I just finished reading "The Gutter: Where Life Is Meant To Be Lived" by Craig Gross. He is the co-founder of XXXChurch.com. This book talks about how Jesus lived a life of meeting people in their deep, dark places and how we as Christ-followers are called to do the same. It is thought provoking and insightful. I wanted to share some quotes that really stuck out to me.
-Those who are most opposed to the gutter are those who have been there the least.
-The gutter is the place where the "least of them" live. *Matthew 25:45
-If Christians would stop being scared of the world-or the gutter-I think most of them would find out for themselves that it is definitely not the place they want to be. It a change of perception I wish more people would adopt: to focus more on the great life we have in Christ than on the fleeting lures of the gutter. The more afraid we are of the gutter, the larger it looms and the more tempting it becomes.
-When you look at the way Jesus and the things He did, the way He brought light to darkness, you can plainly see we have nothing to be scared of.
-God did not create you to be a scared, irrelevant Christian.
-If you go to the gutter you have to be willing to stay in the gutter. Our Christian mentality is to visit the gutter over spring break or during a summer missions trip.
-Don't blame the dark for being dark. Blame the light for not shining on the dark.
-Jesus was a genuine lover of people, and everyone flocked to Him because He met needs, not because He preached about the kingdom of heaven. He met needs first as a practical way of showing that He loved people, then He got into the meatier theological issues.
-Whom are we fighting? Are we fighting to win the world to Christ? Or are we just fighting among ourselves in church? Are we too much about getting fed and too little about exercising our faith? Yes, we keep fighting the good fight, but must we fight our brothers and sisters in Christ? No one wins that way. Why can't we all put our focus on the lost, those living in the dark places, the "whosoevers" that are so close to Christ's heart?
-Where darkness abounds, love is brighter.
And... this was the most mind boggling to me.
-The unchurched embraced Him (Jesus) then, but they don't now. So when did this spiritual reversal occur? When did the "lost" change their position? They didn't. We did. Christians did. Somewhere between the time Jesus ascended into heaven and now, we Christians, the walking billboards for Jesus' life-changing power, have done a lousy job of maintaining His momentum. Those who despise Him shifted too. The religious who once hated Him now advertise for Him. The lost who once hung out with Him now refuse to acknowledge Him and it is all because Christians changed. God didn't change. Jesus didn't change. His people did. At one point, the God who embraced the gutter was well represented. Jesus walked the streets and took an authentic love with Him-all the way to the gutter. Wherever He went, the unchurched responded while the religious scorned. Fast forward two thousand years and now the reverse is true.
The gutter is different for everyone. God calls us each to accomplish a specific purpose. Where is your gutter? Who are those you need to reach out to in their deep, dark place? I'm challenged by this.
Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Monday, December 10, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Praising Jesus Yolanda's Way
I replayed this song a lot today in the car. You don't want to know how I sounded singing along with it. I'm no Yolanda. God has truly blessed this woman with the most beautiful vocal instrument of all time. I love when the song hits the middle and then ends. She just belts it out to Jesus. The words are so powerful. Check it out.
There is a name that is so precious,
a name so wonderful to me.
This name is worthy of all praises.
Because of him, I am made free.
That name is Jesus, oh how I love him.
The one who gave, his life for me.
Because of love, so unconditional,
I will have life, eternally.
This name speaks peace, unto my storm clouds,
This name speaks calm, unto me fears.
And when I feel, that no one loves me.
His loving presence is so near.
That name is Jesus, oh how I love him.
The one who gave, his life for me.
Because of love, so unconditional,
I will have life, eternally.
Praise that name!
Praise that name!
Praise that name!
Praise that name!
Someday I'll leave this earthly dwelling,
Through time and space, my soul will soar.
And finally see the face of Jesus.
And praise his name, forevermore!
That name is Jesus, oh how I love him!
The one who gave his life for me!
Because of love so unconditional,
I will have life eternally.
Excellent is that name!
Glorious is that name!
Wonderful is that name!
Oh praise that name!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
What I've Done
I'm forgiving what I've done.
Now what will I do?
Deuteronomy 15:10
Give freely and spontaneously. Don't have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God's, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Glossy Images
More and more I'm realizing that there is one huge danger that sticks out in my mind that relates to people who have been Christians a while. I have been guilty of it myself. I'm challenged by it everyday. I'll tell you what I think it is later but first I want to share a story with you.
There is this girl I know. She's the outgoing, up for anything, always wanting to make others happy type. Despite her joy she lives with a continuous sorrow. You see, the joy she has now comes from her faith in Christ but there is a life before that faith. The sorrow comes from those in her life who haven't experienced the same joy she has yet. Allow me to elaborate.
