Many of you have sung the Bethel Worship song, "No Longer Slaves." It is a song that reminds us of a very "Easter" subject. When I hear this song I remember the Old Testament story from Joshua 5:9 where God says, "Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt." And I remember that Easter morning discovery of a stone being rolled away from a tomb, rolling away sin, death, fear and slavery. I remember Jesus' words and the angels words that remind us we should no longer fear and we should stop looking for living things among dead things. And I remember that if I am to appropriate the fullness of what Jesus did on the cross, in the tomb and in the world, I must leave Egypt, leave the wilderness and leave the tomb.
I have learned there are at least two kinds of slaves. In the affluent areas of Florida there are landlords that rent housing (sometimes substandard) to people from other countries (Jamaica, Mexico, Russia, Romania, etc.) at exorbitant rental rates and fees. The landlords allow a very high occupancy so they can make huge profits from a small space. They threaten the renters with lots of made-up stories of governmental agencies coming in and deporting them (even though most of these people are here legally). They provide transportation to work for the renters, again at a very high cost. In a sense these people are slaves. In many cases they know no better or are afraid to 'rock the boat.' So they live in bondage to the fear that leaving the bondage may be worse than their slavery.
But there are other slaves. The Bible says the borrower is a slave to the lender. We submit to the adverse effects of drugs and alcohol, becoming slaves to the addictions and effects. I could add sex, prejudice, depression, greed and fear to the list. The questions for all of us are ... when will we be intellectually honest and admit we are in bondage? ... when will we honestly seek God's leadership in leaving our bondage? ... when will we do what Hebrews 12 tells us, 'throw off the chains and sins that bind us so we might run the race God has planned, unfettered by slavery?' This slavery is broken by following God to break the power of our lifestyles and choices.
One thousand, four hundred and fifty (or so) years after the crossing of the Jordan, Jesus didn't forget He was in the business of keeping that promise God made to Israel ... "I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead
you to a land flowing with milk and honey--the land where the
Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now
live [Exdus 3:17]." That promise wasn't stopped by time, people, opposition or even the death of God's Son. Jesus didn't stop at the tomb ... and He is calling us out of Egypt, the wilderness and even our old life so that we can become children of God. "We are no longer slaves!"
What would happen if we did what John, Peter, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus did? What if we bought into this message of Jesus that we are children of God, never to be bound by Egypt, the wilderness or even the tomb? Why do we choose to remain slaves to fears, prejudices, other gods and things that will not stand the test of time? We are no longer slaves ... we are children of God ... let's leave the tomb! As the angel said to the women, "Why are you looking for the living among the dead?" Great question! Randy
Monday, March 26, 2018
Monday, March 19, 2018
Important
What is important to you? What is really so vital that you have to keep it with you, hang on to it tenaciously and carry it on your journey through life?
Every time I move I seem to carry boxes and items that I only see when I am in the moving process. They are part of my history, part of my journey ... but are they really important? I must confess the answer is no! I need to ask a question ... "Randy ... will you use that where you are going?"
More than any story I can think of (up to this point in Jesus' life) the triumphal entry is a lesson in seeing the real and important. Nicey told a story Sunday about a little girl asking if her eyelashes were real. No matter what Nicey said, the little girl would not believe the lashes were real. No matter what Jesus said, each person and each group wanted to "see" what He represented from their own perspective. They kept asking ... "are the you the one we are expecting?" ... "are you the one who will deliver us?" ... "are you going to overthrow the Romans?" ... "are you going to take care of what I want?" They, like us, saw what they wanted to see.
I hope you will re-read this story from the perspective of "What is important here?" What is vital to hang onto? Is is the representation of peace as Jesus rides in on a donkey? Is it the words from the crowd that shout "Hosanna?" Is it the palm branches that were placed in the street? Or is it the reality that the people, the disciples, the Pharisees, the Romans all failed to really see what was real ... the fulfilled prophecy ... the fulfilled law ... the tears for peace ... the beauty of a life lived perfectly ... the internal strife over what lay ahead ... the savior of the world!
