Merry Christmas!

Just a note to say Merry Christmas to All (meaning one) my readers. Remember the reason for the season... that Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby to be the propitiation for our sins.

Remember the 18 greatest words ever spoken...

Luke 2:11

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord.

Politics, Favoritism & the Church?

In reference to the title of this blog: One of these things is not like the other...

1 Timothy 5:21
I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.

James 2:1
My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.

James 2:9
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

I've been silent for a while now and it it time to break my silence. No I didn't take a vow of silence, I've just been rather busy, and truth be told didn't have anything to write about.

Well now I do...

In college I was part of a group that was supposed to be the elite of the elite. (Obviously since I was a part of it they weren't that picky.) What I found out during those 4 years is that it wasn't really anything but a big political machine. No we weren't the young republicans or young democrats but everything was politically motivated.

What I mean is that everything had a motive. To be the star you had to kiss some major gluteus maximus, be "in" with the right people, and pretend to be a certain way. If you did not do any of those things you weren't really anyone, oh sure you were a part of the group but you didn't get any breaks.

This isn't all that hard to swallow in the world as they know no other way to operate other than trying to impress someone and "WIN" their prestige. They scramble to know the 3 W's: Know What to kiss, Know Who's to kiss, and know When to kiss it and the attention it brings is the reward. What is sad (great understatement)is when this happens in churches.

Now what really bugs me about this is that Leaders usually get their posterior kissed so that someone can gain favor, a position, status, stage time etc. The wise leader knows this and is on the look out for it. All too often though leaders don't see what is going on and acquiesce to the Tulips being planted. Without even realizing it some leaders become incapacitate by this whole movement. The end result is that only the Tulip planters are asked to do anything and become major forces in the church. The ministry suffers, and the church becomes in raveled in "Church Politics."

At the heart of this is ego and favoritism. Lets face it, we all like to have our egos stroked now and then. It feels good! So where do we go wrong? When we start to have the attitude that it feels so good to have my ego stroked that I no longer see anyone but the Tulip planters. Then if you don't stroke my ego, well you don't deserve to have a spot in this that or the other. When we show favoritism to those who play the games to get what they want, that is when it gets bad, very bad!

Clearly the Bible teaches against showing favoritism to someone because of their status, wealth, or position. But what about showing favoritism to those who use political means to get what they want from us? That sort of political maneuvering, ego stroking, and favoritism can't be acceptable, can it?

Leading takes some serious effort. The very nature of leadership is difficult, you have to be out front, the one cutting the trail, pushing thru the snow, showing the others which way to go. To be a leader is sometimes equal to being a 24 point buck in the middle of a field of hunters on opening day of hunting season, you ARE the target. Sometimes its easier to just step back and follow, other times its easy to let the position go to your head, and then again sometimes we don't even realize we aren't leading anymore.

Cause or effect? Does showing favoritism cause a leadership vacuum or is favoritism the effect of a leadership vacuum? Regardless of which you think it is, the Bible is clear that we are not supposed to do it, no favoritism allowed, even of yourself. Try this one on for size...

Romans 12
Living Sacrifices
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Love
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.

17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[d]says the Lord. 20On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[e] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Don't know bout you, but that doesn't fit too well. Its kind of like a suit that is too small and dipped in starch. It doesn't fit and is uncomfortable.

And now little Johnny Jones will sing "Blessed Assurance..."

"Stand with me now as we turn in our Hymnals to Hymn number 334 Blessed Assurance..."

How many times have I said those exact words or heard them said in church? How many times have I sang (or is it sung, singed, songed?) that familiar hymn? How many times did I even think about those words? Here they are...

Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine!
Oh what a foretaste of glory Divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

Think about that for a minute. Ok I'll wait..........................................
How did you feel about that song? I'll go first.

One thing that hits me is that while Jesus is "MINE" and that this is "MY" story and song, Jesus isn't really "MINE". WHAT, you ask? OK so he is "MY SAVIOUR" "MY GOD" "MY ROCK" "MY SHELTER" etc. etc. etc. is he really mine though, and if so how?

