You’re Invited

December 27, 2011 By 2 Comments

The year 2011 was quite a journey for me as a whole, but specifically as a Christ follower. I walked away from the hell-trend in modern Christianity and sought to follow my Lord in a more organic path without the threat of eternal torture. This has brought on a lot of criticism and at the same time a lot of genuine inquiry of my spiritual journey. In order for me to continue to follow Christ, I had to cease from viewing God as an emotional and insecure manipulator. According to evangelical fundamentalism, I already believe in Jesus and in his atonement for my sin, therefore a literal fire torture hell is no longer a threat to my soul and as such I found that living a life of victory was in order. So, believing in a literal hell made no difference to my Kingdom life as a Christian. I didn’t choose to follow Christ because of such a hell in the first place. So why would it matter to me now?

Many would say because I have an obligation now to tell other people about that place of never ending torture. Pardon me while I speak (write) so boldly as I declare that there are real life dangers, scams, and hells on earth to assist people with as it is, NOW! Those people have a difficult time imagining an afterlife of torture when they’re already living a torturous life as it is. I also found that using hell as a threat to ‘choose Jesus or else’ shaped a very dysfunctional relationship with God and Jesus that was not yielding the peaceable fruit of the Spirit within. For those who believe in this fiery torment, you may be relieved that you won’t be tortured, but it doesn’t alleviate the tension you feel over your loved ones eternal destiny in unending flames.

I don’t believe that God ever intended to put the weight of your family’s sin on your shoulders when Jesus already bore that burden on our behalf. So what’s the point in evangelism then? Why preach the kingdom if there is no eternal fire chamber that people dangle over by a thread? Is that all Jesus is good for? The get out of hell card? Or is there more to Jesus and this Kingdom Life that goes largely unnoticed by much of Christendom today?

With over 35,000 denominations of Christianity today, you can bet that none of them have all the answers to everything nor does any one in particular hold “the right” interpretation on every point in the bible. We listen to the pastors and famous theologians of yesteryear to determine what to place our beliefs in. Everything we believe as Christians is done so by faith…without evidence.  Yet, we know to test everything by the Spirit and in doing so I look for the fruit.

Nevertheless, I continue to walk by faith in Christ by the experience I have come to attain in this evidence-less journey. No matter what interpretation a person chooses to follow, they do so by faith. When it all boils down and we come up against brick walls within Christianity, I rest in grace. Grace is such a paradoxical way to live and often times is widely criticized by many. What grace looks like to God is many times not agreed with by mankind. Why should sinners get a break when religious people live by such high standards? How is it that those sinners can get away with riotous living while the religious work so tirelessly to perform feats of perfection for God?

Shall we be like Baal’s priests in the Old Testament who cut themselves to get the attention of their god? Or can we boldly go before the throne of God because Jesus already showed us the way? Do we have to abstain from certain things to be good representations of our God or can we do whatever we want?

Can we love the beaten man on the road like the Samaritan did or are we to ignore the poor and refuse to get dirty in the sin of the world? What about the gays, pagans, or Christians who have been divorced? Are we to ‘put them away’ in a ‘writing of divorcement’ from fellowship due to the hardness of our hearts or can we take the high road and extend grace and love to them?

These are all very important questions and I invite you to join me in 2012 as I share with you how I came to find a balance in this Kingdom Life. I will share with you how important I believe it is to become a part of the solution to finding peace in our communities instead of dividing and creating wars among ourselves. I hope that my input in 2012 can be a positive contribution to the ongoing discussion on living a life in Christ based on faith, but in no way do I intend to produce a new format for living the Christian life. I don’t believe that my path is going to be the final formula of success that everyone needs a carbon copy of. I don’t want to be the next guru who is trying to convince you that I have all the answers, nor do I want anyone to put me on a pedestal. I’m just a person on a journey and I invite you to be a fellow traveler with me.

Filed Under: Grace, Organic Faith Tagged With: , , , ,

Finding Grace in Sheol

November 14, 2011 By 1 Comment

With all the ongoing debate about the doctrine of hell, I’ve had to step back and re-examine this belief and what that belief does to our mental health, our emotions, and our spiritual growth. Regardless of what the popular crowd of Christianity says about what they believe, I am only responsible for what I believe…and what if they’re wrong?

Taking into consideration that in the Old Testament the word is actually sheol, which is simply the grave, then what does this mean? King David made his bed in sheol and God was with him. Jonah was in sheol and God heard his prayer and delivered him from that dark place. I’ve been in this kind of sheol before and He certainly lifted me up and put my feet upon the Rock.

I view this sheol as a place of torment, I should know… I’ve been there. It’s dark and frightening, but it most certainly is place where God still comes to us and lifts us out. His mercy endures forever.

This sheol is a place where we can find humility. Many have been brought low into sheol in order that they turn their eyes upward to see their day of salvation.

It seems to me that these many instances of sheol in the Old Testament is part of God’s design to bring us into greater depths of his grace. For it is in sheol that we realize we need his mercy and grace.

