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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

Sisterlisa


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Does God Really Hate Us?

October 10, 2011 by 5 Comments

After being under a patriarchy ministry for 15 years, I had come to the place where I felt so utterly unworthy to even be alive. The legalism that constantly pointed out sin in us and the world around us got to be too much to live under…I was dying inside. For me to be able to live through a sermon, I had to ignore it and doodle or make shopping lists, sometimes I was busy scribbling down verse of uplifting passages to myself. If we sat a child down and told them how awful they were and pointed out everything they were doing wrong, that child’s thirst to live would be parched. In some states, it would be considered mental and emotional abuse on a child. So why do adults put themselves under such horrific discouraging teachings?

Some people have such a twisted sense of God’s justice, it makes me ill. I can’t fathom ever sitting through another ‘semon’ where I’m yelled at, demeaned, belittled, and told God hates me. He’s the one who allowed sin to enter the world as it is, let alone now hate us for something He allowed in the first place?

Imagine for a moment that I set out an open dish of Hershey’s Kisses on the table in front of a 2 year old child. Now I’ll tell the child that she can eat anything in the kitchen she wants, just not these chocolates. I step out of their view and watch her eat 3 kisses and hide the wrappers. I watched the child do this. I did not stop the child. It’s a total set up, a test. Now I enter the room again and yell at the child that she’s a stupid little sheep and full of awful sin for her choices. Now lets say my husband enters the room and says he’ll pay the penalty for our daughter’s choice. Now, I accept the father’s payment as “paid in full” so the girl is not held responsible for her choice. Now, for the next 18 years, I’ll continue to belittle the child, tell her how awful she is, tell her I HATE her choice back then when she was 2.

Sounds like an unforgiving parent to me. Afterall, the father paid her debt.

Didn’t he?

This is the kind of Christianity that seems to be sweeping the nation…and leaving a trail of wounded people bleeding on the road side and gasping for breath.

We don’t have to listen to this kind of unforgiving hatred being perpetrated by these so called pastors.

The apostle Paul said “let each man be convinced in his OWN MIND.”

Do we really think God is holding our sin against us when Jesus already paid for it?

We either believe Jesus paid it all or we don’t.

Are we using his name in vain, claiming him to be Savior, but denying the power thereof?

Remember what God said to Adam and Eve? “Who told you that you were naked?”

It’s the adversary that stands at the gates accusing the brethren.

It’s one thing to confront someone who has stolen from you, it’s quite another thing to attempt to accuse people of ‘sin’ when they already have their sin covered.

There’s a HUGE difference between approaching a friend, in love, to help them in an area that is harming themselves or their loved ones…and telling Christians that God hates their sin. If a person claims Christ as Savior, then they believe Jesus is covering their sin…..which means the person standing in accusation of them is an unbeliever. I don’t care if the person claims to be a Christian or has a title of “pastor”. I don’t care if he’s written a bazillion books of commentary on the bible. It’s a very bold and ignorant person who tells a blood-washed child of God that Jesus isn’t actually covering their sin.

We can be corrective with people we love when it’s necessary and when we have discernment that the timing is right. But to use a blanket statement of “God hates you” or “God hates your sin” is loaded language. This kind of verbal assault is not meant to lift you up into his heavenly throne to be embraced with his grace. It’s the kind of language that slaughters a person in the very sight of Jesus Christ. Do we forget so quickly that it’s the kindness of God that leads people to change their minds about him?

So the next time you see a video, read a book or blog, or sit through a church service that belittles you and makes you feel awful for something you can’t do anything about…walk away and don’t believe what they’re saying.

Sunrise On The Blue Ridge Mountains by goose, on Pix-O-Sphere

{photo credit Laura Geese}

Because Jesus already has you covered. I pray we’ll all believe this and be free from this condemnation coming from the ‘men of the cloth’.

Filed Under: Spiritual Abuse Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

When Mothering Needs Healing

May 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Not all families have a Mrs. Cleaver as a mom and to expect our moms, or ourselves as moms, to be Mrs. Cleaver would be a tragedy. We don’t choose our moms, we are born to them without our consent. Mothering is a sacred calling. Many times I have heard people say they wish they had someone else’s mom as their mother, but they have no idea what her children say about their upbringing in her home. There have been other moms in the church that many teens wished was their mom, but what they didn’t know was those women had problems with drug addiction, financial irresponsibility, or were emotionally abusive to her own kids. We never know what another mom is really like, all we see is what each mom wants us to see.

Each family grows up with the mom that was appointed to them and we can either reject them or embrace them. I find embracing them to be much healthier than rejecting them, but there certainly are some instances when it’s best to walk away if the mom is causing a lot of turmoil in your life, but use wisdom and grace in doing so.