Let me hypothesise for a moment. The only way that Jesus is really mine is if he is mine to share. I never get the feeling that we can keep Jesus all to ourselves. I once heard a pastor say that the reason Christians aren't doing anything for the kingdom is that we are too busy "sitting on our blessed assurance." Its the idea that we get what we can, can what we get, then sit on the can.

Let me articulate this another way. We've all seen a toddler when you try to take his "BINKY" away right? What does little Johnny say? MINE! He is asserting his possession of the binky and articulating that in the only way he knows how. MINE MINE MINE! It gets the point across. Is this how we really sing Blessed Assurance? Blessed Assurance, Jesus is MINE! (Emphasis on the mine like little Johnny when you take his binky)

If we really bought into the idea that once I have personally appropriated Jesus as my salvation, he is only MINE to share how would our churches be different? I recently learned that our church got the award for most baptisms this year with a whopping total of 49! (For the sake of time I'll leave the discussion of the "Baptism Award" to another post.) What struck me is that none of us ever mean to sing the song this way. It is never an intentional thought when we sing the song. What it is however is a subconscious thought that we express, and is only evidenced by an invitation where no one accepts Christ as Saviour.

"O wretched man that I am!" I am the chief of sinners! Especially when it comes to this topic. I stand at the front during the invitation waiting for someone to come, I even teach I TEACH an evangelism class, yet Jesus is MINE!< I got him, I stuffed him into the can, and now I'm sitting on the can because after all he is MINE!

I've been thinking about a catalyst. What kind of catalyst would it take to get our church out of its comfort zone and engaged in the world. Could it be this very thing? Could it be that we MUST realize that Jesus is only truly mine when I give him away? Could the catalyst we need be a person who says "This is my Jesus, I want you to have him" over and over again? What would happen if I did this? Could I be the catalyst, that spark that sets the whole thing on fire, the one who leads the way to making an impact for the kingdom?

I really want to be that Godly man. Not for my glory, but for two reasons. 1. To bring Jesus to a lost and dying world, that they may know him and receive eternal life, and have it abundantly. 2. I don't want to be content with Jesus being jut mine and mine alone. I want him to be glorified in me and in others and for that to happen I have to start by sharing him.

No more getting what I can. I have to get off the can, open it up and give it away.

I have a Neck Ache!

I haven't posted in a while just because I haven't had any random thoughts inside my head that were ready to put down yet. Usually I won't post until I have the topic at least somewhat resolved in my own mind, or at least a general direction of where to go with it.

Today, I was reading my Bible. Acts 7 to be exact. This is Stephen's speach to the Sanhedrin and his stoning. One thing that stood out to me was Stephen saying to his audience, "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

What does he mean "Stiff-necked?" I know he isn't talking to me! Who does he think that he is stepping on my toes like that? My neck is rather stiff right now but I think he is more in the spiritual realm. So what does a "stiff-necked" person look like?

Have you ever heard anyone say, "that isn't the way we've always done it."? I sure have. I am a Baptist after all. Amoung other things I think that he is refering to someone who is so set in their ways, so used to a certain way of doing things that they can not even turn their heads to look at a new way. STUBBORN. So stubborn that they "always resist the Holy Spirit."

One thing that I am convinced that the church, ME included, is lacking today is Flexibility. We lay out our plans, make sure that everything is the way that we want it, chisel it in stone, have it notorized, get it voted on, and do all we can to make sure it happens. BUT, then the Holy Spirit comes and says, "Hay, I would like for you to go a different way. How about doing this..." So what do we do? Our necks get tight, stiff, and hard to turn. "But God, we have a plan already. You even gave us this plan. We need to be good stewards and follow that plan thru to the end."

We resist the Holy Spirit.

I wonder, how many times I/we have missed out on something "God-Sized" because I/we were stiff-necked and resisted the Holy Spirit? I hate to think about what God will show me when I stand before him to account for my life, all the times that I wasn't flexible, when I resisted the Holy Spirit, did my own thing all because I was being inconvenienced.

I was rather convicted today about this. I wonder what your thoughts on this matter are? I have decided to be more in tune with my neck, realizing that when it starts to get stiff, or tight I might need to do some stretches or take a muscle relaxer, maybe even get a massage to loosen those neck muscles flexible again.

