Say What???

We are told over and over in scripture that we are to be building each other up.  That we are supposed to be encouraging each other.  That we are supposed to be watching the words that we say.  As Christians we are supposed to give words of "affirmation" to each other. The outside world of non believers is hard enough on Christ followers.  So why in the world is it that too often than not we feel like this dude when we talk to each other:

"Then neither do I condemn you, " Jesus Declared.  "Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:11)

Now hold up, we are supposed to be like Jesus (hence the name Christians, "Christ like", followers of Jesus), and yet we don't do this.  To set the scene here, a woman had been caught in adultery, and the crowd of men had gathered to stone her (cause stoning was the punishment for adultery).  Believe me there was a line of people anxiously waiting to stone this poor girl.  Does this sound familiar?  If someone gets "caught" wrapped up in alcohol, affairs, drugs, unemployment, or any kind of addiction we line up ready to throw stones.  We may not literaly throw stones, but the words that we say are as bad, if not worse.  We say things like:

"Boy they have some nerve showing their face"

"Can't believe that happened to them"
"Their parents must be so ashamed"

"I would have to move"

"That's the most horrifying thing I've ever heard/seen"
"What happened to them, they seemed so.... normal"

"if i where them i would have changed churches"

or even:

"we should exlude them from church"

wow, just wow.

It's amazing how we shoot our own..

So anyway back to the narrative, Jesus kneels down beside this young lady and writes something in the sand.  Then one by one the line of people leaves, and all she is left with is .... Jesus. 

Did she have a moral failure?  Yep.  Did she do wrong?  Yep.  Did Jesus condemn her for it?  Nope.

Jesus, who is the only one who has the right to condemn, didn't.  That should be enough.

Stop beating up your fellow believers and just be there for them.  It's hard enough to deal with personal failures without a line of people waiting to throw stones.  The choice is ours, either grab a stone or be there for them.

Chris

PRESSURE!!!!!!!

ok so not one of Billy Joel's best known songs from 1982 but i do remember it, "Pressure"

Life is so full of pressure, no matter the age or gender:

Family
relationships
school
children
job
friends
and on and on and on and....... on the list could go.

In the midst of that we find ourselves saying, "come on God, REally??"  Sometimes we are so busy, so much pressure, so much anxiety, that we miss the voice of God, therefore miss the will of God.

"Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God"  (1Kings 18:37)

Do you sense the anxiety, pressure, and stress in the voice.  Answer me, Answer me.  It's almost like begging God for an answer.

So how do we deal with pressure, stress, and anxiety.  You have to have an outlet, I have to have an outlet.

I actually have several.  I go for a run or walk.  I play xbox.  I used to play golf (though it seems i rarely have time anymore).

It's when we step back from situations that we realize that most of the pressure/stress in our lives is brought on by ourselves.  WE put so much pressure on ourselves to be successful.  Part of our problem is society, some of it is because pressure from parents, or maybe even pressure from siblings or friends.  Regardless of where it comes from you and I need to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves.

We are vastly as a society over medicated and unhealthy.  Most of that has to do with stress and how we deal with it.  A pill is not always the answer.  Now don't misunderstand me, sometimes it is a necessary means, I take medication for several things.  However, I also have been able to drop medication.  Simply because I am trying to become healthier physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Point being, find a way to properly deal with pressure.  Read a book.  Write poetry.  listen to music.  go for a walk, hike, or run.  Go biking.  Do something to get away from daily pressures and stresses.

Find a way to get healthier physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  It's the balance in life you and I need.

Will you join me as I continue to strive to get healthy?

Chris

The battle from the outside

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith (1 Pe 5:8-9a, NIV)

Yesterday I wrote about the battle we face from within, my own personal desires, and how it effects my life.  However there is another factor:  The Battle from the outside.

If its not bad enough that we have to deal with an inward battle of good verses evil, our enemy is also throwing stuff at us from the outside too.

The verse starts with the solution to dealing with the prowling enemy:  You and I have to be self-controlled (dealing with the battle within) and alert. 

Did you know that the majority of people that are attacked in public saw their attacker, but where not aware enough of their surroundings to be alert of the attack.  You and I are to constantly be on "alert", there is no downtime.  The very moment we put our guard down, the enemy attacks.  He is looking, waiting, and ready to pounce the very moment we do not expect it.  So yes, we have to live our lives in "defense" mode.

Is being a Christian Hard? yes
Is doing the right thing hard? yes
Is it worth it?  YES!!!!!

