Choose Charity

      It would be much easier if I could pick whom I would like to be charitable towards. If I could choose the who, the how, and the why, charity would be a lot more convenient for me. And many times, I do get to choose whom I will be charitable towards. But sometimes life just happens, and I get to decide if I am going to have mercy on someone I would not choose.

      The person that I do not get to choose to be charitable towards is not like me. They may not vote like me, sound like me, or smell like me. They may or may not have my sensibilities. They most likely will not be on my schedule. And they may not have all of my good habits that have formed my life just the way I want it. I cannot control how they will act. I cannot control what they will say. I cannot control what they will need. I cannot control how much help they will need. Yes, yes, yes, I must make sure I am taking care of myself, but that is usually not my problem. My problem is I usually am so busy taking care of myself that I will not go out of my way to show mercy to someone that I do not choose.

      But by chance, people who need mercy will cross my path. It will just happen. Then I get to decide, not the who I will be merciful towards, but if I will show mercy and how much and often.

      This will be costly. It will throw me off my schedule. And I will have to interact with someone who is not like me but who needs my help.The easy thing to do would be to cross the road and pretend like I did not see them. That would be the easy reaction for me but not for the one who needs charity.

      To be sure, I do not have to be charitable, unless I want to follow Jesus in his way. I do not have to show mercy, unless I want to be a bad priest outside the Kingdom of God. So, I do not get to choose who I just get to decide if I will show mercy. That choose will align me with God’s Kingdom or make me an outsider in his Kingdom. That is the way of the Kingdom, and I cannot choose to be in the Kingdom by making up my own rules.

      Life has left us beaten and hurting on the side of the road, and many passed by but Jesus stopped for us. He bandage our wounds and covered them in healing oils. He took care of us and paid the price for our recovery. Now we get to choose, will we go and do likewise. Choose.

No More Wine

John 2:3 They have no more wine.

 

     I ran out of wine 25 years ago. That was a good thing. The wine that I had, those two and half decades ago, was rotting my soul. I was hurting others and hurting myself. So, I had no

more wine, praise God.

     At that time, I was left with water. God transformed it into a new wine. That new wine was the best of wine. That new wine transformed my life. It made my life a feast. I lost things during that celebration that I am glad I lost. I lost some things during that party that I foolishly let slip away. But I discovered the best wine during this time. I enjoyed much of it. I wish I had enjoyed it more. Some of it I neglected, and I overlooked how good it was. However, it was a great party. I enjoyed that feast. I miss that celebration.

     Now, I have no more wine. I have run out of wine again. I thought I had an endless supply of wine, but I was wrong. Running out of wine 25 years ago was a good thing, but I do not see much good in the wine drying up this time.

     So, all I can do is keep going to Jesus and saying I have no more wine. I am hoping he has saved the best until last. I go on a crying jag quit often because I drank all the wine, and I have no more wine left. About all I have left in my soul is water. But I am praying Jesus turns the water in my soul into the best of wine.

 

A Word Like Rain

Isaiah 40:8 
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.

Isaiah 55: 10-11
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.



Everything will fade.  If you don't believe me just look in the mirror.  You did not look that way 10 years ago.  But our souls can be water by something that endures forever.  SOmething that does not fade.  A word from God.

God's Word is three things.  It is first and foremost, Jesus Christ.  He is the Logos, the Logic of God, the Living Word of God. 

Secondly, the word of God is the written word of God, the Scriptures.

Thirdly, the word of God is the spoken word of God.  A word spoken through people who have connected to God through Jesus and the Scriptures.

We need all three parts of the Word of God in our lives.  All three water our souls.  They will last forever

I noticed in the three following Words from God, The Lord's Prayer, Psalms 23, and The Apostles Creed, that each really does not conclude.  They all three close with a phrase letting us know that this Word from God goes on forever.  The Lord's prayer which is from Jesus, the Logos of God, goes on forever. Psalms 23, the written word of God, the Scriptures, goes on forever.  The Apostles Creed,  the spoken word of God given to us by the church, goes on forever.

May his word fall down like rain on our dry souls



The Lord's Prayer


Our Father, which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. 
Thy will be done in earth, 
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us. 
And lead us not into temptation, 
But deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom, 
The power, and the glory, 
For ever and ever. 
Amen.

Psalms 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again.He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,the Holy Catholic Church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.








