What the %@#&* is happening to me?!
It happened again. Another person drawn in.
A fairly new friend of mine was doing nothing but minding his own business. Well, actually he was consumed with his own business. Venting to God about said business. This idea of even talking to God as if he were really there is a new thing for my friend. But he was trying it out, and found out that it works. God responds. 
After a few times of doing this kind of prayer-therapy with God, venting his frustration and asking hard questions and directions regarding his own life, he called another friend of mine and had a very interesting question. Choking back tears, he whispered into his cell, “What the %@#&* is happening to me? I’m trying to pray but I keep saying words I don’t understand.”
This gets me thinking. How many people experience glossolalia (speaking in tongues) for the first time and have no idea that it is the Holy Spirit?
I had a friend in college who was en route to become a Catholic Priest, and when we got together one day and prayed, he was obviously moved on and began speaking in tongues.
I asked, “When were you first filled with the Holy Spirit?”
He said, “Is that what that gibberish funny-talk is?”
For me, I don’t think the Spirit is simply tongues, but I do think God has has poured his Spirit into people around the world and they have received supernatural power, a counselor, the Spirit of truth, a comforter and more … and they have no idea.
What stories can you tell of people who wondered what the %@#&* was happening to them, when it was just God at work … in them?
Decisions that define us
At The Journey, we’re making some decisions that clarify our goals as a church.
These are not goals, as in a destination … but goals as in the direction of our journey … they are declaration of intentions … borrowed from Graham Cooke.
Decisions that define us
We’ve decided that teaching the Gospel without demonstrating the gospel in not enough. Good preaching, good doctrine, being good people is not enough.
We’ve decided that having a good church club is not enough. Good fellowship is not enough. And just being a member of that club is not enough.
We’ve decided that having good Bible studies is good, but not good enough. That just making it to heaven is not our goal, and that knowing about God without truly knowing and experiencing God is meaningless.
We’ve decided that having good programs is not enough; that change without transformation is intolerable. And that staying the same is not an option.
We’ve decided that gifting without character is futile.
We’ve decided that singing songs without worshiping is hollow and having meetings without God showing up is pointless.
We’ve decided that having faith without works is not enough and having works without love is not acceptable – that our function comes out of our relationship first with the Father and second with each other.
We’ve decided that reading about the book of Acts without living the book of Acts is unthinkable.
We’ve decided that confident faith is good…..bold faith is better.
We’ve decided that hearing about the Holy Spirit without experiencing Him….. is silly. That believing in His presence without seeing it manifested in signs and wonders……is hypocrisy. That believing in healing without seeing people healed……is absurd. And that believing in deliverance without people being delivered………is absolutely ridiculous.
We’ve decided to be Holy Spirit filled, Holy Spirit led, and Holy Spirit empowered – anything less doesn’t work for us.
We’ve decided to be the ones telling the stories of God’s power – not the ones hearing about them.
We’ve decided that living saved, but not supernatural is living below our privilege and short of what Christ died for.
We’ve decided we’re a battleship not a cruise-ship! An Army not an audience! Special Forces not spectators! Missionaries not club members!
We’ve decided to value both pioneers and settlers – pioneers to expand our territory and settlers to build on those territories – but we are not people who take up space others have fought for without improving it … we are not squatters.
We’ve decided to be infectious instead of innocuous. Contagious instead of quarantined! Deadly instead of benign!
We’ve decided to be radical lovers and outrageous givers.
We’ve decided that we are a mission station not a museum.
Therefore:
We honor the past but we don’t live in it.
We live in the present with our eyes on the future.
We see past events – the successes and failures – as stepping stones not stop signs.
We pursue learning in order to be transformed, not learning in order to know.
We are people of engagement not observation.
We focus on what could be – not on what is or has been.
We are not limited to the four walls of this building – our influence is not restricted by location. Not even the nations are out of bounds.
We are more concerned about how many we send out into the world then how many we convince to come into the building. This building is meant to be filled and it will be – but it will NOT be the measure of who we are or the measure of our effectiveness.
We raise-up world changers, not tour guides. We train commandos, not committees.
We are a people of our destiny, not our history.
We’ve decided that it is better to fail while reaching for the impossible that God has planned for us than succeed in settling for less.
We’ve decided that nothing short of His Kingdom come and His will be done, in our world as it is in Heaven, will satisfy.
We’ve decided that we will not be satisfied until our world freaks out and cries out, “Those who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”
These are some of the decisions that define who we are as a community and how we live our lives.
These decisions are not destinations – but rather a journey – a journey along an ancient path – we’ve not found some new way – but rather rediscovered the path as old as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The same path followed by Moses, Joshua and Caleb – Paul, John and Peter.
The path followed by the first century church – a church that revolutionized the culture of the first century and beyond.
It’s a path that will impact the world we live in today. It’s a path of Bold Faith – believing that what God says is really true and acting on it.
It’s a path of Outrageous Generosity – giving our life away in order to demonstrate His Kingdom.
It’s a path of Radical Love – loving God with EVERYTHING in us and our neighbor as ourselves.
This is a path of liberty, freedom and healing.
On this path – you will find significance, purpose, and destiny.
It is a path less traveled however – it’s not a path only available to a select few – but to whosoever will … they may come.
It’s for people of EVERY nation, tribe and tongue – for those in any occupation or vocation.
No matter where you are in your journey – there’s room on this path for you.
Why is the Apostolic Doctrine best suited to affect our society?
Why is the Apostolic Doctrine is best suited to affect our society?
Experience.
Our society wants something experiential, not blind obedience to theology. They desire something tangible, not something philosophical. They want feelings to accompany their faith, to see the supernatural in the natural, to experience the unexplainable. They want to taste what God “supposedly” has to offer, something substantial that proves it is worth doing, it is worth living, it is worth sacrificing for, it is worth trying.
They want a salvation that will enable them to quit addictions, that helps them sleep at night, and gives them peace, courage, direction, wisdom, and forgiveness each time they stumble. They want to know they are “saved” and have become “right with God”, and to have a mile marker experience where they can look back and know exactly when it happened. They want a salvation that cannot be manipulated, something reliable in an unreliable world. They want something more than mere opinion and theology. They want an experience with God himself!
In almost every church that holds to the Apostle’s Doctrine and in homes or families that hold to this doctrine, someone at anytime can physically, emotionally, and spiritually experience God’s answer to these demands. Note: Apostles’ Doctrine or Teaching is a biblical phrase used in Acts 2:42 that refers to how people apply the Gospel to their lives, Acts 2:38. It is this application that is so crucial. Because “believing” in Jesus alone, as we have seen it in American Christian Society, is not enough. This only changes surface level behaviors. Our society needs a baptism of the Holy Spirit to infuse them with true life-changing power.
Bottom line: our friends, family, co-workers, and our society in general needs an experience with God.
The source of this experience is the Holy Spirit. This is not some lofty idea preached from a pulpit, but God himself manifesting himself to the person. In most cases, it is a tangible experience that becomes their concrete evidence of the invisible God. It becomes their proof of God. It becomes their proof of his love and care for them.
The very thing that our culture is seeking … some type of experience that changes them … we have. We do not believe a gospel that is only mental, but is spiritual and physical. God still heals. Miracles still happen. God still answers prayer. God still delivers from addictions. God still moves among us. God still speaks to anyone who will listen. God cares enough about us to be with us in the middle of our messy lives.
Our society needs this kind of church. And this is the kind of church I want to be a part of.
Join in and refuse to be content with a church that does not experience God. Strive for real relationship with Him. Push through your religious barriers and old unbiblical concepts of God. Invite Him to move on you, fill you, change you. Experience Him. Tell others about it. Watch God change them too.