I believe this sheol is a valley of death where we find correction from what we think is the “right way” and discover that his rod and staff do indeed comfort us. The Great Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to go find the one and when we are falling down into this sheol, his hook shaped staff is lowered down to bring us up into his warm embrace. Contrary to popular belief, the Great Shepherd does NOT break the legs of the sheep, nor does he condemn us…he saves us.

When I view sheol in this perspective, I am brought to the place where I understand the power that resides in all of our failures…the power to redeem. Without times of failure we would not understand redemption. Through all this we can sing praise to Him who sits on the throne. We can come to understand that all things really are in Christ and his ‘will’ most certainly will be done.

In the popular view of sheol, being a literal fiery torment, there is no restoration, mercy, or forgiveness. However, we know that King David and Jonah both received salvation from the Lord while they were in sheol. This perspective alleviates our mental anguish of ‘eternal torment’ and gives us the hope that in the darkest of valley’s he is still there. We can face the fact that we will suffer consequences in this life time, yet still reach out and grab the staff of our Great Shepherd, our Kinsman Redeemer.

The concept of what we will answer for in the after life is not only a continual debate, but an unproven one. Since I can not prove or disprove exactly what will happen in the after life (if there is one), then I will do the best I can to understand how sheol interprets into my every day life. While the popular crowd of Christians insist that sheol is an after life place of torment, they have no factual evidence of this and there is far too much wonder and enjoyment in this life to protect than to worry about what may or may not happen after we die. Their claims that you must believe in this place of eternal torment is a requirement in order to be a Christian is a fallacy. Scripture never indicates that we must believe in eternal torment in order to follow Christ. Following Christ is a narrow path indeed and one who desires to do so follows Him by faith, not under threat of fiery torture.

Remember that when someone insists that you believe ‘x,y,z doctrines’ in order to follow Christ, just remember that love does not insist on it’s own way.

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Reimagining Prayer

November 4, 2011 By 2 Comments

In all my years in traditional Christianity, the topic of prayer grew to be very difficult for me. We were told, “just talk to God like you talk to anyone else“. We were then given all sorts of rules on how to pray, what you could and could not ask for, and told we were selfish if we asked for something that was ‘of the flesh’. We had to ask for God to bless our food, as if he wasn’t already going to bless it? Were we going to get sick if we didn’t ask him to bless it? We were taught to pray without wavering, without ceasing, and with persistence.

Top it all off with praying in accordance with God’s will and close each prayer with, ‘In Jesus’ Name, Amen’. And don’t prayer in vain repetitions. How do you not prayer repetitively while praying persistently? Then there’s the rebuking of praying in public places (making yourself shown among man) then they tell you not to be ashamed to pray over your dinner in a restaurant…isn’t that a public prayer? Lets not forget the amount of prodding to get teenagers to pray in a circle around the flag. It becomes confusing to know if we really can approach his throne of grace or live in fear of lightning.

prayer candles by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

We were taught to pray when we woke up, pray at breakfast, pray during family devotions, pray before you drive the car, pray when you drop your kids off at school, pray over your lunch, pray when the spirit prompts you, pray for your day, pray with the kids after school, pray before dinner and finally we prayed at bedtime. Before you know it, prayer becomes so ritual that it loses it mystery and beauty and it just becomes a chore.

Now I simply pray as needed.

I also pray much differently than I did before. I won’t say my previous ‘prayer life’ was unfruitful. As a matter of fact, I have seen many prayers answered exactly as I requested them. The results were not always in my timing, but they were fulfilled. I am thoroughly grateful for those answered prayers, but what was more miraculous than the answers themselves, was what took place in my own heart and mind in the process.

I know the ‘name it and claim it’ crowd gets a lot of criticism, but I think they’re onto something. I don’t think that naming a mansion in the Mediterranean and claiming it is going to produce you a plane ticket and a mortgage certificate, but I have prayed for housing with very specific details that were within my budget…and gotten it.

I will not promise that one method of prayer works for all people, but what I will do is simply share what works for me.

I’m not one to nag God for goodies like some 3 year old in a grocery store, but if I have a need I do make it known. Some will say, “but Lisa, don’t you know God knows your need before you ask?” Yes, and that’s one of those things that hasn’t made much sense to me. I’m just being honest. If he knows our need then why do we need to ask? A popular answer is, “because it nurtures your relationship with God.” God is known as being sovereign, meaning that he fills the needs he desires to fill, or refuses to, all based on his own desires. So what’s the point in asking?

Sometimes I simply think a request and it is fulfilled. So I don’t think addressing God (Dear God,..) as if you’re writing a letter is necessary. Nor do I think the prayer needs to be closed in the same fashion (In Jesus’ name). I don’t think it’s necessary to pray in a circle, folding hands, or holding hands with someone else is necessarily required. I’m not against any of these things and you may decide to try a variety of them. It’s really all up to you. I don’t think saying ‘In Jesus’ Name’ is more or less powerful than saying, ‘In Christ’s name we pray with thanksgiving’. Some are far more casual and just say, “Hey God I need a raise, thanks”.

My personal journey of prayer has taken on a very natural and spontaneous turn and for now this is what works for me.

