Posts Tagged ‘beleive’

Do you think you will escape?

// June 19th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // My God, My Thoughts

The Pharisees were harsh and judgmental of anything that did not fit their ideology of righteousness. Yet Jesus Continually rebuked them and warned them that they would be judged accordingly.  Isn’t is strange that so many Christians still insist on acting more like Pharisees and less like the Jesus that we claim to follow?

Someone very wise once said that  cynicism, skepticism, and criticism are the opposites of  faith, hope and love.

Harsh, Angry, Judgmental behavior is often more of an indicator of fear and lack of truth than anything else…If you are familiar with discerning truth you probably already know,  Truth can stand up to challenging… without anger, without resentment, without fear.

It seems that I do not go very long these days without hearing fresh news of Christians who forget the Jesus that they follow and begin acting like the very brood of vipers that Jesus rebuked.  Some would seem to believe that a position of leadership entitles them to such behavior, I would beg to differ and I beleive that I can safely say that regardless of your status as a leader, if you deal with your own brothers and sisters in Christ harshly, critizising, accusing,  causing them pain, then you are a fool and you do not understand the message of the Gospel at all!

I say this very seriously and with great love in my heart for every person that reads this.

If you deal with others in a harsh, critical, judgmental manner,  do you think that you will escape the judgment of God?   Do not deceive yourself, such things bring shame on the church and the people of God.

My life is filled with people who have been hurt by religion and Christians in particular, and it fully angers me that these hurting people were never the ones that sat in their pews doing nothing, they were once passionate, and christlike, and hungry to serve.  But some egotist made it their business to shut down the work of God.  Again I tell you …. do you expect to escape his wrath?

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12

PEOPLE!   Give grace!  love each other,  be gentle with each other…  LEADERS!  Be kind, be compassionate, be merciful and nurturing!

If you insist on acting like a brood of vipers get out of the Church business!!! Wall Street needs you!!!DSC_9863_127
photo credit: nsaplayer

Tags: anger, Art, beleive, brother, christian, christians, cynicism, egotist, Faith, faith hope, fear, God, jesus, judgment, Love, pain, pews, pharisees, Religion, resentment, righteousness, shame, sin, skepticism, truth, wrath

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Fate vs. Destiny

// June 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // My Thoughts

Predestination…  a very simple word… however this word is a minefield when you bring it up in christian circles… I think the real problem these days is that people would really like to understand predestination but when all the cards are on the table… somehow they feel robbed or something..

so lets work out a simple logical path..

Step 1)   I decide to go for a ride

  • I have no idea where I am going

Step 2) I get in my car and start driving south… and at some point I decide that I am going to Louisiana to visit family.

  • there is an infinite amount of choices of roads that I can take to begin the journey
  • many of the choices are completely ridiculous
  • there are a few most logical choices to make
  • at any intersection I can make another choice to take another road.
  • some of the choices that I make may make the trip longer… or faster, more enjoyable or completely excruciating.
  • the closer that I get to Louisiana the same infinite number of choices exist however many of them do not make sense to me as long as my destination is still Louisiana…

step 3) I arrive in Louisiana

  • thus my choice to go for a drive resulted in me ending up in Louisiana

so to summarize… my choice to go for a drive resulted in possibly thousands of small choices… what roads to take.. how fast to drive, when to stop, whether to be nice or ugly to other drivers… however the only real choice that gave me the result of a destination to arrive at  ultimately was the choice to go to Louisiana.   if we were to make all of the other smaller choices all over again a thousand different ways and times.. ultimately all of them would eventually still get me to my destination of Louisiana. because I chose Louisiana as my destination.

In the same way we choose our destiny… and while we may refuse to beleive it every choice that we will ever make has already been made. God sees all of our choices instantly… and ultimately only one choice counts… do we accept Jesus as our sacrifice? or do we reject him?

so when we look at

Romans 8:28-30 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according go his purpose. 29) For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren; 30) and whom he predestined, these he also called; and whom he called, these he also justified; and whom he justified, these he also glorified.

what we see is that God foreknew or saw our ultimate choice and he predestined us… (set our destination to be conformed in the image of Christ)  sure he knows all of our other choices but ultimately the choice to accept Jesus Christ is the one that every other choice is colored by.