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Sing- Movie Review

Sing, go see it if you are under the age of 13 and have no hopes of liking good music in the future.  I am not the demographic for this movie

Sing, go see it if you need a good 20 minute nap.

Sing, go see it if you want to sit beside a grandma and her 8 year old granddaughter and desire to hear an eight year old sing Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, and Lady Gaga, among others that I did not recognize.  Or want to recognize

Sing, go see it if you are not disappointed that Johnny the gorilla switched to his second choice of a song, I'm Still Standing by Elton John, and put aside, Stay with Me by Sam Smith.  The eight year old singer sitting beside me was highly upset

Sing, go see it if you want to see a star studded cast of Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, Seth McFarland, Jennifer Hudson, and John C. Reilly play very forgettable cartoon characters.

I give this movie a 5 out of 10

I asked my 12 year daughter what she gave this movie and she said 5 out of 10 as well. I love her.





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Toughen Up

Be bold, be strong.  It is common for people to desire to be bold and strong whether you are a person of faith or not. We tell people to grow a backbone, don't be a wimp, in our best British accents we tell people to have a stiff upper lip, and some more coarse ways of telling people to be bold. Being bold and strong does not seem to come easy for many.  We either cower when we are confronted by a person or a challenge or we go to the other extreme and blow up at the problem or challenge. Neither of which are being bold and strong. Blowing up seems bold and strong but it is really fear masquerading as anger.  We either hide ourselves by being a coward or we push people and challenges away by blowing up with anger.

I think the solution may be in the reason that we should be bold and strong.  Bold and strong are not the end result in themselves. We are bold and strong as people of faith not because we are tough.  Not because we are better, smarter, or more talented than those we come in contact with.  The reason we are bold and strong is because the Lord is with us.  God is with us.  Jesus is with us.

We do not have to be afraid of the person at work with an attitude because we can tell that person off but because God is with us. Jesus is with us.  God is not afraid of that person and God is with us. God knows how to deal with that person, and dare I say God even loves that person.  God can help us to speak truthfully to that person lined with a lot of grace without running away or blowing up.  We can state the way we see things because we know if something bad does happen, well God is still with us and he will see us through.  And that is just an example of first world problems imagine if we lived in an area where our physical lives were actually threatened.  Or maybe you do live in one of those areas.  If so leave me a comment and let me know about a time when you really had to be bold and strong.

So toughen up, God will strengthen us.  So toughen up,  God will protect us.  So toughen up,  God will advice us.  So toughen up,   Go will lead us.  Toughen up.



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Eleven Years

Eleven years, one more than ten.
A decade of fun, plus one.

You danced in the first year, you still dance now.

Your hair was flowing from the start.
Your hair still flows as it captures my heart.

Your impressions come out as you notice the world.
I laugh from deep within from every face you make.

I look at you and I see me.
I look at you and I see so much more than me.

Living Hope's Response to Same Sex Marriage

The current debate is plagued by this binary lens. Those on the left try to lump everyone who disagrees with them into that right side. If you don’t support, you hate. Meanwhile, those on the right see compromise and spinelessness in anyone who doesn’t get red-faced and militant. If you don’t hate, you support.

But true followers of Christ will walk neither path. We have something to say that no one else is saying, or can say. Distancing ourselves from both the left and the right, we don’t celebrate homosexual practice, we acknowledge God’s clear revealed word that it is sin; and we don’t hate those who embrace homosexuality, we love them enough to not just collapse under the societal pressure. We speak the truth in love into this confusion, saying, simultaneously, “That’s wrong” and “I love you.” We’re not the left; we say, this is wrong. And we’re not the right; we say, you’re loved. We speak good news, with those sweetest, deepest, most glorious words of the cross — the same words that God spoke us — “You’re wrong, and you’re loved.

I believe in traditional marriage, and I always will believe that. I believe that I should go out of my way to treat people with love and respect who believe in same sex marriage People on both sides of the isle think that these two beliefs do not align. But by the grace of God I will keep believing and living them both.

There will be some difficult questions to answer for the church when it comes to particular situations that will come up, maybe not for us but for the church in general.  My we wise as serpents and gentle as doves.  May we be full of grace and truth.



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Walking With Jesus- I Am Not Busy

Too much to do, too much to do, ta da da da da da, too much to do

I am not busy.  