I no longer pray at every moment of the day in ritual fashion with repetitive words.  If something comes to my mind and my heart senses a need then I will simply say either out loud or in my mind, “Please let this come to pass” or whatever other words are fitting for the need. If I feel that I need to be more specific then I will.

Sometimes I have a heavy heart about something and I can’t find the words. During times like these, I may just light a candle and trust that whatever needs to happen will be in the best interest for everyone involved. What’s the point in lighting a candle? Does lighting a candle have spiritual power of some kind? I think there is a little bit of yes and a little bit of no. Simply lighting candles does not have power in it. Since we are human beings in a tangible realm, I believe that we instinctively desire to “do” something when praying on its own seems difficult. This may be why we find ourselves getting caught up in rituals or traditions when it comes to prayer.

I reserve lighting candles for important prayers. I have lit candles for the East Coast when hurricanes are on their way, when a person has died or is about to die, or if my heart is so heavily burdened for something that I can’t find words for. When I pray during a candle prayer, I speak out loud as I light it and state exactly why I’m lighting the candle. I will keep that candle lit until I turn in for the night. I never leave candles burning while I’m asleep or out of the house.

There are some beliefs that tell of certain colored candles being for specific purposes. If using those colored candles helps you, then I say go for it. I don’t think God is as interested in the candles or their colors as we are and it’s more about our growth and faith than anything else.

Sometimes I pray at a specific place in my home. Many Christians talk about their ‘prayer closet’, but rarely do they ever pray in a literal closet. It simply means to pray privately. Some kneel next to their beds or in a specific chair by the window of their bedroom. You may choose to pray on the porch, in front of the fireplace, or out in the garden.

Sometimes having an action of some kind helps you. Catholics use rosary beads to pray with, others might use a journal and pen all their prayers. Using a journal can be very effective in growing your faith, because after a prayer is answered, you can write it down and date it. Over the years you can see all the prayers that have been answered and how long each one took to get answered.

Each type of prayer can be accompanied by a specific ritual or tradition. For example, when I pray for my health I do something very different. The first thing I do is take a shower and get dressed. I make sure my teeth are brushed well and my hair is brushed and put back. I have a picture of myself from when I was in really good health on my dresser as a reminder of why it’s a goal of mine to have better health. I pour myself an 8-12 ounce glass of drinking water (not tap) and set it there on my dresser. I look myself in the mirror and tell myself that I want to eat healthier and exercise more. I say, out loud, why I want to be healthier and tell my picture that I am going to bring her back to the present. That healthier me is way back in the past and I want her here. I lean over my glass of water and bless the water with health and energy, then I drink it all down. Blessing the water myself gives me a boost of power in my faith, that I really do have the ability and strength to make changes in my life. You don’t need to have a priest bless your water for you, you can do it yourself. I give myself some encouraging words such as, “I can do this” or “I will abstain from eating anymore Halloween candy because it’s not good for my teeth or my hips.” I really believe in positive reinforcement for ourselves and that we can and should take more responsibility for ourselves in matters such as these.

I don’t think simply praying, “God help me not to overeat today” is enough. That sounds like a person in a weak position who is susceptible to falling flat on her face the moment she gets to the kitchen and see the Oreos in the cookie jar. I firmly believe in walking in the power of our self will and exercising that power to the fullest. I know a lot of Christians would tell you not to be ‘arrogant’ and that this style of prayer is self promoting or not humble before the Lord, but I disagree. In the Old Testament, we see the fathers blessing their children themselves. The prophetess Anna blessed the baby Jesus and Jesus blessed the fish and loaves of bread. Then Jesus said that we would do greater things than he did. I think part of the problem today is that we just don’t try.

I’m not saying to go out and try to part the Pacific Ocean or drive to the cemetery and try to rise your great aunt from the grave. I just think that we have more power in prayer than we realize.

I have a personal belief about using caution in my prayers. If a prayer for myself would cause a void for someone else, then I have to think creatively about how I craft my words. I wouldn’t pray for someone to lose their job so I could get the position, but praying that person gets a promotion so a door opens for me would be a better and more ethical prayer. I do believe that we reap what we sow, and because of that I think we need to be wise in what we ask for and how we ask it.

Another example of prayer for myself would be in my housekeeping. This may sound silly to some, but for me it is needed. If there’s one chore I despise most, it’s the kitchen. I would much rather clean the bathroom than wash dishes and I can’t expect that the mop and sponges are going to magically clean the kitchen for me like Wizard Mickey’s scene from Fantasia.  So to help myself get the kitchen clean I approach it with some positive and motivating prayer rituals/traditions. The first thing I do is tell myself how great the kitchen is going to look when I’m done. I can close my eyes and imagine it clean and organized. I breathe deep and claim that joy before I open my eyes. I allow myself to begin to feel happy and satisfied with that clean kitchen. Then I will light a scented candle (I love the kitchen baked goods aromas that Bath and Body has).