My friend grew up in a home where she knew both of her parents loved her. She also knew that her dad was an alcoholic. Because of the addiction in his life her dad was incapable of being the husband and father he needed to be. She knew of his late nights out, or nights away. She knew of his infidelities and flirtations. She knew... and what she knew hurt. She longed for him to have the faith in Christ he spoke of in church with his Sunday School class or as a deacon. She longed for him to cry out to God the way she saw her mother do it. She longed, and she prayed, and she screamed, and she cried. The message he spoke of with his mouth he knew in his mind but it had no meaning in his heart. This was all very confusing to my friend. Her dad was very harsh and critical towards other "sinners." Harshest to the ones who dealt with the sins he loathed secretly in himself. She didn't understand why he was so aggressive towards others when he was tearing her family apart with his actions. My friend dealt with huge insecurities because of this. Mostly with guys and trust. Her trust was broken again and again and again with guys in her life as she grew older. But God had plans for her. He pulled her from a life that could have ended in pain and destruction and set her on a path of genuinely knowing Him. She met the one, true God. The one her mother cried and clung to. Not the image of Him painted with empty words and fruitless actions. God now continues to place people in her life that have similar struggles. She prays that God will use her life to affect others. My friend still prays for her dad. She still cries out to God for Him. She still has a place of grieving for him. But she has hope.
My friend... is me.
The danger that we face as Christ followers is forgetting what God saved us from. We should not dwell in our pasts but we must learn from it. It is very safe to surround ourselves with people who look like us, talk like us, and act like us but that is not what Jesus did. Jesus was perfect... who would he have hung out with when he came to earth? He was purposeful in being a friend to the sinners. That bears repeating. Jesus was purposeful in being a friend to the sinners.
It is so easy to criticize others. Usually the things we criticize the most are the things we struggle with in ourselves. I do it. I violently twitch inside when someone does something around me that I know I deal with in myself. I want to remember the things Christ has accomplished in me. I need to be reminded of His grace. If I forget the grace He's shown me then how can I be willing to tell others about it? If I forget His grace then how can I extend it to others? I don't want to live a life of glossy images and rose colored scenarios. God allowed me to face the trials in my life to glorify Him. I want my life to be a real example... not a fairy tale version of whatever I make it out to be. I love when my sister says, "don't be a stoner." I don't want to throw the stones of inadequacy at someone because they sure hurt when they are thrown at me. I ask God to never let me forget grace because people's lives are too valuable. My daddy's life is too valuable.
Ephesians 2
7 -10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
There is this girl I know. She's the outgoing, up for anything, always wanting to make others happy type. Despite her joy she lives with a continuous sorrow. You see, the joy she has now comes from her faith in Christ but there is a life before that faith. The sorrow comes from those in her life who haven't experienced the same joy she has yet. Allow me to elaborate.
My friend grew up in a home where she knew both of her parents loved her. She also knew that her dad was an alcoholic. Because of the addiction in his life her dad was incapable of being the husband and father he needed to be. She knew of his late nights out, or nights away. She knew of his infidelities and flirtations. She knew... and what she knew hurt. She longed for him to have the faith in Christ he spoke of in church with his Sunday School class or as a deacon. She longed for him to cry out to God the way she saw her mother do it. She longed, and she prayed, and she screamed, and she cried. The message he spoke of with his mouth he knew in his mind but it had no meaning in his heart. This was all very confusing to my friend. Her dad was very harsh and critical towards other "sinners." Harshest to the ones who dealt with the sins he loathed secretly in himself. She didn't understand why he was so aggressive towards others when he was tearing her family apart with his actions. My friend dealt with huge insecurities because of this. Mostly with guys and trust. Her trust was broken again and again and again with guys in her life as she grew older. But God had plans for her. He pulled her from a life that could have ended in pain and destruction and set her on a path of genuinely knowing Him. She met the one, true God. The one her mother cried and clung to. Not the image of Him painted with empty words and fruitless actions. God now continues to place people in her life that have similar struggles. She prays that God will use her life to affect others. My friend still prays for her dad. She still cries out to God for Him. She still has a place of grieving for him. But she has hope.
My friend... is me.
The danger that we face as Christ followers is forgetting what God saved us from. We should not dwell in our pasts but we must learn from it. It is very safe to surround ourselves with people who look like us, talk like us, and act like us but that is not what Jesus did. Jesus was perfect... who would he have hung out with when he came to earth? He was purposeful in being a friend to the sinners. That bears repeating. Jesus was purposeful in being a friend to the sinners.
