Who Defines Me

September 11, 2012 by 2 Comments

I feel a breaking going on in my soul and it all begins with a thought. A breaking down of a stronghold that has been planted in my mind. It has been like being under a dark cloud which manifested through words..words can impact people for good or for bad. There’s an area of my life, a skill and a passion, that was cast down through negative words spoken to me. Words of doubt were hurled at me and some sank in deep, the ones that came from someone I love. These are the worst kinds of dark clouds…when someone we love condemns us and doesn’t believe in us. When a stranger says negative things it doesn’t affect us as bad, but when someone you love waters that bad seed…it’s crushing.

“You’re beliefs about God are why you aren’t succeeding in your passion. Even worse that you vocalized your beliefs to others.”

That hurt…deeply. Not only do words like this hurt my passion..but it hurts my thoughts about me. These words are condemning and most likely the one who said it has no idea how it affected me.

storm by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere
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This skill and passion I have hasn’t left me, but it has remained buried..stifled..and has left me discouraged for far too long. This week I began giving thanks for this skill and passion. I love this part of who I am! I am mustering up the strength to kick back those discouraging seeds of doubt and reject their implantation in my mind and heart. They don’t belong in me..they don’t fit in..because Christ is within and he doesn’t doubt me for a second!

The more I thank Him for this skill and passion, the more encouraged I become to nurture this within me. The more I believe in myself and my vision, the more I want to sharpen the skill and deepen the passion. I see a glimmer of hope now and I’m choosing to be patient with myself and my vision. No one has a vision become a reality over night. It takes time, diligence, and love.

  • I began with acknowledging the birth of this particular thing in me.
  • I accept that it is a gift given to me.
  • I vocalize my thankfulness for this gift.
  • I apply my belief in this gift by stepping forward in nurturing it.

No matter what negative things people say about me or my vision, it is a gift given to ME, not to them.

My vision and passion is not dependent on what they think, it’s dependent on what I think and how I take each step into building it up.

Even those who we think know us best, can still misunderstand who we are. They are not the Authority of who we are within. My Authority does not condemn me, He lives within me. Only He can accurately define me…He is the Author and Finisher of my faith and my identity. Beautiful, wonderful, passionate, and creative.  And why shouldn’t I be creative? Creativity is a part of who He is within me and his creativity is bound to come shining through.

As far as my beliefs about how amazing he is… how utterly forgiving he is..and amazingly gracious he is…if that upsets people and it causes them to withdraw from my life then they don’t need to be a part of my skill and passion. I wipe the dust from my feet and walk forward in faith.

He who began a good work (skill and passion) in me, will perform it to his Appointed Day!

Other people’s doubt in me and my God have no bearing on what He is doing in my life and I refuse to allow their words to be a dark cloud anymore. Christ is my cloud by day to keep me cool and my fire by night to keep me warm.

It’s long been said the magic words are, “Please may I?” But I’m thinking there’s more power in gratitude…and so I say the magic words… thank you, thank you, thank you.

pastel floral by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere
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Sisterlisa


God and our Political Platforms

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A Faith Dare

September 9, 2012 by 2 Comments

My daughter and I went to Barnes and Noble last week just for fun and I was mesmerized with the journals they had. I took pictures of the ones I liked most and knew that I would someday be back to get one.  As I was casually walking through the store, I turned and saw this one book beckoning me. From across the store..it stood out..the cover so magical…I couldn’t resist. I sat down to begin reading through it and within a few pages I was convinced of it being the next book for me to read. I wasn’t sure why it wasn’t on the shelves in the Christian section (it sure could have been), but nonetheless the book found it’s way into my view. I brought it home not realizing it was a book with writing practices for the soul. In order for me to go through this book, I would need a journal. Could it be fate that caused me to see the journals before the book? So today I went back and finally decided on which journal would be my first.

Image9 by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

As I walked through the aisle again, I wanted to see if one specific journal would speak to my soul. I held each one in my bare hands, sliding my finger tips over the covers and smelling each one. Most of them were leather, but all of them had fresh pages within their binds. I began on one side of the aisle, carefully listening to my soul as I considered each one.  Then I knew..it was the first one I picked up today. I chose the red one on the left.

red journals by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

Now that I have my journal and the book I can begin my practices. Oh, you might be wondering which book I’m reading. Well, here’s the thing… it’s not the most traditional spiritual book for a Christian to read. In fact, I would be called some pretty harsh names if some of my siblings-in-Christ knew. So for the time being, I’m not going to say. Perhaps through the process of this journaling practice I might reveal the name or perhaps mention it on Facebook. What’s important is not the book, but rather…what this practice will do in my heart.

With each day of the practice, I will write in the pages of my journal and once I’m done (28 days) I will reveal the name of the book on this blog and begin publishing the experiences I will have gone through as a result. I guess you could say it’s somewhat of an experiment.. a dare, if you will. A faith dare. I know this sounds a bit secretive, but I will reveal it all in due time.

What I think will be interesting, is how this practice will affect my articles over the next month.

Have you ever committed yourself to a daily practice of some kind?

How did it benefit you?

Sisterlisa


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Does God favor Republicans over Democrats?

August 22, 2012 by 2 Comments

American Flag by rebeccaannec, on Pix-O-Sphere

It’s never easy for me to see vociferous protests fueled by anger. Oh they get the media’s attention alright, but is it always the best way? If I want people to accept me as a non traditionalist, should I picket in front of their churches with signs that condemn them for their views and stir up chaos for the media to set their circus up on their front lawns?

Would it be appropriate or diplomatic to insist they agree with my views and stop having their own views? Why do we protest? What message are we really trying to get across?