The Happy Self-Focused Life: Part 2
On page 972 of my newest book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tuning Out God: How to Eradicate Conviction and Live a Happy Self-Focused Life, I have listed important practices that must be done in order to be free of that “inspiring” and “convicting” voice of God. 
These are 15 sure-fire methods for eradicating the voice of the Holy One in your life so you can be the ONLY ONE who tells you what to do.
Procrastination is always helpful: This is one of those little secrets that many don’t know about. When you feel like you’ve heard that voice again, and are about to give in and “obey” . . . that is when you need to procrastinate. You may lose that battle, but the beautiful thing about waiting and waiting is that you build up a resistance. Next time you can hold out even longer, and before long, you can just laugh as he wastes his energy speaking to you . . . because you’ll never get around to doing it anyway.
Don’t underestimate the power of delaying something. If you can put it off long enough, you’ll be dead and won’t have to worry about any of this.
The benefit of procrastination: it will eventually lead you to a very warm place (unlike Alaska) where God will never talk to you again.
Attitude is everything: If you’re going to shut out the voice, you’ve got to have the right attitude. Don’t get over past hurts; let them make you bitter. Don’t submit yourself to anyone; rebellion is a great “inspiration” deflector. Talk bad about everybody and everything; gossip never fails.
Other good attitudes to have on hand: Pride, Negativity, Lust, Apathy, Laziness, Anger, Lewdness, Guilt. They all work really well to keep God’s voice at bay.
God failed you before: Everyone has had times when they trusted God to do something for them and he failed. That shows that he cannot be trusted to know what’s best for you. First, you need to hold on to those past hurts and don’t get over them. He hates that. Second, never trust him again. That will make him keep his comments and suggestions to himself.
Watch as much TV and as many movies as possible: Allow the media to consume your thoughts. Get as much impure music, magazines, and juicy internet sites in your brain as possible. This will help you create a whole new reality for yourself, one that doesn’t involve the Holy Spirit speaking to anyone.
The Happy Self-Focused life really thrives on immoral media … so get as much of it in your head as possible, and soon, you won’t be able to think of anything else except for people who only exist in TV-land or the internet.
Fasting is for the poor: This is something you don’t want to do if you are on the No-Spirit Diet. There are two kinds of fasting: one where people intentionally do it to tune into the Spirit’s voice, and the other where people want to lose the chub. Either way, it’s hard, it’s no fun, and it’s not popular. But it’s the intention that counts here. If you avoid jelly donuts because you want to lose weight . . . great . . . hope you lose everything your can. Avoiding food for that reason will not likely “tune you into the Spirit.” If it does happen, it’s likely because you slipped in another area.
I can’t repeat it enough, The Happy Self-Focused life does not include any suffering. Eat to make yourself happy. Isn’t that what counts, your happiness?
Ask “Why?”: If the voice ever does speak to you, and tells you what to do, ask one little question, “Why?” This usually keeps him from speaking again . . . at least that day. It is a good short term voice-stopper. It shows God that you demand him to fully explain what he wants you to do and what will happen. Because he has a history of not liking this response, he will likely leave you alone.
Trick yourself: Never be honest with yourself. This may cause you to feel that you can’t handle what life throws at you. It is at that desperate point that the Spirit usually speaks words of comfort and guidance. To prevent this, you must always tell yourself that you are in control, you are the boss, everything is fine and dandy.
Repeat after me, “I am in control. I am my own boss. Everything is Fine and dandy!”
Tell yourself whatever you have to in order to live The Happy Self-Focused Life.
Allow yourself to be consumed with non-God stuff: When your mind is focused on buying things, how to dress, your self image, and other very important surface issues, it is nearly impossible to hear his voice. Be as materialistic as possible. Never put thought into such things as eternity, judgment, spirituality, creation, or purpose.
Tell him you’re just a nobody: If he keeps pestering you, just tell him you’re a nobody and that you would be no use to him. If he was really God, he’d know that he should find somebody else to invest in, because you are so bad or unchangeable. It is very helpful in shutting out his voice if you condemn yourself as much as possible. When you put yourself on a guilt trip, keeping your eyes on your own problems and not on him, most likely you won’t hear him at all.
It is all about you: No matter what your spouse or boss or friends say, it is all about you. The “it” I’m talking about here is simple: everything. Everything is about you. So don’t listen to people who talk about their issues; it is all about you. Don’t put up with starving nations; it is all about you. Don’t let God or the Bible make you feel that it is all about God or “serving others”; remind yourself that it is all about you. The earth doesn’t revolve around the sun, the sun revolves around you.
Don’t forget that you are the measurement of everything in life, anyone who disagrees has no idea what pleasure comes from living The Happy Self-Focused Life.
Follow these simple methods and soon, your conscience will be so calloused and seared, that not even God himself could speak to you. At that point, welcome to the Happy Self-Focused Life … or at least the Self-Focused life.
THINK:
- Why is it so important to hear God’s voice? How can we hear God’s voice?
- Did you notice yourself in any of the methods?
- Is there a quick fix to breaking ourselves from these God-silencing mindsets of living?
- Is there something you thought of, a method for eradicating God’s voice from your life, that wasn’t listed here? List it in the comment box.
The Happy Self-Focused Life: Part 1
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tuning Out God:
How to Eradicate Conviction and Live a Happy Self-Focused Life
Right off the bat, I’d like to say you don’t have to put up with that nagging voice inside you anymore. We’ve all seen people who have given in and done as “the Lord” or “the Spirit” guided them, but what did it get them? A new yacht? Popularity? An Olympic medal? NO . . . none of these. No fame or fortune at all. As far as we can tell, they got nothing but laughter, poverty, and didn’t get to have much fun at all. They made fools of themselves trying to do “the right thing”.
Well, that temptation can be altogether avoided. I’ve devised a few methods that you can put into practice right now in your own life that would eradicate that “voice of the Holy Spirit”.
On page 972 of my newest book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tuning Out God: How to Eradicate Conviction and Live a Happy Self-Focused Life, I have listed important practices that must be done in order to be free of that “inspiring” and “convicting” voice of God.
These are 15 sure-fire methods for eradicating the voice of the Holy One in your life so you can be the ONLY ONE who tells you what to do. 
Stay away from reading the Bible: It just confuses you and makes you think you should love everybody. Hello? Think about it folks. Reading such nonsense, especially on a regular basis, would have you so warped you would think that you are supposed to be hearing God’s voice. I cannot stress it enough! This is the one weakness you cannot have if you are trying to eradicate the Spirit’s voice in your life.
If you read the Bible, even in the least bit, you are taking in the words and instructions of God. You can’t tune out God if you keep reading about what he wants for people. What more can I say? If you are trying to live the Happy Self-Focused Life, don’t go near the Bible, and certainly don’t get into a regular pattern of reading and studying it.
Now Bible studies with other people … that may be a different thing altogether, granted that you never really get around to studying the Bible.
Avoid prayer altogether: This just makes his voice stronger. If you can avoid any and all types of prayer, then you have a healthy shot at losing his voice. If you hold out for awhile and give in just once, and begin talking to him . . . you’re done. He’ll start talking right back. You’ll never get rid of him. However, if you only do it just a few times each year, what harm could that do? It’s that prayer on a regular basis that you must avoid at all cost. That is how people tune in and can hardly ever tune out.
I can’t underestimate how quickly you can go from a short little prayer to being flooded with counsel from God … and you don’t want that. You want the Happy Self-Focused Life.
What do I do when I am not happy? I don’t pray. Here are some suggestions:
- Drink until the happiness comes
- Buy something nice for yourself. No money? Use credit cards or take out a loan … because what makes you happy right now is what really matters!
- The Best method: Cut ties with anyone who makes you unhappy … wife, husband, children, employer, friends.
