Don't come yet!

In lieu of what appears to be a world spinning out of control, I have been praying that Jesus return be prompt.

Last week we had a thunder storm that shook our home and sent my heart racing. Sitting up in bed I watched lighting strike out the window. Giving no time of rest, the flashes of light and bellowing rage coming from outside left me praying that it be Him.

For as lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.

When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered into his boat. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes...

So you, too must keep watch!...for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

And so, through trembling hands I prayed that He would appear in the storm. Lord, I am ready.

...

Telling her of my prayer she stopped me mid-sentence.

He can't come yet. Don't you remember what dad said? Had He come five years earlier, I wouldn't be with Him.

Since those words I have been on my face, praying that He would not come yet.

There are too many that don't know. Too many who have been led astray. Too many that will burn. 

The LORD of Heaven's Armies say, "The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed--roots, branches, and all."

Had he already come, I would have burned.

...

On the Eve of His death, it is my prayer that there would be a new approach to the holiday that has turned into something it is not. That as we approach the cross in which our Lord and Savior hung, we recognize all that He did. Giving full validity and glory to the death and then resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He said, It is finished. Stop living like it isn't.

He did the work.
Stop working for your salvation.
You take away His deity.
You take away the very point of Him coming to save.

Get into the Word of God as it is written. All of it, in its fullness. Don't pick and choose.

It's serious.

You will burn.

Then Jesus said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom."

On the Eve of His death I pray that something will shift deep within your heart. That God's word would become a reality.

It is finished. The curtain was torn. All now, have access to the Most Holy Place. Everyone.

Come as you are--with all your mess.

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father expect through me.  

The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the 'Good News'!

A Heart Condition.

Looking on the inside of the cover you may find convictions scribbled down the sidebars. Entire verses or chapters highlighted and marked from different seasons of relevance and healing.

In the back of my journal I write down words and sentences that dance off the page and into my heart--continual transformation from the information bound in a book--The Book.

Literature driven by a sword that pierces and cuts away at callused flesh. A machete that will slay away branches and dead vines--pruning a heart to be raw and tender, giving room for fresh breath and healthy growth.


The human heart is the most deceitful
     of all things,
     and desperately wicked.
 Who really knows how bad it is?
But I, the LORD, search all hearts
    and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve.
Jeremiah 4:9-10

The story of salvation begins at the heart. The Hebrew words leb and lebab (both meaning "heart") are hard to translate because they rarely refer to the physical human heart. Rather, the heart is the center of one's being, an image for a person's thought life, reflections, and will. The story of the heart reveals a person's commitment and direction in life.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious
         thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of
          everlasting life.
Psalm 139:23-24

At the heart we find lyrics that contradict our faith. Actions that leave us turned around and lost. And motives that are self-derived and empty. At the heart of God we find grace, forgiveness, lavishing love, and continued mercy--the way and the Truth.

The heart of every problem is a problem in the heart. -Warren Wiersbe

I circle the word heart because it is the root of all. Physically circling the word highlights the importance of what it is God is speaking--exposing its condition--making it personal.

A heart condition can go unnoticed for years--a lifetime. Until diagnosed treatment can not be made. 

Allow yourself to be exposed and searched. Allow your heart condition to be diagnosed. And from there seek the information for transformation. 

When we walk with the Great Physician, He diagnoses accurately and heals completely. -DJ

From the inside out.

Contradicting melodies?

The soundtrack of my life began when I was 14 at a boy scout camp. For one summer I worked with young boys aspiring towards greatness through the acts of building fires. It was during those few months that I was introduced to rap music--DMX to be exact.

The album cover was of a man sitting in a tub of blood. Seeing those images and hearing those rhymes sparked a sense of reality that was new, undiscovered, exciting, and full of something wrong, but felt good.

As the summer came to a close I had every lyric of each rap memorized. The words of darkness filled my mind and could erupt off my tongue without hesitation. I learned to curse like a man and rap like an artist.

From there, the world of pop music and rap became my beat of choice. Learning a version of R-rated material that desensitized my ears and heart from all that was pure. 

