Blindfolded

I want a church where you are blindfolded upon entrance; someone then leads you to a seat and you aren't allowed to remove the blindfold until the service is over. I don't want the petty distractions of where I sit, who sits next to me, who's in the church, what everyone's wearing and how others are responding - these all take away from what God is trying to tell me. I don't want to just listen to what is being said - I want to hear it! I could do that blindfolded because there wouldn't be external distractions.

We are too concerned with who is and isn't in church, what others are wearing, where we are sitting and how people are worshiping instead of focusing on God. God doesn't care about any of that, so why do we??? Why do churches have so many unwritten rules about who and what is and isn't allowed in their building? We are allowing people to walk around dead to sin because they don't want to do things our way. If they don't want to pray, praise and learn the way we do, then we don't want them.

Just like no two sets of fingerprints are the same in the world, neither are two testimonies and salvation experiences the same. So, why do we think everyone needs to worship and pray the same? Why do we believe that my way of worship and praying is more righteous than your's when the Bible says, "None are righteous before God"? We need to get off our self-righteous, high horse and allow people to praise and worship their Creator and Savior the way they feel they should without judgement or condemnation. Praising God is always the right thing to do - no matter how it is done - for proof read how the king of Israel (David) praised God as the Ark of the Covenant was being brought into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:12-22).

As I keep walking toward Jesus, I will start praising God the way my heart tells me to!

The Big "S"

Ugh! No one wants to hear the word "sin," or think about it and certainly not talk about it. But really, what is sin? A list of don't in the Bible that is different depending on who's reading/interpreting them? Are the 10 commandments the definitive list or are there more? Are there things in life that we should or shouldn't be doing? Yes, but what makes something sin?

It really isn't that complicated. Sin is any thought, action, person, or situation that takes us farther from God - draws us away from Him. Well, that could be anything! Yes it can and that is the point. Sin isn't just one specific thing, it is anything or anybody that is pulling us away from our relationship with Christ.

Everything we do, every choice we make, will do one of two things:
     1. Draw us closer to God
     2. Pull us away from God
Anything that accomplishes #2 is sin. Really very simple. The hard part comes in acknowledging the sin and then turning from it back towards God. It is very hard to take a step back and acknowledge what is going on in our life sometimes. We want to just keep moving forward, like nothing is going on. But, if we want to keep walking towards Jesus, we must be willing to take time to evaluate each day if those things in our lives are drawing us closer to God or pulling us away.

Reconciliation 2

God is all about reconciling us to Him. Reconciliation first came through offerings - sin, peace, meat, etc. These were never enough though and had to be repeated continually. God then sent His Son to the Perfect offering for all sin. It is though Jesus' blood that we are reconciled to God . God never wanted to be separated from us in the first place - that's why He created the garden of Eden, to be with us always. It was free will that led to our choice of sin which led to us walking away from God. He didn't leave us, we left Him. He wants us back - loves us that much - and was willing to allow His Son to die in order to get us back.

Daily I do my best to walk toward Jesus - to rebuild the relationship that was broken through sin. Some days I do better than others, but I don't stop trying when I do mess up. The relationship with Christ is like any other relationship - it takes work. It is unlike any other relationship in that Christ will never leave me or forsake me. I need to pattern my human relationships after the one I have with Christ - there would still be challenges, but the underlying theme would be of love.

Quote 2

There is nothing miraculous about the things we can explain.

- Oswald Chambers

Puzzles

Our lives are a puzzle - literally. Each lesson learned, each experience, every person we meet are one piece to the puzzle. We don't understand what the puzzle is going to look like when it is finished - kind of like trying to put a 500 piece puzzle together without the picture on the box - so we can't understand how all of our life is working together. Our frustration comes in when we try to cram pieces in places where they don't belong. No matter how bad we may want them there, if God doesn't want them there, they will never fit. It is very difficult building a puzzle without the picture on the box to look at.The key to remember is that God is the puzzle maker and His pictures are always beautiful. The picture of our life will not be complete until we are in heaven with God. He will then show us how everything fit together for His glory and beauty. Right now as I look at my life all I see are some very oddly shaped pieces with no edges and no real understanding of how it is all going to work together. I must trust that God is giving me just the right pieces when I need them and that they will fit together perfectly. It's all part of learning to walk toward Jesus.

