Tag: Faith

Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9, AMP)

Them. Us. Me.

For those of you who do not have a relationship with Jesus, especially those who hate Christians, please know that I believe your thoughts are justified and that you are loved. Do not read this as a devicive personal criticism. Know that I am chief among sinners but striving to discover and exemplify the love of Jesus. A redemptive Jesus who only wants your love in relationship. If you’re here, there’s a reason. Correct my stupidity in the comments. My prayer is that you pause and consider. My hope is to gain understanding and reconciliation, not division.

For Christians. This exhortation is not meant to guilt anyone into anything. It’s meant to call you. Starting with razor-sharp introspection to see blind spots and move towards a greater relationship.

That said, good and evil are black and white. I’m unapologetically standing on truth as being defined by the Word of God. And as seen in the perfect example of Jesus.

I write this as a defense. As a proclamation. Trying to reconcile being made in God’s image, attaining justice, and loving enemies, while never surrendering to evil.

Them.

This is not Left vs Right or Democrats vs. Republicans. It’s time to eliminate the lies of “my truths” and hatred fueled by hollow ideologies. Idiologies with voids quickly filled with evil, unleashing atrocities without constraint. Satan’s army has grown strong while we’ve coasted on inherited blessings.

Us.

“The Church?” It’s become a joke over the last 40 years. Revival is kindling, but praying it’s not too late. Actully nothing’s late in God’s timing. We’ve feasted on feel-good messages, being uplifted with humanistic psychology, aligning with the world’s shifting solutions to hopelessness, anxiety, and depression. Satisfied with just showing up. Hypocritically reeking of holier-than-thou. Worse, we’ve stained the name of Jesus by not calling out evil for what it is, for continually compromising in the name of empathy. We’ve allowed ideologies to claim our Message’s benefits without the accompanying accountability. Turning this world into a debauchery, using unquestioned acceptance and inclusion as our measure of righteousness.

Me.

Who am I? What have I become? What have I done to stem the tide of chaos? What was I doing while the enemy lodged itself in every gatekeeper institution? Attending church and pretending to be a good person. Worse: actually thinking I was a good person. Drowning in the gluttony of studying and worship instead of doing.

The Call.

• Sober up. Crush the rose-colored glasses. See this world as God sees it: even our best is rotten with evil. Be fiercely alert and confront its evils head-on.
• Study this enemy of ours. Destroying not by strength and ambition, but by aligning with Him through immersion in His Word. Seeking out evil, which is often disguised as love and acceptance.
• Seeking the most vulnerable. Starting with myself, improving my disciplines, by God’s grace, to find the eyes to see and the motivation to act. Helping where He directs. Reacting to His leading.
• Resist. Plant us on the immovable rock of Christ. Praying God motivates us towards Him. To be filled to resist the evil one and all opposition. Remembering to love our enemies as we preserve ourselves.
• Seek the suffering. Find and align with those in Christ who are sick of complacency, and join them in regaining the institutions we’ve lost. Find that path to the suffering and most vulnerable. To watch God do His part.

Who am I to speak or act, except, like you, I’m called to it, being made in the image of God. Longing to be nothing but in His presence to see everything that He is. Sharpening eyes to see His splendor and love in action. The eyes to see my part in the fight. The courage to take immediate action to protect those within Satan’s grasp. Starting with myself.

Stoke raging revival fires. Quelch the fires of rebellion. All to the glory of God.

For though we walk in the flesh [as mortal men], we are not carrying on our [spiritual] warfare according to the flesh and using the weapons of man. The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ, (2 Corinthians 10:3-6, AMP)

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11-13, NIV)

Where are the 999?

Who was Bonhoeffer? Who was Wilberforce? Who was Kirk? It’s astonishing how few people have no clue who these men were.

Bonhoeffer, maybe the greatest practical theologian ever. While fighting the worst fascist regime of all time, he found common ground across the world, faiths, and cultures.  Calling the greatness in humanity to action.

Wilberforce, a man erased from, or never put into, our history books. All he did was nearly single-handedly dismantle the most evilly devised worldwide economic trading model ever: humans for spices and crops.

Kirk, until September 10th, was a man you likely never heard of.  At best, thought was some alt-right political hack. Or at worst, a homophobic, sexist, racist.

Get out of your echo chamber. Pick up a book or take a class. Quit wasting your time reading these stupid blogs.

How do we NOT know these men? Because they’re men? Because they’re white? No, because of me.  Because I don’t care enough about you to get you to take a look. Because of you. Who, like me, are wasteful and lazy.  Feeding on information most readily available, most easily digested.  Info that only comes from my circle and the poisonous exclusionary splinter of my social media feeds, giving me what it thinks I’ll stay glued to as a typical white man.  You, who like me, fall into the easy path of hatred, disgust, and worst of all, a hubris of pitying others for their stupidity and ignorance.  With no desire to listen and learn.  No awareness of our own stupidity.

Give me a break. Take 10 minutes to read about Bonhoeffer and Wilberforce.  Then try to understand what Kirk was trying to say in the video above.  Then shut up and do something with your life.  Something of value.  Instead of trying to shock us with your hateful, murderous rhetoric, inciting the demented.  Or possibly worse, complacency in allowing people to be idiots without consequences for their destruction.

