Christmas: The rescue begins!

Merry Christmas to all! Today we celebrate a day on which our Rescuer was born. Jesus Christ. He is Savior, Lord, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Not many call him this, but I call Him Rescuer as well. I do so because HE came and saved me from myself, my sin, my pride, my flesh, Satan, death, and from a life of nothing. He was a wonderful man, and is an holy God. Let us all take today as a beginning. A beginning of daily thanksgiving for our rescue. It's wonderful to know that we are rescued, we are saved! We have eternal lives that we are living right now because of what He did so many years ago, and still does today. All from the time that we celebrate today to the Resurrection. God the Father released Him from Heaven to rescue, to restore, to atone, and to show us what love looks like. So love on your family today, your friends, and your enemies. We have all been rescued. Let's celebrate!

Rant part deux

Yes I think there are some folks a living out there that seem to have it all figured out. They are LIARS!!!! Some folks walk around thinking that they way THEY believe is the only way to believe when they should be concentrating on believing in the Way! There are folks that walk around shouting I am against abortion, I am against Islam, I am against Christians drinking or smoking. When they should just get up against the great I AM and allow Him to wrap His arms around them and show them how to really love one another. I say all this to make a point. The point is that as folks who follow the Way we should just focus on the Way and by doing that allow ourselves to be swept up by the Way and actually live a life indicative of our belief in the Way instead of trying to get our way from the Way as if the Way is some Holy Santa Claus. Yes it is a simple idea but not easily done. If it were then we would never have nitpicking over Christians who watch Family Guy or drink, or say ass (when NOT referring to a donkey). But hey here we are in this together how about we just say, screw it, lets just love each other like we are called to do by our Rescuer Jesus Christ! Is that possible? Absolutely it is! But I believe it begins with me! I must be willing to live my life in this way or shut the hell up! Any takers?

Rant Pt.1

Sometimes you gotta turn to a brother or sister in Christ and ask them............"what the hell is that about?" I say this because I have experienced and I'm sure I am not alone, how a closed mind has ended relationships, divided churches, families, and marriages. Now before I go any further let me define what I think a closed mind is. I believe it is when someone cannot get past their preconceived notions to allow for a paradigm change. I define it this way because I was once like that. I used to think that faith was one way. I am learning that it is another. Without getting into left or right, conservative or liberal I will simply say that to say that homosexuality is wrong and agree with capital punishment is messed up to say the least. Does Christ say kill your enemies? Does Christ say that homosexuality is fine as an alternative lifestyle? Does He say anything other than love your enemies, turn the other cheek, love your neighbor, and love Him with all your might. He does say that we should love one another, we should love Him, we should love our enemies. But is that only in a context in which they are straight or not Muslims? Because apparently homosexuals and Muslims are our sworn enemies. Right? Am I wrong to say that we have chosen to follow what works best for us and not what we are commanded to? Jesus loves Matthew Shepard, Jesus loves Osama Bin Laden, Jesus loves George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Barrack Obama, and you and I. Do you get what I am saying here? If we say that we believe that homosexuality is a disease that will eventually kill us all, or that Musims are all terrorists we fall into that close minded "BS" that makes us "Christians" so repulsive to a culture who is looking for authenticity . I believe Jesus had an open mind, he dined with whores, crooked tax collectors, he hung out with misfits, geeks, losers, He had twelve of the most average joes one could find and turned them into disciples. So am I less of a disciple if I reach out to homosexuals and try to understand them?, am I less of a Christian if I don't believe in capital punishment?, and am I a heretic if I reach out to the Muslim community and love them as Christ did? I don't think so. Do you?

God: Alpha and Omega, Lord of All,and a shape shifter??

Well folks it has been too stinkin long since my last post but so much has happened in my life since then I dare not document all of it here. Meet me at Starbucks sometime and we will discuss it. Anyway, as I last posted God is intentional. He is never aimless. That being said he is also a shape shifter. No He does not change from God to Willie Nelson or something like that. He changes us. He changes how we see life. In past blogs I have touched on how change is a good thing. I still believe that fo sho! However, sometimes I believe God changes our surroundings in order to get us to move, think,trust or love in ways we have never thought of before. I just recently spent time away from my wife and kids (3 dogs and two cats) and I had lots of time to think about why I am the way I am. By no means do I have it all figured out. I can tell you this. God created me this way for a reason, and in order to really be in sync with Him I need to be about what He is instilling in me through whatever situation I find myself in. But its not just me, its all of us. Remember, the lifeboat is gone. We are all in this together. So my two cents is this. In order for me to truly follow my rabbi I need to take his yolk upon me and live accordingly. No shocker there! So why is it so hard for me to pull off? I am hung up on how I think it should look, sound, taste, and work. If it does not follow my script then I get pissed and confused. So am I really following my rabbi if I live this way. Of course not. So the simple yet difficult task at hand is to toss away my way of thinking, and perceiving my journey and simply allow the dust of my rabbi to collect on me as I follow Him down the road. Through that dust I will learn more, live more, and grow more to be like my rabbi everyday. So folks, lets get dirty!