Fellowship is for fools: I know some God-followers are interesting and not too bad to be around, but they have a tendency to pull you down to their level. Whatever you have to do, avoid those who hear “his voice” on a regular basis. You will know them by their actions. They are bad news and before long they will have you thinking and acting like them. Of course they may buy you dinner or lunch, and they may have offer to help you “anytime”, but don’t be fooled by their niceness. They just want to be around you so they can infect you.
Again, on this, just stick with other people you know are living The happy self-focused life … or at least the self-focused life.
Let them be your role models and the kind of people who do speak into your life. They have only good advice for being self-focused, because, HEY … IT”S ALL ABOUT YOU!
Stick with the unethical and the immoral: Those extreme Christians are all about ethics and morality. And since it’s those extreme one’s who keep hearing his voice, we should do the opposite of what they do. Avoid doing anything ethical or moral. If it involves honesty, integrity, goodness, reliability, or decency . . . avoid it like the plague. There are a lot of people who end up hearing his voice after doing a “good deed”, and that leads to more “good deeds”, which eventually gets you thinking about others and all kinds of “ministry” phooey. This is not about others; it’s all about you.
It isn’t sin (to me): My belief is that if it feels good, do it. Don’t let any preacher or Bible tell you what you can and can’t do. You are your own boss. If you like doing something, and others don’t like it or they think it is “wrong” or “sin” . . . well that’s just their opinion. We all have the right to our own opinion, and who’s opinion is right? YOURS is! So, if somebody says something in your life is sin, that’s good. Keep doing it! That will shut out the voice of the “holy one” for sure.
The only way to live The Happy Self-Focused Life is to do what pleases you at the moment.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know much about anything at all, what is important is your opinion.
Please see part 2 of The Happy Self-Focused Life.
Lent Day 25: The Crazies Come Out, But They’ve Been There All ALong
We’ve been fasting. We’ve been praying. And things are happening. Some things in the spiritual realm are stirred.
I got a phone call the other day from a man I don’t know and the conversation went like this:
Caller: Are you the pastor?
Me: Yes.
Caller: I have some things I want you to pray about. Do you have a pen and paper ready?
Me: Uhh … sure.
Caller: I’m requesting prayer for me and my soon to be wife. We’re both born again, Spirit-filled believers. But mostly I’d like you to pray for her because she is filled with the spirit of divination.
Me: LOL. (I didn’t say “LOL”. I actually laughed out loud). Did you just say you were both filled with the Spirit of God, and that she works for Satan and you want to marry her?
Caller: Yes, and according to my understanding of the demonic, blah blah blah. (Honestly, my ears were ringing and I had trouble focusing at this point)
Me: I don’t mean to be rude. But could you define what you mean by “spirit of divination”? Because we may not be talking about the same thing.
Caller: Yes, she reads palms, tarot cards, tells fortunes, dark magic and other stuff.
Me: I don’t mean to be offensive, but you are not filled with the Holy Spirit of God if you think God is leading you to connect your life to someone who actually works for Satan. And she is not Spirit filled either. How do you know you are Spirit-filled?
Caller: Sir, I don’t want to wrangle with you about doctrinal issues … blah blah blah … my opinion is … blah blah blah … and I’ve done spiritual mapping and had a friend fast for 35 days … blah blah blah.
Me: Again, how did you know you were filled with the Holy Spirit of God?
Caller: Like I said, I don’t want to wrangle about doctrinal issues. I’d just like you to pray for me and my wife to be that she would be delivered of this spirit of divination …
Me: Okay, let’s pray now.
YIKES!
Like bugs are drawn to light bulbs, the crazies are coming out and finding us. For the past 25 days we’ve been praying and fasting for our families, our church and our city. We’ve been seeking God for a great outpouring of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a great manifestation of his presence, a pulling down of the spiritual strongholds that are demonic, and that our church becomes a hospital. And since the first week, things like this have been happening.
This guy’s phone call was not ironic it it’s timing. It was one of many times this last month that God has moved on desperate people in response to our prayer. The caller here was hurting, confused, ignorant of the truth, and in the midst of demonic activity. This is not a time for tolerance of other beliefs. This is when the church stands and proclaims Truth in love. The problem was that in the end, the caller was not willing to answer to the questions posed to him. He had all the answers and wanted to teach me all about demonic activity. He didn’t want to “wrangle about doctrinal things”, but was so far off base, that my instant reaction to his dilemma was not for prayer. He needs instruction in truth. He needed light shed on his personal situation. He needed to know that neither he nor she were full of the Holy Spirit. Maybe at one time they were, but now they were not. Repentance was needed. Willingness to re-evaluate Truth was needed. Exorcism was maybe needed. Infilling of God’s SPirit was definitely needed.
And the baptism of the spirit, or the infilling or indwelling, or countless other ways that the book of Acts labels it when a believer is initially filled with the Holy Spirit, it is identifiable the instant it happens. Check out Acts 2,4,8,10,19. They knew the very moment it happened. But yet, so many people are misled by a false-doctrine that the reception of the Holy Spirit is a “receiving Jesus into your heart” when you first believe. Not BIBLICAL! Look at the Biblical accounts. There is a physical manifestation so that the individual who is receiving the spirit will know and those around them will know also.
I prayed for the caller that day, and today. He represents a whole generation of knowledgeable people, thinking they are following after Jesus, but actually is following after his own pursuits and labeling them God’s. It is a religious mask for selfishness. It is demonic.
When the Spirit of Truth comes, Jesus said, he will guide us into all truth. And the Spirit of Truth is the Holy SPirit (John 14).
What does righteousness and wickeness have in common, the Apostle Paul asked in 2 Corinthians 6:14 … and what fellowship can light have with darkness … and what harmony can be between Christ and Belial?
Since receiving the Holy SPirit is essential for salvation (John 3, Romans 8), how do we know (Biblically) when a person has truly received the Holy Spirit? Read the Scriptures, think, and comment below.
Lent Day 24: Again with the coffee
The fasting we’ve been doing as a church during this season of Lent is doing something. On me. Our families. Our church. Our city.
Somebody in our church has been fasting each day, from March 1 to APril 10 (Good Friday), and our focused prayers have been for God to pour out the baptism of his Spirit, that we would begin experiencing a demonstration of God’s presence, that all spiritual strongholds were pulled down, and that our church would become a hospital for the hurting in Anchorage.
Within 3 weeks, we’re seeing answered prayers:
- The first week, a young soldier came into church with red, blotchy eyes. She was seeking a safe place to grieve. Her friend just been killed in a convoy attack in Afghanistan. We are becoming that hospital.
- 3 people received the baptism of the Spirit during the second week of our fasting. It was a life-changing event … and not just for those who received him. Those of us who were praying and a part of it were changed also.
- I talked with a local youth pastor on Monday. He said God was doing things in their church and in him that he’d never experienced before. I think he’s priming people and churches for receiving the baptism of the Spirit. This great outpouring for the city of Anchorage is about to happen.
These are just a few things that God is doing, as we are praying for it. As for myself, I am reminded of how passionate, intense prayer moves God. And I am also reminded of how fasting makes me more passionate and intense about the things of God. It’s a cycle really, and once you get into the vortex, it is a powerful place.
I’ve also noticed that for the past 24 days, I am no longer dependent on food or caffeine to make me feel better. I feel stronger and more mentally alert when my belly is half full.
THINK:
- What are you noticing about your fasting? What is pushing back the plate doing in you physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally?
- Have your prayers changed in the last 3 weeks?
- Has your relationship/experience with God changed any?
- What prayers are you seeing answered?
Part 2: Fans, Fecal Matter, Ruts, and Praying Through
Here’s an example of a recent flinging onto our fan, and the way Ellen tore out of her rut and rose to the occasion:
For the past 3 months, we have been planning a trip out of town and we were really excited about taking our 7 year old foster daughter (AKA Ladybug, Squirt, Egyptian Princess). We’ve had her for almost a year and from what we can tell she’s never been anywhere except to Grief City. Our plans were put on hold when her diabolical biological mother refused to let her go with us and the social worker couldn’t be found.