Attachment

So today I was thinking about what I usually do and why my day was dragging on and on and on. I came to the conclusion that I miss my email buddy! He is out and about and leaving me on my own to send emails to myself. Its just not the same! So anyone who reads this (both of you) please send me some emails at work to help me pass my day! I'm addicted to my email!

"Hi, my name is Andy. I'm addicted to my email. I've been emailing for 15 years."

"Hi Andy." from the group.

"I'm going thru withdrawl from my email because my email buddy is on a cruise. I feel lost, bored, and my day goes very slowly without my email buddy. I want to stop but I just can't, I need to have conversaion outside my office with someone. I've tried to stop, but I can't. I want to stop but I can't"

"it's ok Andy. We understand." from group.

This is just a taste of my life if someone doesn't send me some e-mail! I need some email! Help my day go faster by sending me some email!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAIT! Don't send me those forwards about how women should protect themselves by avoiding their daily lives, or Sara Beth Timmons who has cancer and Bill Gates is going to donate billions of dollars to her treatment if we send an email 40000 people in the next 14 minutes. Or the ones that say you have to send it to x number of people and God will bless you, I HATE THOSE.

Please send me some intelligent conversation, a news story, a theological or philosophical topic, or something that I have to put my brain into drive for! PLEASE!

I love Food, hot, spicy, greasy, unhealthy, nasty, tasty food!

Here is a GREAT Topic for you! Since my little bro is in the hospital and is having to change his diet, its got me thinking. Many years ago...Wait that isn't a good opening line. I can do better.

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far far away... (now that's more like it!)

I had some digestive problems and had to have some surgery. The Drs told me that I would have to change my diet. Basically what they told me is that I couldn't eat anything that I liked and had to eat lots of rabbit food. No more spicy food, no more greasy food, no more unhealthy food etc.

This is the same speech that my brother got this week. The difference between he and I is that he has decided to follow the diet. (I know that the consequences if he doesn't follow the diet are harsher than if I don't but lets just say we are even for the sake of my blog.) I told the Docs while I was still in the hospital that I would not follow their diet and would eat what I wanted. My brother said, Ok if that will help me, I'll do it.

Here is where I started the wheels turning. What if this was a spiritual matter? Would I say, sorry but I'll follow my own "diet" and do what I want, or would I say ok I'll cut out the unhealthy parts in order to live better and longer? I am notorious for saying, I'll eat what I want and deal with the consequences! I mean what if that was my attitude toward sin? I'm sorry God but I'll do what I want and deal with it later!

I would never dream of saying that! Well at least not out loud or intentionally anyways. But I do it none the less. That is another topic for later, maybe. What I really think I really want to deal with is expectations.

1. Why do we expect other people to act like us even though we don't think the same way about it or believe the same things?
2. When can we expect someone to act like us?

I have a problem with people that expect me or others to act like them when we don't have the same position as them. Case in point... When a Church raised person expects a person that has never set foot into a church to know all of the "rules" of the church and how they are supposed to act. We wouldn't dream of asking a German person to act like a Chinese person, or a Chinese person to act like an Eskimo so why do we do that in our churches?

I gave up a long time ago on thinking that the world should act like those of us in the church. In fact I get Righteously Indignant when people start doing this. Where do we get off thinking this way? Weren't we just like them at one point in time?

Lets track the progression. Step 1. We are lost, confused, sinful, and wondering. Step 2. We have to realize that there is something wrong. Step 3. We look for change. Step 4. We either find it or keep searching. If we find the life change that Christ offers things really change, but it doesn't change all at once. Somehow we got this idea that once they are believers then all things are homogenized and we all become alike. HA! AS IF.

Isn't that a pharasitical way of thinking? I mean I've realized that my diet isn't what it should be but I still don't want to change it. I'm not willing to give up the food that I love just to make a few less bathroom trips. I want to enjoy life and for me that includes food. Maybe one day I will come to the point where I want to make a change and will seek that out. BUT for now I am perfectly content in the way my life is and I don't want to change. Isn't it the same with Sin? I have to understand that what I do isn't healthy and then desire change?

