Hooray for me...
Yesterday, I was on the Etcetera podcast. It is a great show where just real Christians can hang out and talk. I found it by going to www.stevebrownetc.com. The Saturday night show is two hours long with Steve interviewing guests. If you haven't heard it (or the Wednesday show) you are really missing out on something fun.
Oh yeah, earlier this week I was on the air with Hank Hennegraf of the Bible Answer Man. I guess I am becoming a celebrity. You will be seeing me in People in a couple of weeks. GAG!!!
I was talking to a friend last night about how we as Christians have our own pet sins that we like to focus on in others. I think the reason for this is that it keeps us from focusing on our own sin because somehow we think that their sin is more sinful.
The example that I gave to my friend last night was the sin of homosexuality. As Christians, people that struggle with this have become the modern day lepers. They are the untouchable, unclean people that should be outcast from our holy inner circle. We are experts at talking about how unhealthy, sick, sinful, depraved and wretched their lives are, and that one day they are really going to get it. This is not preaching to people that feel this way. I have a confession to make. I used to be one of these people until Jesus showed me something different. Until about 6 months ago, when I would hear that a homosexual got AIDS, I would inwardly think, "well that is what they deserve for living that lifestyle." Then God showed up and told me, "what makes you think that you are so good?" He reminded me that without Him, I would get what I deserve. He challenged me to break out of my sheltered weekly comfort zone and actually do what Jesus did. I was reminded of the story of Jesus at the well with the Samaritain woman. Now to Jews, the Samaritains were the low lifes of the day. The Jewish leaders huddled up with themselves and people that were like themselves and talk about how horrible the Samaritains were. Much like the church today. We sit in our services and talk about how depraved the world is and that one day God is going to show up and wipe them all out. We say it sometimes to the extent that we are happy that he is going to do it.
Well, there is another part of that story with the Jesus and the woman at the well. He asked her for a drink of water. When Jesus told her to go get her husband, she replied that she didn't have one. Jesus said, "you are right when you say that you have no husband. You have had five husbands, and the man you live with now is not your husband." She instantly knew that He was of God. He then told her of the day that has come when people won't be separated by where they worship, but will worship in sprit and in truth."
Now the miracle of that story is that Jesus did not stay with his own people to tell them about the love of God. He reached out to the outcasts and told them the truth. He didn't condemn this woman, but gave her the truth about Himself.
I wonder if this were to happen today, if instead of well water and a Samaritain, would it be Jesus walking into a gay bar and asking for a beer.
This brings me back to my original point (if there is one). When we stop focusing on our goodness and the badness of others and start focusing on who Jesus is, we begin to be more like Him. It is not about our goodness or badness, but the goodness of Jesus. He lived the perfect life and paid the price so that we don't have to try to be good. Walk with Jesus. Talk with Him. Let Him speak to you and the goodness will follow, not because of us, but because of Him.
Till next time...
J
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Unaccountability!
Unaccountability!
We live in a society where no one is really accountable to anyone and people believe that they are owed something just because of who they are. You see it on the news all of the time. People deserve health insurance, a nice car, a good paying job, a good paying job that doesn't really require anything of them (including education and paying dues). People think that they deserve to be HAPPY and free of consequences.
Case in point. My sister and her husband are the worst money managers that exist in the world. Their only bills are their house note and utilities. Last year the husband made over 70,000. Yet, tomorrow if they don't pay their electricity bill, the company is going to shut it off. It looks like that is going to happen because they don't have the money. What happens is that she gets into these messes and she expects my mom to bail her out. Over and over again she will call my mom and say, "I don't know what I am going to do..." then explain the situation. And my mom, the kind soul that she is, will lend them the money. So far she has had to lend them some money to get her husband out of jail for public drunkeness, buy groceries for them, and pay for my sister's bankruptcy!!! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that my mom makes about 24K a year (that is 1/3) of what my brother-in-law makes. What is amazing to me is that they always have money for my sister to get a manicure once a week, my brother-in-law to get a 4 wheeler or a gun for hunting. Two weeks ago he took a week off of work without pay because he didn't want to use up his vacation during a 1 week plant shut down. Now this week they are going to shut the lights off. It is psychotic. I told my mom, "good! Sitting in 100 degree heat without airconditioning may be enough of a motivator to pay their bills."
However, there are truly poor people out there that are struggling to get the bare essentials. I have to confess that I don't do enough to help these people. My heart seems to be changing. I see the horrible poverty in other countries from the comfort of my livingroom. I see the kids in this country that go without anything to eat for days because mom or dad is a crack head. My wife has seen time and time again, elderly people without food because they made a choice to buy medicine or food for the month. My heart truly breaks for these people. Look around, there are lonley and hurting people right in your own backyard.
My hope is that one day, I will be transformed into being more compassionate and helpful to those in need. After all, isn't that what Jesus was all about? He stretched his hands out to the lepers, the drunks, the tax collectors, the prostitutes. He was the harshest with the "religious folk" of the day. God, save me from being a religious person.
Till next time...
J...
We live in a society where no one is really accountable to anyone and people believe that they are owed something just because of who they are. You see it on the news all of the time. People deserve health insurance, a nice car, a good paying job, a good paying job that doesn't really require anything of them (including education and paying dues). People think that they deserve to be HAPPY and free of consequences.