One of Those Days

Today is one of those days when all I want to do is pack my few treasured possessions in my vehicle and just start driving - anywhere but here. Drive away from the responsibility and leave it all to someone else. Drive away from life. The only problem, life always finds you!

So, what to do on a day like today. Focus on the people I care about. Remember that God has me here to fight for them - pray for, encourage, be there for if they need anything. Walking away from my life would mean walking away from them and I can't do that. We all have people that God has given us a burden for and the thought of letting them and God down is more than I want to think about. I'll send emails, maybe a text or two, and just let them know that I love them and am praying for them. Let them know that I haven't given up on them and that I'm still fighting for them. Because on days when I just don't think I can fight for myself anymore, I start fighting for someone else - get out of my own head. I let go of my life and give it to God - He knows a whole lot better than I do what I need and what needs to be done, so I try to get out of His way.

Fighting for others is how I'm walking toward Jesus today.

A Little Lamb

I bought a lamb. Not a real one, unfortunately. While I believe a real one would have been a pretty cool thing to own, I don't believe it is on the approved pet list for my apartment complex. So, I bought a cute, little stuffed toy lamb. I have no children and am 43 years old, but I still bought myself a toy lamb. I bought it as a reminder.

When I look at the lamb, or hold it on my lap, I think of myself. I'm a little lamb. Many times I get lost. I wander off the path I'm supposed to be walking. I forget where I am and Who I belong to at times too. Like all sheep, I have a shepherd and my shepherd is the Good Shepherd. What makes my Shepherd Good is that He knows when I've gone astray, left the path, gotten myself into some trouble and He comes looking for me. My Shepherd knows my name. Because He's a Good Shepherd, He knows all His sheep/lambs by name.

When I take the time to listen, I know my Shepherd's voice too. Sometimes I choose not to listen. I choose to keep going down what I know to be the wrong path. When I finally get tired of being lost or going in circles, I stop and listen carefully, then I can hear the Shepherd gently calling me back to Him. I can also cry out for my Shepherd and He is always faithful to come along side and lead me back to where I belong.

My little lamb also reminds me not to be scared because my Shepherd won't leave me lost, wandering in circles, or alone. He'll always be near by. My Shepherd looks out for me. He'll let me make mistakes when I choose to wander off, but He'll always be there when I call.

I hope that my little lamb will help me to remember these things so I don't wander off so often and so I don't feel so alone at times. I will keep my little lamb with me as I walk toward Jesus.

Lap of God

A couple of years ago I was at my sister's house when her youngest son, 3 at the time, began having a meltdown. Nothing would console him and he was unable to articulate what was wrong, so on he cried. My sister picked him up, sat him on her lap and cradled him in her arms. As she held him, she whispered constantly in his ear that he was loved by his mom, dad and Father God. She prayed over him too and kept repeating how loved he was. He did eventually calm down and went on to play.

Back at my home later that evening the scene of being held, rocked, prayed over and being told repeatedly about being loved kept repeating in my mind. My thoughts went to how it would feel to crawl up into my Heavenly Father's lap and have Him hold me as I cried. To have God rock me in His arms, pray for me and tell me repeatedly how much I'm loved...........there are days when I long for nothing more! To have the One who created me and knows me better than I know myself hold me and let me cry all the fears and pain out on His shoulder, all the while He's telling me how much I'm loved by Him...........there are days when I long for nothing more! There would be no condemnation for me being "silly" or "overreacting." It would be acceptance, peace and love only.

Even as an adult I long to feel safe around someone where I can have the opportunity to just weep, cry, wail and it be o.k. Usually such behavior is accompanied with a "pep talk" or lecture. But sometimes you just want to be heard, share the pain and the other person say, "thank you for sharing." I'm not always wanting someone to "fix" what is wrong, sometimes I just want to be heard and it be o.k. to feel the way I feel.