How about we stop getting offended, upset, or angry when people that don't believe like us don't act like us? Shouldn't we expect it, even anticipate it? Can we just be ready, accept them where they are, and be happy for them and ready to show them the way when they are desiring change? Isn't that the better way?

PS. I need to learn to express my thoughts in fewer words! HA HA.

How Real IS Your Bible?

Mine is Very real. Do you ever wonder at why most people don't really enjoy reading the Bible? I think that it has something to do with the way that we have been taught to read it, like a text book. And really who reads a text book for anything even remotely close to fun or leisure reading? Certainly not me! What amazes me is how I can read a fiction book like say, Harry Potter (which ever one) and the imagery pops into my mind and I can see the events actually happening, even though they are ficticious.

When I read the Bible however, I usually don't get any images at all. Unless you count the days of the "Flannel Graph Jesus" and that isn't really like it is actually happening. (whatever happened to flannel graphs anyways?) I can see Harry Potter in my mind playing out like a movie, but in my head it is MUCH better than the actual movies that they have made. Why can't this happen when I read the Bible? Afterall The Bible IS REAL, actually happened, and would make great movies. Just look at movies like The Ten Commandments!

So here is an experiment using one of my favorite passages of scripture...

1. Pick your favorite Male actor. For mine I choose Sir. Sean Connery. Think of The Hunt for Red October.
2. Pick your Second favorite Male actor. For mine I choose Tom Cruise. I know I know, but keep in mind his performance in Jerry Maguire and this will make more sense in a minute.
3. Read Isaiah 6 as you normally would, boring, monotone, and text booky.
4. Re-Read Isaiah 6. This time insert Sean Connery in the role of God and Tom Cruise in the role of Isaiah.

Now to make this work you have to use your imagination. So put on your thinking/imagining hat, pop some popcorn, grab a soda, and let the fun begin. Also if you are going to get anything out of this at all you have to do the voices in your head, accent and all. You have to let the characters be the characters. God is classy, poised, direct, regal, and honorable, the characteristics of the captain in Red October, and Isaiah is on edge, flamboyant, high energy, holding on by a thread, just like Jerry Maguire. Let the scene roll like a movie. Big Hollywood sets, Lucas Film special effects, A list acting, Headline movie, box office smash, record setting type stuff.

What happens to the Bible when we read it like this? Does it become more real? Can you actually see these things happening? Do you get excited about the possibility of 6 winged creatures flying about? Do you feel the anticipation of a good story line? Can you hardly wait to see what happens next?

Try doing the same thing with those great Old Testament stories. Maybe just maybe we will start to see the Bible coming alive and being real.

REVIVAL????????

This one has been on the back burner for a while now, so its good and ready!

What do you think of when you hear the word REVIVAL?

More than likely one of a few things goes thru your head. If you are a church kid like me, you think "is it Wednesday thru Sunday, or Sunday thru Wednesday? Who is the preacher, and who is leading music?" If you aren't a church kid, maybe something like a scene from ER where they are trying to revive a patient, or the commercial "Revive with VIVARIN." Which is closer to the true meaning of the word? Obviously the scene from ER.

This is why I have come to HATE, HATE, the word Revival! What we have come to know as a revival in our churches today is nothing like revival at all. We either think that it is all about winning lost people to Jesus, or having a few days worth of services with a guest preacher. Maybe we even through in a pot luck or two. I am a Baptist after all! What we know as a revival is nothing like what it was originally intended to be. We have distorted it. It has even become a routine. We have one in the Spring, and then another in the fall. If we are lucky we will even have a "One Day Revival with Dr. Stan Starbucks!" (Don't get me started on the ramifications of a "ONE DAY" revival.)

Now take into consideration that I am not talking about a true revival. I am only talking about what it has become in most churches today. What the real problem is, is that we should not even need a revival. I don't think that Jesus ever had it in mind that we should let ourselves get to the point where we need that anyways. I know, I know, human/sin nature, backsliding and all that, but what are we really supposed to do? Keep in step with the spirit. (Gal 5:25) This does not really give us opportunity to need revival. If we are always in step with the spirit we will always be full of Life.