People often reject the notion of a one world government and a one world religion and even worse a one world religious government. It seems to me if we follow that philosophy we will be headed in that direction.

Are we just rebuilding another tower of Babel that is destined to fall apart and divide us further?

Why such a push to make everyone the same? I would think Christians would be against any idea that would lead us to a one world power.

Stop the presses!

Dear Christians, what in the world are we doing?

Why are we working so hard to create this nation into one massive Christian Republican nation where everyone believes the same things? Isn’t this what the ‘anti-christ’ does? I thought mixing religion with politics was a bad idea that led to destruction. Isn’t this what our founding fathers fled from to begin with?

Can’t we express our beliefs without bullying others to join us or be persecuted and condemned by our own words? Should we really be holding rallies condemning people for not eating chicken sandwiches? Do we really think we’re better than everyone else if we do?

“Look at us supporting the chicken sandwich company. God would be so proud of us.”

Really?

Have we gotten so sidetracked with supporting religious institutions that we now move onto business institutions as if they’re some idol that earns us brownie points with God?

He doesn’t care where you eat and he most certainly doesn’t care if we eat beef or poultry. He doesn’t care about the IRS or your fancy 501c3 with tapestries adorning the windows and sparkly chandeliers in the foyer.

He wants to know if we love one another and if we love our enemies.

Are we looking out for the interests of others?

There’s gotta be a more mature way of expressing our beliefs without condemning everyone else’s.

I used to condemn the buildings and what they stand for, but after taking some time to step back and think about the benefits a building can offer the people I had to approach it differently. It didn’t mean I had to agree with how some people run their organizations. It just means I can have a different perspective on it. They have the freedom to have a building and I have the freedom to not belong to one. I respect their freedom so I can also have my freedom. Buildings are good in the winter when it’s cold and can be good in the summer when the weather is too hot. Now, can we take this free perspective into the world today?

  • Can a religious group have the freedom to believe a traditional family is good?
  • Can another group have the same freedom to believe any type of family is good?
  • Is it possible to be supportive of both without condemning each other?

I think we can.

I am a traditional family. My husband and I have been married for 20 years and we have four children that are all ours. His sperm and my egg for each child. We have no step-children, no adopted children, and the grandparents aren’t raising the kids, we are. This doesn’t mean I am against other types of families. I am a step-daughter and a half-sister. My husband is a step-son and has a cousin who is adopted. We have relatives who are raising their grandchildren and relatives who are divorced single parents. We are still one family. So while my family unit appears to be traditional on the surface, deep down we are diverse and we still love each other.

The bible is full of examples of non-traditional families. Moses was adopted by a pagan mother, Jesus had a step-dad and half-siblings. Ruth was taken in by her mother-in-law. Esther was orphaned and raised by her cousin and Abraham had two sons from different women. Even Adam and Eve had dysfunction in their family, Cain killed his own brother. None of these examples are a perfect picture of Adam and Eve, but God still loves them and had purpose for them. He gave promises to both of Abraham’s sons. He allowed Pharaoh’s daughter to raise Moses. He had purpose for Ruth to meet Boaz. God used Esther through her forced marriage to the king to save an entire race of people. And even though Adam and Eve’s family fell apart, we’re all still here.

The argument is the fall of man. “In the beginning it was not so” Are Christians trying to re-create the perfect traditional family to bring forth a perfect people? Wait a second, if we could do that with just preaching and forcing laws into this land then why did Jesus die?

Christ is who brought perfection back to the world. He did so in spite of our imperfection and his perfection remains with us no matter how diverse we are.

Some think if we can get everyone on earth to accept Christ as their savior that he will come back and finally get them the heck out of this ol’ world.

  • Did they forget Jesus already is here within us?
  • Did they miss it when he said we are the Temple?
  • Have they not heard him say, “the Kingdom is within you”?
  • Is it a far off memory that the meek inherit the earth?

Other than all this wonderful reality of His Kingdom here on earth, why would they want to insist on their own way in religion and politics?

1 Corinthians 13:5  ”Love does not insist on it’s own way”

Does God really give commands on which political party to join? Are Republicans more in favor with God than Democrats? Are we really this petty?

Forcing people to be a traditional family is a law that doesn’t work. If you happen to be a traditional family, then great! But you can’t force people to be Adam and Eve. God never commands us to live up to that initial creation. Adam and Eve couldn’t even keep their ‘traditional family’ together as it is.

Keep your traditional views for your family and live peaceably with all men. I am thankful my marriage and family has lasted as long as it has, but it wasn’t without dysfunction. We live in a world where laws don’t preserve us in some perfected state. We live in a world where grace abounds. Attempting to force everyone to be traditional is motivated by failure to begin with. In Christ we live by faith that his grace covers every faulty frame. It’s pointless to try and make everyone be the frame of Adam and Eve. God knew we couldn’t do it, so Jesus came to mend us as we are. Trying to fit ourselves to a law doesn’t make us more mended. We already are mended.

Giving people the freedom to live the best they can means not forcing them to live by what you think is the best for them. Follow Christ as you believe he would have you to and let Him guide them the way they believe he would have them to.

Do we lack faith in him to be able to do so?

Sisterlisa

 


American Christians Can’t Claim Persecution

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Christian Persecution, Gay Marriage, and Abortion

August 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It has been a long heated battle between Christians and the interpretation of the United States Constitution. Is it any wonder, since we can’t come to an agreement about how to interpret the bible? Nevertheless, there are enough simple and straightforward teachings in the New Testament to give us wisdom in deciphering what is a good teaching. Pastors all over the country wrestle with how to approach political topics without violating the laws governing a 501c3. My blog is not governed by a 501c3 so I have the freedom to be honest.

desks by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

I came across a passage written by the apostle Paul, which I think is important for us to consider.