To me this is an incredibly elegant design that allows for both our free will and yet shows the ultimate sovereignity of God. It also explains a lot about Grace and why it is such an integral part of God’s plan.

I love the way the Oracle explains choice to NEO in the movie the matrix.

Oracle: Candy?
Neo: Do you already know if I’m going to take it?
Oracle: Wouldn’t be much of an oracle if I didn’t.
Neo: But if you already know, how could I make a choice?
Oracle: Because you didn’t come here to make the choice. You already made it. You’re here to try to understand why you made it

Fate is what a person resigns themselves to because they believe that they have no choice.

Destiny is when a person chooses to make choices.

I hope this made you think a little about predestination…

Tags: Art, beleive, choice, choices, christian, christian circles, destiny, different ways, Family, God, jesus, jesus christ, louisiana, Love, sacrifice, step 1, step 3

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Snow Leopard, Iphone 3GS, Iphone 3.0 OS

// June 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // My Favorites

Today is a good day for Apple users! Apple is really throwing down the gauntlet for Microsoft, Announcing a $29 dollar upgrade to Snow Leopard… the next jump ahead of Windows 7… Also it looks like the Iphone 3.0 OS is a fantastic upgrade with the long awaited cut and paste function… something I know I have been really looking forward to. and last but not least a Palm Pre slaughtering Iphone 3GS with tons of great new features… and it looks like the Iphone 3G just got lowered to 99$ which is pretty reasonable given the state of the economy… I think that the real think that Apple understands that Microsoft does not get yet is that consumers would rather simplicity in pricing and in the product that is offered… rather than offering a million solutions to the same problem offer a few really good ones that are easy to choose from. I beleive that is why Apple is growing in leaps and bounds… l sure hope this healthy competition keeps bringing great products and stimulating creativity. Ok guys I will stop geeking out and get back to work…

for more details see http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/08/phil-schiller-keynote-live-from-wwdc-2009

blessings to all my apple buddies!

Tags: Apple, beleive, economy, Fun, leaps and bounds, microsoft, new features, simplicity, sin, snow leopard, throwing down the gauntlet

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Good People Go to Hell?!

// June 7th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // My God, My Thoughts

Good people to hell and bad people get to go to heaven! Yes most people will look at you like you are crazy

Good people to hell and bad people get to go to heaven! Yes most people will look at you like you are crazy

While recently hanging out with a buddy we were talking about some of the misconceptions that is proliferated even regurgitated in Christian circles these days.. The bulk of our conversation surrounded “works” based salvation and how it is so ingrained that even those of us that truly beleive in grace, judge others based on our “works” based theology… it seems that we cannot get our heads out of our veritible Baalams A## so to speak.  As we were discussing this  my friend quipped ” Nobody seems to realize … Good people go to hell and bad people get to go to heaven!”  I just looked at him for a minute trying to rectify in my mind what he was saying, and I had to swallow once…

The truth is… he is right! The words came straight out of Jesus mouth…  Many will say ‘Lord Lord didn’t I do ‘this n that’  in your name’ and Jesus will say “depart from me I never knew  you”  Jesus taught over and over again… YES righteousness is a good thing … but it is not THE thing… JESUS is THE thing! The reason that Jesus was so hard on the pharasees was because they could never get it through their thick heads… that none of their righteousness was even valuble at all!!  So many Good GOOD people go to their graves not ever realizing that they are destined for judgment because they were to proud to admit that even in all of their Goodness… they were still really just a bad person that was trying to make up for their screwups!

For the record… I am a bad person…while I genuinely would love to be a good person… I pretty much blow it daily…  and guess what?!   I get to go to heaven!

Tags: Art, beleive, christian, christian circles, heaven, hell, jesus, judgment, Love, misconceptions, pharasees, righteousness, sin, theology, thick heads, truth

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It Is NOT SAFE!!

