Fun House of Mazes and Mirrors

The Call

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:03:35 -0400

Confidence and power come when the reluctance produced by a sense of unworthiness is overcome by the irresistible call from God.

Fragrance of Christ

Wed, 30 May 2012 10:50:10 -0400

We are the Fragrance of Christ, being diffused throughout the world. It is the fragrance of the knowledge of God. Its effect on others is to produce an experience of God. God is not revealed by argument, but by a quality of spirit which creates the capacity to feel and respond, as light awakens the eye to see. Nothing else will reach the hearts of men.

Traveling

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:10:53 -0400

Just checked in for my flight to San Antonio.

My younger brother is getting married. It should be a fun trip. I really like San Antonio… plus the Spurs are playing well, so I’m sure everyone there will be in a good mood!

Don’t expect many updates from me for a few days. Peace and love, friends!

Ignorance

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:29:18 -0400

In Matthew 9, Jesus comes upon the sad scene of people mourning the death of a young girl. Jesus approaches them and says, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And the crowd’s response? They ridiculed Him.

Why?

Because His statements look like ignorance. They had seen the girl. They knew she was dead. Jesus had just gotten there… and had not seen her yet. He came into an utterly hopeless situation, with no insight or understanding of the circumstance, and then has the audacity to make such a bold statement!

Sometimes, faith looks like sheer ignorance… it looks like we have not surveyed the facts, or taken account of reality. But that is not the truth. As the Apostle Paul says, “Let God be true, and every man a liar”.

When the words of God contradict what we know… we must lean on God. Is that ignorance? No… that is faith. And God is always right.

Because the story ends like this: “But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.”

When all else fails, Jesus can do the miraculous. What He says is true, because He is the definition of truth. Trust Him, and He will counter any odds and impossibilities. Peace and love, friends.

The proud and the warmongers fight for dominance and control, but the meek shall inherit the earth won by Another.

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:29:10 -0400

Temptation

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:21:52 -0400

What’s interesting is that Satan, from the beginning of the world, has always used the same tactics to entice humans into sin. I just never noticed how blatant the Bible makes it!

Let’s look in the garden, Genesis 3—

The first temptation is to question what God said: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree in the garden’?”

The second temptation is to contradict what God clearly said: “You will not surely die”

And the third temptation is to provide an alternate reality from the truth of God (also known as a lie). This third temptation usually involves something about you being happier, wealthier, more popular, etc: “in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

What’s interesting is, in the Book of Matthew, this is the exact same strategy Satan used to tempt Jesus in the wilderness:

The first is to question what God said: “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread”. Just a couple verses earlier, Jesus had been baptized, and God said “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” But once again, Satan starts with questioning what God said…. and this is something I think we all get tempted in: Did God really speak to you? Did God really say that? Are you sure that this was real at all?

Then the second temptation, Satan twisted what God clearly said: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written…” Satan used the Bible on Jesus! How ironic is that? But you know what? He does it to us all the time. He twists and distorts the Words of God, so that we are tempted and pulled away from pure and sincere devotion—and for Christians, most of the time we can rationalize our actions USING SCRIPTURE!

And then the final temptation, as always, Satan provides an alternate to the truth—a lie, to try to entice Jesus: “All these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.”

And that is usually the stinger—Satan questions God, then he twists God’s words… and finally, he promises that you can have a better life apart from God’s will than with it…

Adam and Eve fell for the trick… But Jesus did not. Jesus stood firm, and because He overcame, we can better understand the wiles of Satan, and stand firm, knowing that Jesus is all we need!

John 16:33—“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Peace and love, friends.

So what if you were the one being pursued?

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:34:08 -0400

I’ve been in that position in the past. To be totally honest, I don’t like it…. and I’ve never taken that too well, lol.

Casual Observers

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:43:50 -0400

In John 12, there is one of my all-time favorite Bible stories: Basically, Jesus has come to Jerusalem for Passover, and this is after having raised Lazarus from the dead. Well, a lot of people were excited, because they had met Lazarus, and had known that the dude had been dead for a few days… and even some Greeks who were in Jerusalem for the feast wanted to come meet this man Jesus, who had done such amazing miracles.