I had a season of hard-rock pulsing through my veins--crowd surfing over mosh-pits, words being screamed at sweaty bodies jumping up and down. The harder you rocked the better it was.

Transitioning into adulthood I went with the flow. If it had a good beat I listened. Unconsciously I would memorize the words of top-hits, flipping back and forth between radio stations to get my fix.

...

I have spoken with many who agree it is the first thing to flee. And like them, it was for me.

As if my ears had been plugged I began to hear it all cut and dry. Some days I would seek through the stations and find an old tune, only having to change it quickly because of what I now knew. The enemy is tricky and tries to catch you all the time, but God is bigger and had made it definite of what I was to leave behind.

It has been a few years now, long enough to fall short of the times. I don't know what is "hot" or what albums are best selling. Up until this last week my curiosity took hold and I ventured onto YouTube searching out this artist that everyone was talking about. He had came to Utah, making an appearance in Park City and from all the photos and hype I wanted to see what I was obviously missing.

His song is #1 on the charts, the intro and first verse goes like this...

What, what, what, what... [x7]

Bada, badada, badada, bada... [x9]

[Hook:]
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I - I - I'm hunting, looking for a come-up
This is fucking awesome

[Verse 1:]
Nah, Walk up to the club like, "What up, I got a big cock!"
I'm so pumped about some shit from the thrift shop
Ice on the fringe, it's so damn frosty
That people like, "Damn! That's a cold ass honkey."
Rollin' in, hella deep, headin' to the mezzanine,
Dressed in all pink, 'cept my gator shoes, those are green
Draped in a leopard mink, girls standin' next to me
Probably shoulda washed this, smells like R. Kelly's sheets
(Piiisssssss)
But shit, it was ninety-nine cents! (Bag it)
Coppin' it, washin' it, 'bout to go and get some compliments
Passin' up on those moccasins someone else's been walkin' in
But me and grungy fuckin it man
I am stuntin' and flossin' and
Savin' my money and I'm hella happy that's a bargain, bitch
I'ma take your grandpa's style, I'ma take your grandpa's style,
No for real - ask your grandpa - can I have his hand-me-downs? (Thank you)
Velour jumpsuit and some house slippers
Dookie brown leather jacket that I found diggin'
They had a broken keyboard, I bought a broken keyboard
I bought a skeet blanket, then I bought a kneeboard
Hello, hello, my ace man, my Mello
John Wayne ain't got nothing on my fringe game, hell no
I could take some Pro Wings, make them cool, sell those
The sneaker heads would be like "Aw, he got the Velcros"


The next hits on the list--revenge, depression, sex, money, hate, independence, broken heart, lust, drugs, self-derived happiness, pride, and drunkenness.

I've been trying to wrap my head around the reality of this music.

Maybe you can help.

Can you claim to live a life in Jesus Christ with contradicting melodies?




Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

No Casseroles needed.

Moving into our new home, in a new place was exciting. Inside my mind I played out the perfect Stepford Wives scenario of how it would be. We would move in, all our neighbors would come running with casseroles in one hand and paint brushes in the other--brunch dates would be set before phone numbers where exchanged.

Unfortunately that didn't happen. And truth be told, the whole "why me" act began to take hold. Had we just signed our life away to live in a place where love thy neighbor was far-from ever being acted on? The assumption that the neighbors needed to come knocking at our door offering warm-hugs of introduction was a swing and miss on my part. By moving into the neighborhood I automatically became a neighbor and the initiative to meet-and-greet wasn't just for the folks down the street.

Slowly names have been learned and friendly hellos have been made. But it has truly been the snow this winter that has paved the way.

First it was Bob.

From across the street he jokingly yelled for me to come tend to his foot of snow pile-up once I was done with mine. As he broke-out his snow blower he crossed the street with nothing more than a head-nod. Without words he began to work, not needing to be asked. It wasn't until my driveway was cleared did we shake hands and introduce ourselves.

Then it was Julia's husband.

The snow had fallen as if in one dump. It was dark and cold, nearly a foot of snow needed to be shoveled before the big guy got home. He had been stuck in traffic for nearly four hours and if the snow didn't get moved then it would make for an impossible task in the morning. So I pulled up the blinds where my tiny could watch and began to shovel the snow.