As you enter Holy Week, look for what is real in the stories,songs and services. Keep the true and vital things. Let the untrue, unimportant and unnecessary go. See the savior who lived, died and was resurrected for you. Take Him with you for He will give you everything you really need! Randy
Monday, March 12, 2018
Seeing
How do you see the world? I must admit I have become a bit jaded in my worldview. It is hard to trust. It is hard to invest in other people. It is hard to put aside my pre-conceived view of people I have pigeon-holed into mental compartments that I have carelessly created. It is hard to see past all the filters I have placed over my eyes. It is hard to see the world like Jesus did.
Hillsong does a song called "Wonder." I love the song because it pushes me to see the world differently. The words go, "I see the world in wonder, I see the world in life, bursting in living color, I see the world Your way ... And I’m walking in the light." The song reminds me to see the world like Jesus. When Jesus encountered the woman at the well (John 4) He bucked the popular world view of His time. The world saw a Samaritan woman, someone that society had dehumanized and placed into the category of human trash. Even the woman knew this as she told Jesus ... "Why would you ask me for a drink of water? Jews have nothing to do with Samaritans!"
Here are some things Jesus did to re-humanize the Samaritan woman.
1. He engaged her in conversation. Our hearts can be stone when it comes to interacting with those people we have placed below our lofty perch. We walk on the other side of the road. We avoid neighborhoods. We relegate other people to a category of "them." Jesus reminds us that "they" have value in God's eyes.
2. He engaged her in normal human activity. Jesus asked for a drink of water. He brought her into a common and shared human experience.
3. He expressed care and concern for her relationships, even though those relationships were not the norm accepted by that society. He didn't condone ... just acknowledged that those relationships didn't make her less human and less of value to Jesus.
4. He talked with her about God-things. He spoke of common ancestry (Jacob). He spoke about a common longing for the Messiah. He spoke about a time of common worship when we would all worship in Spirit and truth.
5. He invited her into ministry. When she ran to tell the town who she had met, Jesus didn't say "Wait ... you need Seminary training for that! You need to be certified to be an evangelist!" Jesus invited her into the work, life and light of being part of a group of people called believers.
I love the words of the song! "I see the world in grace, I see the world in gospel
I see the world Your way, and I’m walking in the light, I’m walking in the wonder, You’re the wonder in the wild, turning wilderness to wonder." May Jesus turn the wilderness of our prejudice to the wonder of His light! Randy
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Facing the Demons
Most of the people I encounter would love for this blog to wander off into the occult since the word "demon" is in the title of this post. We love the flashy, uncommon, mythical, sci-fi, fantasy and fantastic. I admit to being an X-files watcher and know all about the escapades of agents Mulder and Scully. But what about real life?
First, let me say I am a firm believer that Scripture doesn't mention demons lightly. They were (and I believe are) real and dangerous. In Matthew 8 Jesus encounters demons that have violently manifested themselves in two men. The demon-possessed men were so violent that people could not travel near the tombs in which the men lived. For these two men it must have been terrible. For Jesus, it was another day at the office. Jesus knew there were powers, demons and forces of evil that existed beyond sight. Jesus knows they still exist, whether we acknowledge them or not. And these demons are not the fictional creations of a TV series or a movie.
Jesus' actions in Matthew 8 tell us some things about facing the demons of today. The first thing He does is meet them (He encounters them directly). I wonder if this little part of the story means Jesus saw them for what they were ... looked beyond the facade of possessed flesh and bone ... looked into the hearts behind the violence of the two men? I believe so, and I wonder if we should look to the heart of our demons? When I encounter a person in the throes of evil, should I try to see what Jesus saw? Maybe that is part of the love of Celebrate Recovery as we try to be agents of Jesus, 'recovering' the lost humanity in a world filled with some pretty evil stuff, including demons! Maybe much of our ministry is just that ... being Jesus' hands and feet, seeing past demons, infirmity and evil and seeing into the hearts of God's created people.