Philippians 2: 3-4; ” 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” ESV

This is precisely what I meditate on when deciding how to cast a vote for social issues in America.

Something I think we tend to forget is the Constitution is not the bible. At first thought this might be a ‘no brainer’ however, we often fall into an unChrist-like mentality that expresses itself through our brainless behavior.

Since the bible lacks in specific teachings about Christians and the Constitution, we are left with figuring things out as we go along.  Let me share some thoughts about this matter.

No matter what law America passes, the Constitution is not our dictator, mediator, or otherwise when it comes to our spiritual lives. Issues such as abortion and marriage equality should not cause us to falter one bit. If the nation passes laws allowing these practices, then we will face the music of our personal convictions should we be taken into a court of law. I’m not saying Christians should break the law of the land, but some seem to think breaking such laws would be a ‘God ordained command’.

When Christians vote on matters like these, they are voting for their own benefit. They want to protect their rights to reject aborting a baby and reject being forced to lead a ceremony between GLBT couples. However, Christ himself said to look after others interests also. Here’s where the rubber meets the road.

  • Do we trust God or not?
  • Are we willing to face the music in defending our practices if there are laws against it?

When we vote on matters that involve religion, we need to take other religions into consideration. If we vote to limit their religious freedom, then our religious freedom will also be limited.

If you’re a doctor or nurse and are given orders by the hospital to perform an abortion, as convicted as you are against it, God’s grace is with you. You can defy orders and lose your job or your license, or you can perform the duties required and rest in God’s grace. Then we have our faith to lean on. Remember, the midwives refused to kill all the male babes and God rewarded them for their faithfulness to him.

I don’t think we need to worry about the marriage issue, since clergy reserve the right to deny performing services outside the scope of their statement of faith. There are plenty of clergy who are GLBT affirming that can perform a wedding and offer the use of their buildings. So why should we vote against making marriage equal for all adult citizens? The bible isn’t the only holy book in the nation that permits marriage. Marriage was around long before the bible was and Adam and Eve didn’t even have a wedding. In some religions, gay marriage is not only permitted, but celebrated. Who are we to limit their religious freedom?

Then we come to the real crux of the matter, fear.

Christians are afraid of being forced to go against their convictions, they are afraid of going to jail, and they are afraid of public scrutiny. Do you notice the common problem here?

The problem is fear.

Christians struggle with putting their entire faith in Christ and resist believing in his grace. They still think God is angry with them, even though the scriptures declare them clean.

When Christians cast their votes, they need to consider the Constitution since the Constitution is to protect all our rights.

“look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Our votes don’t hinder what the bible says, they don’t alter the scriptures, and they don’t certify a Christian’s need to adopt beliefs they don’t agree with. Many Christians don’t agree with the IRS, but they still pay their taxes.

Jesus told the people not to worry about the physical kingdom they lived in, because His kingdom is not of this world.

“The kingdom is within you.” ~Jesus Christ

The disciples and apostles lived through persecution that we have never faced. God never promises us we would live without persecution, in fact Jesus told us we WOULD face persecution. We still have not faced what true persecution is, how can we possibly say gay marriage is an issue of persecution? Maybe we need to begin really trust in God and ‘stop fearing what man can do to us’.

No matter how you vote, remember that we are God’s children, he loves us, and we are under grace.

Sisterlisa

 Related Articles:

Is God A Republican or Democrat?

This Topic is not Going Away

You be the Judge

Traditional Marriage, Boycotting, and a Movie Massacre

 


American Christians Can’t Claim Persecution

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Hellbound

August 18, 2012 by 3 Comments

It’s the traditional teaching of many of the 30,000+ denominations of Christianity in our world today, yet not a belief that is held by all Christians. In my interactions with my pagan neighbors, I discovered Christianity isn’t the only religion in the world who believes in some form of hell.

But should this even matter in the grand scope of Christ’s finished work?

In my earlier years of religious study in fundamentalism, hell was a major factor of doctrine. At the same time, I was taught ‘once saved, always saved’. So to me, hell wasn’t really an issue since I had faith in Christ. They teach you that once you believe in Christ by faith, that you absolutely will never go to hell. It didn’t need to be a concern for us as believers. However, it was still a concern if your loved ones and neighbors were on the road to hell.

I had to come to the place where I was going to trust God with whatever plan he had for humanity and follow his teaching of ‘love your neighbors as yourself’, regardless of what version of hell people did or didn’t believe in.

So does hell matter in the Christian tradition?

From the description on the website Hellbound? the Movie, we see a variety of perspectives from all sorts of spiritual leaders. My husband and I have studied diligently and can see how each denomination comes to their individual conclusions. We understand. However, we also take into consideration the testing of interpretations by measuring them against the fruit of the spirit (faith) and the works of the flesh (doubt).

It’s very important to understand many things when studying the bible from the era the writers lived in, their culture, the message from God for each of those generations, and how we grow or weaken based on those teachings.

When a teaching puts us in bondage to fear, worry, doubt, panic, restlessness, and anger then we would be wise to reconsider the teaching. However, that is not to say that we should totally disregard the passages, but rather look at them again and see if there is a different message than what we were previously taught.  If there is a different perspective then we should look for it. We should be better stewards with the scriptures than what we had been in previous generations. One no longer has to spend an outrageous amount of money to attend a seminary. We have a lot more free resources now and better ways of communicating than ever before. There is no longer an excuse to not study for ourselves.