It wasn't until I heard the grinding of ground that I stopped what I was doing and turned around. A man I didn't know was shoveling the snow, along side me he worked, saying no more than a hello.

The job was done in no time which allowed a few moments to talk. He was the husband of the wife two houses up.

This last storm has been crazy, snow-slush-and ice. And while it has made for tricky conditions out on the road and at home, it has been a sweet blessing watching faces become known.

No request or plead needed, the snow just gets moved. Last night was the most recent of love freely given. I heard the sound of its engine, peeking out the window I could see. A man wrapped head-to-toe plowing our driveway that was in need.

The big guy got home just in time to thank him.  

Love thy neighbor has come through, no casseroles needed.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-38

The lifeboat.

At the end of November I sat on a airplane, holding my baby and praying that the next 3 hours would be a time of divine intervention and grace. Containing a 1 year old in small quarters, let alone a seat, would be a test for any mom.

As we rounded the take-off ramp I browsed all the bodies that filled each seat.

Are you saved? I whispered.

Prayers for myself quickly changed to prayers for the souls that surrounded me.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. John 3:16-21

The ultimate question is whether or not someone knows Jesus Christ--do they know The Way?

Scripture continually repeats which way to go. It doesn't leave you wondering, or guessing--never changing, always pointing to Jesus. No one comes to the Father except through the Son.

No other way.

The reality of this life is that the time of death is unknown.  

Are you saved?

Do you know where you are going to go when you die? 

I know too many people who either don't, or only hope that their end will be with God--ultimately claiming that Jesus Christ is not sufficient. And what good is either?

I heard a story last week that has been playing over and over again in my mind. 

More than 1,500 people died when the Titanic sank. Most of us have seen the movie--the final scenes of horror, panic, and fear; a mere depiction.

John Harper was a passenger, fighting through the masses he was said to have cried out: "Women, children and the unsaved to the lifeboats!"

One man refused the offer of salvation and Harper gave him his life vest. "You need this more than I do." he said.

Reported by CBNNEWS, even after the ship went down, Harper managed to swim to as many people as he could, begging them to give their lives to Christ.

One survivor later told how he turned down Harper's offer for salvation once, but gave himself to Christ minutes later when the preacher swam back to tell him again, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved."

The man was rescued by a returning lifeboat and later shared his story at an Ontario church, telling the crowd, "I am the last convert of John Harper."

...

 Last week I stood in a line. Two women: one saved the other I knew was not. 

Do you know where you are going to go after you die? I asked.

Her eyes danced around, having been put on the spot. 

It was all about being good, doing good, and helping fellow-man. Wrapping her answer in pretty paper, tied-up with a bow, the ultimate answer to my question was a no.

I told her there was power in His name and that she could be saved. Her past could be forgiven and that His promise was trustworthy. That no could be yes and in His glory she could reign with Him and have rest. You only need Jesus.

I blog about God because I am amiss a people who are going down with a sinking ship without having received salvation. I know the severity of the topic because I once was on the cruise of luxury only to find myself sinking.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Be saved from the sinking ship. Get in the lifeboat. 

The Bible Passages Behind Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Message

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a U.S. holiday dedicated to the memory of the massively influential civil rights activist. King is remembered primarily as a civil-rights figure who fought for social and political change, but he was also a pastor—and he considered his ideas about civil rights to be firmly rooted not just in common sense or political theory, but in Scripture itself.


I thought it would be interesting and appropriate today to look at some of King’s best-known sermons and identify the Bible passages upon which they are based.

One of King’s most creative sermons is a clever mirror of the apostle Paul’s letters to the early church in New Testament books like Galatians, Ephesians and Philippians. The sermon, “Paul’s Letter to American Christians,” imagines a fictional epistle written to 20th-century Americans. It begins in a familiar style:

I, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to you who are in America, Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ….

As in the New Testament epistles, King’s imagined letter from Paul contains both praise and criticism for its audience of believers. King imagines that Paul would critique not just America’s racial inequality, but the un-Christian greed and materialism that define so much of American life.

