Posts Tagged ‘pain’

The Trouble with Trouble

// July 3rd, 2009 // 1 Comment » // My Thoughts

whatever trouble you are experiencing right now no matter how bad it is… it is just a distraction that is keeping your attention away from the one truly good thing in your life… Jesus… and if you think he is not in your life… look away from your troubles for a second and you will see him there waiting for you.

The trouble with trouble is that as soon as things do not go our way we assume that the situation has turned into trouble and we want nothing to do with it. The truth is that while bad things may happen to “good” people bad things do not happen to “God’s” people! you are welcome to disagree but hear me out… “bad” is a matter of perspective. “evil” is a matter of fact! scripture says “all things work together for the good of those that love and serve God” scripture also says

Jer 29:10-14 (NIV) This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

he doesn’t say “you know the plans I have for you” he says “I know the plans I have for you”  From God’s perspective the 70 years of captivity in babylon were a “good” thing for his people even though they may have perceived it as “bad”   so you see “bad” is a matter of perspective.

so wherever you are, whatever trouble you are in…whatever pain you suffer… whatever struggles you deal with… they are all for your good,  so look away from  your troubles and look to your savior… “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

I am not saying that trouble will not overtake us ever… but we can look at it from God’s perspective, and welcome it as an opportunity to grow and discover what the plans for our future are like!

Tags: Art, God, jesus, Love, pain, perspective, trouble with trouble, truth

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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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The Bystander Effect…

// May 19th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // My Thoughts

The greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help an individual in an emergency situation.  This to me describes most christians, we tend to get together and have tons of fun together but when it is “Good Samaritan Time” we are suddenly very busy with our lives.  This also describes many friendships… these days true friendships are difficult to find, Over the years I have become increasingly aware that the sacrifices that we make for our friends may never be reciprocated… So many times I have gone above and beyond for a friend completely convinced that they would do the same for me… Only to find that when the time came and I needed somone to be there for me… no one was there…   I adopted the saying… ” I just want a friend that is as good a friend to me as I am to them” It became a real source of pain for me… I constantly felt let down and abandoned…

One day I received a message from a friend begging me to give them some of my time… just to talk. I had let a few calls go to voicmail, and not answered a few emails… and this message was a loving rebuke that maybe I should spend less time focused on my latest obsessions and remember my friends.  Suddenly it struck me… I had become the type of friend that I was always disapointed in…

what kind of friend are you? If others are standing around do you step out for your friends?  do you sacrifice your time for your friends? Do you serve your friends as well as they serve you?

What about the people around you that are hurting?   do you take time to talk? or pray? do you take a chance and say something?

or are you just a bystander contributing to the effect?

Tags: christian, christians, friends, Fun, obsession, pain, sacrifice, sin

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The Paintbrush of the Creator

// May 9th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // My God, My Thoughts

In the post “Finding Faith” I really wanted to introduce the concept of how faith is more of a perception of reality rather than a choice to make. The enormity of what faith really is goes far beyond perception. We rarely think of who God really is, what he does on a daily basis, and why he does what he does.

God is the crafter of reality as we know it… every moment in time and all of the possibilities in that moment are available to him to use as he sees fit. From God’s perspective the impossible is non-existent, It takes God no more effort to perform the impossible than it does to perform the possible. both are his creation – something… from nothing.

I daydreamed the other day that God was a painter, and he was also my father… and I was a little 5 year old. I imagined that my father had a cozy room that he painted in. I went into his painting room one day to watch him paint as I often did… I sat and talked to him as he painted an amazing picture that I could only dream of painting. But today was different… today my father asked me to come close… he put his arm around me and placed his paintbrush in my hand… and said, “Let’s paint together today”  at first I was afraid, I didn’t want to mess up his beautiful picture;  but he held my hand as we painted together, he allowed me to make the stroke but he guided my hand in the right direction.  He also asked what I wanted in the picture… so I told him of my dreams and we painted them together. Finally the picture was done and it was amazing and beautiful.

Having faith is just that, holding the paintbrush of the Creator, he steadies our hand, directs the stroke, but nonetheless we are still holding and painting with the very brush that painted us…

Tags: choice, Faith, God, pain, Painting, perception, perspective

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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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Surrender

// April 28th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // My Favorites, My God, My Life

Surrender
Marc James

I’m giving you my heart, and all that is within
I lay it all down for the sake of you my King
I’m giving you my dreams, I’m laying down my rights
I’m giving up my pride for the promise of new life

And I surrender all to you, all to you
And I surrender all to you, all to you

I’m singing You this song, I’m waiting at the cross
And all the world holds dear, I count it all as loss
For the sake of knowing You for the glory of Your name
To know the lasting joy, even sharing in Your pain

And I surrender all to you, all to you
And I surrender all to you, all to you

Tags: Art, pain, sin, surrender, worship

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