Scarecrow

Worry is like a scarecrow in that it is an empty threat designed to scare you away from something valuable. Just behind the scarecrow lies rows and rows of fresh delicious corn. But crows are frightened by something that isn't even real. They generally ask a lot of 'what if' questions of the scarecrow. "What if it shoots us?" "What if it grabs us from mid air and pummels us slowly to death?" "What if..." "What if..." "What if..." The scarecrow has been placed perfectly to divert the crows from the very best. Just beyond our worry is God's greatest plans for us. But worry frightens us. My worry, something completely empty and unfounded, keeps me asking paralyzing 'what if' questions. "What if said bad thing ends up happening?" "What if said bad thing happens...again?" "What if some ridiculous growing unreasonable fear happens to me?" "What if..." What if..." "What if..." The worry is placed in my heart to divert my attention from God's very best for me. There are so many good things I could go after and experience in my life, but I'm terrified of the straw man named 'Worry'. I may never experience those good things that lay just beyond. What if the crows only had a brain and each time they saw a scarecrow, they started to say, "there must be something good right there." ----------- Reading: "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron, "Confessions of a Pastor" by Craig Groeschel

If there were a book that...

How did Romans become the most common book for communicating the Gospel? I submit that 1 John take its place. If I were to pick a 'favorite' book of the Bible that had so gripped my heart to actually change the way I lived my life by faith, it would certainly be 1 John. If there were a book that not only communicates our sinful nature and our need for something out of this world and beyond us for salvation and connection with God, 1 John shows us that. If there were a book that continues throughout to show that Jesus Christ is the only solution to aforementioned crisis, 1 John would be it. If there were a book that communicates the new life and identity we gain with salvation through Jesus Christ, it would be 1 John. If there were a book that challenges the heart to let go of guilt and take a hold of real and honest grace that changes our very identity, 1 John communicates it over and over. If there were a book that communicated that once having acquired salvation and a new spiritual identity, there is a cal to a phenomenal life of love for God and other people, 1 John would light it up. Today, I underlined the crap out of 1 John and remembered how amazing and heart-gripping communication of the whole Gospel it entails. ------------- Listening to: "There Came A Lion" by Ivoryline

Growing Old

Bread and juice eaten each day would grow stale and pale. But remembering I am loved enough someone would take my eternal death penalty; that never gets old. ----------- Listening to: "Sometimes" by City & Colour; "Overtones" by Just Jack Reading: "Confessions of a Pastor" by Craig Groeschel; "The Cost of Discipleship" by Bonhoeffer

Nude Soldiers

I wonder how many of us, like myself, often run out onto life's battlefield naked, wearing only a helmet and just maybe other random bits of armor. "Therefore put on EVERY piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil." - Eph. 6:13 (NLT) I am not often able to resist the enemy because I am most often fighting a dangerous battle in my birthday suit and a shield. Salvation is not enough to fight this life's battle well enough to really resist a powerful enemy. Salvation and my Bible are not enough as only a helmet and a sword still leaves me naked. I need my entire armor with every piece to really stand, fight, and resist a powerful enemy. ------- Currently Listening to: "Glory In the Highest: A Christmas Album" by Shane & Shane; "Avalanche" by Sufjan Stevens Currently Reading: "Ragamuffin Prayers" by Jimmy Abegg

Instead

Grace, by its very nature, is disarming in a world that simply does not understand it. Love is something that will never be illegal; even if Christianity ever does become outlawed. We have been given a strict directive to do 2 things: Love the Lord our God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. What has happened when we have engaged our culture with all-out war? Our culture is very sick, and there is a great number of issues Christians should absolutely oppose. We are certainly losing the culture war, but I am not so sure we were intended to win it. Christians are, and always have been, called to live a countercultural lifestyle. In a culture set on winning each war at the hands of revenge and politics and fighting, I am not so sure Christians are living too countercultural to that. Love and truth have a way of being incredibly countercultural and disarming on their own. Christians have come to be known not only for what they are against, but also as simply being hateful, bashing, and fighters. We have engaged, more than we realize, in this culture by fighting a culture war we lost years ago, and again, I submit that we were never intended to win. We have come to be known as hateful and relentless letter writing, phone calling, email forwarding, picketing, and protesting people. None of these live counter to the culture that is always at war. INSTEAD... What if we loved those we disagree with and started to find practical ways to act on that love? What if we began to serve those we have been fighting? What if we began finding the needs of the homosexual (and other groups of people we hate...lets be honest), and tried to meet practical needs in loving ways? What if we gave of ourselves to serve that one person or group that we have fought against so adamantly? What if we stopped writing hateful letters and signs, and started loving people; not because we agree or condone anything, but because they are human beings created by God? I submit that in so doing, we'd be living the countercultural lifestyle we are called to. We would be showing real grace and love that is incredibly disarming in a world that does not understand it. We may just be living out Romans 13:17-21: "Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the Lord. INSTEAD, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads." Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. (NLT) ----------- Currently Listening to: "Bring Me Your Love" by City & Colour; "Takk" by Sigur Ros; Matt Chandler podcasts Currently Reading: "Life of Charles G. Finney" by A.M. Hills; "The Autobiographer's Handbook" edited by Jennifer Traig