Watch out, keep an eye out, be on alert...  (ps and look out for one another)

love, Chris

The Battle Within

I have never fought for this country on foreign soil, so i will never know how that feels, but I do face a battle of warfare on a daily basis:  Its called the Battle within.

16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.  (Ga 5:16-17, NIV)

There is a constant battle within me of good verses evil, and if your honest its in you too.

I WANT to live by the Spirit
I WANT to do the right thing
I WANT to say the right thing
I WANT to be the person God wants me to be

however

Within me is the sinful nature that I (we) have to battle, fight, wrestle, and deal with on a daily basis.  It's tiring and its emotionally draining.  This is what makes it so hard to do the right thing.

Yes its hard, very hard.  I have heard often times in life that the hardest things in life are the ones that are the most beneficial.  It's the battle of what I think is best verses what God thinks is best. 

God loves me/you enough that He helps us with this battle.  He will give us the strength to fight this battle.  He gives us His Spirit as strength, i cannot (and you cannot) just automatically do the right thing all the time.

In the end God knows what is best, He will win the battle if you will just let Him.

Yes, there is a battle within me, a war that i must fight, and a war that i must win, so that I may be the person that God wants me to be.  And so the battle continues...

Join the battle,

Love, Chris

Just for Fun

When was the last time you did something "just for fun"?

Something crazy, out of the ordinary, something to make you laugh, or someone else?

This is some of my students acting "crazy like" doing the "bird"....

I think as adults we forget to do this, we forget to make ourselves laugh.  We forget to "let loose".  Allow ourselves to laugh, have fun, and be goofy.

2 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.  13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.  (Ec 3:12-13, NIV)

We receive a lot of gifts from God,
Love
life
friends
family
and fun, laughter, goofiness.

I have to remind myself of this often.  Life is full of stress, work, and tough times.  It takes effort to laugh.  It seems harder and harder as we get older to have fun, laugh, be goofy.  However, I try to often.

So i ask you:  When was the last time you where goofy, laughed, and had fun.

Maybe it will be this weekend, make time...

Have a great weekend, Chris

The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad time

You every feel like your in a "rut" or "in the fog", or that it seems like no matter how hard you try nothing seems to be working right.  The harder you try, the worse it seems to get.  The stress level gets higher, higher, and higher.  No matter how old you are, we all get to the point where we feel that way.  Some of it can be stress we bring on ourselves, some can be driven by those around us, and some may just be completely out of anyone's control. 

This is where I am, and I'm sure at some point you have been there too..

So how do we deal with it?

what do we do?

better question is:  how do we get OUT of it...

I don't know that I have any good answer, but in my devotion today I read this and it helped me a lot:

31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?  32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”c
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,d neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ro 8:31-39, NIV)

"What can separate us from the LOve of Christ?"  STress?  Trouble?  hard times?

nothing, absolutely nothing.....

These verses not only tell me that nothing has separated me from the love of Christ, but I am a conqueror.  In fact it says I am "more than a conqueror".  I can conquer this, I will conquer this, I won't let it get me down.  I will succeed.  I AM CONVINCED.  If God is for me (and by the way He is), no one shall stand against me. 

I'm ready to play, put me in coach, I'm fired up now, lets go!!!

This terrible, horrible, no good, very bad time, I'm done with it - are you done with yours?

Have a blessed day, Chris



Who?? Me????

"But Lord, " Gideon asked, "How can I save Israel?  My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my Family" (Judges 6:15)

If you have been around long enough, you know how Gideon feels.  God has just told him he was going to do something, well, amazing.  God was going to use Him to save the nation.  Save the nation?  You gotta me kidding me.  (this is what Gideon thought).  So Gideon begins to do what we would do:  give a list of excuses:

I'm not smart enough
I'm not good enough
I'm not equipped enough
I don't have time
I don't have money
I don't have the energy
I'm not good with people
I'm too busy
I'm too scared
I'm not good with people
I'm not educated enough
and the list could go on and on and on and on and on.

"Your right in the that no one is worthy to serve God, but the problem is that doesn't matter to God" - E. McMinn

It's amazing to me that God uses us to accomplish His work.  It's a great privilege but with great privilege comes great responsibility.  You and I must be responsible with the great work that God has placed in front of us.

So when it comes to God giving you a mission, don't stress, enjoy the ride.  It's great fun and a little hard work.

have a great day, Chris.