The main excuse was that Ladybug would be missing her weekly visit with her mom, though no one seemed to mind when her mom had previously missed the visits for about 3 months while in jail. She had all 8 of her kids outsourced with relatives, and had only been in Ladybug’s life for about 7 months. So we didn’t think it was a big deal to go out of town for the weekend.
It was 2 days before our trip. The diabolical biological still refused to let her go, and the social worker hadn’t returned our calls or emails for the last 3 weeks. It looked like I would be going alone. Ellen wasn’t leaving Ladybug.
So, Ladybug and I were driving around town, getting things ready for the trip when she decided that she wanted to call her Mom. I handed her the cell phone. I winced at the the first thing the squirt said when her mom answered. “Did you change your mind yet? Can I go on this trip or what?”
I could hear the mom like she was sitting next to me. She didn’t say “Hello,” or, “How is my only daughter?” She just hollered, “Give the phone to Ellen!”
Ladybug leaned over and held the phone up to me, and I said, real loudly, “Ellen’s not here, and I’m driving and don’t like to talk on the phone while driving.” Ladybug looked at me funny. She knew I just lied. Her mom hung up.
Ellen, during this time, is at the church building. Ironically, she is praying for the diabolical biological. But she wasn’t at the worst case scenario kind of prayers yet. These were still nice prayers. Nice prayers go like this, “Open her eyes, Lord,” or, “Let your will be done in this situation, oh God,” or, “Please convince the social worker to check her voicemail and emails.”
A few minutes after Ladybug had called her mom, Ellen called me. She was crying. Ladybug poked me and wiggled her finger because I was now talking on the phone while driving, when just a minute ago it was suddenly against my religion. But the situation called for it. Something had happened to Ellen, and I was about to find out how close we were to our worst case scenario.
Evidently just when Ellen finished praying her nice, politically correct prayers for Ladybug’s mom, she got a call from her. Ellen saw the caller ID, thanked God for a quick answer to prayer and answered the phone.
Turn the fan on high. Cue the $#&!-flinger.
Diabolical biological went mental on Ellen. Her opening greeting was, “You better never cross me!” There were curses, threatenings, her attorneys were going to be called, and kidnapping charges were going to be filed. This was the worst case scenario. The $#&%! had hit the fan, with force.
You see, kidnapping charges would throw one heck of a monkey wrench into our adoption plans we had been working on for 2 ½ years. Just the charges, would put a halt to our plans and finances we had set aside to adopt twin boys from Ethiopia. This was our third attempt to adopt, and Ellen saw our future going down the drain in one conversation with a crazy lady who already had 9 kids she was unable to care for. Did I mention that diabolical biological was pregnant at the time, and had an abortion 6 months earlier? And Ellen and I can’t physically have kids of our own. Can you see the steam building pressure?
Ellen was livid. Her shaky voice informed me that if she did press charges, even though they wouldn’t hold up in court, we might lose our boys from Ethiopia and the chance to ever adopt kids. 
Her tone painted a picture that I was glad I wasn’t there to see. There was $#&%! in her hair, all over the table, the ceiling, and a little in her eye. It made her cry … and then something happened. Like Dr, David Banner getting angry and turning into a green, inconsolable Hulk; Ellen rapidly underwent a change.
I could hear her breathing through the phone line. On the other end of the line she was transforming into a seething, enraged hostile.
Diabolical biological better look out, because Ellen’s weapons are not of this world.
In every sense of the phrase, Ellen stood up. Trouble had come and she rose to the occasion to meet it the best way she knew how. She sprang out of her rut, and with a ticked off, passionate intensity she began praying for Ladybug’s mom again. Except, there was no political correctness to these prayers. This was not a time for being nice. It was war.
And once Ellen was out of her rut, suddenly everything became clear. She had given her life to God years ago, believed and lived by his word, seen him do miraculous things, and she instantly knew he would do what she asked of him. This fired her up.
She flew past the petty traditions of prayer and the rituals of approaching God, and began praying in the Spirit. She was not going to stop until God told her the issue was resolved and she felt peace about it. Many people call this kind of prayer “pushing through” or “praying through”. Basically it’s going after God in prayer until he does whatever you need.
Think of it this way. Imagine a giant ziploc bag full of wonderful cherry Jello, and you really love cherry Jello. The ziploc bag is much taller than you are, but you want the Jello so much you are willing to go through the plastic wall of the the bag. You know you won’t get the Jello by touching the plastic, and you won’t get it by just pushing on it. But with enough force, you can put your shoulder into it and push your finger into the plastic and through it enough to open up a big hole. At that point, the goodness of cherry Jello will be flowing all over you.
Sadly, the art of these kinds of “pushing through” prayers are not known to all believers. Most, at least in western culture, don’t even know they exist. But we were meant to be this way in prayer, pushing through any barriers and pulling down strongholds. It shoudl be normal to push through life and get a hold of God and his power.
With boldness, Ellen called out that day to God and began commanding that he honor his word and our lives and sacrifices. She was pushing, but it wasn’t Jello she was after. The more she prayed, the more the tension built and the more her faith rose to the occasion. The more she prayed, the clearer the whole situation became; the clearer everything became. God would answer. No matter the request, God would answer. The momentum of springing from her rut led to praying like she hadn’t done in years. It was deep and intense. It was loud and tearful. It was emotional and spiritual. It was the victorious-Ellen, out of hiding. She had pushed through. She had a hold of God.
Her prayers were not requests of God, instead, they were commands. And they were not nice at all. There was no politeness in her at that moment. You don’t get through by being polite and nice. If she had been recorded that day, I think her testimony would be forever inadmissible in any court of law. She would have made Ghengis Khan and the mafia run for cover. Once she’s out of her rut, she is the poster child of what it means when the “violent take the kingdom by force.” When she is out of her rut, she is a warrior without fear.
When someone loves intensely enough to push through to God, look out. Passion, love, prayer and God make an undefeatable mix.
She was propelled by the same frustration that motivated David when he prayed his battle prayers in Psalms (about God avenging and crushing his enemy, knocking out their teeth and destroying the wicked). Ellen put her face to the floor and began shouting out a few of her own demands, pounding the floor with her fists. I have seen her in this mode of prayer before, and when she’s in it there’s nothing that’s too big that she won’t pursue and tackle. At that moment, anything was possible because she had connected with God himself and he was backing her. She was unstoppable.
In the middle of Ellen pushing through and connecting with God, the phone rang again.
It was the diabolical biological. Only 15 minutes had gone by. Ellen answered the phone and heard her crying. She instantly apologized for the threats and begged Ellen to take Ladybug on the trip. Through her blubbering, she thanked Ellen for the care and love we had given her daughter. She even asked Ellen to pray for her. And right then, while Ellen was out of her rut, in victory mode, she was able to see her mom in a different light. She actually cared for her. She was a person in need of emotional healing, wholeness, God. With love and boldness, she prayed into the phone. With that same intensity that she used to press God to change this woman, she told God that they both needed a change that only he could bring, and that they desperately wanted his forgiveness and guidance. Has God begun to answer that part of the prayer yet? Time will tell.
I know how she prays, and I imagine she stood there with cell phone in one hand, and the the other hand lifted, point to God. Before it was all over, Ladybug’s mom wanted to know if she could come to our church. What a change of heart God can do in minutes … with those who serve him, and those who don’t.
This makes me think of her mom in a new light too. Who wouldn’t want to learn to pray like that? Who wouldn’t want to be able to touch God that quickly and thoroughly? Who wouldn’t want to feel that intensity and passion on a regular basis? This kind of passionate praying and it’s results are something that everyone wants, whether they are a believer or not. This is the main part of this story.
