The last thing I wanted to do at times was to pick up my Bible. I just wasn’t looking forward to it. Job seemed soooo long and I felt like I knew the point loooong before the point was made. Psalms, while full of beauty and adventure, if you can follow each Psalm through their historical points. No doubt, both are worthy of great attention.

If you look at Psalms on an individual basis you will covet David’s ability to speak God’s greatness through words. Each Psalm, on it’s own, is worthy of desire to be able to speak to God so openly. I can’t say I’m not dissapointed in how I approached my lessons through these books. But I’ve faced difficulty in every facet of my relationship with God. Every disappointment is an opportunity to depart from your relationship.

It would be easier to tell a lie to a friend or relative rather than hurt feelings by being honest. It is easier to wish failure on an enemy than pray for their success. Several times, I thought of just skipping a couple of Psalms or moving on to Isaiah. Sin is always easier. When God puts something on your heart, to refuse is sinful and to veer from His course is disobedient.

I know that sometimes your study seems monotonous or just downright blah.., (if your honest with yourself). It’s no different than tasking your young children to write their letters correctly. Sometimes reading your bible is going to be difficult and your going to have to put up a fight. Sometimes your not going to get anything “useful” from it immediately. But you will never have lost for your effort. You will never be worse off for taking the time.

I don’t think that God expects every Christian to be completely enthralled each time they pick up their scripture. Understanding God is impossible, but God has given us just what He desires us to know. Anything that truly gives you understanding of a limitless and absolute God is going to be difficult and seem limitless it’s self at times, but the more effort you give to understanding or simply getting familiar with what God has provided, the more you will understand and be familiar with God Himself.

You don’t have to be overjoyed or sugarcoated with God. You can be you. He created you and knows you better than you know yourself. Go to God in joy and in need. Most especially, go to God when it’s the last thing you want to do. Sometimes reading your Bible will be a trial. But with this, just like all trial, success is brought through dependence on God and the prize for success is much more valuable than the ease of disobedience.

Where’s your faith?…

Where you place your faith is important. Anyone who’s been in church for anytime, or anyone who’s ever read a page of the bible can tell you that your faith belongs in Jesus and only in Jesus. I know I have faith in Jesus, mainly because I’m here to tell you I do. I don’t think I would be around today without a large amount of faith in the saving grace of Christ. I found out recently why your faith should be ONLY in Jesus though. I mistook having faith in Jesus with having faith in Jesus and people who also have faith in Jesus. The big difference is that Jesus will never let you down and those faithful persons, as good as their intent, well they just can’t help it sometimes. It’s probably not personal, but it could be.

People, no matter how well their intent or how kind their heart, will sooner or later disappoint you. I’m not being pessimistic here, I’m simply stating what is true. People can be sincere and caring, they can love you deeply and they will still wind up making a decision, somewhere along the line, that can hurt you or cause you some sort of grief, or even leave you feeling neglected and abandoned.

I’ve experienced this recently and it affected me much more than it should have. I am, in my Christian walk, however still young and naive. I can’t be 100% sure about all of the facts in the matter, I can only be witness to the results, and they rendered me somewhat obsolete. I have a lot of love and respect for the person(s) that made these decisions and have no doubt that there was no real malicious intent behind the scenario. Best case scenario is that this was about a lack of communication, at worst it was about egos. Either way there is a scar, not disabling just a bit disheartening.

Their is a very powerful lesson here for me, though. It’s not that you can’t trust people. It’s not that everyone you meet is out completely for themselves. The lesson that I’ve learned here is what God has said so many times and gone through such drastic measures to show us. I see now, more clearly, that if people could ever meet our desires or expectations that Jesus would not have had to come to begin with. I see that it is unfair for me have so much of my faith and heart placed into other men that need God’s grace equally.

People in your church are just as vulnerable and human as any person on the street. I do believe that, as a whole, the people I have met who are active in their church are more concerned for and aware of what’s “right”. But they are people. God is no respecter of man because men cannot do what He can do. We can’t provide salvation and we can’t be to everybody everything they need. My God can and does.