So let me propose a change in terminology. But before I tell you what I propose we switch to let me build my case a bit better. When Nicodemus came to Jesus what was he in search of? Could he have been in search of what Jesus was offering? But what was Jesus offering to the people then? Eternal Life. What did Nicodemus need to know about Eternal Life? HOW? HOW? HOW does one procure Eternal Life? Jesus' answer, "you must be born again." In the New Andy Version, "You need to get borned one more time."

I think Nick (can I call him that?) was pretty perplexed by this statement as is evidenced by his response. I can go back in THERE and be pushed out again can I? John 3:4 New Andy Version. Jesus told him that he must be born again not Physically (Whew, thank goodness for that!) but born again in his spirit. He had to become another person. A new person, leave the old Nick behind and let Jesus change him into the man He wanted him to be. Simple enough right? Basically Nick needed a Re-Birth, a change from old and crusty to new and fresh. From what was going to die, to what will live forever. A Re-Birth. An inward change (Spirit) manifested in an outwardly visible manner (physical).

What is interesting is that the evidence we have in the Bible is that once a person is really Re-born they never want to go back to the way they were, leaving no room for "Revival" to take place. Sometimes we will need a good swift kick in the pants to get us back on track, but not a full fledged, crock pot toting, pulpit pounding, sweating, spitting, hell fire & brimstone, takin' up a love offering, All to Jesus I Surrender singin' meeting. Just look at Peter, he got taken out back for a whoopin a time or two, but Jesus never sent him to the local First Self-Righteous Church for 4 nights of FUN (see above) to make it happen. Sometimes all it took was the look from his Saviour and he got back in line.

So here is my official proposal...

1. We at the very least stop using the word "REVIVAL"
2. We start spending our time seeking true, authentic, heart changing Re-Birth. Or as I like to call it a Renaissance. The very definition of that word is Re-birth!
3. We start changing our perspective about what is really important. From having "revivals" to wake up our church members to Finding people that need Re-birth and showing them what its all about. Discipeling them and preempting the need for "revival."
4. Start building around those that have become stagnate in their relationship. Surround them with those who have been Re-born until they wake up and realize what Eternal Life is really all about.

There you have it folks (I should probably say Folk as I really only have one reader. Thanks JJT!) my simple plan for changing the Church as we know it today. It really isn't my plan, nor is it new, but I like it and it has become a very personal thing for me. So until next time I'll leave you singing a song...

We praise Thee, O God!
For the Son of Thy love,
For Jesus Who died,
And is now gone above.

Refrain

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Revive us again.

We praise Thee, O God!
For Thy Spirit of light,
Who hath shown us our Savior,
And scattered our night.

Refrain

All glory and praise
To the Lamb that was slain,
Who hath borne all our sins,
And hath cleansed every stain.

Refrain

All glory and praise
To the God of all grace,
Who hast brought us, and sought us,
And guided our ways.

Refrain

Revive us again;
Fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled
With fire from above.

Refrain

Alas, Poor Blackberry, I knew thee well...

Sometime over the weekend my Beloved Blackberry Curve died! I knew this not until Today, Sept. 2, 2008. It could not even register a signal let alone make a call. I spent about 3 hours on he phone today with Alltel trying to remedy this situation, but to no avail. No amount of downloads, troubleshooting, or upgrades will fix a hardware problem. The only remedy is for Alltel to send me a new phone, which I should have tomorrow.

Oh the tragedy, of an early and unexpected death! And at such a young age! I've only had it 2 months! (SOB<>

To quote the Great Dr. Evil, "Mini Me, if I ever lost you I don't know what I would do. [pauses] I'd probably move on, get another clone but there would be a 15 minute period there where I would just be inconsolable. "

I think that these words speak volumes about how I feel about my Blackberry Curve. There would be like a 24 hour mourning period until the replacement shows up where I would just be inconsolable.

What is funny is how addicted to this device I have become in only a few short weeks! I mean I love tech stuff as much as the next guy, but this is ridiculous! I mean I was literally worried when I found out that I was going to be without my phone for a day or even, GASP, TWO DAYS!