Any way you look at it, through this situation, God was showing us that when we jumped out of our velvet ruts, that he was there waiting to work with us. When we’re uncomfortable enough, we will pursue him, and he will be there to answer us.
I don’t want a life in constant contact with $#&%!-flingers.
I’d like to have a clean fan, house and life. I’d like to remain in my velvet rut where things are predictable and easy. But I cannot. When I am agitated enough to pray, I realize all over again that my prayers are powerful. And they are answered quickly! I have seen too much, experienced too much. I know too much to stay in this velvet rut.
I know that I am supposed to be a man of prayer, because I have seen God work through my agitated out-of-the-rut prayers. I have seen him change things that I have prayed for. And there are too many things that need to be changed in myself, my family, my church, and my city.
I am resolved to become the man of God that everything in me wants to become. Why wait? Why only jump out of the rut when the worst case scenario happens? Why only become a man of God and of prayer when things go bad? Why not use that same intensity to pursue God all the time? Right now!
I have written my own Psalm on this idea of ruts, fans and pushing through.
It is inspired by all the times I’ve jumped into spiritual action when the worst came upon me, and then I victoriously marched back into my velvet rut to live sleepily until the next awakening.
Please, O Lord, Let this $#&%!-flinger pass from me,
But I know my ease is not your plan.
You are calling me to a life out of my comfy, velvety rut
So give me the strength to spring out of it, and stay out
And in constant connection with you, pressed through.
Give me clarity to see you at work in my situations
And vision to see what my prayers can unleash you to do.
Help me be content with a dirty fan,
Only as long as you are with me through each flinging and cleaning.
Today, Lord, I put my trust in you, as I boldly march from this rut into the unknown.
Fans, Fecal Matter, Ruts and Praying Through: Part 1
I am ashamed at how little I actually pray.
I’m not talking about daily devotional prayers. I’m talking about really pressing through to God. As long as I’ve lived for God by now, shouldn’t I be a powerhouse of prayer? I mean, I’ve gone monk in so many different areas of my life, shouldn’t this one area of my spirituality come easier by now? As much as I’ve seen God do, shouldn’t I be among the masses with lips moving in conversation with God and hands outstretched to heal?
The reality of my prayerlessness is a mess I must confess. In my mind there is the “ideal me”. But that guy seems so far away. So I feel stuck with myself. God may accept me as I am, but I have trouble accepting me as I am; yet most days I am too apathetic to do anything to make a change. But I think about it … a lot.
I do what I’ve done since this rut began. Because it is easy. Because it is lined with velvet, and I am comfortably stuck.
I’d love to wake up each morning thinking about God in my life. But I don’t. Why am I am not daily impressed with God’s sunrise and the miracle of his restoration through the process of sleep? My morning routine starts with checking emails and blogs from people less inspiring than decaf coffee. I eat breakfast and flip through Cabela’s catalogs and motorcycle websites, not meditating on God’s word and what he might do in my day. I get to the Bible and prayer later, but the notion of it not being in the first part of my day has bothered me.
Always, as I’m in the middle of this routine every single morning, I feel something stirring deep within. I want to be studying scripture and talking with God. I really want to. I am always on the verge of just closing my laptop and planting my face into the carpet asking God to help me make the change of my life, where it would all be different from that moment on. Where I could know him and his presence and his love and power. But I don’t. I am trapped in my velvet rut. I go to another web page.
The only thing that gets me out of the rut: Trouble.
Pardon the cliche and it’s potential for offense, but I only muster up the motivation to jump out of my rut when the $#&%! hits the fan. Ironically, that’s when things become the clearest, and I have the motivation to sprint toward who I want to be. 
Why is it that when my fan is suddenly covered in $#&%!, and it has been flung onto the ceiling and walls and carpet and into my coffee cup, that I can suddenly muster the mental, physical and spiritual energy to spring from my rut, conquer said $#&%!-flinger, clean up the mess and then suddenly begin to do things I’ve wanted to do for a long time? And for a brief period, I can be the person I really want to be. It’s almost like one victory gives me the inspiration and gumption to make a stand, and when I realize that I am out of my rut, I might as well push forward. And stoked by the adrenaline and encouragement of one win, I purpose myself to more victories.
But the overcomer in me only stays out to conquor for a while. Somehow, it is the small things, or the daily grind, that nudges me back into my rut little by little. And there, stuck in comfort again, the Victorious-me is lulled back to sleep. And I am left with Regular-me.
When I think about it, I realize it is a cycle I keep going through, It seems that after I have survived the very thing I’ve feared and worried about for so long (the worst case scenario), that I feel that I can overcome anything. Ladies and gentlemen, strength is in me! I am the overcomer of all obstacles! Get your tickets to the gun show!
But that feeling of victory is always brief. It isn’t long before a different fear shows up for duty. A new and improved “worst case scenario” becomes all I can see, and my recently cleaned fan begins to whirr erratically in trepidation of the next $#&%!-flinging. It’s then that small, insignificant things begin to knock the wind out of me, little by little, until I don’t have any breath left. I don’t have any gumption left. I don’t remember ever winning. I’ve never had a victory. I’ll never have be the man I really want to be. I’ll never be the man God wants me to be. I am the Ultimate Loser.
My wife, Ellen, and I share this same feeling about ruts … except hers is lined with more guilt than velvet, and her worst case scenarios are more realistic than my fear of werewolves who know where I hide our house key.
To be continued … see part 2 of Fans, Fecal Matter, Ruts, and Praying Through.
Lent, day 18: There is more than this
Danny is going through the God-changes. He’s a normal guy in our church who is coming to grips with a revolution that is taking place within him. The main idea that he’s confronted with: there is more.
There is more to God than warm fuzzies on a Sunday at the church gathering. There is more than giving a tithe. There is more than polite, nice prayers. There is more to God than this.
So I asked him to expound a little on this change taking place within him, and this is what he sat down and wrote:
“Last Sunday in church, as we were praying at the end of the service, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that there were many in that room, me included, that were letting a wall of comfort remain between God and ourselves. God is trying to pour everything into us (his Holy Spirit included) but like Toby has said, God is a gentleman and will not force Himself upon us.
We (I!) put up a wall that keeps God at a distance because there is a deep, deep, DEEP fear of what may happen if we let Him in- if we let our guard (wall) down. We must yield like we have never done before. The problem with yielding like that is that things may come out that we don’t want to, whether it is something about us we don’t want others to see or just something that we know is down in there that we don’t want to see or admit to ourselves.
For me, I think it is anger. The times when I have let it seep closer to the edge, there seems to be an anger inside of me that I am afraid of and don’t want people to see. I fear that if I let it out, I may throw a chair, curse, scream, and my body may even convulse. I know, though, that if I can yield, even to this stuff, that I will be filled with the Spirit. All that stuff is in the way right now. I have my wall up that keeps this stuff in and God out. It has been that way for such a long time (even before I knew about it) that it has become my comfort. I have become accustom to all that junk in me and call it “me”. I have learned to live my life, appear normal to others, and function in society. Why should I change anything?
Heather and I have become aware (or at least open to the possibility) that there is much, much, MUCH more than this available to us in this life, NOW. Any boundary that I try to put on God only separates me from Him more. God has no boundaries so if I hold to the fact that I don’t have to pray out loud to pray well (or raise my hands, fall on my knees, stand up, pretty much do anything that involves movement), I have put a boundary on Him. How am I to know what is possible until I try praying out loud? I do not try it because “churchy” people do it or because a denomination does it, I try it because it is biblical and I have not tried it before and I am tired of status quo. I try it because I see that if I am to love God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength that it may take some actual talking and maybe even yelling and screaming, dancing, jumping, or falling to the floor. I cannot pray to God with all my heart, soul, and strength when I pray internally. There is little to no emotion happening. It is when I let the words escape from my mouth that they come from my heart and soul.