Case in point. My sister and her husband are the worst money managers that exist in the world. Their only bills are their house note and utilities. Last year the husband made over 70,000. Yet, tomorrow if they don't pay their electricity bill, the company is going to shut it off. It looks like that is going to happen because they don't have the money. What happens is that she gets into these messes and she expects my mom to bail her out. Over and over again she will call my mom and say, "I don't know what I am going to do..." then explain the situation. And my mom, the kind soul that she is, will lend them the money. So far she has had to lend them some money to get her husband out of jail for public drunkeness, buy groceries for them, and pay for my sister's bankruptcy!!! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that my mom makes about 24K a year (that is 1/3) of what my brother-in-law makes. What is amazing to me is that they always have money for my sister to get a manicure once a week, my brother-in-law to get a 4 wheeler or a gun for hunting. Two weeks ago he took a week off of work without pay because he didn't want to use up his vacation during a 1 week plant shut down. Now this week they are going to shut the lights off. It is psychotic. I told my mom, "good! Sitting in 100 degree heat without airconditioning may be enough of a motivator to pay their bills."
However, there are truly poor people out there that are struggling to get the bare essentials. I have to confess that I don't do enough to help these people. My heart seems to be changing. I see the horrible poverty in other countries from the comfort of my livingroom. I see the kids in this country that go without anything to eat for days because mom or dad is a crack head. My wife has seen time and time again, elderly people without food because they made a choice to buy medicine or food for the month. My heart truly breaks for these people. Look around, there are lonley and hurting people right in your own backyard.
My hope is that one day, I will be transformed into being more compassionate and helpful to those in need. After all, isn't that what Jesus was all about? He stretched his hands out to the lepers, the drunks, the tax collectors, the prostitutes. He was the harshest with the "religious folk" of the day. God, save me from being a religious person.
Till next time...
J...
Friday, July 15, 2005
I have been seeing blogs over the internet and wondered, "what's the point?" However, I have found that I read them sometimes and some of them are interesting, some are amusing, some are annoying and some are just plain pointless. Since a dream of mine is to someday write, I decided to give this a try to hopefully vent, rant, rave and do all of the above with my blog. So here it goes...
I guess that I have always had a problem with authority... This in and of itself presents a problem because I also am a Christian that believes that God is the ultimate authority on all things. However, when I am faced with authority on a human level, I never like it. I don't like people telling me what to do, when to do it, or what is wrong with me. I guess that comes from my desire to be autonomous in my life. I also know that I am a hopelessly flawed human being that screws up all the time. I ususally know when I have screwed up. Just don't like for people to tell me about it. I mean what makes them so perfect?
Case in point. Today, I had a meeting with my future boss to discuss my IDP (individual development plan). These are forms that employees are to fill out to let your boss and the company know what your plans are to be a better person. Supposedly if you meet your goals, you have grown, and you get a pat on the back. However, if you fail to meet those goals, your boss will know what a big failure you are. In my meeting today, I had to sit there and tell my boss what I like, what motivates me, and what goals I planned to achieve to get the big promotion. No big deal, right? Well, then we had to go over my shortcomings. GREAT! This is to get me to conform to what the "higher ups" think of me as an employee and as a person. This is probably just my overreacting, but meetings like this always put me in a fowl mood.
Most every relationship in life is based on performance (with maybe the exception of children and parents). This sucks, but it is true. I don't believe my relationship with God is performance based, but I try to make it that way all the time (if I do this, He will do that).
Maybe one day, people will stop having to prove themselves over and over again, but don't count on it. Life is just a series of one struggle after another. If you can establish a few relationships where people can be themselves and not get beaten over the head about it along the way, then you are lucky.
till next time...
J
I guess that I have always had a problem with authority... This in and of itself presents a problem because I also am a Christian that believes that God is the ultimate authority on all things. However, when I am faced with authority on a human level, I never like it. I don't like people telling me what to do, when to do it, or what is wrong with me. I guess that comes from my desire to be autonomous in my life. I also know that I am a hopelessly flawed human being that screws up all the time. I ususally know when I have screwed up. Just don't like for people to tell me about it. I mean what makes them so perfect?
Case in point. Today, I had a meeting with my future boss to discuss my IDP (individual development plan). These are forms that employees are to fill out to let your boss and the company know what your plans are to be a better person. Supposedly if you meet your goals, you have grown, and you get a pat on the back. However, if you fail to meet those goals, your boss will know what a big failure you are. In my meeting today, I had to sit there and tell my boss what I like, what motivates me, and what goals I planned to achieve to get the big promotion. No big deal, right? Well, then we had to go over my shortcomings. GREAT! This is to get me to conform to what the "higher ups" think of me as an employee and as a person. This is probably just my overreacting, but meetings like this always put me in a fowl mood.
Most every relationship in life is based on performance (with maybe the exception of children and parents). This sucks, but it is true. I don't believe my relationship with God is performance based, but I try to make it that way all the time (if I do this, He will do that).
Maybe one day, people will stop having to prove themselves over and over again, but don't count on it. Life is just a series of one struggle after another. If you can establish a few relationships where people can be themselves and not get beaten over the head about it along the way, then you are lucky.
till next time...
J
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