There isn't really any specific "spiritual" point to this blog, I just wanted to Mourn the loss of a close friend, business partner, entertainer, and accountability partner! I guess if you must have a spiritual correlation you might say that it is a shocking depiction of how we replace God with things and become dependant on them rather than him. I suppose that you could use the scripture "Trust in the Lord with all your heart..." to back that up, however I just wanted to mourn/grieve this tragic loss!

BY WAY OF UPDATE: I SPENT THE WHOLE WEEK W/O A PHONE. I GOT A "LOANER" ON FRIDAY THAT IS GOING TO GET ME BY TILL MONDAY WHEN MY NEW ONE COMES IN THE MAIL. HOWEVER, I WILL BE IN OKLAHOMA ON MONDAY SO I WON'T ACTUALLY GET MY PHONE TILL THURSDAY. THE "LOANER" IS A LOANER IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD, SO... I HAVE A BACKUP PHONE WITH ME THAT I CAN SWITCH MY NUMBER TO IF NEED BE!

RIP, RIM BBC

7/08-9/08

Beloved Friend, Business Partner, Entertainer, and Accountability Partner.

You will be missed (At least for a day)

Up up Up on a pedestal!

So no matter how hard you try not to we always seem to put someone up on a pedestal. No matter how many times we swear that we won't do it again, we always seem to do it one more time! "I'll never do that again!" LOL. That reminds me of a song... Never say never, say never, again... (10,000 points to the person who comes up with the name of the movie it came from and the characters that sang it.) Sorry for chasing a rabbit there.

I never even mean to do it, but somehow I alwasy find out that I have. And how do I find out I've done it? I'm glad you asked! Something happens that makes me have to take them down, or push them off, or they have fallen off all by themselves. That is how I know that they have been elevated to a place that they were never meant to be. It is a slow gradual process isn't it? Kind of like the frog in the pot of water. Heat it up slowly and he won't jump out, he just gets used to it, and doesn't know any better then he winds up on someone's plate.

That's me, I'm the frog. I take one person down (Kind of like Joust on American Gladiators), Swear that no one will ever get put back up ther, then next thing I know the ref. is saying "Gladiator are you ready? Challenger are you ready?" Then we Joust! After the match is over I look around and realize what I have done again.

What is my point? Well, here it is...

John 12:32And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

Who should we be lifting up? Who should we be putting on the pecestal? None other than Jesus Christ himself. What did Jesus promise to do if we lift him up instead of a mere mortal man? He would draw all men to himself. On the other hand what happens when we lift up people? Boom Crash, they fall, topple, tumble down, Plunge down, slide, trip, egress, decend etc. etc. etc.

Why do we do it? I don't know, but we do it don't we. Clearly we are not supposed to lift anyone up but Christ, but we all do it. I would much rather lift up Christ so that he can draw all men to himself but somehow a person creeps up there. Even if we don't do it for other people to see we do it for ourselves. I wonder what causes us to do this?

It's funny ((not funny Ha Ha)another movie reference worth 10,000 points) but interesting that there is always disappointment when we hear about the fall of those we have placed in a position that they are never meant to be in. Afterall they are NOT perfect, and the only one that is, is the one we have a hard time lifting up. Funny. Aren't we curious creatures?

Does anyone have any experience with this? What are your thoughts?

BTW I hope you like the picture of The David!!

Iron Sharpening IRON

Let's see, where to begin? The beginning...
So I have a "mentor." In parentheses because that isn't really the right word. Something closer would be "discipler." You know, that person who is the one who has put an extensive amount of time, resources, effort, and Patience into you in order to help you in your process of becoming mature. We've been meeting together for about 3 years. I know! LONG TIME. but in actuallity its been about 25-30 years that we have known eachother.

Fastforward...last week's lesson. Iron Sharpening Iron...

I'm not sure how to explain this exactly but I'll try. We were "debriefing" from an event, what we like to call "post-mortem." Simply put, we were picking apart the last week. Start wtih the Good stuff, move to the stuff that needs to be worked on, end with the positive again, and a general overview of things.