So, the Greeks come to the house, and Philip (one of Jesus’ disciples answers the door), and they want to meet Jesus… so Philip goes into the house to ask Jesus if they can meet Him. And this is His response:
”“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.²⁴Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

What?….. did Jesus totally not understand the question? It was a simple yes/no…

I can imagine the scenario:

Philip: “Hey, Jesus, there are some guys that want to come and meet you, should I let them in?”

Jesus: “Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it cannot produce any fruit. Unless a person loses their life they cannot find it. If you want to serve me, follow me—and you’ll be where I’m at. God honors the people who follow me.”

Philip: “So…. ummm… yeah… should I let them in… Or tell them you’re busy….”

I always chuckle when I read it…. But this is the point Jesus is getting across: He doesn’t want casual observers. Jesus doesn’t want a fan club, or a following—He’s not interested in meeting people who are impressed with Him…. His only care is if you are willing to lay down everything to follow Him—and to serve Him.

For Jesus, these Greeks thought He was a celebrity—a miracle worker, and they thought it might be nice to meet and talk with. But Jesus was having none of that…. and He made the point so potently—that if we come as ourselves to Him, we will die… But if we lay everything down, we will gain life, we will bear fruit, and we will be honored by God.

Don’t be a fan of Jesus. Don’t be a casual observer. Follow Jesus with everything—lay down your life. Only then will you find life.

Peace and love, friends.

erosion-of-beauty replied to your post: healoneisgod replied to your post: What do you… But...

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:22:29 -0400

erosion-of-beauty replied to your post: healoneisgod replied to your post: What do you…

But what about the fact that men are called to be leaders in the relationship?

I certainly understand what you’re getting at… but I don’t think “leadership” in a relationship necessarily means initiating. Also, keep in mind that the Bible says for wives to “submit” to their own husbands (and the husbands submit to their own wives, hence “submit to each other”). No where does it say that women should submit to men, or that girlfriends should submit to boyfriends, or that men are the leaders of relationships before marriage. These rules are within the context of marriage—and the implications go no further.

Once you’re married, its a totally different subject. But as far as dating and relationships, the Bible doesn’t really even hint at the subject. If a woman wants to pursue, that’s her decision. It is not my preference, but I would never impose preference, or cultural taboo as being of a Biblical nature, when there is nothing in the Bible that says so…

John 2:1-12

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:15:26 -0400

John 2:1-12

healoneisgod replied to your post: What do you think about girls pursuing guys? Biblically, do we...

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:09:13 -0400

healoneisgod replied to your post: What do you think about girls pursuing guys?

Biblically, do we ever see the woman being the pursuer?

I think it would do an injustice to read the Scriptures with our Western, post-modern courting rituals in mind…. There is no Biblical example for how to go about dating, really—at least not in the way we think of it. Most of the marriages in the Bible were arranged by the parents, or were political in nature.

The closest thing you could get is “Song of Solomon”—but that is not really about dating/courting, as much as it is about passion and love… and it certainly wouldn’t be a place to develop a theology on dating.

So, in short, I would say there is no Biblical basis for either a man or a woman doing the pursuit… it’s a cultural thing, and there’s lots of leeway in that regard.

What do you think about girls pursuing guys?

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:56:12 -0400

Morally, I think its perfectly fine… no big deal. Also, some guys are shy, and some girls are extroverted… and if it works, it works…

However, as a guy, I’d rather be the one doing the pursuing. I want to initiate, to pursue, to court… I don’t want to back into a relationship. But that’s just me personally.

I see where you're coming from. I hope you are praying about it, even though it isn't the first on your list.

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:32:19 -0400

Prayer is one of my favorite things in the world. I pray about the dumbest things. Trust me, I spend plenty of time praying about this as well! :)

What's it like in NY? I've only been outside of California a handful of times and I'd like to travel there someday.

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:13:31 -0400

New York is amazing. There are so many people, so much going on, everywhere you go. Everywhere is busy, everything is moving in a hurry…

It’s quite exhilarating. The cityscape is breathtaking, coming straight up out of the water. The food is amazing, and there is always something to do, no matter what time it is. You can always find what you’re looking for, because they have EVERYTHING.

So yeah, it’s pretty amazing, lol. I love it here.

do you think God directly works to bring couples together or is it something that we do on our own?