“Loving Your Enemies” is a 1957 King sermon based on one of the most famous passages from the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:43-48:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

After discussing different Greek words for “love” used in the Bible, King reflects on Jesus’ command:

…it’s significant that he does not say, “Like your enemy.” Like is a sentimental something, an affectionate something. There are a lot of people that I find it difficult to like. I don’t like what they do to me. I don’t like what they say about me and other people. I don’t like their attitudes. I don’t like some of the things they’re doing. I don’t like them. But Jesus says love them. And love is greater than like. Love is understanding, redemptive goodwill for all men, so that you love everybody, because God loves them. You refuse to do anything that will defeat an individual, because you have agape in your soul. And here you come to the point that you love the individual who does the evil deed, while hating the deed that the person does. This is what Jesus means when he says, “Love your enemy.” This is the way to do it. When the opportunity presents itself when you can defeat your enemy, you must not do it.

It’s not hard to see the point King is making here, given the criticism and opposition the civil rights movement faced at the time.

King’s 1967 sermon “Why Jesus Called a Man a Fool” is an examination of a passage from Luke 12. Here’s how King paraphrases the story before beginning his analysis:

I want to share with you a dramatic little story from the gospel as recorded by Saint Luke. It is a story of a man who by all standards of measurement would be considered a highly successful man. And yet Jesus called him a fool. If you will read that parable, you will discover that the central character in the drama is a certain rich man. This man was so rich that his farm yielded tremendous crops. In fact, the crops were so great that he didn’t know what to do. It occurred to him that he had only one alternative and that was to build some new and bigger barns so he could store all of his crops. And then as he thought about this, he said, “Then I’m going to do something after I build my new and bigger barns.” He said, “I’m going to store my goods and my fruit there, and then I’m going to say to my soul, ‘Soul, thou hast much goods, laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.’” That brother thought that was the end of life.
But the parable doesn’t end with that man making his statement. It ends by saying that God said to him, “Thou fool. Not next year, not next week, not tomorrow, but this night, thy soul is required of thee.”

If you think of King only as a civil rights activist, you might be surprised at how much of his message of equality drew on Scripture, and at King’s concern for American moral challenges beyond racial discrimination. I encourage you today to look for yourself—open your Bible (or BibleGateway.com, of course!) and set it alongside a few of King’s sermons, checking out the Scriptures as you read. (Wikipedia’s list of notable King sermons is a good place to start; transcripts should be available online or at your local library.) Do King’s Scriptural analyses hold up to scrutiny? Could these sermons be preached at your own church today? How might King have preached about these same passages today if he were still alive?

If you’re interested in more, see also Bible References in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech.

Original Post by Bible Gateway. 

To balance.

I feel like I should talk about something that shines, makes you chuckle, or reminds you of chocolate in order to balance out the doom and gloom of the previous posts.

Truth of the matter is, I think overcoming darkness in Christ is about as shiny and delicious as it comes. Plus, who doesn't laugh at cows making guest appearances? Even God has a sense of humor. Right?

So then I got to reading. And do you know what is bright and happy, well, besides the story leading up to it? The promise God made with Noah--the sign He left as a reminder--a rainbow.

Or didn't you know that there was no pot of gold on the other side?

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:13

Two weeks ago we pulled into our driveway. Surrounded by clear blue sky's a ban of color caught my eye. There was one tiny loan cloud floating through the air. It was wrapped in a rainbow, no particular reason why, just there--reminding.

The sovereignty of a just God is seen in a rainbow.

Have a blessed day!  

Overcome darkness.

I haven't got the mail since Monday. The cold hurts that much.

As I scanned the isles late in the night, I gathered boxes of tissue for his raw blown nose, and food that would last us through the weekend--making one less trip out there, where it hurts to breath.

Stepping through the automatic swinging door came as a shock--a frozen slap to the face. Manning plastic bags on both arms I frantically pulled my coat closed. I reasoned that the brutality of winter gets worse when the darkness gets darker.