It is so easy to criticize others. Usually the things we criticize the most are the things we struggle with in ourselves. I do it. I violently twitch inside when someone does something around me that I know I deal with in myself. I want to remember the things Christ has accomplished in me. I need to be reminded of His grace. If I forget the grace He's shown me then how can I be willing to tell others about it? If I forget His grace then how can I extend it to others? I don't want to live a life of glossy images and rose colored scenarios. God allowed me to face the trials in my life to glorify Him. I want my life to be a real example... not a fairy tale version of whatever I make it out to be. I love when my sister says, "don't be a stoner." I don't want to throw the stones of inadequacy at someone because they sure hurt when they are thrown at me. I ask God to never let me forget grace because people's lives are too valuable. My daddy's life is too valuable.
Ephesians 2
7 -10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Friday, August 31, 2007
All things work together....
I had a bad day yesterday. It seemed that everything that could go wrong did. It started the night before. I drank a mountain dew which is the root of all evil. If I drink one of those I'm doomed when it's time for me to sleep. So, needless to say, the last time I remember looking at the clock it was 3:00 am. Due to my lack of sleep I started feeling really sick. I came home from work and crashed the second I hit my bed. There was a bunch of junk that happened while I was working to enhance my crappy mood. I was trying to pull myself together so I wouldn't effect anyone else with my irritations. Nothing major happened to put me in a funk but a bunch of little things were getting under my skin. Then I started thinking...
Romans 8:26-28:
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers[a] in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[b] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
I started thinking about all the times in my life when MAJOR disappointments had happened and how God miraculously made the circumstances benefit my life and growth in it. If He can do it with the big things He can certainly turn my bad day full of little annoying circumstances around to something good. I love that verse 28 says "everything" ... even the little things will work out. God has my bad day under control.
Romans 8:26-28:
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers[a] in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[b] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
I started thinking about all the times in my life when MAJOR disappointments had happened and how God miraculously made the circumstances benefit my life and growth in it. If He can do it with the big things He can certainly turn my bad day full of little annoying circumstances around to something good. I love that verse 28 says "everything" ... even the little things will work out. God has my bad day under control.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
The Privilege of Peace
If you've read any of my more recent blogs, you may have noticed that I always sign out with one word: Peace.
I'm not sure how it started, except for the fact that it's what we all need in this crazy, messed-up world: REAL peace.
I guess it's been on my mind a lot lately. Any time there's conflict or stress, human beings will crave peace and quiet. Anytime someone is desperately lonely or sad, they desire peace and joy. Anytime we face trauma or even death, we long for the peace that defies human comprehension. There's just one problem - we can search for it, beg for it and even die fighting for what we think will bring real and lasting peace, and it may still elude us.
But, have you ever watched someone go through a terminal illness, and yet have peace about tomorrow regardless of whether the healing comes? Have you ever witnessed someone deal with the loss of someone they would, themselves, have died for, and yet have joy through the gut-wrenching sorrow? Have you ever seen the miracle of REAL PEACE in the midst of the most grueling of circumstances? If you have, you know it. It can be life-changing to observe.
This is the peace of a ransomed heart - the peace of knowing that in the middle of the storm, and with the knowledge that striving will never end this side of Heaven, there can be songs of victory. Real peace is not found in the absence of war or heartache. It can't be purchased like a slogan on a t-shirt. It has already been bought, and it is offered to us for free.
When I say "Peace.", it is my hope that everyone will embrace it - there's nothing quite like it, and it is my prayer for you today.
Jesus said, "My peace I give to you, not as the world gives...". We have the privilege to rest in His Peace - why should we live below our privilege? It is my prayer that we will become known for our love (Love DOES win - yea!) and our...
PEACE.
I'm not sure how it started, except for the fact that it's what we all need in this crazy, messed-up world: REAL peace.
I guess it's been on my mind a lot lately. Any time there's conflict or stress, human beings will crave peace and quiet. Anytime someone is desperately lonely or sad, they desire peace and joy. Anytime we face trauma or even death, we long for the peace that defies human comprehension. There's just one problem - we can search for it, beg for it and even die fighting for what we think will bring real and lasting peace, and it may still elude us.
But, have you ever watched someone go through a terminal illness, and yet have peace about tomorrow regardless of whether the healing comes? Have you ever witnessed someone deal with the loss of someone they would, themselves, have died for, and yet have joy through the gut-wrenching sorrow? Have you ever seen the miracle of REAL PEACE in the midst of the most grueling of circumstances? If you have, you know it. It can be life-changing to observe.
This is the peace of a ransomed heart - the peace of knowing that in the middle of the storm, and with the knowledge that striving will never end this side of Heaven, there can be songs of victory. Real peace is not found in the absence of war or heartache. It can't be purchased like a slogan on a t-shirt. It has already been bought, and it is offered to us for free.
When I say "Peace.", it is my hope that everyone will embrace it - there's nothing quite like it, and it is my prayer for you today.
Jesus said, "My peace I give to you, not as the world gives...". We have the privilege to rest in His Peace - why should we live below our privilege? It is my prayer that we will become known for our love (Love DOES win - yea!) and our...
PEACE.
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