What is it that we expect from our church? Toby cannot do everything for us. We are called the body, which is the body of Christ. We are his vehicle now that he is not physically here. We are to continue what he started. We are to be as a whole what he was as a person and do as a whole the things he did as a person and be seen as a whole how he was seen as a person. What did Christ do? He healed the sick, he forgave sins, he defied and condemned the “religious” people who thought they had it all figured out.
What do we do? We go to church on Sunday and listen to Toby. We go to a group on Tuesday or Thursday and hang out and then pray half-heartedly. How is that like what Jesus did? How is anything we do as Christians like what the first Christians were? If any one of them were in our church today (even our church), I know that I would probably think he was absolutely nuts. He would wonder why we do so much sitting around, so much talking about spiritual development/growth and our issues and not more praying for the sick and lonely.
He would look at all of us with our I-just-don’t-feel-anything’s and say, “You want to feel something? Try loving the LORD your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, ALL your strength, and ALL your mind and love your neighbor as yourself (and think about what the word “all” means). And remember, the love you have for God and the love you have for your neighbor, whoever it may be, are one and the same. You cannot love God and hate your brother. You do that and you will feel something.”
And it begins … wait … it increases
Our Lent focus for the last week and a half has been intense. Those of you fasting have all brought neat comments to the table about what God’s doing in/with you during this season of change in our church and lives.
And this weekend, at our Catalyst event in Fairbanks, it is increasing. Emily, Joe, and Heather received the Holy Spirit last night. And each in a unique way:
- Joe stood with hands in his pockets, with one foot resting on the other. Every once in a while a tear would roll down his cheek and he would raise his hands. His face was toward the sky, talking to God.
- Emily starting praying at the front, standing and weeping. Then she moved to the back of the room and sat in the seats. The service was over, but God wasn’t through with her. Almost everyone had left. She kept praying; her lips moving in quiet prayer.
- Heather prayed for everyone for a while. And after a bit, I saw her and Ellen praying together. When Simeon, the young guy who was speaking at the event, came and said something to her, she just fell on the floor. She had her face to the floor for several minutes, and the next thing I know everyone was laughing their butts off, Heather included! She was leaning on Kate and they both just laughed. I walked around in front of her and knelt down just to see the expression on her face, but all I saw was hair all over the place.
I don’t know what was going on in each of them, but I did hear each of them speaking in tongues. What a promise God has given us, that we would know the very moment it happens. And, as for them, they knew too. This was not just a blessing. This was the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Our Lent prayers have been for God to pour out the baptism of the Holy Spirit on our church, and after a week and a half of focused prayer, in unity, by the church body … he is doing it. And we are loving it!
Day 7 of our Lent fast … the breaking begins
Sometimes it’s hard to read a face. As a pastor, I’ve learned not to use facial expressions, or the lack thereof to be a measurement of what is going on inside a person. Emotions and feelings don’t always make it to the surface, but it doesn’t mean nothing is going on inside.
Ellen and I got the following email from someone in our church on Monday. It is referring to our time of prayer on Sunday:
“WOW! I have got to tell you guys… I HAVE NEVER FELT GOD MOVE LIKE THAT BEFORE!!! OK, so I’ve felt him move twice before, but second to receiving the spirit, I have really never felt him move like that. When we were praying it was totally amazing! Was I the only one who felt that? Is that what you guys are talking about when you say you can feel God moving? I don’t know how to put into words how it feels … That over powering suffocation/sensation … But, I was still breathing … I loved it … I could breath. It was so peaceful, so easy to pray. I was so relaxed… It’s gotta be the best high that exists. How do I open myself up to him moving more often?!?! That was so awesome!”
I’m finding that you never know what kind of soil a person has in their heart. And in a row of people, while most are thinking about their laundry lists and watching the clock, there may be one sitting there having the experience of their life. The soil in their heart is happy and joyful to be receiving the seed that God is placing in them.
My aim is for us all to get to a point where we are tired of containing what is going on internally and it begins to bubble and erupt, and what God is doing inside us becomes obvious to others. Isn’t that the point of the seed? To appear above ground?
When we really get down to brass tacks, isn’t that a great part of what the Apostle Paul called the “power and demonstration of the Spirit”? His Spirit working in and through ours?
Day 3 without the Supreme Bean
It is Lent and I among other things, I am sacrificing coffee for the next 40 days. I truly love Jesus, at least that’s what I thought when I decided to deny myself coffee for any amount of time at all. I must confess, for every single fast I’ve done over the last few years, I overlooked a cup or six cups of coffee during the day. I felt like I wouldn’t have the energy to get done each day what I needed to get done. But I’ve decided that, like TS Eliot, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons … and my body needed the break from dark, lovely caffeinated coffee. And some things just won’t get done.
Herbal tea just doesn't cut it. Every great Master Chief has massive amounts of coffee supporting him.
Here’s the spiritual revelation I’ve had so far: a morning without coffee is like sleep. And, it is headache central in my noggin! Yesterday, in the kitchen at my school, someone had the audacity to make coffee while I was in there staring into the coffee pot. And I realized that coffe smells like freshly ground heaven.
On top of it all, I was a bit boring yesterday while teaching. I had no energy to be creative and witty or even move around very much.
And today, just after waking up, I needed a nap. I’ve heard Dave Letterman say of himself that he’d drunk way too much coffee, but if it weren’t for the coffee, he’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever. On this third day of my self-intervention, I too feel like coffee is the great sustainer.
“I’ll quit coffee. It won’t be easy drinking my Bailey’s straight, but I’ll get used to it. It’ll still be the best part of waking up.” ~From the television show Will and Grace
The Journey ~ Lent
There is a look that people have on their faces when they get bad news. Your uncle has died in a tragic lion-taming accident … cue the look of shock. You didn’t pass your senior year of high school … cue the look of disbelief. You’re going to fast for the next 40 days … cue the look of shocked disbelief with a slight mixture of hope, resentment and the desire to find a new church.
I loved the look on your faces yesterday when we announced that Lent for those of us in The Journey were going to be more than just setting aside caffeine or chocolate for a month. We’re taking sacrifice seriously … cue the 40 Day Fast.
Starting today and going until Friday, April 10, we are purposefully fasting and praying for God to break through whatever is holding our city, church, families, and selves bound.
THE SCOOP
Prayer: You praying each day for 40 days!
Who are we praying for?
- Our family, our church, our city.
What are we praying for?
- That God would pour out his Spirit (Acts 2, 8, 10, 19) … more specifically that individuals in our families, our church and our city would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
- That we would experience the power and demonstration of God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:3-5) … specifically in our families, our church and in our city.
- That God would break the hold of evil … in our families, our church and in our city.
- That The Journey would become a hospital for the hurting, in whatever way God wants us to bring healing and wholeness to our city.
When we pray:
- Thank God for basic things in your life … one by one
- Talk to him about your issues … and ask for help
- Ask for the things listed above
- Thank him for doing what you’ve asked … this is faith … his credit is good with us
How are we praying? Some tips:
- In the morning, wake up 10 minutes early and pray while you take a longer shower, or pray while having your cup of coffee or tea … or just get on your knees and plant your face in the rug, pouring out your heart and thoughts to him.
- During the day, on your lunch, sit in your car for 10 minutes, alone, praying.
- Before you go to sleep, pray while you are lying there with the lights off, as the day swirls into oblivion
Fasting: At least one person fasting each day for 40 days!
Look on the calendar and tell me what days you choose. If you can fast 2-3 days at a time, great. If you choose two days, three weeks apart, great. If you choose every Monday, great. Between all of us, all 40 days can be covered with fasting.