Daytime is nice, but nighttime is better; faded distractions, simply thoughts. Creeping back into the house I slip off my boots. Still dressed from a funeral I take a deep breath. In the darkness you must focus on the light--on Him. Quietly I move from counter to refrigerator, cupboard to pantry--there is Power in His name: Jesus.  

In the dark you can choose to stand still or be still. The dark can overcome or the dark can be overcome.

Lies.
Manipulation.
Men.
Selfishness.
Doubt.
Pride.
Anger.
Murder.
Hate.
Gluttony.
Sex.
Hollywood.
Self-righteousness.
Control.
Debt.
Anxiety.
Gossip.
Pain.
Fear.

Putting the Kleenex away I played-over their laughs of disbelief. Because what else do you do when someone tells you something that seems far-fetched?

Maybe if I pinned that list of sin to my chest it would drive the point home...

Rounding the hall and locking-up shop I flip off the lights.

And maybe that's our problem. We fail to speak our sins out in detail, admitting the fault in full. He atoned for our sins, we say--clumping it all into a little box, never looking at each sin that fills the space in our hearts. True confession only happens when we take the time to speak the darkness--looking at each ugly thing. And then forgiveness.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Confess our sin. 
Each sin. 
And those things we don't want to call sin...

Live in the light—just as he is in the light—then have fellowship with one another, and let the blood of Jesus, his Son, purify us from every sin.

I have and continue to do so.

In the dark I am still. Confessing all the ugly I think and speak. 
I have overcome the dark by His light and unfailing love--by His blood.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

A cow in the wrong place at the right time.

You haven't blogged for a while.

I'll be honest. I have nothing good to say.

It's the part of my heart that turns black and hard. It's when all the little pains build-up into a virus of attack on my soul.

I grab a Werther's Original to mask the bitter taste of my coffee.

Why can't my child eat food with substance? Her fix of orange will only lead to hunger sooner than later.
The washer of wet towels needs to be put in the dryer, otherwise I will have to rewash them like I did the last load that I let sit wet for two days.
Is your noon appointment still open? I text. I'll make getting a hair cut and wrestling a child happen as long as I get this mass of hair thinned-out and shaped.
The toilet needs to be replaced.
I need to paint that room.
Why do they believe that monster of a man-made lie?
I have complete faith, and still mountains are standing still.
Why don't people talk? 
The dog just went out, how can she need to pee again?
I didn't get around to brushing my teeth until evening yesterday. Not to self: brush teeth after coffee.
Coffee doesn't even sound good today, why am I drinking it?
How much more can I pray? 
Ignorance does not lead to bliss. It leads to hell.
Take this anger I feel inside.
No text back. Sigh.
Perhaps I should follow her lead and eat some fruit--Oreo it is.
Can His coming just be today? 

And that list of ugly could continue on, manifesting its roots deeper into my flesh.

Then she sends me a picture of a cow walking through my old backyard. As if knowing that my head is going to explode from the pressure--crying baby, barking dog, a list of the have-to-dos, lies, anxiety, anger--a cow in the wrong place at the right time.

God,

You are good, and I adore you. I'm sorry for each time I complain and doubt Your authority and power. Please forgive me for not trusting that all the problems I face are being handled by You. Let me lean on You and rest in Your grace. Thank you for the cow. Thank you for loving me in my ugly. All glory and honer go to You. 

In Jesus Holy and Mighty name I pray, Amen.

^1-6 God, investigate my life;
    get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
    even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
    I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
    before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
    then up ahead and you’re there, too—
    your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
    I can’t take it all in!
 

^7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
    to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you’re there!
    If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings
    to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute—
    you’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
    At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
    night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

^13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
    you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
    Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
    I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
    you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
    how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
    all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
    before I’d even lived one day.

^17-22 Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
    God, I’ll never comprehend them!
I couldn’t even begin to count them—
    any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
    And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!
And you murderers—out of here!—
    all the men and women who belittle you, God,
    infatuated with cheap god-imitations.
See how I hate those who hate you, God,
    see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;
I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
    Your enemies are my enemies!

^23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
    find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
    get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
    then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Psalm 139 MSG

Today's Instagram

Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God's blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.

Hebrews 14-17 The Message