I will put on some upbeat music and an apron. I get out the sponge and soap and start in! I stack the dishes on the counter according to plates, bowls, etc. I must have everything organized in order to get it all clean with efficiency and in a timely manner. I keep that ‘clean kitchen image’ in my mind and hold onto the joy while I’m cleaning. Once the kitchen is completely clean I can stand there and enjoy the literal answer to my prayer. But even more amazing than that clean kitchen is how I did it with gladness and when I am done I’m not unhappy or bogged down with a dreadful “I did my chores” attitude. In this scenario, praying for a clean kitchen was more about my heart than it was about getting the dishes clean. Not only did the kitchen get clean, my attitude change, and since that scented candle was lit the whole time, now the kitchen smells amazing.

I think that some prayers for specifically designed for our own personal growth. When difficult times come our way, I try to look at how praying for that thing can be an opportunity to change me for the better. Can the outcome of that prayer grow me and my faith in the process? Or is it just about getting what I want? Maybe it can be both.

Unanswered prayers either warrant a re-evaluation of why I’m praying for it or what the purpose is, or maybe the timing isn’t right and I just keep praying for it. I don’t pray ‘about’ it..I pray FOR it. There’s a lot more than just this, but felt this was a good start for some discussion on the topic. Do you have anything to add? Any personal experiences of prayer that grew your faith?

Filed Under: Grace

Dear Christians

October 30, 2011 By 16 Comments

Dear Christians,

In case you missed it, I wrote a letter to Jesus before this one. Please understand that I love Jesus. I have come out of a 15 year storm called a cult and have needed to re-examine all of my beliefs to make sure of what was really MY beliefs and what was theirs. I needed to sort through all that mess, dump a bunch of it, and start over. I have come to what I believe, is a healthy balance for my faith in Christ. I have beliefs now..that are my very own. I agree with a lot that my fellow Christians believe, and yet there is plenty I disagree about as well. I guess this is just a part of what being a Christian means..we’re all unique.

I love to see when people of any faith, reach out to the oppress, wounded, and destitute…but it thrills my soul even more when I see a Christian do so.

Here’s where I’m going to cut to the chase and get all nitty-gritty on us all.

I’m tired of having to quote bible verses to back up what I believe. I’ve been called a heretic, infidel, false teacher, not a real Christian, a self proclaimed Christian, and accused of being on a slippery slope and on the path of the devil. Seriously? All by so called fellow Christians.

It is very evident to me that several denominations of Christians do not want anyone to be a ‘Christian’ unless it means they succumb to their specific statement of beliefs. Getting people into one thought of the bible over another is an absolute joke. Push people away if you really feel you must, but your rejection of my faith in Christ has no bearing on my relationship with him. I don’t have to prove my beliefs to you or Christianity at large in order to be a partaker in the life of grace.

Furthermore, no one else has to live up to your standards of what a Christian is. It’s like being an American. Not every American is patriotic, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t Americans. You can judge each other all you want, but you really only further your own disease of hypocrisy.

You may want to push the heretics away, but it’s not up to you on who gets to say they believe in Jesus. You might feel justified in bullying them out of your church, but Jesus still loves them. They’ll find another place to make friends, they will heal, and they will walk their own spiritual path regardless of whether or not you approve.

They might have real wine at their gatherings, or smoke medicinal marijuana. They might be gay or not circumcised. They might lounge on the beach in a string bikini too and none of these things stops a person from following Jesus and claiming to be a Christian. In fact, many Christians violate children and cover it up, cook their books, and manipulate people into shunning their families if they don’t attend the same church…and they still call themselves Christians.

You know what’s interesting though? Jesus never said to become a Christian. So whatever being a Christian means, maybe we can just start anew. It might be a good thing if we start off by getting over ourselves and stop thinking we have the rule book on what it means to be a Christian. Better than that, lets stop beating each other over the head with the bible and just live life.

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Dear Jesus, You Overwhelm Me

October 30, 2011 By 4 Comments

Dear Jesus,

I need to be honest with you. You overwhelm me. I’m told to imitate you, keep my eyes on you, and follow your example. Furthermore, many Christians say that I need to have you as my role model, to ‘do what Jesus does’, and to have faith so I can ‘walk on water’…whatever that means. I get the sneaking suspicion that the local pastor wouldn’t be very fond of me if I entered their building and overturned their tables. I am even more certain that preaching to a crowd of clergy about them being white washed tombs and sons of the devil would make my family’s like a living hell in this small town.

You turned water into wine, raised people from the dead, and commanded the storms to stop. You said we would do greater things than what the disciples saw you do.  Remember when that storm hit the East Coast a month back? I tried to tell it to stop, but it didn’t obey me. I tried raising my friend’s daughter from the grave, nothing happened. And no matter how much I pray and have faith, I just can’t seem to get that lady in the wheelchair to be healed.

I can understand how Peter felt the night you were accosted… I would be afraid to die for you. I don’t like pain and I don’t think I could stand the whipping of the cat of nine tails. I don’t think I’d even be able to pick up a cross and follow you, I just don’t have the upper body strength that you had.

I hope this doesn’t disappoint you, but you overwhelm me. I can’t live up to you and believe me, I tried. I tried giving to the poor, but I wasn’t always as compassionate as you are. I tried not to judge the man who violated my daughter’s friend…but I fell miserably short. I hate what he did and I hate that he has moved on with his life and the girl was made to remain in silence. I also hate..sometimes.. I’m sorry.