Take the following questions and paste them into Word or on your blog and prayerfully answer them. Avoid trying to answer them with the scripted responses your church tradition has taught you. Answer them from the depths of your heart. From the place where you are truly you. Consider providing examples from your own journey. Avoid yes or no answers. Please give thoughtful soul widening responses.

  1. In the long run, how does the teaching of hell affect our lives?
  2. How has Christianity become complacent towards their fellow man, because their salvation is secure and have nothing to worry about?
  3. How satisfied are we with our evangelism efforts if our neighbors might burn in hell for all eternity?
  4. How often have we felt like evangelistic failures when our loved ones refuse to accept Christ, no matter how much we beg them, and they die not ever proclaiming faith in Christ? How does this affect us?
  5. How do we carry the weight of their lost soul for the rest of our lives?
  6. What kind of ‘accountability’ is there toward us when we face God?
  7. How will we feel if their blood really is placed on our hands?
  8. What sort of experience will we go through when we see them cast into the lake of fire right before our eyes before we get to walk through the pearly gates? What kind of rejoicing will we partake in after witnessing that?

This doesn’t sound like a very encouraging scenario nor does it sound anything like the abundant life Christ is said to have brought us into.

So I’ve gone back to the scriptures to see where we, as Christ followers, should find our foundation in this very important discussion.

  • If Christ has paid for the condition of sin once and for all, then why do I have to live in constant worry for others?
  • I thought faith in Christ ‘saved me from hell’ and if I’m saved from hell then why must I continue to fear hell?

This doesn’t sound like a ‘saving to the uttermost’ to me. Even the scriptures say that anything of fear is not of faith.

  • So do we really have total, absolute, faith in Christ and his finished work or not?
  • If we’re saved from hell then why must hell be the focus to get us to Christ and to living a Christ-like life?
  • I thought Paul said the Law (the former schoolmaster) was what led us to realize our need for Christ.

Isn’t a life in Christ supposed to be about love, faith, and grace? He said we would be safely grazing beside the rivers of life, well protected, and peaceful.

But this doctrine of literal eternal torment is anything but peaceful.

If we really believed in this literal hell, then why haven’t Christians all over the world given up everything in their lives to walk the highways and bi-ways of life and tell every single person out there about this hell and how to avoid it?

Maybe we have this inward voice asking us, “What if I’m wrong?” What if we are so wrong about this doctrine, what is it that we have done?

  1. Terrorized our neighbors with a make believe horror story with them as the star of the story?
  2. Disrupted any amount of peace they had in their lives with an image that causes nightmares?
  3. Created such a fear that near death experiences become more traumatic than the illness they already suffer?
  4. Sent people into severe depression when their loved ones die before the preacher can get to their house to explain the bible?
  5. Divided entire families due to the forceful begging and pleading to get them to recite a prayer and go to church with you?
  6. Isolated people in their churches and homes, afraid to live life to the fullest?
  7. Cause doubt of their own standing with God if they didn’t ‘get saved right’ or put enough faith in Christ to actually save them?

It seems to me that this is not the Kingdom in which Christ established for us.

  • Why would he die and resurrect only to bring us into such an awful place of worry, depression, and doubt?
  • How can we possibly trust him with our own salvation and believe that he will make us watch our loved ones get tossed in the lake of fire?
  • What kind of groom is that?

If something scary flashes on the TV screen, my husband covers my eyes for me, to protect me. Don’t we do the same for our children? But it is a popular belief that Jesus will make you watch your loved ones be thrown into everlasting torture. Many years ago, barbarians would force husbands to watch as they tortured their wives and children. They would force the wives and children to watch as they tortured daddy. This was equally torturous for the entire family. Is this really who God is?

Maybe this movie, Hellbound?, will help us to re-examine this teaching and broaden our own hope in Christ to a place where we can truly say, “Jesus is the Savior of the World”. Or perhaps it will solidify the belief of hell and we’ll all quit living our own enjoyable lives and start relentlessly banging down the doors of everyone in our towns.

If you decide to answer all the questions on your own blog, please come back and comment. Give us the link to the post so we can come read your thoughts on this controversial, but much needed discussion.

Sisterlisa

Biblical argument for Gays

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Transparently Yours

August 10, 2012 by 2 Comments

I do what I can to walk by faith in Christ and seek his wisdom, yet I can not stand idly by while brethren (and sisters) behave with such immaturity and lack of understanding for others who are not just like them. So, when I write an article like this, know that this comes from a follower of Christ. I preface this article like that, because I can be harsh at times and I don’t want it to be said that I’m anti-Jesus. I just don’t appreciate the hypocrisy, lies, and manipulation taking place in the Christian community. Jesus was harsh at times too, like in Matthew 23 when he ‘ripped the lips off’ the self righteous pharisees.

Proverbs 4:7 “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” KJV

For the last year I have worked very diligently to understand the diversity of pagans in our world. Through patience and humility I have allowed myself to walk by faith in entering their world so I can learn to understand. I have come to respect them as fellow human beings in this global community called humanity. I have found so many that respect my path and they have never tried to convert me nor do they bash Jesus to me. In fact, it was in a Druid community that my faith in Christ was deepened.

2 Corinthians 5:7 “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” ESV

I have found that many of them do respect the Jesus they read about in the bible, they just don’t respect the abusive version that some denominations of Christianity are forcing on society.

I found an article written by a pagan that I found rather interesting and posted it on my Facebook wall. I wanted to encourage a conversation of understanding so my Christian friends can learn to understand paganism with a more educated basis than the popular paranoia perspective so many of them espouse to.

It’s sad to see those who immediately throw stones without taking the time to listen. How do these people even claim to be missionary minded if they approach people with such exclusion?