- Read Isaiah 58:5-9; Matthew 17:14-21 This gives us a bit on fasting … mainly that it breaks spiritual strongholds (yokes) and it weakens us so God can work through us without us resisting him. God’s strength comes upon us when we are weak.
How are we fasting? A few ideas:
- For the day you are fasting, choose a meal that you love the most, and skip it.
- Eat only veggies … no caffeine, no sweets, no meats, no alcohol (This is often called a Daniel fast, see Daniel 10 for details and a story on how fasting works in the spiritual realm)
- No food, only water. If you do this, don’t eat a heavy meal the day before or after. It helps the transition. Soups and salads are good for this.
This church is not built on skills, ability or money; Amway, Wal-Mart or any other corporation can build organizations like that. This church, is built on Jesus and the word of God. It will be rooted and grounded in prayer and fasting, and should regularly experience the power and demonstration of the Spirit of our God. Only through him can we really have wholeness.
I’m thanking you in advance you for your sacrifice these next 40 days … but you will be the ones to reap the benefits from your own sacrifice. You don’t know what you are capable of yet. And by God’s grace and urging, you will learn to stand in a strength and power that you have never even experienced. You will become God’s mighty hands on this earth, doing his work. You will witness firsthand his provision in your families. You will see him heal areas in your lives that only he can touch.
If you are interested in some reading material about prayer and fasting … I’ve got a few books with lots of stories that will boost your faith. Let me know, and you are more than welcome to borrow them.
This is for your family, our church, and our city. Don’t be shy in engaging yourself.
During the next 40 days, feel free to make comments of your journey here. Bless others with your stories of answered prayers and struggles.
Infatuation with flatulation
Above the coffee pot at our church, there is a big piece of tin that has accumulated some refrigerator poetry. Being a church and family of a tight budget, we mainly buy used things … and these poetry kits came from several garage sales over the past few years. Altogether we have collected 2 gallon-sized Ziploc bags, and mishmashed in them is the Dog-lover’s set, the Erotica set, and others that we can’t quite put our finger on.
So why not let the kids, and whosoever, play with them while getting a cup of coffee? We’ve removed some of the erotica words that could cause some premature questions of parents and pastors.
Now, every time I get a cup of coffee, I stand there … reading and chuckling. Just yesterday, some of the girls were face to the wall reading the various sentences and poems that have been strung together by different people in different phases of their poetic life. I came by for a refill of coffee. One poem almost made me spit out my coffee as I was mid-sip.. It wasn’t because it was really that funny. It was because I recognize that I am a very sad man. I am still a little boy who is in awe of bodily noises.
I still giggle like a girl when Ellen’s dad sticks out his hand and with a grin he extends a finger and nods, “Pull.”
Do we ever outgrow the infatuation with flatulation?
Everything’s amazing; nobody’s happy
I miss the unsolicited input from old people I know. Sometimes it’s that rough advice you weren’t looking for that helps you bolster your framework, through which you can really deal with your life.
Being fairly new in Alaska, I’ve not had the opportunity … or taken the opportunity to get to know people outside my age group (+/- 10 years). And I crave input from people my parents would call “sir” or “ma’am”. On the outside, the elderly may just seem like cranky, crochety geezers who smell funny. But slow down and really listen. Some of them have gone kooky from dealing with life; but even that’s a lesson. The sane ones, when they give their input, have wisdom to pour out. It’s not likely you’re going through anything they didn’t go through. Life isn’t so bad. Like Garrison Keillor says, “It could be worse.”
When I saw this clip, it made me think of how one-dimensional I/we have become. He was my old geezer today. His words reminded me that all the things we have and want that are supposed to help us … well … sometimes they ends up making us … punks.
Mark 2:23-3:6 Jesus fudging the lines of “right” and “wrong”?
Here is Jesus … upsetting the religious folks, again. These Pharisees were strict students of the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament. They knew what God had commanded about the Sabbath (the 7th day of the week). No work, no fire-building, no traveling. (Numbers 15:32-35; Leviticus 23:1-8) Keeping the Sabbath was as vital as circumcision; it marked who was God’s and who wasn’t. Quite the line in the sand … and God drew it.
But here we have Jesus and his flunkies walking through the fields … picking grain and eating it. Breaking the law. The Pharisees interpreted that as “work”; which meant they we
ren’t of God, of course. They had busted Jesus, finally! Jesus’ responded to their Biblical condemnation with a Bible story … David once ate the food that was strictly, Biblically, only for the priests (1 Samuel 21:1-6). He silenced them.
When Jesus healed the shriveled-hand-man in the temple, it was on the Sabbath. I think Jesus waited all week to do it when it would stir up a curious crowd and then he could teach this lesson: The Sabbath is for people to get rest from a week of busting their humps … not for people to be ruled by the Sabbath. The Sabbath 
is a gift from God, not a burden.
I am compelled to think about today’s different organizations and denominations and how they interpret scripture. Some look at the Bible and say women should be completely silent in the church (1 Cor. 14). Some believe eating medium rare steaks go against the teaching in Acts 15. Some think that you should never marry (1 Corinthians 7). Or that women should wear only dresses (Deut 22) or never cut their hair (1 Cor . 11). What about that holy kiss we are supposed to slap on our brothers when we see them (Romans 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26)?
These are just minor issues in the Bible, but many organizations use these rigid interpretations to separate themselves from the “other” Christians … kinda like the Jews viewed circumcision and chillaxing on the Sabbath. Those who didn’t do it were not God’s people. Wow! How does God view this? Do any of us have it all right?
Are these accurate interpretations of scripture? What would happen if we use Jesus’ method of looking at the Sabbath … Is scripture here for us, or is it the other way around?
THINK:
- What made the Pharisees so upset with Jesus?
- What do we learn about Jesus in these 2 confrontations?
- What was God’s intent of the Sabbath? How was it mis-interpreted?
- How have you seen well-meaning religious rules or institutions hurt people? What causes that?
- Have you ever felt angry at a church or religious institution? How has that experience affected you?
Got myself a Chocolate Jesus
Don’t get on my knees to pray
Don’t memorize the books of the Bible
I got my own special way
But I know Jesus loves me
Maybe just a little bit more
I fall on my knees every Sunday
At Zerelda Lee’s candy store
Well it’s got to be a chocolate Jesus
Make me feel good inside
Got to be a chocolate Jesus
Keep me satisfied
Well I don’t want no Abba Zabba
Don’t want no Almond Joy
There ain’t nothing better
Suitable for this boy
Well it’s the only thing
That can pick me up
Better than a cup of gold
See only a chocolate Jesus
Can satisfy my soul
When the weather gets rough
And it’s whiskey in the shade
It’s best to wrap your savior
Up in cellophane
He flows like the big muddy
But that’s ok
Pour him over ice cream
For a nice parfait
Well it’s got to be a chocolate Jesus
Good enough for me
Got to be a chocolate Jesus
Good enough for me
Make me feel good inside
Got to be a chocolate Jesus
Keep me satisfied
Pat McManus on “Sequences”
Pat McManus has written the funny stories at the back of Outdoor Life magazine for years. One of my favorites is called “Sequences”. In it, he analyzes the chain of events that have to take place for some things to happen. This he labeled “sequences”.
He grew up on a farm and understands that you never just go out and do the work you intended. Ha! First you determine the lengthy sequence of events that must take place just to begin the work, then once you realize the preparatory activites will take so long you will never even get to the job … so you go fishing instead.
He tells a story about his stepdad who always fell prey to the sequences hiding behind every tackle box and guilty pleasure. As they were loading the gear to go fishing, he noticed the fence in the pasture was down. A 20 minute job, he thought. Twenty minutes and they could go fishing. A simple fix.