I am not sure when it started exactly, but it was sometime around the time I got married.  I started working, doing, trying to accomplish all the time.  I went from not being a reader, to reading non stop.  I went from hardly ever caring for my home, to looking for more things to do around the house.  From being a fairly hard working pastor, to trying to be Super Pastor.  This didn't all happen overnight but it did happen.  For 15 years I was busy.  And I was not made better by my busyness.  Jesus has tried to slow me down the last year.  I am not busy is something he is teaching me to say, and live.  Pastors are sometimes called lazy, cause they only work one day a week (we pastors love that joke) so I guess I was trying to overcompensate.  Now, I do not want to be lazy, I do not have that problem, but I do not want to be a busy person.  


I do not have too much to do.  

I will die with things on my to do list.  So I do not worry about my to do list as much as I use to. Over that becoming busy 15 year period I became a to do list.  The past 6 months, I don't even make a to do list any more.  I threw my to do list away.  I have read all the books about Getting Things Done, including Getting Things Done, but they always made me feel like I had too much to do. They never made me feel like I was accomplishing things.  Now I prioritize, to the best of my ability.  I do the things I have to do and the things I want to do, by God's leading and grace, and I threw my to do list away. Don't get my wrong I am still very organized, but now I do not have too much to do.


I have things I want to accomplish, but if I don't get them done, it is not the end of the world and there is always tomorrow.

Man do I have things I want to accomplish.  Some of them I do, many I do not.  But the sun still comes up.  I want to read a book a week, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't and the sun still comes up. I want to do things with my wife and daughter, sometimes I succeed, sometimes not so much, but the sun still comes up.  I want Living Hope to grow, so I reach out, sometimes well, sometimes not for many days, but the sun still comes up.

I am not busy, by God's grace I will not allow myself to be.




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Marvel Daredevil Season 1 Episode 4- In The Blood

Benny who is trying to save Karen from getting involved with his story.  Karen tries to convince Benny she can be a good source.  But he remembers the pain and death his former sources went through and he does not want Karen to go through that.  Benny, "My sources underestimated what people in power will do to stay in power."  

Maybe I am too negative but I agree with Benny. I watch our news, our politics, and see people in power doing terrible things to stay in power.  Even the ones you voted for.  I never underestimate them, even the ones who have a Jesus fish on the back of their campaign bus.

Wilson Fisk on his date with Vanessa gives her his reasoning why he is the man he is.  Fisk, "I am just trying to make my city a better place."  That is why he kills and strong arms people, to save the city.  In his twisted way he sees what he is doing as best for the city.  At the end of the episode we see Fisk kill one of his Russian mobster cohorts brutally with his bare hands.  His second in command, Wesley,  advices Fisk that this will start a war.  Fisk, "I am counting on it."  

No man sees the good they are doing as evil, even it can be clearly seen by others.  When man is their own standard they can call the evil they do, good.

Matt, in his black mask, tells Claire the reasoning behind the things that he does.  Matt "I just want to make my city a better place."  He says the same thing Fisk has said.  His reason is the same, his tactics are different.  Matt has an inter struggle with his tactics.  His priest represents his standard of goodness.  Whether he lives up to that standard is a different story.  And Matt fails many times to live up to that standard from day to day.  But many times he succeeds, depending on the situation and feelings toward the situation.

This blood war has only just begun.




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Marvel Daredevil Season 1 Episode 3-Rabbit In A Snowstorm

Matt Murdock defending a guilty man, Healy, by the letter of the law. Healy is a murderer who has killed another murderer, but Matt defends him.  He does this because he was to see where Healy will lead him. Healy is connected to the crime ring, Matt is wanting to break down.

Closing argument from Matt.  We do question morality in this courtroom.  We do not question right and wrong. In the courtroom Healy must be set free because of self defence.  That is the letter of the law.  Outside the courtroom he may face a judgment of his own making. I wonder what that is foreshadowing?

Healy is set free in the courtroom.  Healy is set free by the letter of the law.  Outside the courtroom in an alley Healy faces Daredevils form of justice of his own making.  Or at least that is the way Matt sees it.  Through force Healy gives up a name, a name that shall not be spoken, Wilson Fisk.  He calls the man in the black mask for not killing him.  Healy feels as good as dead after giving up the name Fisk.  So he promptly ends his own life in that courtroom alley.

We meet Mr Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, for the first time.  He is in an art gallery starring at white painting,  Rabbit In A Snowstorm.  He tells the art gallery director, Vanessa, "This Painting makes me feel alone."  Mr Fisk will consistently feel alone.

 

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