I do stand up for the oppressed, though. I have no problem doing that…but sometimes I don’t have my words seasoned with salt. My words, at times, seem to be a sour taste and sometimes causes many people to hate me in return. My words are not fashioned as well as some of today’s poetic Christian writers.

Sometimes I read the bible and I think, “What the heck were you talking about?”

Sigh**

I’m just being honest here…but I can’t live up to you. The more I keep my eyes on you, the worse I feel. The more I try to imitate you, the more I realize I can’t and it sends me into a pit of despair. I don’t understand this, I was sure you came to earth to show us how to relate to you..as you related to us by being human.

You were perfect, but I can’t be. There’s one thing I know I can do..is rest in grace. And although I also struggle with that, as I mentioned earlier, I like to keep my eyes on grace. Keeping my focus on grace helps me immensely. So please forgive me for not focusing on you, keeping my eyes on you, or for making you into a role model for myself. It’s difficult enough as it is… just to be me.

I love you.

Respectfully,

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Death

October 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

*Disclaimer: This post is a very somber journey through the day I had today…two deaths and memories of others who have gone on before us in years past. I’m using some metaphors…they’re just metaphors. (Names changed due to the sensitive nature of this post.)

The devil approached Jesus on the mountain and twisted some words from the prophets to tempt Jesus. He twisted the words of God in the ears of Eve…totally out of context, creating a lie to deceive her. I have seen this happen in real life.

I was once in a room with a few women, one of them was in despair..she felt so condemned because her choices in life took her down a very bad path…she sat and cried…barely able to breathe, shoulders shaking, lips quivering.

She took a breath and fumbled out the words, “It would be better if I died.”

The words that Paul wrote…had been twisted in her thinking…whispered into her mind… “die to self” and there she was placed in bondage to a lie..that she would be better of dead.

Sometimes the metaphors in the bible become loaded language and those words become weapons instead of reminders of the death that was defeated through the cross.

We fancy ourselves such high and mighty Christians when we claim that we have arrived at the ‘death of ourselves’…but Christ didn’t resurrect to bring us death. He came to bring us life.

God isn’t looking to destroy who we are, his aim is not to destroy our dreams of accomplishment in life and turn us into slaves.

The Lord reaches out.. to inspire us to be lifted up! His resurrection is not a reminder about death, but of his victory over death so that we might have this abundant life. He raised up so we could too.

I know what people mean, what Paul meant, about dying to self. I understand the metaphor is about humility. But no one could ever be more humble than He.

Why do we push ourselves down so low? Why do we continue to condemn ourselves to death? That ministry of death has been done away with. That letter of the Law is a killer.

Again, tis a metaphor. Reading the Law isn’t some magical incantation that literally kills people…but there’s a ‘death’ of us that does happen…it ‘kills’ our desire to live..is it possible that it ‘can’ lead to a literal death?

One Christmas week we traveled to my parents home. I was cooking in her kitchen as the phone rang. As my husband walked the phone over to me, my uncles and aunts were just crossing the threshold as I heard a friend’s voice on the other end…”Jane…she’s gone. They think she…” She continued gently. I thanked her for the call and I shook with terror…tears filled my eyes and I screamed…We headed directly home, picked up dinner for her husband and children and Christmas that year was cold.

A small note had been pinned to her sweater…”I’m going to be with Jesus. I know he loves me.”

She died.

She was a dear friend to me during some tough times, in fact we went through some tough times together. We prayed together a lot. We cried together…I knew how she viewed herself…unworthy. She held to this idea that she wasn’t good enough.

This is not humility…this is NOT what it means to “die to self”.

Shall we choose our words more carefully? Will we listen more intently when people say they are better off dead?

Maybe a disclaimer…*This post has violent metaphors*

What about this, *Do not take this literally*

God doesn’t want you to die, he wants you to live.

What if your small children, who don’t understand metaphors, were to hear you say “I’d be better of dead”?

What if  a new babe in the faith hears a spiritual giant say that? Might they think,”if they’d be better off dead, where does that put me?”

This morning I woke up and prepared myself and my family for another funeral. My husband’s God-Father. I only met him once.

On the way out the door, I glanced down at my phone..a message was sent.. “James…” The message went on to say that he had taken his life. Were their any clues? I scanned his Facebook page…nothing sad. Everything he posted was so life fulfilling, quite inspiring! I climbed into the van, buckled up, and sat in shock.

How do you make sense of these things?

At the funeral of a well loved man, I listened as friends and family shared memories of his life. I heard a common theme…he loved well. Several testified that this man founds ways to communicate to them, he related to them…by learning their ‘language’. Oh they all spoke English, but one spoke sports, another spoke skin care, another indulged in vulgar jokes. No matter what their language was, he learned that language to relate to them.

Some in that room confessed at their differing beliefs from this dear departed man. They didn’t agree with his theology…but they most certainly encountered the Living God through this man’s love for them. Hearts swelled large today…tears flooded the room. Love was abundant.

But Death.

An uncomfortable topic…and often misunderstood…a mysterious event that can happen at any moment, for any person.