The second thing Jesus does is to see that life for these two men cannot go on like this. I see so many people who repeat the patterns of hurt, pain and even evil because they have become too familiar with their demons. Drugs are destroying them ... but that demon has become familiar. Greed is obsessing them ... but that demon is insatiable. Narcissism is controlling them ... but self is a demon on steroids! Fear controls their every move ... but that demon thrives on attention. And hate ... that demon justifies itself so that we see it as protection, righteousness and justification. We either ignore the existence of these demons or we give up and say "that's just how I am" or "I just can't do life any differently." Do we believe our feelings, our infirmities, or do we believe Jesus who tells us He has overcome the world? I hope that answer is overt and evident!
The final thing Jesus does is send the demons out. In the story the demons are sent into a herd of pigs (I have always felt sorry for those pigs). But this blog is about your story and my story. Do we allow Jesus to send out our demons, or do we give them an inviting home right in the living room in our heart? It's time! Time to allow Jesus to do in us what He did in this story. Cast out those demons. See them for what they are. Recover our true self and our real identity. Give us life and give it to us abundantly! Randy
First, let me say I am a firm believer that Scripture doesn't mention demons lightly. They were (and I believe are) real and dangerous. In Matthew 8 Jesus encounters demons that have violently manifested themselves in two men. The demon-possessed men were so violent that people could not travel near the tombs in which the men lived. For these two men it must have been terrible. For Jesus, it was another day at the office. Jesus knew there were powers, demons and forces of evil that existed beyond sight. Jesus knows they still exist, whether we acknowledge them or not. And these demons are not the fictional creations of a TV series or a movie.
Jesus' actions in Matthew 8 tell us some things about facing the demons of today. The first thing He does is meet them (He encounters them directly). I wonder if this little part of the story means Jesus saw them for what they were ... looked beyond the facade of possessed flesh and bone ... looked into the hearts behind the violence of the two men? I believe so, and I wonder if we should look to the heart of our demons? When I encounter a person in the throes of evil, should I try to see what Jesus saw? Maybe that is part of the love of Celebrate Recovery as we try to be agents of Jesus, 'recovering' the lost humanity in a world filled with some pretty evil stuff, including demons! Maybe much of our ministry is just that ... being Jesus' hands and feet, seeing past demons, infirmity and evil and seeing into the hearts of God's created people.
The second thing Jesus does is to see that life for these two men cannot go on like this. I see so many people who repeat the patterns of hurt, pain and even evil because they have become too familiar with their demons. Drugs are destroying them ... but that demon has become familiar. Greed is obsessing them ... but that demon is insatiable. Narcissism is controlling them ... but self is a demon on steroids! Fear controls their every move ... but that demon thrives on attention. And hate ... that demon justifies itself so that we see it as protection, righteousness and justification. We either ignore the existence of these demons or we give up and say "that's just how I am" or "I just can't do life any differently." Do we believe our feelings, our infirmities, or do we believe Jesus who tells us He has overcome the world? I hope that answer is overt and evident!
The final thing Jesus does is send the demons out. In the story the demons are sent into a herd of pigs (I have always felt sorry for those pigs). But this blog is about your story and my story. Do we allow Jesus to send out our demons, or do we give them an inviting home right in the living room in our heart? It's time! Time to allow Jesus to do in us what He did in this story. Cast out those demons. See them for what they are. Recover our true self and our real identity. Give us life and give it to us abundantly! Randy
Monday, February 26, 2018
The Little Things
"It's the little things that get you!" One of my football coaches would say this. A missed block would destroy a good play. A lazy cut on a pass route would cause the pass to be incomplete. A missed assignment in the secondary meant a touchdown for the other team. In fact, this year's national championship game ended with a player losing concentration for just a tiny moment, and that was all it took. Game over!