All in all, when I look back on this, I will realize it to be a less “painful” lesson than it has seemed. I can almost hear God in my head, “Focus on me, son. I came to you so you would never have to have a man between you and me. Don’t be so willing to place one there.” I’m sure God knows the “you and I” rule, but that’s just how he sounds to me.

I will leave this situation no less faithful in God and no less trusting in friends. I realize that roadblocks to faith can happen anywhere, even in church, and that I can’t hold mistakes of men against Him. You can’t afford to have your FAITH wrapped up into anyone that can let you down. Trust is a precious resource which I’m willing to share, but I will certainly be sure that the majority of it is placed with the one who can pay my debts. Bless you all, trust in God.

It’s Not Mine To Give…

   I often find myself battling what, I hope, are very natural emotions. I’ve tagged the problem as “Inspiration that becomes ambition” in my head. Well I can tell you this much, nothing lightens up an inner struggle like putting it on public display.

     I wasn’t blessed with the naturally humble persona that I envy so much in others. It’s hard work for me. I am working hard to be a better leader everyday. I make seriously hard decisions in my own life that, I feel, facilitate this growth and increase awareness about potential road blocks I might face. Spiritully, I am comfortable with the direction I’m headed. But there is still a lot of the old selfish me that lingers. The old natural me. I get frustrated with “when will my turn come?” feelings and occassionally wrestle with wanting attention for the things I do, even though I’m doing them in commitment to God. So how do we insure our selfish desires don’t corrupt our good works? How do we keep inspiration from becoming ambition?

   Scripture tells me that I’m not the only one who has to work at being humble. Peter says in 1Peter5:6, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you“. Why would we need to be told to humble ourselves if we were created humble? If you weren’t naturally programmed to get up in the morning and be more concerned for yourself than others, then humility would not be a valued quality. We admire qualities in others that we struggle to achieve or maintain.

   We are born with the “What about me?” etched deep into our hearts (Mark 7:21). Without selfish will and that desire for attention we would never have survived in more savage times. Even today our society is based on a “You don’t ask, you won’t get” model. But it takes hard work and constant reminders, and some reflection, to keep our intentions on the inspired, not ambitious side. We are told in Romans 12:1, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God… It takes a reminder that our will should only be that of God’s will.

   This may take experiencing some discomfort occasionally. I’m certain Paul wasn’t giddy about his imprisonment, David was downright miserable doing God’s work at times, and by Jesus’ own admission in Gethsemane, He was not looking forward to His trials. Relating to David and Paul should come easy. Their biggest worries many times came from simply not knowing. When would Paul be released? Why, if David were chosen by God, was he so often driven from his home and kingdom? The wonder is what get’s you.

  When you accept God’s will, though, your concern for the when’s and why’s aren’t nearly as important. I read a prayer someone wrote who was about to go on stage at a conference that said this, “I’m nervous.  God, please let me be less worried about how I do here and more focussed on what you are doing here.”  We may never know if God’s plan is for us to have a spouse or if God intends on providing us a full time ministry, or if God even intends on you seeing tomorrow.

   So the question is “Would I be doing this even if I knew I would never receive my desires?” If you can’t answer that question “Yes”, everytime, you are doing something selfish. I’m not saying that it’s always inappropriate. What I am saying is, those feelings have no place in your spiritual life. We are called upon to be selfless. It takes work, hard work for some of us. When you realize that your wishes and desires are only temporary, and that God blesses those who maintain their focus on Him (2Chronicles7:14), you will also be reminded that only on earth do greater works equal greater reward.