Whether we talk about real death or we discuss metaphors… may we be careful how we convey the concept of such a somber thing.

Death is a natural part of this world, but is so incredibly difficult to encounter.

May we focus on the Resurrected life and cease from destroying ourselves with this obsession with death. He already died, conquered death and lives on so we may live the resurrected life as well.

Give your loved ones an extra long hug today. Tell them how very worthy they are. It may be the last memory you have of them.

*If you struggle with thoughts of suicide, there is help. Please know that you’re not alone and you are deeply loved and valued. If you need help call …In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 Suicide Hotlines

Filed Under: Grace Tagged With: , ,

Stop Shooting

October 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Sometimes we find images that are quite thought provoking. Movies, paintings, and poetry all have ways in which they speak to us about ourselves. Sometimes these things can trigger pain, sometimes they inspire us and heal. The bible can also trigger pain or inspire us…and Lord have mercy on those who use the bible as a weapon against people.

I think some folks see this image and think of it as a weapon of warfare against the dark forces of the air, which would be good as long as they don’t get sidetracked and shoot their own in the process.

People with weapons tend to get trigger happy sometimes.

What they fail to understand is that Jesus already gave us the victory. Why do they continue to shoot when there is no need?

What we need to do is stand firm in the victory and realize no weapon formed against us shall prosper.

Remember Superman? He never needed a gun, he stood firm, stuck his chest out there, and no bullet could penetrate him.

Shall we re-learn what we learned in grade school?

I’m rubber you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you.

We have the FULL armor of God, which is Christ.

We aren’t wrestling with people, the battle is in the realm of the unseen. When we use the bible as a weapon against people, shooting bullets of condemnation at fallible and vulnerable humans, we are not engaging in a battle with Christ, that is a battle of the flesh on the dark side.

The victory in Christ is grace. It’s his grace that wins and heals people.

Forming weapons out of the bible is not the way of grace.

A person who holds a gun, pointed at others, is in fear of their life. They think that holding a weapon to shoot with is going to stop their enemy from hurting them. By this, they reveal that they do not truly believe that Christ has the Victory. They think they need to kill ‘sin’ in others with their version of the bible, but they are forgetful that Jesus already covered sin.

If we’re going to use the bible, may we learn a lesson from Paul? He spoke of two ministries. The ministry of death, which was through Moses…and the ministry of reconciliation which is through Christ. So the choice is simple…Moses and death or Jesus and Life.

{photo credit is unknown}

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Grace for the Heretics

October 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There’s a group of us on Facebook who use the term “heretic” as a term of endearment for those who think outside the box and who have openly questioned or refuted popular Christian myths. Even calling something a myth in Christianity can get you anointed as a heretic these days. I studied what a real heretic actually is and the term is widely misused in Christianity today, but why should that surprise us with all the other words that are misused in Christianity today? But there are two sides to the heretic coin, and yes it’s the same coin.

Sticky-feet by lacybekah, on Pix-O-Sphere
{photo credit Lacy}

In the last few years, it has been my experience, that it’s usually someone on the Orthodox side of the coin that spouts insults of heresy at the others. And the ones on the receiving end of such an accusation are usually too kind to spout it back to those unkind and often ignorant Christians who like to wield it like some flaming sword.

Many bloggers, authors, and public speakers are quick to mock, scorn, and down right bash anyone they disagree with. Are we forgetting that we’re all a part of this infallible race called humanity? Now before you think I’m some super grace believer who is kind to everyone, I’ll just lay my cards out on the table plainly. I’m not. I lack gracious words from time to time as well. I’m not fond of the teachings of a variety of preachers today, but I have to keep in mind that my disagreement is with the teaching and that the person is still a person and part of this same humanity that I’m a part of.

After all the years of twisted teaching, I have a very difficult time listening to teaching by Mark Driscoll, John Piper, and Jack Schaap. But they’re still people with feelings and as one who knows what it’s like to be accused of being a heretic and bashed by people who I have openly disagreed with…I would imagine they struggle with the same things.

I recall a story when someone at my former church was ready to leave. This couple had formally resigned from all their positions and even asked to be removed from their church roster. The pastor broke down and cried. I know this man so I can say without hesitation that I firmly believe his tears were of absolute heartbreak, and not some whimpering school boy with feelings on his sleeve. At least he loved this family enough to be broken about their desire to leave.

When we left that church, there was someone who I didn’t see until about two weeks afterwards. We attended a graduation for one of the fellows at that church. This woman was sitting there at a table by herself and I was so happy to see her. I began walking toward her table and as soon as she looked up and saw me, she broke down in sobs. I hugged her and asked what was troubling her to which she responded, “I can’t believe you left the church.” She continued to sob uncontrollably. How can you experience this without getting choked up? I cried with her. I had no idea I meant that much to her.

Aside from all the squabbling that people have over ‘doctrines’, people have feelings. They develop strong love for one another and when one hurts we all hurt together. And even though we have incredibly strong feelings about why we had to leave that place, we love the man who betrayed us. We love him and his family deeply. But we couldn’t continue to enable what we were seeing and in good conscience we chose to leave.