Bonhoeffer fought the Nazis for their murderous genocide, while fighting to get us to stand up.  Wilberforce destroyed the universally accepted open market slave trade while trying to get us to stand up. Kirk was simply expressing a message of love, peace, and truth.  Murdered for his method, while trying to get a thousand of us to step up.  Sadly, there’s not a thousand.  Probably not a hundred.

Lord, let me be one of the thousand.  Help me find the other 999.  Grant me the faith, fortitude, and love to also help find common ground with my enemies. More importantly, an ear of grace. A willingness to sacrifice all, knowing that you will provide. Knowing I can do all things in your will and strength.

Wednesday, September 10, 6:22 EDT – I published this site to voice my stance. To demonstrate the carrying of my cross.  Not to brag, but to hold myself accountable.

Wednesday, September 10, 2:23 EDT – Charlie Kirk gets assassinated.

Hell is in this world, with its pain, chaos, and confusion.  Heaven is here also, in its peace, joy, and reconciliation. Some days, there’s just confusion. Some days, the peace and joy shine through. Most often, the two dance. The power and glory of God, along with Satan’s destruction.   

It’s not a fair fight, nor is it ultimately consequential while it plays out.  Since the outcome is already sealed. So, do I just sit and watch the unfolding of time, awaiting the annihilation of hatred and destruction? The eternal damnation of those who steal, kill, and destroy? Obviously, no. 

Solace comes in knowing that Charlie is fine.  Though incomprehensibly painful for Erika now, she will be fine. The principalities of this world will fall, with much pain in the process, but those of us on the side of Heaven will be fine. Since all will be fine, what am I to do?  Something surely, since doing nothing is being nothing.

Somehow, God has helped me shift from an angry, destructive feeling of hatred for all things “liberal”.  A hatred of anyone desiring to kill, or find joy in the killing, of a friend in Jesus.  A friend who only wanted to help people. A friend who strove to know Jesus and become like Him.  A friend of the First Amendment, designed to sustain God’s peace.

Though my heart breaks for what could have been for Charlie. And breaks for Ericka’s journey. But it’s lifted in knowing where Charlie is, and that He’s walking closely with her.

So, again, what am I to do?  Nothing, knowing that in the end, all will be resolved?

I am to love those who are on the side of Hell and destruction.  Not a love cloaked as a blanket of forgiveness.  Not a watered-down love, compromising the Word of God, Jesus’ example, or the Holy Spirit’s prompting.  Instead, a love accompanied by appropriately applied justice.

Most importantly, I need a heart that breaks for those trapped in the clutches of Hell, those who are living in the chaos and reacting to it. Lord, help me love them as You love me, and help me to say and do the things that will allow them to see who You are.  Not condoning them or what they’ve done. Not pitying them for becoming trapped, because they’ve done their part. Lead me, Lord, to reach out with Your hand to touch their heart.  Give me the courage and boldness to express You. Give me the discipline to learn about who You are as my example.  Give me the humility to know that I am nothing, as I also live in this chaos, being confused and far from perfect.  More similar than not.  Give me the strength to run from my own evil desires, and the fortitude to keep running.  Purify my heart and fill me with a holy peace and joy that only you can provide. A peace and joy that can be partaken of by those on the other side so that they can taste and see that You are good. All in grace, mercy, and justice, in your measures and timing.  Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done.    

What should I be doing right now that will get me where I want to be?
Who should I be helping and how? Who are “the least of these” and how can I help them?

What stupidly selfish questions.

Being so confident in thinking I can target where I want to be and who I want to become.
Being so confident in thinking I can come up with the right steps to get there.

What hubris to think I need to help anyone. I’m actually saying there are people less than me.
What, I’m somehow endowed with something special that can be used to help someone?

Classic messiah complex. And no, I’m not saying not to help. Not to grow.

So why am I writing this blog? Isn’t that the ultimate expression of hubris? “Let me show others what I think. Let me show them how to live. Let me help someone.”

Stupid.

I’m writing this blog for myself. To try and expose the selfish, egotistical hypocrite that I am. Expose the condescending life I live when living at my best, helping the most, and even growing for Jesus.

I’m finally ready to get off the hedonistic wheel of righteousness and become a better critic. To possibly get to a realization that my dreams really don’t matter. That my purpose is misplaced. That my striving has been in vain.

No, not to beat myself up. But to discover. To live in wonder. To possibly become free by shackling myself to something less.

I do hope this exercise helps me to become more transparent with myself. More vulnerable. Honestly, hoping that this does not bring any kind of recognition, but instead, accountability. Knowing that I’ve put myself out there. Knowing that I don’t care who knows what I really think and feel. Especially myself. Proving it to myself. Quietly hoping you don’t discover this. Not sure if that’s because of a fear of mockery or fear of thinking I’ll have to become something more because of it.

In the vein of John Mark Comer, Pete Scazzero, Dallas Willard, and many others, I’ll explore establishing a Rule of Life, stopping the maddening busyness, and rebuilding something better. There I go again, thinking I can somehow craft my way to better.

This blog will be couched in a Rule of Life. Succumbing to Comer’s simply restated “Be With Jesus. Become Like Him. Do as He Did.” No more and no less.

We’ll see where this goes, and to start, I feel compelled to call myself out. Call you out. Call out all Christians who’ve let themselves and this world become what it has. Is this what I should be doing right now to get me to where I want to be? To help those I should be helping. We’ll see.