  Our lives and our gifts are given from God to do God’s work. They are given, freely, and without cost comes no right to expect reward. We cannot successfully serve our God if we are doing so with expectations of being served by Him in return. You are not sacraficing your time or energy to His cause, because that time and energy was given to you by His will. When you start feeling that your efforts are not producing enough reward for you, or not in your time, you should also try to remember that those efforts weren’t yours to give anyway.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!…

     There are some holidays that I previously ignored that have become important to me.  Holy holidays never made the cut before. What’s holy to someone who lives without God? But, just like so many before me, when I received God’s gift I began to pay more attention to these holy days.

   The first was Christmas. I grew up hating Christmas. I didn’t have a Christ to celebrate, or so I thought, and though I love my family they had some traditions that just made Christmas a little uncomfortable. Too much attention was placed on the gifts and your reaction to your gifts. As a father Christmas holds some value. I really like the days leading up to Christmas and Christmas eve. Hearing my daughter go on and on about Santa Clause, though I’m fed up immediately after Christmas morning, does bring a huge smile to my face. As a Christian, yes it means much more to me and it’s certainly sacred but  Easter has taken on so much more of a meaning to me.

    The miracle birth of Jesus is beautiful to me and every Christian should be versed on the events that lead up to and those that surrounded His birth. Jesus didn’t come to be born though. Jesus came to be re-born!!! The emphasis that Jesus placed on the events of his life was never focused on his birth, but on His suffering, death, and ressurection instead. This is where the true gift is. Had Jesus been born, performed miracles and been swept away to heaven, like Elijah, our faith would be useless. But the fact is that Jesus suffered, died, and was ressurected and, in this only, we are forgiven of our sins. This is what Easter should be about, more than a celebration.

   Easter means so much more to me than rejoicing over Christ’s triumph. It has become a time to suffer in mourning, a time to reflect in accountance, and a time to celebrate in victory. I’ve began a tradition that unfolds over three days through the Easter holiday weekend.

    Our Lord suffered not only at the hands of Roman soldiers and the Pharisees, but also to the sins we have all commited. It is so easy to make the Jewish priests and the Scourges out to be the bad guys of Jesus’ story, but I am reminded, sadly, of the role I personally play in His suffering. Without my vanity and lusts there is nothing to atone for. Without my arrogance and lies, even the “lil white” ones, Christ had no need to die. Although our sins leave us instantly in the eyes of God, a scar remains. For these reasons, I choose to suffer and mourn. A full fast for 24 hrs with prayer, while an insufficient offering, seems appropriate. I usually do this on Good Friday. It’s a very small price to pay while considering what Jesus did for me

  On Saturday Christ was at rest in the tomb. This day, I reflect on the year prior. Being a Christian involves constant growth in faith and in spirit. In order to grow we must consider our failures and successes. We all try not to sin but we all do eventually. We all want to grow spiritually, but growth takes a plan. After reflecting on my shortcomings and the suffering I’ve caused I consider the plan and pray… a lot. There’s a pensiveness to the day, a dead calm, and late in the evening the excitement brews.  Tomorrow is a new year in Christ. Tomorrow is Easter.

   And then there’s Sunday, Easter day. Today is the day of Christ’s ressurection, today is a new day. Today we put our past sin as far from us as Jesus will take them. On Easter morning Jesus defeats death and we celebrate in his victory and glory! This is my New Year. I am alive in forgiveness, no longer dead in sin. I have atonement, I have a plan, and today I remember how I have Jesus!!! Easter is best spent with your church, honoring, praising, serving. And with family, praying, feasting, and celebrating. It’s the new year in a new life.

   I usually finish off Easter Sunday by watching The Passion of The Christ. It’s rough. It’s a difficult movie to watch, and I know there is plenty of controversy, but it’s probably the closest depiction of how things really looked, sounded and felt that we have. And I’m sure it was more difficult for Christ to endure than it is for me to watch. Hearing the noises and seeing the sights atleast once a year helps me close the gap between my faith and feeling like I can put my hand on it. It also reminds me God has a plan. I’m part of it, and so are you.