That ministry continues to this day. Do I like their doctrines? Do I support what they’re doing? Not all of it, but they do some things for the people there that is missing in a lot of churches. I dislike that they do their best to convince small children of hell. But I like that they teach healthy boundaries for every day living. I just don’t like how they teach it. I have been to several different kinds of churches and there’s always going to be something we dislike. The buildings are full of infallible humans who struggle with their humanity.

We all have the freedom to go where we want to go. The Royal Priesthood of Believers has this freedom to choose where they will worship. They can choose what they will read, what teacher they want, and what friends to surround themselves with. Christians are not required to “join a church” or pledge loyalty to the person who is leading it. Our loyalty is to Christ in our own conscience. So there may be times that we decide enough is enough and we depart.

We have the freedom to disagree and as we mature we can learn how to extend grace to the heretics, because they all have a role to play in this life. We can’t extinguish all darkness from this world. If we tried to live in utter pure light we would go blind. Life is full of shadows and beams of light appear where they are needed. We have various teachers in the world and while some are helpful and others are abusive, it gives us this wonderful opportunity to make choices and think for ourselves.

So the next time we want to call someone a heretic, maybe we can be gracious and thankful that their role in this world exists to show a contrast so we can exercise our own free will. It could be that some overbearing dominating type preachers have the role of keeping the immature and flesh driven people in check. I can be glad for that.

So grace to the heretics, whoever they may be.

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What is worship?

October 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The term ‘worship’ seems to have morphed into something I just don’t see in the bible. I’m not against a church having music, singing together, raising their hands, etc. That is certainly their freedom to do so. I’m just wondering if we have gotten carried away with ‘worship’ and turned the ‘act of singing’ into an idol. One church I went to before made ‘worship’ into a legalistic command. In fact, if you didn’t stand and raise your hands during ‘worship’ then you were in outright defiance to God. Some folks in that church would actually tell you that they doubted your salvation if you had a problem with standing, raising your hands, and singing the words to their music. What have we allowed to happen here?

Some would say, “What would Jesus Do?”, but I don’t find any passages in the bible where Jesus stood with hands raised, eyes closed, and singing hymns or Contemporary Christian music to God. Again, I’m not saying that singing together in corporate worship is wrong, just trying to get a better perspective on this thing we call…worship.

In the Greek this word worship is proskuneó, which is to bow down, kiss the ground, laying prostrate, or to adore on knees. To adore on knees reminds me of when a man proposes to his lady. He is humbling himself to her to ask her hand in marriage. We also see examples of this when a courtier kneels before royalty out of respect. But these bowing down practices are not in and of themselves, ‘worship’. They simply represent worship, as in…they are outward expressions of what’s already going on in the heart.

Throughout the ages we have historical evidence that many cultures, regions, and religions have very similar, if not exact, ways in which they worship. Where do these practices come from? How did mankind ever learn to behave this way? Worship is an outward expression of love. It comes from within our hearts.

Now here’s where this gets tricky. According to the bible, God says that we are not to worship anyone or any idol other than him. We are taught that God is a jealous God. But then we say not to be jealous people because envy is a work of the flesh. So it makes more sense to say that God is jealous AFTER you..as in..He deeply longs for your embrace. Otherwise we would be saying that God exhibits a work of the flesh. God truly loves us, but is he really jealous of other gods the way a little girl is jealous if the cute boy in class likes another girl? I think we have this word ‘jealous’ mixed up in our modern thinking. So we have this God, who deeply longs for us and I’m wondering where we learn to ‘worship’?

God created us in his image, so perhaps this desire to bow down in love is something that he placed inside of us so we would naturally and instinctively do this. Remember that mankind has been doing this since the beginning of time.

Now as I get back to the idea of WWJD, I keep in mind that we never read of Jesus participating in a ‘worship service’ the way we see it in churches today. Did Jesus ever actually kneel in prayer? We know he prayed in the garden and while preaching he taught about prayer. But we do find one place where Jesus laid down… on the cross.

Stay with me now… in the days of the people throughout the bible we know that many religions were performing acts of worship in a variety of ways. One of the main  ways in which humans were worshiping was through sacrifices and the ultimate sacrifice they gave was a life, often it was children or virgins.

For many years I thought that was so sadistic to allow your child’s life to be taken for a god. But then I read that Abraham willingly went up to the mountain to give his son as a sacrifice to God. So maybe this concept was not as bizarre as I thought? Thankfully an angel came along and redirected Abraham’s attention to a bush where a lamb had got it’s horns stuck..a substitute sacrifice. And this was the foreshadow of the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus.

This is where my mind enters the paradox. Do I dare to go in? We’re talking about sacrificing humans, children at that, to be given to death out of love? Is it real love to allow our own children to die? I can’t help but to get a little sick here. What does all of this have to do with worship? How can it possibly be worship to slay a child on an altar to an unseen God?