I believe myself to be an organic minister and I love people where they are. It is not my intent to manipulate people into choosing Jesus as a deity, savior, or otherwise. In my faith, I believe that if Jesus wanted to give people a revelation about him, he could do that without manipulation and terrorizing tactics. Furthermore, I’m also not interested in conning people with false kindness in hopes that they’ll recite some man made prayer and pledge allegiance to the Christian flag.

Many times over the years I have had intense experiences with the Lord that convinced me to follow his teachings and accept the love he has been giving to me. It grieves me greatly to see religious leaders portray God as an abusive tyrant who threaten people into choosing Jesus. It does matter to me what people think of Jesus and how the Holy Spirit works, because I have a beautiful connection with him and I do not want to have broken relationships with people who think I’m lumped in with such immaturity.

In my view of Christ, people matter to him. And it’s through this perspective that I find myself viewing people as worthy of love. This authentic love flows naturally, but I’ll be honest and say that there are times when it’s more difficult to let that love flow. It’s when abusive people intrude and disrupt in which case I struggle with showering love on them. I fall miserably short and grow impatient when I see people being abused. Or perhaps this is just how the love of Christ manifests in defense of victims.

Luke 23:24 “Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” Meanwhile, the soldiers divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice.” GWT

image credit David Hayward

I believe God loves us all equally. The story of the prodigal son is really more about the father and how his relationships with his sons can teach us a powerful lesson. Both sons had an inheritance. One wanted to receive his right away then depart to go live life as he so desired. The other stayed home and close to his father’s side. Through this story we see the father freely give the first son all that he requested and allowed him to go free, leave the family, their community, and did not condemn him for doing so. Once the son had lost all he had, he decided to come back and serve his father as a slave. The other son was not happy with how their father welcomed him home, prepared the fatted calf, and threw his arms around his son. This son who stayed home is often portrayed as the faithful son who obeyed his father and didn’t ask for anything. Yet, many times Christians fail to see the real problem with the story.

The story is not about the first son living the party life (although we do learn a lesson from that), but rather we see the obedient son plagued with a toxicity we call self righteousness. He thought he was better than his brother and felt that he deserved the fatted calf more than his brother. Even with this view, there is a bigger picture here. The bigger picture is the father who loved both sons equally. Both sons had the freedom to do what they wanted, yet each brother learned different lessons. One learned his father loved him and was a man of grace, while the other learned his father was not legalistic as the son assumed he was. Two sons had different views of their father.

God gives us the freedom to decide for ourselves. He freely gives Pagans, Atheists, Unitarians, Trinitarians, Catholics, Fundamentalists and Pentecostals alike, the choice to make on their own. If we force someone to recite a prayer without having the opportunity to make an educated decision, then we aren’t really giving them freedom to choose. When Christians make choosing Jesus into a threat, then what kind of choice is that?

If Jesus wants someone to choose him, he can contact them on his own. The Spirit knows how to convince someone of love. At the same time I do believe we have a responsibility to represent him with love and compassion. Even if people never choose Jesus, our responsibility is to represent him with humility, grace, and love.

Maybe some folks should refrain from calling them Christians if they aren’t going to be committed to living out the Gospel with love. Perhaps they can simply say they are learning about Christ, rather than trying to speak on his behalf and putting both feet into their mouths.

My heart for my fellow pagan loved ones (and anyone else for that matter) is not a mission to convert them, but rather a desire to understand them and to love them. We are all a part of the global family of humanity. Let’s follow in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s inspiration by loving our fellow man equally. Even some of the most self centered, arrogant, and self righteous Christians are equally loved by God, it’s just more difficult for us to love them. Nonetheless, we’re all created in the image of God.

Genesis 1:26 “Let us make man in our image” ~God

Some people are easier to love than others. While it has taken a journey of faith for me to learn to love others, it’s taking me a journey of strength and patience to love bullies.

Transparently yours.

Sisterlisa

Filed Under: Kingdom Living, Organic Faith Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Freedom to Teach

July 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

My last article about getting organized with your organic ministry was more of a brainstorming type of article based all on my own personal opinions. While I could throw out some scripture to support those opinions, I decided to let them stand as they are and let you decide whether those ideas would be of merit to you nor not. I don’t buy into any cookie cutter approach to ministry, because I feel it puts the Holy Spirit into a box that he does not belong in. I see the Spirit as well beyond our limited human minds and therefore needs plenty of breathing room and ample space to stretch us to incredible depths of faith.

Acts16 by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere
free photo source Pix-O-Sphere

I lightly touched on the idea of teaching and the need for that in ministry. Jesus taught and you can read his teachings in the bible for yourself, or you might be interested in hearing someone else’s interpretation of those teachings. Ultimately, you are free to read the bible on your own and come to your own conclusions. However, if you want to hear teaching from someone else’s perspective, don’t expect that they teach for free all the time. When you choose to go to school to learn how to be a carpenter, a doctor, or even a fashion designer, you pay for those classes. To expect a teacher to teach for free all the time can be considered rude and lack common decency. They have bills to pay. Don’t get caught up in the school of thought that a teacher needs to have his own job and still teach for free on his/her only days off. That expectation puts them in bondage to you, how would you like to work for free on your days off?

You might argue that Jesus wasn’t on a church’s payroll (which is true), but keep in mind that Jesus’ needs were met in every town he went to. He didn’t starve to death and he had sandals to protect his feet. A man doesn’t walk the bare land as much as he did on one pair of sandals spanning a three and a half year time period. In addition to his basic needs being met, he didn’t have children to provide for. In today’s society, ministers have families and each family has a unique set of needs to be met. My philosophy for organizing ministry isn’t so that the ministers do everything on their own. It is desirable to have a congregation assist in every area of ministry to alleviate the minister to simply teach and serve. Some congregations want their minister to have a full time job aside from ministry and there are congregations where the people don’t want to volunteer, so they choose to give financially. A team of people can be paid to do it all themselves, preparing all week long for the weekend activities. Both of these options are our freedom to participate in. I personally find great value in a congregation all having their part in the ministry, because it develops a team spirit toward their community. So whether your part is to support others doing it, or you get in there and volunteer your time, both are acceptable.