My goal is to remember the scene in my sister's house when the cries of a desperate individual were meet with prayer and constant reminders of the love others possessed for them so I can replicate it should someone ever need to express that kind of release in my presence. I want to remember what I need from others, so I can maybe be the safe place for someone else.

The very, very good news is that one day I will crawl up into my Father's lap and He will tell me how much I'm loved and the tears will be tears of great joy! I just have to keep walking toward Jesus and my longing will come true!

Why Is More Important Than What

"You and I do not sin because we want to make life worse for ourselves. Rather, we sin because we believe it will make life better. We indulge in a negative behavior because we believe it will improve our situation. "
-Jeff VanVonderen "Tired of Trying to Measure Up"

No one goes into sin saying, "I'm going to do this because it will ruin my life and drive me farther from God." We believe sin is a shortcut that God is hiding from us that keeps us from getting at the good things in life. We all want good things. We all want those good things when we want them too. Sin is how we try to get them when we are tired of waiting on God. Satan is whispering in our ear and telling us that God is holding out, but he has the path for all the good stuff God won't give us.

I've never once heard a pastor address the issue of sin this way though. They only refer to it as the list of "bad" things we do and we should stop doing. I believe if it were presented this way many more people would understand why they have done what they did and be able to recognize sin a lot faster in the future.

We can make a very long list of what sin is, but until we get to the root of WHY we sin, things will not change. A person has to understand the motivation behind an action before they can stop and turn from the action - repentance.

As I continue to learn the why, I better understand how to walk toward Jesus on a more consistent basis.

Joshua 7

Joshua and the tribe of Israel has just successfully captured Jericho - the city that was believed to be beyond capture. They were successful because they followed God's instructions to the letter. But, oh how soon we forget the provisions of God.......

Jericho is destroyed and "Joshua's fame spread throughout the entire country" (6:27). Then comes verse 7:1, "But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things......so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel" (emphasis mine). They had just entered a city completely destroyed by God's hand, in the most unorthodox way imagined, and instantly choose to sin against the God that delivered victory to them.

Joshua sends men from Jericho, from their victory, to Ai to spy out the country (v. 2). Ai was the next stop on their way through the promised land. The spy's come back and report that it should take no more than 2,000-3,000 men to conquer the country because there are so few people (v. 3). Joshua sends the men. Instead of being great conquerors, they turn and flee at the sight of the men of Ai (v. 4). The men of Ai chased them down and killed 36 of the men of Israel (v. 5), the mighty conquerors. The response of Joshua and the elders to this defeat is to tear their clothes, put on ash, fall on their face before God and cry out to Him asking Him why He is allowing His people to be defeated. Joshua believes that God has brought them over the Jordan only to be delivered to their enemies and why is God so cruel? (v. 6-9)

Let's stop and take a quick recap here: The children of Israel faced a most formidable foe in Jericho. They ask God what to do. He tells them. Even though it sounds like the craziest idea ever, they follow God's instructions. God hands the city over to the Israelites. They rejoice in God's provision. While the rejoicing lingers in the air, they choose to sin against God. The next time they go into battle, they are defeated. Joshua and the elders then blame God for lying to them and not protecting them.

What is God's response to Joshua laying in the dirt with ash on his head bemoaning to God? He says, "Get up!" (v. 10) God looks at Joshua like a parent looking at a child throwing a tantrum - "Get up!" Get up and get over yourself. You want to know what is wrong? Get up and I'll show you! See, we want to constantly blame God for the things not going well in our life, for not getting what we want, or for pain that we have to endure. BUT, have we stopped to truly take a look at what is going on. Joshua didn't, he just blamed God. God then showed Joshua the TRUTH.

God said, "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived, and they have also put it among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you." (v. 11-12)

God lays it out very clearly - the fault lies with the children of Israel. Their choices, their actions has separated God from their lives. This is a Truth for today - my choices, my actions will either draw me closer to God or repel Him. Repel means to ward off or keep away; to drive back; to cause aversion to distaste in; to be incapable of absorbing or mixing with; to present an opposing force to (American Heritage Dictionary). The sin of the children of Israel, our sin, my sin, does not mix with the goodness, the purity of God and He is kept away from them, us, me by it.