But he first needed to go over to the Haversteaders and borrow their wire stretcher. But before he could do that he had to go the the Malloys and get his post hold digger that they borrowed, and it was on the way to the Haversteaders. Just then, he realized he was out of fence staples, so after he went to the Malloys to get the post hole digger, he would then go to Jergen’s hardware store for staples, and then go on to the Haversteaders to borrow their wire stretcher.
But just as he was about to head to the Malloys, he remembered that he promised Sam Jergens (at the hardware store) he’d haul him a load of hay bales the next time he came into town. To do that, he’d have to take the truck … which meant he’d first have to go over to LaRoy’s and get the leaky tire that he had taken last week to Laroy to fix. The story just dwindles into an afternoon of … well … sequences.
I, too, have had this pleasure of being acquainted with sequences. And I, too, keep coming to the same conclusion … just go fishing. Unless Ellen is somehow involved in the string of sequences.
Mark 2:18-22 Fasting: Facilitation of Change
For a guy with an extra 15 pounds of chub on him, the very thought of fasting is horrible. I hate it. I don’t want to deny my body it’s natural desires: chocolate filled donuts, medium rare steaks, Lucky Charms, Sandy’s Waffles. I’d rather talk about loving our neighbors or Balaam’s ass.
This passage is Jesus’ response to questions about fasting. People were asking him why his followers din’t fast and other religious people did. A few thoughts:
- The Old Testament talked a good deal about fasting. It is biblical and was commanded by God: Leviticus 16:29-31; 23:27-31. That’s why the others were doing it.
- Fasting breaks spiritual strongholds: Isaiah 58.
- In verses 19-20, Jesus uses the analogy of a marriage celebration in relation to fasting. Why would the guests celebrating the marriage of their friend fast at the wedding? It was a time of celebration. Why would Jesus’ followers fast when God is walking with them? They weren’t mournful that he was with them … but there would come a day when he would depart and they would fast.
- In verses 21-22, when Jesus appears to ramble about old cloth and new cloth and new wine and old wineskins … he has a point to make: Doing Kingdom things, without being of the Kingdom will only tear you apart. Fasting somehow is a part of this.
Also, there is a lot of change that takes place in your life when you initially begin to serve the King. He doesn’t pour precious new wine into a vessel that he knows it will burst. instead, he is going to make us into a new vessel … a new person altogether.
Denial through fasting is part of being of the kingdom. Jesus knew his disciples would be fasting soon enough, but for now he wanted to celebrate being with them. There is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3)
I was once doing a lot of dirt work for an old pastor friend of mine. We were renovating the landscape of the church, adding a new flower bed and sidewalk. Unintentionally I dug too deep into the ground with my tractor and pulled up the the church’s plumbing and sewer lines. What a mess! No one knew those lines were so shallow. By law they should have been much deeper, to keep this kind of thing from happening The old pastor just laughed and said, “That’s what we get for putting new wine in an old wine skin … something bursts every time.”
THINK:
How has the new wine of Jesus burst your old religious wineskins?
Dingalingaling
In the garage today, working on the bike and listening to odd radio stations, I heard a song that made me stop wrenching and just stare at the radio with wide eyes and giggle.
Okay … some background:
Chuck Berry is rock and roll. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, no one individual invented rock and roll, but they hold that “Chuck Berry comes the closest of any single figure to being the one who put all the essential pieces together.” John Lennon said: “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.”
One of Chuck Berry’s most popular songs (even young people know it because of Michael J. Fox in Back To The Future) is “Johnny B. Good”. A Rolling Stone article quoted Joe Perry of Aerosmith as saying about this song in particular, “If you want to play rock & roll, you have to start here.”
But “Johnny B Good” never made it to number 1. A funny thing happened. In and out of jail, on and off the charts, Chuck Berry didn’t have a number 1 hit until 1972 … 24 years after his first album. And in a wierd twist of irony, one of the greatest songwriters of the rock and roll era achieved his only number 1 hit with a sophomoric schoolyard sing-a-long called “My Ding-A-Ling.” It became Berry’s best-selling single ever.
If I were Chuck Berry, I would lie awake at night thinking, “I worked my butt off all my life to change the face of music, and I’m most known for this? “
Music opens many doors in the soul
I burned Kate a bunch of CDs last week, some music by some bands who will remain nameless. Let’s just call them good groups who worship God through music and who are not played on cheesy Christian radio stations. Is that vague enough so I won’t get sued?
She facebooked me about the music, and I was shocked by her response. It is something I’d like to remember, and I’d like others to learn. I got her permission to quote her here …
“It has totally changed my outlook/attitude. I’m getting something out of the christian music that I wasn’t getting with the other music. I am finding that by doing something as simple as turning on the cd player makes my want to pray. I am wanting to talk to God more, and more than that I want to hear him talk back. It is so cool! I had the best day yesterday, and I can’t even tell you why. Instead of looking at the world as a dark, over populated, mess, I have been looking at it thinking to myself ‘I love that person,’ or ‘that person loves me.’
Somehow I am starting to start building myself back up, instead of looking at my life like it is a huge pile of nothing, where everything goes badly.”
This reinforces my theory that music opens many doors in the soul … some good doors … some not so good.
Memories of a hearse driver
Several of us sat around at the McMahons tonight and talked about death … and then we told about strange things that happen around death and funerals and everything in between. Like weird customs or rituals. And there are a bunch of them.
Ever hear of kids kissing the corpse in the coffin? It scarred and scared one of the guys telling stories tonight.
Ever hear of schiva? Sitting, waiting, silently with those grieving. Beautiful, but I’ve never seen it or been a part of it. Done a sorta-schiva for a friend whose wife left him, and he was grieving. I sat with him and a lot of the time we just sat. I suppose it’s similar.
My favorite story to tell about funerals was when I had a job driving hearse in St. Louis for a funeral home. My first solo drive was to a ceremony/burial at the big fancy military cemetery. Somehow they rousted 3 VFW guys off their porches long enough to put what looked like old Boy Scout uniforms on them, give them each a gun, and some directions about firing in unison. When we arrived, these 3 stooges were saluting the casket as I directed the pall bearers to their duty. After placing the casket on the stand, and a few fumbles of the 3 VFW stooges, those attending the funeral stood back to watch the 21 gun salute.
It wasn’t quite a salute, but sounded more like a New Year’s Eve firework show. There was no rhyme or rhythm or consistency. Just shooting. After re-tucking their shirts in underneath their overgrown bellies, 2 stooges stood guard as one of them pressed play on the tape player by his guncase and Wal-Mart bag. Taps played through the tinny speakers. Crickets even stopped to listen.
As a minister in training, I wanted to see the eulogist in action. What does a minister say about someone he didn’t know? I learned that they just speak in vague terms of goodness and responding to the call of action, and duty. A lot of mention about duty and responsibility. But more than duty, was the constant droning of the scriptures. I love the bible, but this guy was killing all of us with it. It was slow death for the whole congregation, until the wasp visited us.
The eulogist was prattling on through 1 Corinthians 15, “And this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” And then, he paused for a theatrical effect I suppose (note to self) and he raised a fist and shook it at the ceiling of the tent we were under, “O death, where is thy sting?” Which was a little melodramatic for this sullen crowd … and then it happened.
From underneath the casket came the loudest wasp you could ever imagine. It sounded like a bomber plane carrying vibrating death on it’s wings. He zoomed everyone on the front row, then took off directly for the eulogist. He awkwardly jumped and flitted around the podium, losing all composure, swatting at this killer wasp with his bible, all the while trying not to fall into the oversized hole they dug for the casket.
And it was then that I noticed the greatest feat of all. He continued reading the scripture and the eulogy as if nothing uncommon were happening to him right at that very moment. As his voice carried bravely on with the funeral, his mortal body was dealing with imminent death. ”Oh … grave!” he was out of breath a little, “where is thy … thy victory?”