Sun, 20 May 2012 22:47:19 -0400

I don’t think we should do anything on our own… but I don’t think God grabs people, and forces them together.

I think God brings extraordinary people into our lives, who were created for the same things we were, or at least compatible things… and we have to decide to pursue relationships.

You will never get married if you don’t pursue someone… but you will get married to the wrong person if you don’t follow God. I think, just like so many other things, a relationship should be the product of prayer, discernment, and trusting God. Don’t force anything… and don’t jump on the first thing that presents itself—wait on God, and when He opens the right doors, and you have a peace after prayer and Godly counsel, I’d say go for it, because it won’t happen on its own.

How did God show you you were called to youth ministry?

Sun, 20 May 2012 22:36:32 -0400

To be honest, it was a lot of just trusting God wherever I was at, and He made it more and more clear.

In high school, I had no interest in the ministry at all. But, after some violent disruptions in my life, I decided to give everything up to God, and trust Him—that led me to ministry—something I knew I had a call to, but had run from for most of my life to that point.

From there, it was all about listening to the whispers from God through my life—from my passions, my desires, where my heart was… and then all the failures and shortcomings I’ve encountered.

And it’s funny, because there was no real clear voice that said “Youth Ministry”… but as I began following God, youth ministry, the church, the location, everything was just the most obvious thing in the world. It was as natural as breathing—because I wasn’t trying too hard to figure it out, I was just trusting God as I walked, and doors began to open, and opportunities would arise, and as I would pray, peace and wisdom would come, and that was that.

So here I am… and still just following and trusting God. He’s still leading and guiding me, and its a really cool experience.

Do you want to get married? I'm sure you have potentials out there in your life.

Sun, 20 May 2012 22:31:50 -0400

I’m fine with whatever, to be honest. I know that I would be a total handful—and in my life, I don’t think that I would be the ideal husband/father, since I’ll be moving all the time, planting churches, working to do what God’s called me to.

Am I against the idea? No, not at all.
But it would take an absolutely amazing, strong, woman of God for it to work on any level. So, if it’s a God thing, I’m up for it…But I’m not going to be overly concerned with trying to make something happen, because I know 99.999% of women would want nothing to do with the kind of life I’m planning on living.

So there’s that, lol.

Do you have a wife or a girlfriend or a fiancee?

Sun, 20 May 2012 20:58:50 -0400

Nope to all. And I’m cool with that. :)

So worth it.

Sun, 20 May 2012 20:46:30 -0400

So worth it.

how would you define the difference between being humble, servant-hearted and essentially putting others before yourself and the really bad thing of enabling people? i'm finding it's a pretty fine line... and i'm not talking about enabling people with like addictions or something, but just like serving others without letting them walk over you. knowing when to say "no." is super important and i'm getting that figured out.... i just want to serve others as best as i can. shrug. your thoughts? :)

Sun, 20 May 2012 19:32:27 -0400

Haha. Yeah, this is one of those things where there probably is no definite answer—you just have to try to be discerning and prayerful about the way you live life.

For me, I think the big thing is that it isn’t necessarily about being “kind”—but being “loving”. The kind thing is usually very easy to identify—the person wants help, so I help….but sometimes the loving thing is to let them learn, grow, and to do things for themselves.

Love seeks the greater good—love wants to see growth.

So, ask the question—if I’m simply doing everything they ask, will they be better for it? Sometimes, the answer to that is yes—and when it is, put them before yourself and help. Sometimes, that kind of servanthood teaches a valuable lesson.

But, if the answer is, “no, they might actually be worse off, or more dependent”…. then the loving thing might be to just say no. Sometimes, they have to learn to be the servant as well!

And “no” is a tough word to say—but imagine where your life would be if God just answered “yes” to everything you wanted…. yeah, that would be a mess…

It’s definitely something I think we all try to work through—it’s not easy, and there’s no black and white. But for me, I usually try to let people learn to serve each other. If I’m the only one serving, there’s a problem…. but if we serve one another humbly, it doesn’t feel so much like anyone is “walking over me.” And you know, if there is no reciprocation, and that’s how you feel, maybe the loving, Christian thing to do, is to let them learn what it means to “serve”—when the help is gone for a while, they will notice how valuable your servitude is—and then they will try to serve you in return.

That’s just my take on it. :)