An organic minister without financial support will have limited time for preparing to teach, but at the same time they will be free to not teach. They won’t be bound to a specific time every week and although there are benefits of doing so, it also creates some limitations for the minister to have freedom to do other things on those days. They can write instead of teach in person and give people the opportunity to read for free. If they choose to publish a book with a company that has a great marketing campaign then they can generate an income for themselves and possibly bring in enough money to fund their own ministry. There are many ways of serving in ministry, we just need to have the freedom to brainstorm ideas and pursue what works best for us.

With all that being said, lets get down to the nitty gritty of why I teach organically. My belief in teaching is to equip others to learn of their freedom and how to teach others likewise. This is part of the message that I see in the epistles written to those who were serving in ministry.

2 Timothy 2:2 “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” NLT

Something beautiful that is not often highlighted (if it is, then it is usually brief and often only taught to women) is that Timothy was taught by his grandmother and his mother. Some preachers will arrogantly refuse to get their theology from women, yet they fail to acknowledge all the theology that these women taught Timothy and the theology their own mothers taught them while being raised. Anyone can be a minister and a teacher. We have the opportunity to ‘teach others also’, as we have been taught. Think about how your family’s heritage is passed down through the ages, it is passed down through story telling and through repeated practice. This is how we have come to embrace the Christmas traditions that our grandparents enjoyed. Likewise, we pass down the testimonies of our generation so future generations can learn from them. However, the point is not so future generations live by our grandparent’s faith, but that they will establish their own faith and generate their own stories to tell.

God has always been doing magnificent things in people’s lives. While he did a great work through Moses, Paul, Martin Luther, and Billy Graham, He has begun a new work in all of us and we are free to pursue that work. Whatever it is that the Spirit has told you, you are free to pursue it, to teach it, and to live it out. Part of the school anthem at Next Dimension Bible College says this,

“Let’s stop being imitators and emulators of another man’s grace. Let’s stop being counterfeiters and replicas of the ministry profile of others. Let’s stop living off of another person’s revelation. There is an adventure in discovering the “you” that is within you. It is the fullness of the measure of Christ. The maximizing of the Christ within- The Hope of Glory! Learn to be your “revealed self” because God will not anoint a lie.”

You see, if we simply live off of someone else’s revelation, then we are not living out the revelation that Christ has for us individually. If I were to live my whole life living off the revelation given to Martin Luther then why would God anoint me? What was given to Luther was for him and his community. God has a unique message for each of us and our communities. Their anthem goes on to say,

“..what about a word birthed out of your groaning and passionate anticipation- a “signature word” that identifies your plight and summarizes your destiny and purpose as an individual- not as a clone or replica of the greatness of others, but that which divinely identifies your awesome life representation.”

We each have an era  in which we live and a corner of globe where we commune with those around us. Our culture, economy, and spiritual components of life vary greatly from one corner to the other. In the bible we see the term used in Greek is, aion. This is the age in which we live. We no longer live in the aion of King James, his era has passed. He had his own ‘latter days’ to face and we have ours. What is it that the Spirit has told you about your ‘latter days’? What message and ministry has he laid at your feet to deliver to your generation and community?

Whatever passion it is that God is birthing through your anguish, you can bring about great change for your aion and bless many more aionon to come. This kind of teaching is not commonly taught in many churches. While I am tempted to ask why it’s not being taught, I’d rather ask, why not teach it? It’s an incredible act of faith to give people their freedom to pursue God without requiring they get a stamp of approval from an institution. Going to a school, or even just a weekend workshop conference, can be effective if you are seeking encouragement and inspiration to further the message God has given you. It’s about hearing how others are being led and gleaning what we can to benefit our own journey in Christ. Never let it be about copying another person’s testimony. You have your own to live out!

Go ahead and teach others what God has shown you. Do so from the depths of your heart in whatever language or lingo your friends will understand. If you desire to take classes on how to teach more effectively, then take a class and get the most of out it so it best serves you and the message you have to convey.

This all may sound so simple, and it is! So why would I need to teach this freedom when people can just go ahead and live free without Sisterlisa? Because I want to teach freedom! You don’t have to listen to me or support me financially. You are free! Freedom is the whole point, but many people are still in bondage to living in the aion of King James. Question the interpretation of the King (or pastor), “off with your head!” I’ll never chop off your head for disagreeing with me. In fact, I want you to disagree. I hope you’ll glean what you can and at the same time be free to disagree and pursue the path that God has given you in your own freedom.

If we’re really this free then why do we need teachers to teach freedom? Because not many are teaching freedom and in the process, wolves are out there trapping people in legalistic bondage. At some point, I hope you would realize you don’t need a teacher. You have the Spirit within you and he will teach you all things. Even though you are free to get your teaching directly from God, it’s still fun to get together with other folks who are on a similar journey and have fun enjoying life together.