In the story of David and Goliath we most often talk about how the little guy sometimes wins ... how good overcomes evil ... how the underdog sometimes has his day. But I want us to think of this story from Goliath's perspective. Goliath had swagger ... but swagger is of little value when the battle begins. Goliath had size, might and training so he assumed he would win ... but those things don't matter when your opponent is focused and determined. Goliath had himself (it was all he needed in his battles to this point) ... but Goliath didn't know the spiritual side of the battle ... he didn't know that David was empowered by God.
I know this is a familiar children's story and we adults sometimes place this little tale in that happy, childhood, nostalgic place in our mind. But there is another place for this story. For men, and some women, Goliath's folly is how we live our daily life. We are hurting, depressed, overwhelmed, confused and in turmoil, yet we respond in the way Goliath responded. We want to look like nothing is wrong ... so we play the swagger card and nobody sees our hurt. We say, "It's all good," but we know it isn't all good ... we mask our fears by our cliche' responses. We (be honest guys!) say we can handle this without God's help or the help of others ... and we stay in that place of hovering, never facing or moving past our problems.
In the Bible story, David won because he did some very healthy things. He faced the problem with no personal swagger (he was impossibly outmatched ... so he knew his lack of resources). He used his mind and his focus to understand he was in the fight of his life and he used every resource (agility, quickness, skill, training, knowledge) he had. And David allowed God in to the battle. Enter the battle without pride. Look for every tool and resource so that you can face your enemy and give the battle all you got! And never enter the battle without God being over you, around you, beside you and before you. Randy
In the story of David and Goliath we most often talk about how the little guy sometimes wins ... how good overcomes evil ... how the underdog sometimes has his day. But I want us to think of this story from Goliath's perspective. Goliath had swagger ... but swagger is of little value when the battle begins. Goliath had size, might and training so he assumed he would win ... but those things don't matter when your opponent is focused and determined. Goliath had himself (it was all he needed in his battles to this point) ... but Goliath didn't know the spiritual side of the battle ... he didn't know that David was empowered by God.
I know this is a familiar children's story and we adults sometimes place this little tale in that happy, childhood, nostalgic place in our mind. But there is another place for this story. For men, and some women, Goliath's folly is how we live our daily life. We are hurting, depressed, overwhelmed, confused and in turmoil, yet we respond in the way Goliath responded. We want to look like nothing is wrong ... so we play the swagger card and nobody sees our hurt. We say, "It's all good," but we know it isn't all good ... we mask our fears by our cliche' responses. We (be honest guys!) say we can handle this without God's help or the help of others ... and we stay in that place of hovering, never facing or moving past our problems.
In the Bible story, David won because he did some very healthy things. He faced the problem with no personal swagger (he was impossibly outmatched ... so he knew his lack of resources). He used his mind and his focus to understand he was in the fight of his life and he used every resource (agility, quickness, skill, training, knowledge) he had. And David allowed God in to the battle. Enter the battle without pride. Look for every tool and resource so that you can face your enemy and give the battle all you got! And never enter the battle without God being over you, around you, beside you and before you. Randy
Monday, February 19, 2018
The Inward Battle
I wonder if our most dangerous and important battles are those inside our heart? There is the battle for control ... do we control or does God? There is the battle for truth ... do we create our own truth or do we rely on God's truth? There is the battle to define success ... do we follow the world or do we follow God's definition of success? Hard questions, and the answers are equally hard.
One of the sports-related stories that has surfaced recently is the story of the Russian curler who has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PED). When I think of PED use I can't think of a sport less likely to need an "edge" than curling. It is like taking steroids to become a better bowler (but what do I know?). Anyway, as I read this story I thought about the three questions above. What does a curler have to tell himself that will justify PED use, risking the possible penalty of loosing an earned bronze Olympic medal?