   However you celebrate Easter, make it your biggest holiday. At the end of the day it’s just more important than the rest. Beyond the celebration remember why we’re celebrating, one Man suffered at our hands by being nailed through His. What can you do tomorrow to be less like yesterday? Today is your New Year. Thank Jesus.

Act Like You Belong There…

   When speaking to church leaders I find myself stressed sometimes. I worry hoping they know that I’m biblicaly astute. I have a desire to help guide others to a more peaceful understanding of God’s word and my leader’s opinion of me matters. Very rare is it that I find myself nervous about my skills to communicate my message, but when I’m in front of, let’s say, a pastor I begin to second guess the point I’m wanting to make and how to convey my thoughts. It’s ridiculous, I’m sure, but I clam up and get the whole sweaty palm, raised heart rate thing going, the kind of feeling you may have experienced when talking to your college history professor or high school english teacher. You want them to know that you know what you’re talking about.

   I’ve noticed that alot of people tend to look to their pastors for approval in this manner. A person that doesn’t ordinarily quote the bible suddenly tosses out every Leviticus and Proverbs verse they know, even if we were simply talking about fishing or the weather. I think it’s somewhat natural to look to your spiritual and church leaders for approval. They almost take on a parental personification to some. But what does scripture tell us to do?

   There’s a sports reference that hit me as soon as I thought about this message. Some of the most famous sports stars are those that become popular for their end-zone celebrations or post play antics. The more ridiculous their actions the more celebrity they become. I admit sometimes I admire those guys creativity and alot of times their good for a laugh. But the ones that we remember forever, the players that we truly respect are the ones who simply get up, toss the ball to the ref. and trot off the field. In the sports world we say that those guys “act like they’ve been there before” or “act like they belong there.” Many times that nonchalant toss of the ball is more bold of a move than any silly dance they could have done. More importantly, instead of attention it get’s respect.

   There’s a lesson to be learned as one with faith. Surely, the approval of our leaders is something we desire just like every competitve player wants the approval of a crowd. But when we do our job and we know we’ve done our job we should simply toss the ball and act like we belong there. Our pastors and spiritual leaders are there to help us discern God’s message. Our ministers are there to help us understand our faith. But when we gain understanding in scripture and in God’s will in our lives it is not church leaders we should look to for approval. You don’t need any church leader’s stamp to get into heaven like it’s some exclusive club and he’s the security.

   Scripture says that when you are faithful you will speak boldly in your faith, and be confident in the Lord:

1. ACTS 4: 29 says: And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
2. PROVERBS 28:1 tells us: The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
3. PROVERBS 14:26; In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge

   We are not being called here to earn another man’s approval. We are not expected to be concerned with another man’s opinion. We are blessed with the opportunity to confidently present ourselves as equals in salvation. We don’t need to dance in the end-zone and we don’t need to look to any crowd for acceptance. We can peacefully act like we belong here.  Be calm in your spirit and be bold in your proclomation of faith. With confidence in salvation your place in heaven is already made and no man’s respect or approval will earn you a larger crown.

Rocks or Rock Stars…

Usually when I write there’s a message that’s burned into my head and heart and I have to get it out. Ordinarily this is simple because the message is positive and the reprecussions are, at worst, criticism. About two weeks ago I received a message on my heart that was not bore from positivity. This message carried some anger, some dissapointment with it. I started to write it boldly, as bold as the emotion behind the message, but I feared the reprecussions. I didn’t know who might read it and take some insult. I certainly didn’t want to hurt feelings. I decided to just wait it out. Surely, if I held off a day or two, I would receive some other inspiration. I figured I would be blessed with another experience that showed me God’s greatness and put another rally call into my heart. I had that experience. The message on my heart hasn’t changed though. I also realized, instead, this message pertained as much to me as anyone else who might be offended. When God speaks, I suggest you heed His instructions, otherwise, you are simply procrastinating.         -JP- 

 “Simon, Simon! Indeed Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat” LUKE 22: 31 