Since the Lord has set you free, freedom is indeed what you have.

girl colorized by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

Sisterlisa

Related Articles:

Being an Organic Minister

Practical and Logical Living

Challenging our Faith

Freedom to Believe and Speak About it

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Any Doctrine is Possible

May 23, 2012 by 2 Comments

Did your ‘red flag’ rise high into the sky when you read that title? There are over 35,000 denominations of Christianity today and all of them think they teach ‘sound doctrine’. Some of it sounds real nice while others sound absolutely horrifying. Doctrine can sound like a harmony or just a bunch of clanging symbols causing noise pollution. Have you ever heard of a church that claims they use only the bible? Yep, they all say that. So how can 35,000 denominations think they have sound doctrine while they all differ and bicker about those differences? Any doctrine is possible, but what I look for is the fruit.

Does the doctrine bring about control, legalism, fear, anxiety, pressure to conform, anger, jealousy, or competition over who is living more right than the other? I view this as bad fruit. It’s as rotten as it can get. So I look for doctrine that manifests love, joy, peace, longsuffering, temperance, patience, and gentleness. If a doctrine pressures me to give up family relationships, live in fear for my loved ones, carry anxiety over which church my neighbor goes to, or causes me to be angry over someone’s life choices, then I feel the need to ditch that doctrine altogether. There is such a diverse amount of doctrines so I don’t think that one doctrine sums up all the others. I think each one needs to be examined on it’s own and at the same time look at how each doctrine strings together with the others. Anytime I come up against a ‘brick wall’, I backtrack and go through a different string of doctrines. My aim is to find all the teachings that best exemplifies the heart of Christ and see if they fit together and manifest the fruit of His Spirit.

Bird and sky by tww, on Pix-O-Sphere
photo credit Tom

Even though I can do this, any doctrine really is possible. The reason why I say this is because we take all of it by faith. We have absolutely no hard fast evidence at all. Just because the Bible has remained on earth for as long as it has is not verifiable evidence. I know people say that God preserved it for this long, but did God also preserve the Egyptian hieroglyphics too? Perhaps he did, but we don’t know that for sure, we take it by faith. I know this, mankind has preserved ancient writings for ages. One denomination takes the evangelical-fundamental perspective as sound doctrine, while the Reformers take theirs as sound doctrine, as do the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They can’t all be 100% right with the many differences they have.

There are many very good writers and theologians who have done excellent research about various doctrines and perspectives of the Bible so I’m not going to attempt to go down that road on this blog, but what I will do is share the view that I have of an All-Inclusive Savior that has transformed my life and redeemed me from the chains of legalism. I believe this doctrine is possible, because I have faith that all things are possible with God.

Sisterlisa

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: , , , , ,

Drawing a Line in the Sand

May 22, 2012 by 3 Comments

There’s only so much we can do in regards to sharing our thoughts and opinions on things while not offending people. Jesus spoke truth yet his words were offensive to many and still are offensive today. People don’t like to be reminded that we’re all equal, because that means they can’t justify why they are ‘better’ than those they look down upon. Jesus confronted the self righteousness and abusive ways of the religious folk in his day and doing so today brings about the same response those folks did back then. Call out a bully in defense of the victim and they accuse you of being judgmental. Accusations like this freeze people from standing up to bullies.

It’s going to be natural that people will differ on doctrines. There are so many perspectives on the bible and it’s evident by the 35,000+ denominations we have today, but what I find interesting about differences is that we have such a difficult time learning how to be gracious in disagreements. It really all comes down to maturity, but even the people we think are mature still battle with fear. Fear is the real enemy. We all suffer from fear, some more often than others. Fear causes people to belittle each other, verbal bomb one another, and even manipulate one another. It’s a trap that renders us impotent. Fear puts us in bondage. This kind of bondage can negatively affect our relationships, our jobs, and our growth as human beings. When this kind of bondage renders us useless to even make positive decisions then we need to re-examine ourselves. I found myself in this position in regards to how I express my faith.

coast by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

I have no problem jumping to the defense of people who are being victimized by bullies, but defending myself against folks who attack me can be quite daunting. Learning when to take the time to expound further on my beliefs and when to ignore people who are just there to attack is something I take seriously. Sometimes I take it so seriously that I don’t know what to do or to say. It’s a good thing we have comment moderation in blogs so I can have time to think about things and get advice from friends before responding.

In my old path of religion we were told not to be ashamed of what we believe. Well, I came to do just that. I came to be ashamed that I followed a religious bully for so long and followed that type of perspective on God. Being bold, as were told to do, with my former beliefs caused me to lose interaction with people I loved. We were assured that we should not be concerned with how others felt about our beliefs, that if they pulled away it was their own problem. Yet the consequences were fractured relationships. In the long run I came to realize that it wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t worth it to lose relationships based on the god and religious bully (who claimed to speak on his god’s behalf) that told me to condemn people to hell then if they walked away it was their own fault. In hindsight, I can see that my views were abusive and the consequence of relationships being fracture wasn’t the fault of my loved ones, it was mine. This is what has played a role in me being paralyzed to express my new path. I’ve been afraid that expressing my all inclusive view of God would push people away and that it would be my fault.

I need to draw a line in the sand for my own sanity and spiritual growth. I don’t like to do this, but if I don’t have a boundary for myself then I will be paralyzed by everyone else’s opinions and I don’t want to be in that kind of bondage. The difference this time is that I will be rejected by viewing God as all forgiving, all merciful, and all loving. Whereas before, I was rejected because I viewed God as limited in forgiveness, limited in mercy, and limited in love. I would rather be rejected for viewing God as all inclusive than for being rejected for viewing God as a religious bully. It’s greater for me to be standing on the side of grace than on the side of condemnation. So if I’m rejected for standing on the side of grace, then I’ll live with that and know that I chose to walk the path of love.

I do hope that people can at least appreciate that I view God with such an outstanding hope, even if they disagree with my view. I want to preserve my relationships, but I refuse to remain in bondage of what bullies think of me.