The 1st and last are ok to deal with, its the middle part that is hard to handle. If you know me well, you know that I tend to take criticism rather personally. Needless to say the "things to be worked on" category is a deeply personal, and dificult thing for me to endure, but it must be endured for growth to happen. That doesn't mean that I like it though! In fact its quite the opposite, I loath those times. So much so that I take anything less than perfection as failure, even if it was a huge success. (I know, I'm complicated...) We did the "things to be worked on" part and I had to deal with it. (not easily) This is the Iron Sharpens Iron phase.

I have some observations about the sharpening phase:
1. Nothing stays sharp forever. Not even Ginsu knives. No matter how good the material is, it will eventually need to be sharpened because of use or abuse.
2. Putting the edge back on is a rough process. Take a knife for example. What usually happens is that a knife looses its edge, becomes dull and doesn't cut well. The knife owner will then sharpen it by rubbing it against a stone or a steele. An abrasive. What this does is remove metal in a systematic fashion untill the knife is sharp again. No matter how you cut it (LOL) metal must be removed by an abrasive in order for the sharpness to return.
3. Sharpening is a painfull process. If you are the knife. Parts of you that are no longer suitable or good for use must be removed. It doesn't matter how much you like them or how comfortable they make you feel if you want to be usefull again you have to become sharp again.
4. Dullness comes in varying degrees. That is, the amount of sharpening needed depends on how dull you have become. For example, try cutting a piece of meat with a new steak knife, then try cutting it with a butter knife. The new sharp edge cuts nicely while the butter knife smashes the meat, rips it apart, tears the muscles and leaves jaged edges. Obviously butter knives are supposed to be more blunt than a steak knife but you get the idea. In a perfect world we would all stay razor sharp all the time, but because we are constantly hitting the world around us we become dull. How dull depends on how much you allow yourself to hit the world around you. Again, if you are a knife.
5. Even though the sharpening process is hard, the end result is worth it. Once a knife has been returned to a sharp state it works smoother, more efficiently, and with less damage than in it's dull state. Have you ever cut yourself with a dull knife? I have and I can tell you that it hurts more, heals slower, and does more damage than a sharp knife.
6. A good sharpener knows when to stop sharpening. There is a point where you sharpen too much and end up ruining the knife. When is that? It depends on the knife. A high quality piece of steele, that is well cared for, and hits the stone or steele often, takes less time to sharpen than a low grade of steele that is neglected. A good sharpener will only take off what is necessary to make the knife sharp again, no more no less. The law of diminishing returns applies here.
7. No knife, no matter how delicately handled and how well kept will last forever. Eventually the metal will wear down to a point that the manufacturer never meant for it to reach and it must be discarded. But how does that make sense if this process is supposed to be a good one? It doesn't, unless I'm not talking about knives alone and there is more to this little rant.

The good news is that we are not knives. Even though some of the same principels apply to knives that apply to our Lives, the last one is not necessarily true for our lives. Spiritually speaking we are to be renewed, and filled with the Holy Spirit so that we never allow ourselves to become less than the manufacturer recomends. Sure we become dull from time to time and need to be "resurfaced" but the process of Spiritually staying sharp doesn't take away more than it builds up. While some rough edges, knicks, or burrs are removed the idea is that they are replaced with more Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, & Self-Control leaving us more full of Spiritual things than when we started.

I've come to accept that Sharpening though not a pleasent experience is a necessary one. One that the results far out weigh the abrasive surfaces we must come into contact with.

Phelps

WOW! This Michael Phelps is AMAZING. As a former swimmer (not a good one mind you, but a swimmer) I can't believe what this guy is doing! WoW, WoW, WoW! He has to be at least 75% fish to do the things that he does. He makes Fly look super easy, so easy that it makes me mad! If you haven't seen this dude swim you really need to! Did I say WOW?

So as an update to the blog... As you all know Mr. Phelps won 8 count them 8 Gold medals! OCHO! THATS CRAZY! Crazy cool! GO USA.

The really cool thing is that he is so thankful and humble about it. He kept thanking his team mates for helping him out. Contrast that to the Runners, more specifically the sprinters. They are such a cocky arrogant group that they can only sing their own praises. The guy who won the 100m race could only talk abou how good he is. The problem is that the world will never know just how good he could have been because he put the brakes on with about 15m to go! He was winning by a rather large distance but why quit running? It just shows what its all about to him, winning and making himself look good. I HATE atheletes like that, give me a break.