Lets back up a bit, shall we? All through the ages people have been believers in some kind supreme being and they have had this strange desire to slay children to these gods. But isn’t it God who came to earth in the form of man to relate to us? He wanted us to know that he understands us and he desires that we understand him. To grasp this concept of sacrifice we have to allow our minds to go back several thousands years to understand why the people felt the need to sacrifice. Today’s generation doesn’t understand this, because we don’t do sacrifices like this anymore.

The people gave out of two emotions, love and fear. It’s never a clear message when we toss fear into love and try to express our feelings. It becomes convoluted. Which is why I have always had such a difficult time understanding this…this paradox.

People would dress their children or virgins in white and bring them forth with beatings on a drum and lay them on the altar to the gods. Often times we find paintings depicting people bowing down before giant pyramids. Abraham bound the hands of his son in preparation for the sacrifice to God.

What was God trying to show them? Was he trying to convey that HE requires this? I think that maybe he was trying to show us that He was willing to do this out of his love for us. God came to earth as Jesus and laid down his own life..he bowed down to humble his life for us. Could this be worship?

Perhaps this was where we get the idea of worship from. A love that is so great that it humbles itself for the one he loves. Maybe these ancient sacrifices were foreshadows as Abraham’s was. So that when Jesus came to lay down his life as a sacrifice, all cultures could understand his great love for mankind…paving the way for the Gospel to be told worldwide.

But somehow I think we got our thinking mixed up on what worship is and why sacrifice was given. Many people view God as a tyrant who demanded blood with vengeance, needing lives to be slaughtered to pacify his anger. But there are others who believe God  is loving, always giving of himself with a heart of worship to love us and satisfy our own devilish need for blood and vengeance. Remember the story he told of the workers in the vineyard? The workers would kill every servant that was sent to take a message to them, so he sent his son…and it was the men in the vineyard who had a thirst for blood.

When will our thirst for blood end?

Wasn’t Jesus enough for us?

Jesus is the groom kneeling before his Bride..proposing out of love… worship? Is he demanding a yes reply to his porposal with a threat of violence if we decline? Or does he ask for our hand in ‘marriage’ because He loves us so much?

The apostle Paul said, “Let each man be convinced in his own mind,”

Jesus asks, “Who do YOU say that I am?”

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No Gate Keepers

October 13, 2011 By 1 Comment

I can’t even begin to tell you how annoying it is to hear Christians say, “If you don’t believe the bible is 100% accurate, then throw the whole thing out!”

Seriously? You want people to quit on Jesus that easily? You really want them to throw the whole bible out if they say they don’t believe it’s 100% accurate? The bible doesn’t have to be 100% accurate to have a positive effect on someone.

It’s perfectly acceptable if someone accepts Jesus, but sets some bible passages on a shelf to ponder at a later date. After all, the bible isn’t part of the Trinity.

But sadly, some people are under the assumption that Jesus and the Bible are one in the same. Let me be very clear here… the Bible is NOT God ‘incarnate’ on paper.

Jesus is the Word of God. {John 1:1}

The phrase, “The bible is the Word of God” is totally false. You will NOT find this phrase in the bible at all. But that’s not the main purpose for this article. What I do want to focus on is that far too many Christians are quick to shove people out of Christianity and away from Jesus when they don’t embrace all the same exact doctrines that they do. Why do they think they are the gate keepers?

These misguided people are behaving unkindly under the influence of a stupor that permeates their brain every week. And to be sure that spell doesn’t wear off, they’re asked to come in for more programming at the midweek service. Furthermore, they are told to listen to more spells on CD’s, read them in books, and watch the hypnotic videos on YouTube. And they preach against witchcraft?

umm okay.

I’m just not sure Jesus ever intended that people stand at the gates of the kingdom and require indoctrination to grant them entrance. Is there some magical check list that we’re all supposed to submit to in order to cross the threshold? Last I checked, Jesus and his Bride left the gate wide open and said ANYONE could come in. {Revelation 22:17}

But time and time again, I see people coming in… close to the kingdom gates, thirsty, wearied, and worn…looking for a ray of hope, wrestling with what some ‘pastors’ claim and the be told, “If you don’t believe x,y,z then just throw the whole bible out!” They get told, “If you don’t live according to x,y,z then don’t even bother being a Christian!” They further condemn the hungry with, “God will curse you if you don’t give 10% of your GROSS income to the church.”

They cast away the poor sinners into the streets to leave them to rot in the cold darkness of the world.

And Jesus goes after them! He will not rest until all 100 sheep are gathered into the kingdom.

You see, Jesus doesn’t wait around for you to come, he goes after you.

I’m so sorry that so many misguided people require so much from you to get into the kingdom. What they fail to realize is that Jesus already declared that His kingdom is within you. {Luke 17:21}

No human has any right to keep you out of the kingdom. They have no power to do so. Oh they may think they do, but they’re wrong.

Jesus already granted you citizenship with full freedom to not only enter in, but to live in his kingdom abundantly.

So when people who call themselves Christians get pushy, demanding, legalistic, rude, and indifferent… view that as the yellow caution tape…and stay away from them. They may claim that their way is the light, but it’s really just the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus’ Kingdom has no gate keepers. He left the gate wide open.

Italy by nonpoppop, on Pix-O-Sphere

{photo credit Mike Davis}


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