Sisterlisa

Filed Under: Kingdom Living Tagged With: , , , , , ,

When Christians Fail in Discipleship

March 6, 2012 by 2 Comments

I hear it over and over again, “I was burned by Christians”… I was too. I always hope it was because it was baby Christians who lacked in spiritual maturity, but then it’s a face palm when people say they were burned by 30 year deacons or pastors. This isn’t going to be an easy article to read. I’m not pulling any punches in this one and I’m taking the gloves off.

Church, we’re failing in discipleship. We fail the Christian community when we rush teenagers off to bible school to rush through 4 years of classroom education then push them into pulpits in their early twenties and rush rapid growth of filling pews. We’re failing the Christian community and the surrounding communities when we make the numbers more important than solid Christian discipleship.

Making disciples comes with great responsibility. It means we are committing ourselves to a new believer as they take this walk of faith in God’s grace. It requires nurturing them and admonishing them to grow into responsible people who value their spirituality in Christ as a high priority. It’s high time we stop rushing people into the pews in order to push for a confession of belief and quickly get them started with giving ten percent of their income to keep the building open. That’s not what being a Christian is about. It’s not about the numbers, it’s not about the money, and it’s certainly not about competing with the church next door.

It took over 2000 years to build what we call The Great Wall of China and it stills stands today. It took hard work, many people, many sacrifices, and lots of patience to erect such a strong wall. Are we approaching discipleship with the same effort?

I think this is what Jesus meant in Matthew 7: 24“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (ESV)

If we have worried ourselves with rushing the construction of a fancy building, filling the pews with wallets so we can rub elbows with the prestigious churches and sit at fancy tables with the religious, then we are going to fall in the storm and many are testifying that this fall is already happening.

It’s time we repent of this bizarre rebuilding of Babel. Jesus isn’t concerned about rushing people to pledge allegiance to creeds and give their money to build temples. He created His temple within us. Peter gives us this beautiful illustration of the holy temple, us.

1 Peter 2: “4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (ESV)

A true disciple of Christ is one who walks by faith. They commit themselves to growing in grace and seeking wisdom to walk circumspectly, to exercise self control, one who seeks to drink from the Living Water and bear fruit.

Galatians 5:  ”22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (ESV)

These are not fruits that can be super glued to your life in haste. They can’t be mere labels stuck to knock offs who want to look like the real deal. It takes time to grow fruit and we must take our path in Christ seriously. We must not fancy ourselves as “arrived Christians” just because we complete a 6 week ‘discipleship’ course at a church. How dare we think a bible college graduate has the wisdom to lead a congregation fresh out of bible school without being mentored after graduation.

We need spirit filled Christians who have walked the path of faith, who have grown through adversity and still cling to a walk of faith, who extend grace and impart wisdom to our community. How can we expect to see mature Christians who hold fast to faith in Christ when all we’re doing is pumping out clones on a conveyor belt?

What do we need to do? Slow down.

We need to realize what it means to invest in one another, to walk with one another, to love one another in grace. Gone are the days of quick recruitment into a church and speedy public profession of creeds. We need to stop misrepresenting Christ by branding him into business logos and copyrighted self help programs. We need to stop identifying ourselves with denominations, popular pastors, and fancy new movements.

We need to take our time to mentor others in what it means to be a Christian before we rush them into agreeing with our interpretations and getting their signature on a church membership agreement.

Making a decision to be a disciple of Christ needs to be a very personal decision and must be accompanied with a commitment. Not a commitment to a brand of churches, but a commitment to walk in faith and to grow in grace. It takes a commitment to learn Christ within. Being a disciple of Christ is not something you ever graduate from, there is no point of arrival, and it can’t be something that gets a stamp of approval from a pastor.

Walking in discipleship is a journey in Christ. If you’ve been burned by what seemed to be pillars in your Christian community, I’m so sorry. They aren’t people who have arrived, by any means. They may have lacked in true spiritual discipleship. We do hope that a Christian would be someone who has integrity, wisdom, and compassion, but that’s not always the case.  You don’t have to seek discipleship from people who haven’t been truly discipled.

So how is a person to find others who take their spiritual walk with Christ seriously? How can you find a community of believers that are willing to be committed to discipleship?

More often than not, you won’t find a ready made church that is equipped with all the bells and whistles. Cookie cutter style discipleship doesn’t work. I’m not fond of people putting out an ad to say, “Here we are (raising hand), we have the answer and best discipleship class in town.” You won’t find a solid spiritual journey by ‘liking’ the latest Facebook church ad. It’s not found in signing up to some website with your email to invite a leader to your home to instruct you.

Finding followers of Christ are more often seen sitting with the homeless at the beach. They don’t fancy themselves with suits and ties, they humble themselves to be real and relational. They aren’t interested in harnessing wealthy people into the pews, they are found holding tearful women at the exit door of an abortion clinic. They rarely are seen performing public feats of religiosity to get media attention, and are more likely to be found driving a drunk friend home and watching him all night so he doesn’t drown in his vomit. These are people who are disciples of Christ and it’s the Spirit of the Lord who guides them to have this kind of compassion.

They grow in grace and listen to the Living Word that is written on their hearts. It’s hearts of love that no longer fear being rejected by the religious. They aren’t into quick fixes, they embrace longevity in relationships. They don’t fit into the church systems and are often ordered into silence because they preach the true Gospel of grace and that grace scares the religious.

If you’re interested in being a disciple of Christ all you do is ask Him to guide you. His Spirit will guide you into truth and you’ll know it’s true love that sets your feet upon a solid Rock. as you walk by faith, He will guide you to others who are on the same journey. They’re out there, keep your eyes and ears open and He will show them to you.

 

 

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