GO TEAM USA!

More than meats the eye!

So I finally saw Transformers last night. I know, I know I'm way behind, but I just don't see that many movies in the Theatre anymore. Not only that but I really didn't want to be disappointed. Transformers was one of my favorite cartoons as a kid and I didn't want it to be ruined for me.

Other than Shia being the star it was REALLY GOOD! I loved the Autobots. Bumblebee was sweet, Optimus Prime was cool, even Megatron was good. It was pretty cool. The sound effects were exactly what they should have been, the action was cool, and there was even a good amount of humor. Transformers, robots in disguise, Transformers, More than meets the eye!

So that line got me to thinking. More than meets the eye. What does that mean? That what you see isn't all that is there, that there is something deeper, that we only show what we want and there is more to us. This being the very opposite of transparency, are many Christians living like Transformers? Is there more than meets the eye when we look at our friends in church?

How open and honest are we really? What would happen if we were who we really are?

It would "ROCK OUR WORLD" and church would no longer be the same. Bro. Crusty Pants would most certainly rear his head, Sis. Bertha Better Than You would be "Righteously Indignant", and pastors would be rendered virtually incapacitated by all the phone calls. Or would they?

I'm reminded of the episode of Gilligan's Island where they found some beans. Beans that gave them the power to read minds. What happened, at first they were judgmental, but when they all started reading each other's minds they realized that they were all screwed up and stopped eating the beans.

Would this be what happened if we knew each other's faults? Would we realize not how bad the other person is but just how screwed up we are ourselves? I would like to think the latter would happen. If we were to not only to see ourselves but the real lives of others I think it would offer a tremendous amount of relief. I think that one of the biggest reasons that we try to hide our faults is that we think we are the only one with that fault. We think that since everyone else looks normal on the outside that we should look normal ourselves, even though we aren't. Thus the spiral begins, cover up, cover up, deny, cover up, deny, deny, cover up, deny, cover up, break down.

Galatians 6
1Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
2Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
3For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

What would happen if we were to lay down our pretense, bear our souls, show our wounds and fulfill this scripture? Would that be actual ministry? YUP, it sure would. Brother helping brother, bearing each other's burdens, and fulfilling the law of Christ. How much healthier would the body of Christ be?

Christians: more than meets the eye...

Brother Crusty Pants

So my first post is about a fictional character. Well not so much a fictional character as much as a general term for that guy in your church that has a pissy attitude about everything. You know who he is. He is the guy who always complains about things, no matter how good they are, has to be at the center of attention, has the biggest ego around, and thinks that he is always in charge.

He is in every church, in every city, in every state. He even crosses denominational lines. Baptists, Methodists, Episcopals, Lutherans, Catholics, Assembly of God, Penticostals, and even Church of Christs have him. He can be either a lay person, a pastor, deacon, elder, Sunday school teacher, even a Sanitational Engineer. In the words of Ray Stevens, "He's Everywhere, He's Everywhere!"

So the question is, "Where does this guy come from?" The next question I ask is, "Where does this guy get off acting like this?" I mean this guy really could not have been this way all his life could he? What turned him to "The Dark Side"? Does he even know that he is doing it, or is it such a natural reaction that its an automatic response?

Really my problem with this guy is that he is portraying Christ in a negative light. Take that a step further and understand that there are sometimes more than one in a church, can we say that maybe this guy(at least his attitude) is a huge reason that people don't want what we (Christians) claim to have? Remember that this is the same guy that will reprimand a church visitor, an unchurched person, for doing something wrong in the service, or sitting in the wrong place in the worship center. Why would I want to go back to that place??

I heard of a church the other day that said they consider it a good day if a certain member doesn't drop the "F Bomb" at least once during Sunday services. What would Brother Crusty Pants say about that? I think I'll put that on a bracelet... WWBCPS...LOL!

Questions for discussion.

1. What is Brother Crusty Pant's Problem?
2. What should be done with him? (Biblically & Personally)
3. Is he killing our churches?
4. Do you have a Bro. Crusty Pants story? I would love to hear them!

Andy

PS. Yes I had a run in with one this evening! AHHHHHHHHHHH