He must become very self-centered in taking control of things. "My ends justify the means to that end!" "Self-exaltation is my standard and the standards of the sport are not adequate!" "Life is all about what I need!" Before you accuse the Russian ask yourself a question. Have you ever prayed, "God, tell me Your plan for my life!" Sounds good till you take that sentence apart. First, is your plan the point or is God's plan the point? Do you expect that you will be comfortable, fulfilled and "peachy" doing what is in God's plan, or will your joining God's plan be clunky, hard, uncomfortable and inconvenient? Is it "my" life or is life a gift from God that has been given to me as a sacred trust? Is life about me and my control or does God take precedence? It is a battle!
He must rationalize truth. Pilate asked Jesus "Quid est veritas" ... "What is truth?" It is a human quest which can be noble but, I fear, is most often our attempt to shape the truth to meet our needs. For the Russian curler the truth is whatever I can get away with. For the alcoholic the truth is "I will be fine with just one drink." For many of us the truth is whatever we can rationalize. I hate that rationalization is one of my spiritual gifts (not given by the Holy Spirit I must say). In a world of lies, a media-culture filled with misinformation (from every side) and even lies about God from prominent leaders, you can begin to understand why Pilate asks this question. For one Russian curler, being decisively-evasive was his truth. It is a battle!
He must define success in a very self-focused way. I know a pastor at a prominent church in the Destin area that has told associate pastors they need a better car because they are "not portraying the image of our congregation." I know many who value leadership by who makes the most money. I know church leaders who value election to high offices and public accolades as measures of success. Then I read the most prominent Biblical writer (by number of books, by volume of content) saying, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all" (1 Timothy 1:15, NLT). Want truth? That is the truth. The inner battle rages between what we want to feel, what we want to think and what we have been given in the blessing of Scripture. These 'truths' are different. Which will we follow? It is a battle!
These are the reasons Jeremiah (17:9) said, "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is!" And these are the reasons that cliche' answers like "Follow your heart" should be removed from our pool of standard advice. Follow (Worship) God, and Him only! Randy
One of the sports-related stories that has surfaced recently is the story of the Russian curler who has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PED). When I think of PED use I can't think of a sport less likely to need an "edge" than curling. It is like taking steroids to become a better bowler (but what do I know?). Anyway, as I read this story I thought about the three questions above. What does a curler have to tell himself that will justify PED use, risking the possible penalty of loosing an earned bronze Olympic medal?
He must become very self-centered in taking control of things. "My ends justify the means to that end!" "Self-exaltation is my standard and the standards of the sport are not adequate!" "Life is all about what I need!" Before you accuse the Russian ask yourself a question. Have you ever prayed, "God, tell me Your plan for my life!" Sounds good till you take that sentence apart. First, is your plan the point or is God's plan the point? Do you expect that you will be comfortable, fulfilled and "peachy" doing what is in God's plan, or will your joining God's plan be clunky, hard, uncomfortable and inconvenient? Is it "my" life or is life a gift from God that has been given to me as a sacred trust? Is life about me and my control or does God take precedence? It is a battle!
He must rationalize truth. Pilate asked Jesus "Quid est veritas" ... "What is truth?" It is a human quest which can be noble but, I fear, is most often our attempt to shape the truth to meet our needs. For the Russian curler the truth is whatever I can get away with. For the alcoholic the truth is "I will be fine with just one drink." For many of us the truth is whatever we can rationalize. I hate that rationalization is one of my spiritual gifts (not given by the Holy Spirit I must say). In a world of lies, a media-culture filled with misinformation (from every side) and even lies about God from prominent leaders, you can begin to understand why Pilate asks this question. For one Russian curler, being decisively-evasive was his truth. It is a battle!
He must define success in a very self-focused way. I know a pastor at a prominent church in the Destin area that has told associate pastors they need a better car because they are "not portraying the image of our congregation." I know many who value leadership by who makes the most money. I know church leaders who value election to high offices and public accolades as measures of success. Then I read the most prominent Biblical writer (by number of books, by volume of content) saying, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all" (1 Timothy 1:15, NLT). Want truth? That is the truth. The inner battle rages between what we want to feel, what we want to think and what we have been given in the blessing of Scripture. These 'truths' are different. Which will we follow? It is a battle!