   When I entered the church I was a member of a very “old school” Church of God. I have a lot of great memories from that church. The pastors spoke with such humility. I was saved in that church. I became an assistant youth pastor and grew in faith rapidly through my experiences there. The problem I had was that I was a very progressive personality in a contemporary environment. I grew up punk rock and was preaching country gospel. I taught with excitement and I’m uncontained in my appreciation for God’s grace. They taught fire and brimstone and I wanted the children to focus on a life with Jesus more than a death without him… they’re kids. I visited Oak Leaf Church and immediately I felt God say to me, “You say you need a certain environment to do My work, well here it is!” I was even more suprised to find out there were more churches like this out there. There’s a rock and roll appeal to these churches. The danger in this environment is that it can also produce rock and roll attitudes.

        I recently had the opportunity to go see a prominant “today” pastor speak. I had a good time and took alot of positive considerations from the experience. This pastor was a good speaker, though controversial at times. The worship was terrific. Although I took some very positive material home with me, I had kind of a disturbed feeling in my gut. Some of my dissapointment was due to a difference in leadership philosophy, which I had to resign because he was obviously a very effective leader. The majority of the discomfort I felt was due, however, to the way he carried himself. Once I was home I watched some of the resources he had online and also payed more attention to some of the pastors he was kind of mentoring. Some of these guys I already followed and appreciated their candor, but the more I payed attention, the more I noticed the similarities. The more I noticed the similarities the angrier I got. There were some bad habits being presented, and worse, I was beginning to see a trend in church leaders.

   What I am seeing is a small, but present, trend of “Rockstar” pastors. I don’t have a problem with pastors having personalities, it’s refreshing. People need to know that our ministers are human beings not “Godbots”. And it’s one thing for a congregation or society to elevate a pastor to a “rock star” level. It’s borderline idolotry, but…  When the pastor starts to see this he should humble himself before these people. Saying that it’s all about Jesus and showing it’s all about Jesus are two completely different things. A church’s personality will mimic that of the pastor.

   “Everybody wants to be a rock star, but no one wants to learn the chords.It’s hard work to study God’s Word.  To pray for breakthrough.  To do spiritual battle on behalf of those we lead.  To charge forward in faith for the cause of Christ.  To run a church with the highest standard of excellence.”- Quoted from one of the pastors I follow frequently. I actually found this after I started writing this. This disturbs me because it tells me he knows the comparison is being made and rather than correct it he’s going to ride it. Two other pastors even call attention to the fact that they use profanity from the stage, unapologetically before they do it. Building disciples is best done with strong actions not strong words. It’s not ok for a pastor to use profanity while preaching.

1 Ephesians 4:29 ”Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

2First Peter 3:10 “For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.”

3 James 3:9-12 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

    The personality of church leaders should take a backseat to the person they are representing, Jesus Christ. It’s ok to be an individual as a leader, but you are influencing souls, and this must stay constant in your mind. Jesus called on Peter to be the rock of his church. A rock is sturdy, strong and constant but it certainly doesn’t take attention from the mountain. I’m happy that the church has become progressive and proactive in going after souls like Satan is. I just don’t want the church to be proactive in going after souls like Satan does. 

21st Century Disciple…

     

What does the 21st century disciple look like? I’ve heard this question asked so many times lately. The more progressive the church, the more I hear it. I understand the question. I understand what’s intended. What I believe is being asked truly is, with the resources we have today how has the role or means of accomplishing the tasks of the disciple changed? The disciple his/her self has not changed. In 2000 years the qualification nor criteria has altered, in the slightest. What has changed is the ability for many to understand what it means, and it seems our churches have become leery of the title.

The word disciple appears in the bible 257 times. God is very comfortable with the title. Of the 257 mentions it gets in the bible 256 of them are in the new testament and they all refer to the same people. The only mention “disciple” get’s in the Old Testament is in Isaiah, 740-681AD, where prophecy is being made of those same people spoken about in the New Testament. So for roughly 2750 years the meaning and the role of the disciple has not changed, nor will it ever.