God's instructions to Joshua are for him to sanctify the people, for the people to sanctify themselves because they next day Joshua would be searching the camp for the accursed items and the offenders (v. 13-14). God is calling the people to search their hearts and get right with Him. God knows exactly who it is that has sinned, just as He knows every time each one of us sins.

Joshua's instructions were to burn the accursed items, the person that had taken them and all of his family (v. 15). Fortunately Jesus paid the price for our sin, so stoning is no longer necessary. What is still necessary though is a removal, and burning if needed, of all the things in our life that is accursed to God. See, the things that are in this world do one of two things - they either draw us closer to God, or push us away (repel) from Him. There is no middle ground. The movies we watch, the t.v. shows, the books we read, the music we listen to, the websites we visit, relationships in our lives - they either bring us closer to God or push us from Him. Those are the only options and to believe otherwise is foolish, sinful pride.

So why does it feel like God has abandoned me at times? The better question is, have I abandoned God? Am I on my face calling out to Him asking why? Is He standing over me saying, "Get up!"? What in my life is accursed and is repelling God? What needs to be tossed the fire - figuratively or literally? I must remember the blessings of God and what He has brought me through. I must trust that He wants to replace the accursed things with something that is more valuable than all the treasures on earth combined - a closer relationship with Him and a peace that passes all understanding.

I must cling to God and not the accursed items that will easily be consumed by fire as I walk toward Jesus.

Quote 1

"If you want to know who you are, watch your feet. Because where your feet take you, that is who you are."

Frederick Buechner

Ezekiel 34

Ezekiel 34:1-16 (NKJV)

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, “Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to shepherds of Israel who feel themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled the. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd: and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.” ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: “As I live,” says the Lord God, “Surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the filed, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock” –‘therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.” ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep an deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgement.”

While Ezekiel 34 was written as a warning and a prophecy to the people of Israel, it would do a great many preachers/pastors of today benefit to take a good look at it in light of their own church. Ezekiel warns of shepherds getting rich while their flock goes hungry; shepherds who cast out the lame, broken, sick and needy and only keep those deemed worthy. Ezekiel 34 is a pretty complete and accurate description of too many of today’s churches.

Too many preachers/pastors are more concerned with how things look than what is truly going on. The building has to look right – inside and out – and spare no expense with extravagance.  The way people dress is more important than the fact that they are wanting to fellowship with other believers. Whether or not they are liked plays a big role in just exactly what they say from the pulpit – if someone doesn’t like it, they will walk out and take their money with them. Here’s a thought – just speak Truth and worry more about the hearts of those sitting in front of you instead of how many are sitting in front of you.

Good pastors/preachers who aren’t afraid of Truth are so very hard to find these days. God’s judgement on today’s shepherds will be the same as it was in Ezekiel’s time if they don’t repent and get their act together.

Keep searching and keep walking toward Jesus!

Reconciliation

Most people focus on love as being the theme of the Bible. Love is a theme, but in my opinion would be more of a sub-theme. Love is God's nature. It is because of God being Love that we come up with the actual theme of the Bible - reconciliation/redemption/restoration.

American Heritage Dictionary definitions:
Redemption - the act of redeeming or state of being redeemed

Redeem -  1. to receive ownership of by paying a specific sum; 2. to pay off; 3. to turn in and receive something in exchange; 4. to set free, rescue; 5. to save from the sinfulness; 6. to make up for (redeem an earlier mistake)

Reconcile - 1. to reestablish a close relationship between; 2. to settle or resolve; 3. to bring (oneself) to accept; 4. to make compatible or consistent

Restore - 1. to bring back into existence or use; 2. to bring back to an original condition; 3. to make restitution of, give back

As soon as Adam and Eve sinned, they broke the intimate bond they had with God. At the same moment God began putting in place the plan to heal that bond - restore/reconcile/redeem.