// May 5th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // My God, My Life, My Thoughts

Don’t let somone tell you it is! It is NOT SAFE!!! So many Christians wander around this world thinking that for some reason if they serve God that everything will be ok! They blindly walk with a fake smile on their face screaming through their teeth “WHY IS THIS NOT WORKING?!!” Of all the dissillusioned people I meet the christians that are still holding on to these philosophies are the hardest to reach. It’s as if they beleive that they only need to try harder, to be more serious, to act more holy and then they will find peace. And so many of them say… in the midst of their pain … “The safest place for me to be is in the center of the will of God”  as if there is some secret bubble of safety that we are all trying to maintain balance within.  What a load of garbage!  This is the kinds of garbage that gets prolipherated when people decide to develop religions and systems of doctrine instead of just following Jesus!  Jesus was never safe! and if there was anyone that could “hold the bubble” it would be him!

The Truth is

  1. IT IS NOT SAFE
  2. The will of God is bigger than you think
  3. God is more concerned with souls than he is with your safety

It is not safe

Within the will of God, Jesus Suffered, and every one of his disciples suffered, Martyrs were killed for being in the will of God… just in case you haven’t heard your life is in danger!  Serving God is not just some silly fad that you can claim ownership by wearing a bracelet! It requires risk and pain and heartache, Jesus said “I come not to bring peace but a sword” Matthew 10:34-39  He is not saying that we should bear arms against each other but that we must defy anything that would ask us to reject him. So get the idea that your life is going to be all tulips and daisies out of  your head… your destiny awaits you!

The will of God is bigger than you think.

This is where you need to stretch your mind a little.

imagine the first choice you ever made…  draw a point there.   imagine the last choice you make… and draw a point there..  if you were to list every possible choice in between those two points then the sum would equal your life.  and somewhere in all of those branching lines would be the path that you took… To a God that can see every possibility and every choice, don’t you think he would have a plan in place for even your worst possible choices?  so at what point could you actually make a choice that was outside of God’s will for you?  Sure you could make a bad choice but “all things work together for the good of those that love and serve him”  Romans 8:28  So even a “Bad” choice can fall within the will of God.

God is more concerned with souls than he is with your safety

Ask his son! Jesus!  If God was concerned with comfort would he have allowed Jesus to suffer one bit?  But this is a war over souls! and truly if hundreds of innocents must die so that one soul could be redeemed then so be it! We balk at such a stark offensive idea but that is because we are so attached to this flesh. We see innocents suffer and die and we wonder how God could allow it.  But suffering and even death on this earth is not even comparable to getting a sunburn from a spiritual perspective.  Even a lifetime of suffering  when compared to an infinity of time spent with God is not even worth mentioning.

These things that I write, I write them from experience, I have walked with God and regardless of my choices I have not found safety for my flesh.

I have made choices that I thought were good and regretted them and made choices I thought were bad and thanked God for them… His will is perfect regardless.

I have suffered through times that I thought I would not survive, yet in the very middle of that pain my soul has been replenished.

Can you see that these things can give you freedom, and peace, and strength?

Tags: anger, Art, beleive, choice, choices, christian, Christianity, christians, destiny, God, God's will, jesus, Love, My God, pain, peace, perspective, Religion, spirit, sun, truth

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The Sun Is Going Into the Grass ! ? !

// April 16th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // My God, My Life, My Thoughts

sunsetgrass

This evening as the sun was going down Aidan mentioned that it was getting dark. I asked him if he knew why and he just looked at me like it was a a dumb question. Kaydence however had the perfect explanation… “The sun is going into the grass!” I looked at her for a moment grinning at her simple observation about the sunset. Then I said … “That is exactly right! and so then it gets dark!”  Kaydence and Aidan went on about their business, but I couldn’t help but think about our conversation… From Kaydences perspective she was perfectly happy with the explanation.. and in a way she was right enough… for her. One of these days she will be able to understand what the sun actually does.. but for now she is satisfied.

As christians, how often do we simply miss the point of what God is doing in a similar way?  I think about some of the ways that we come up with our “doctrines” for what we observe as christians and how we are not happy until we make sure everyone around us beleives the same “truth”.  How hard is it for us to accept that all God is trying to teach us is how to love each other!?   For all the doctrine that you may be able to argue and prove, chances are…. all you are saying is something as silly as “The sun is going into the grass”

Tags: beleive, christian, christians, God, Kids, Love, perspective, sin, sun, Sunset, Sunsets, Thoughts, truth

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