   A disciple is defined as; One that accepts and helps spread his master’s teachings. Jesus defined a disciple, himself, in John 8:30-31. 30 “As he spake these words many believed on him. 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciple indeed; The role of a disciple is simple… believe and obey.

Would any of us claim to be better or more able than those who walked directly with Christ? I hope not. Did these disciples have all of the answers? No they didn’t. Were these disciples free of sin. No they weren’t. Neither will the disciples today be free of sin or have any better answers to the same questions. This is not what we have been charged with. Today’s disciple is responsible to believe on him, Christ Jesus, and continue in his word. Today’s disciple is responsible to accept Christ Jesus and help spread his teachings.

The role of the disciple has not changed. The world has been complicated but the responsibility we share has not. The world has more weapons and tools, must we use them? We can but our best weapon is faith. Why should we complicate what God has made so perfectly simple? Believe and obey are your tasks. You can do this by using the latest media or resources or you can pick a good busy street corner, either way the commission is the same.

Simply put, if you desire the same role and relationship that Peter, James, Andrew, and the boys had with your savior guess what, you’ve got it. If you believe in Jesus as your savior and you obey his word, which includes spreading his teachings, then you are a disciple. Don’t shy to use the title, God didn’t. If you are a pastor or minister or priest and you are interested in new and untapped ways of developing disciples, well great, but don’t confuse the resources with the product. There are no new or untapped ways to be a disciple.

  Here are some things the bible has to say about discipleship:

 1)Acts 11:26- And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioc. A Christ Follower is a Disciple.

2) Acts 15:10- Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?Don’t complicate the role.

3) Acts 6:7- And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; The only way to develop Disciples is by talking about Jesus. The more we talk about Jesus, the more Disciples we’ll see.

Next Generation Leader…

   I’ve just finished reading Next Generation Leader, by Andy Stanley, with our Connections team. I learned alot about some people God has situated near me and I learned a whole lot more about myself. Hearing how others would react to the same situation was a terrific opportunity for me. Leadership is simple, proper and useful leadership is more complicated, however. I don’t necessarily think that a leader has to be comfortable with his role to be the best leader for the role. Sure there has to be a plan, and sure you have to be comfortable with the plan, but you don’t have to be comfortable guiding the plan. One thing that the book taught me is that there are several different traits that succesful leaders have but the most important one is the ability to recognize the skills of those following you and be willing to develop them.

   So many times in my past I have seen a leader be too worried about losing his following to develop a new leader. I think that the benefit of being a leader in faith is blessed because in it’s foundation is the idea of a humbled ego. I have been a leader, through management postitions, my entire adult life and usually spent more time worrying about the intent of those showing promise than I did developing that promise to provision. How much time could I have saved myself? How many headaches could I have been spared, by just being willing to create an environment that develops instead of demands. God is great for his willingness to show me this so patiently.

   The difficult thing to accept as a leader is that someone can do it better, that there is someone more qualified in this crowd to do my job than I. The mark of a good leader is to be able to spot the ones who can and get out of your own way long enough to show them that they can. In the church this is our responsibility. 1 Kings 12:27 says “If you will be a servant… then they will be your servants forever.” Moses, David, and Abraham… none of them were comfortable with their roles as leaders.

   So, you don’t have to be great to be a great leader.

• Listen.
• Recognize your strengths and play to them.
• Recognize the strengths of those around you and put them into a position to utilize those strengths.
• Lead in humility and be ready with praise.
• Coach don’t critique.
• Have a plan… Let it be God’s plan.

   In the end the best leaders are the ones who feel the least like they have to lead. If you are focused on leading through God then he has provided you with the resources to do so in peace. If you are focused on leading in God then his agenda is obvious. Leading in a Godly way means you have already been given a plan and the resources, your only job as a leader is to realize who or what they are and where they belong. God bless you. Amen.