These are the reasons Jeremiah (17:9) said, "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is!" And these are the reasons that cliche' answers like "Follow your heart" should be removed from our pool of standard advice. Follow (Worship) God, and Him only! Randy
Monday, February 12, 2018
Maintenance
Over the winter it is easy to get complacent and lethargic. It has been cold and now it is rainy. My fishing gear, lawn care items and other spring/summer equipment has been in storage-mode. I could just forget about all of it and wait till warmer weather. But what I have learned is that those times of quiet, reflection and stillness are also times to do the maintenance and care I can't do during busier summer months. So I oil my reels and check the strength of my line. I clean up that lawn equipment and make sure I have everything necessary for using it during the coming months. That mindset is very much an allegory for Lent.
Lent is a time when we consider our mortality, our sinful nature, our spiritual health and our need for God's forgiveness and God's care. We take time, effort and energy to keep our faith in working order. We check for the strong and weak places. We allow God to come in an do that good work only He can do. It is a great time of the year and it is a necessary part of our Christian journey.
We do this care and maintenance because 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us that our enemy is persistent. Peter says, "Stay alert!" Our enemy is prowling around and he never relents from his pursuit of those he can devour. During Lent we take inventory of ourselves. We ask the hard questions ... "How are things with my soul?" ... "How can I become more open to God so that God will be able to teach, mold and use me?" ... "What spiritual disciplines (praying, fasting, journaling, studying, worshiping, reading, serving, giving) can I employ so that God has total access to me?" ... "What are my weaknesses?" ... "What do I need to give to God so that God will be able to grow me? While most of us think of Lent as passive and reflective, it should be that good kind of work that brings you the tiredness of completion and fulfillment.
We also do this "soul-care" because we are called to (Acts 2:42-47) "continue" in the faith. Luke, the writer of Acts, says or implies this attribute of the Christian walk in the words of Acts. Luke understood that our faith, our life as a Christian and our journey with Jesus is not a passive endeavor. The enemy is persistent so we must also be persistent. The enemy is at war with us and for us to live in an attitude of peace, we must be vigilant, constant and focused. Jesus said to be watchful for we never know when we will be challenged and we never know when Jesus will return.
May your Lenten season be filled with growth and productive maintenance of something of great value ... your soul! Randy
Lent is a time when we consider our mortality, our sinful nature, our spiritual health and our need for God's forgiveness and God's care. We take time, effort and energy to keep our faith in working order. We check for the strong and weak places. We allow God to come in an do that good work only He can do. It is a great time of the year and it is a necessary part of our Christian journey.
We do this care and maintenance because 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us that our enemy is persistent. Peter says, "Stay alert!" Our enemy is prowling around and he never relents from his pursuit of those he can devour. During Lent we take inventory of ourselves. We ask the hard questions ... "How are things with my soul?" ... "How can I become more open to God so that God will be able to teach, mold and use me?" ... "What spiritual disciplines (praying, fasting, journaling, studying, worshiping, reading, serving, giving) can I employ so that God has total access to me?" ... "What are my weaknesses?" ... "What do I need to give to God so that God will be able to grow me? While most of us think of Lent as passive and reflective, it should be that good kind of work that brings you the tiredness of completion and fulfillment.
We also do this "soul-care" because we are called to (Acts 2:42-47) "continue" in the faith. Luke, the writer of Acts, says or implies this attribute of the Christian walk in the words of Acts. Luke understood that our faith, our life as a Christian and our journey with Jesus is not a passive endeavor. The enemy is persistent so we must also be persistent. The enemy is at war with us and for us to live in an attitude of peace, we must be vigilant, constant and focused. Jesus said to be watchful for we never know when we will be challenged and we never know when Jesus will return.
May your Lenten season be filled with growth and productive maintenance of something of great value ... your soul! Randy
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