I don’t often speak openly about my upbringing with my mom, because we had many rough years. My mom has shared her testimony of alcoholism from time to time, but she hasn’t decided to make her testimony a very big part of her life and I respect that. However difficult those years were, (she went into recovery when I was 16) she is the mom God appointed me to. I don’t wish my years growing up would have been any different. The journey our family went through together was difficult at times, but there were many good times as well. Those rough years were used to form my life into a vessel that now ministers to families going through the same things. God has taken our cracked lives and put his Light in and made us into Lamps.

All moms make mistakes and sometimes we think we’re making the right decisions only to find out later our best decisions wounded our kids without us knowing. My 15 year journey through legalism was turning me into an awful mean spirited mom and I thank God that he pulled us out when He did. Each family has it’s dysfunctions and God’s power is made strong in our weaknesses. I am thankful for the mistakes my parents, and my husband and I as parents, have made over the years. Those mistakes gave way so Jesus could pick us up and show us His grace in our parenting.

The journey our families now have through healing is creating stronger ties in our lives and we’re moving forward in life with profound glimpses into the Kingdom life Christ created for us and opened our eyes to.

Maybe there are some things you have not been happy about with your mom. I pray you can find peace in God, healing is in His wings. There’s an abundant life for us to enjoy and sometimes trials are a part of this journey. Over the years I have been able to look back and see just how beautiful the journey really has been. Blessings to all the mothers out there.

gerber daisies by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

SisterLisa

Filed Under: Healing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Patience With One Another

April 27, 2011 by 1 Comment

The ongoing Resurrected life is not without heart ache. We have never been given a guarantee that life would be without trauma, sadness, or grief. We will not be able to protect ourselves from being hurt and most of the time we are hurt the most by people we love. Maybe that is what makes betrayal so much harder to bear. Maybe that’s why it makes bitterness so much more difficult to heal from.

Perhaps this is why it hurts so deeply to become intimately involved in another church after being wounded so greatly in previous churches.

But heart ache doesn’t happen only in churches.

It happens among friends, neighbors, and even in our own families.

I had two short years to get to know my biological dad before he passed away. Most of it was filled with good times, laughter, and camping. We enjoyed being together. Then selfishness and immaturity crept in and overtook both of us. It didn’t end well. We parted ways and I moved to another state without telling him. I was that hurt. I packed my things and quietly moved away.

Six months later he died.

For many years I carried the heavy burden of guilt, remorse, and regret that I had parted ways so bitterly.

I was young, naive, and immature. I was a baby Christian who was wounded deeply…I was wounded deeply because I loved so deeply.

It took a long time for me to heal over that and I sit here in tears even now as I type this….19 years after his death.

I miss him terribly.

A friend of mine departed from her first husband out of fear for her life and for her children’s safety. Her husband held a gun to her and threatened to kill her.

She had to leave and couldn’t go back.

A friend of mine married young to a guy who pulled her into his drug addiction and didn’t treat her well. He abandoned her in another state with no where to go and no one to turn to. She filed for divorce.

Sometimes people make decisions that are incredibly difficult to make, but these decisions are needed in order to seek safety.

We never know why a person makes such decisions and we have no right whatsoever to demand that they go back to  place where they know they aren’t safe.

Sometimes people leave a church and may not want to tell you why.

Maybe they were molested. It could be that they know the pastor is having an affair and he threatened them to keep them silent. Perhaps they left because a teen guy was putting their daughter in compromising positions and his parents wouldn’t listen to her parent’s plea for help to keep them apart from each other.

How dare we tell a person to go back to church when we have no clue what they’ve been through.

I’m not going to accuse wounded people of being bitter. Even if I thought someone might be bitter, my first response is to be compassionate, not judgmental.

Healing takes time.

Can you force a dying rose bush to heal in one week?

Absolutely not!!

Can you condemn the rose bush, because it doesn’t produce a vibrant rose on your time table?

Wounded people need to be nurtured just like that rose bush needs to be nurtured.

And we need to be patient with that growth.

We’ve all been hurt and life will continue to push us into hurtful situations.

But we will grow from it.

We will heal from it.

daisy bud by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

And we can grow together through it.

Some days I might cry and scream, some days you might rage and sob.

Growing together means we grieve together, love together, and seek the Lord together.

There is no promise that we won’t be hurt again.

But there is a promise that we aren’t alone.

He never leaves us nor forsakes us.

He won’t give us more than we can bear.

Will we ever find another gathering of believers where we can grow in safety?

I hope so.

But I don’t think it will be without times of grieving.

This is how life is and it’s how we grow stronger.

Let’s be patient with others while they graze beside still waters with our Great Shepherd. Sometimes wandering in the wilderness is the where the shadow of the Almighty is.

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. (NIV)

SisterLisa

 Related Articles:

When Mothering Needs Healing

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgement 

This Miserable Christian Life

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