Each step of the way through the Bible we see God reaching out to restore/reconcile/redeem us to Himself. He wants the intimate relationship back. He desires for us to know Him as well as He knows us.We get to choose if we are going to walk in the path of restoration/redemption/reconciliation or not. Do we want to know God? Do we want o know His love?

More than just breaking the bond with God when sin entered the world - we broke the bond with each other. The Bible and God are also calling us to be reconciled to each other - other believers in Christ (those who have called upon Christ as their Lord and Savior). Romans 12:12 tells us that we are to live at peace with all and that is true. Christians are not to be the ones causing strife or discourse - sadly most haven't gotten that memo! But, amongst believers we are to be reconciled, we are to restore relationships broken. Doesn't mean we have to be best friends with someone who hurt us, but we do need to be living in peace with them. No human is perfect, we are all at sometime or another going to hurt someone unintentionally. A relationship will be broken, there will be pain. There needs to be a coming together of believers to heal what was broken between them and further heal what has been broken between us and God. After all, we are going to be spending eternity with these people!

If we can't live at peace and our fellow believers, it completely destroys our witness with non-believers. It is the petty, unforgiving, bitter attitudes that give Christians such a stellar reputation among non-believers. If we can't get along amongst ourselves, who would want to join the group? Plus, when it is your time to be the one making mistakes, how do you want others to respond? I want them to respond with compassion, understanding and accountability. There are consequences to actions and I'm not asking to not be held accountable. Just asking for a chance to be forgiven and given a second chance later.

As we grow and learn how to reconcile/redeemed/restore our relationships with each other, we will most assuredly grow in our relationship with Christ. Christ didn't toss aside those who hurt Him, He kept trying to help them and heal their pain. He wants to do the same for us. As we heal relationships with each other, we further heal our broken relationship with Christ.

For those that I have hurt, I must offer sincere apologies/repentance and be patient as they work towards forgiveness. Once they have forgiven, then, and only then, can the discussion about reconciliation begin. No matter how much I want to reconcile, it isn't up to me - it's up to the one I hurt. For those that have hurt me, I must genuinely forgive them - whether they ask for it or not. Once they do seek forgiveness and it has been granted, then discussions can begin about how the relationship should more forward - if the relationship should even move forward. Some relationships do end, but they should end in peace and not bitterness. It isn't always going to work out the way it should, or we would like it to. After all we are talking about human beings who are very flawed. But, the good news is that as long as we keep looking unto Jesus as out example and walking toward Him day by day (sometimes moment by moment), we will get it right more than we get it wrong.

Keep Walking Toward Jesus!

Take A Walk

Walking is my favorite thing to do, especially with others. When I’m taking a walk with someone, I’m fully engaged in what they are saying. I can’t check my texts, emails or any social media. I actually pay attention to what the person is saying and have a real conversation. Real conversations are very rare now days – the kind where you are in the presence of the person speaking, you listen to what they have to say and then you respond. Walking is very conducive to this type of interaction. Walking is one of my favorite ways to get to know people.

On my journey towards Jesus – looking and acting like Him – I’ve realized that walking is the best mode of transportation. Makes sense, it’s how He traveled when He was here on earth. When I walk with Jesus, He is able to talk to me and I’m a lot less distracted. I can focus on what He is saying and listen, really listen. Running, driving, flying – they all go to fast and make too much noise, Jesus’ voice gets lost in background.

Too many times I have found myself running, or flying, ahead of Jesus and missing what He was saying. Too many times I have run away from Him so I couldn’t hear what He was saying. But, if I truly want to be the person that God wants me to be, then I need to walk toward Jesus and with Jesus as He teaches me all I need to know.  Sometimes it is very painful, but it is all for His Glory and that makes it all worthwhile. I’m not perfect – won’t be until I’m in the presence of God the Father – but I’m working at being able to better reflect the One that lives in me. I make a lot of mistakes, I hurt people when I don’t mean to and I wish I knew how to make everything better for those I care about.

What I do have control over is whether or not I’m going to stay the same person I am today or work towards being the person God desires me to be. I choose the work. I choose to keep looking unto Jesus as the standard and guide. I choose to walk toward Jesus. I choose to walk with Jesus.

Want to take a walk?