Thursday, June 17, 2010
So I got a new job....
Yes, that is right. I got the call yesterday that Supply Chain Services International wants to hire me. To that, I said..of course. After all, I'm jobless, and I need a job..so why wouldn't I say yes? However, alot has happened in the last year that has caused me to think about jobs and what they are. I'm not overlly excited about this job, because I've realized that the job is not the big picture. The job does not make me, it is now who I am, and with or without this job..I'm still me. I used to think the job completes me, but it doesn't. It's an instrument or tool that gets me where I'm going and it's a piece to a big puzzle. This job will eventually end, whether I quit or get fired..it will end. I'm not holding on too tight to this, because like alot of things especially with God...he can give..and and can take away. I know for me, this job is just a stepping stone. One day, I will be in full time ministry. I also know that I will be moving from Illinois. So yeah!! I have a job. I will be a quality inspector for this company. Like the last year of my life...I will roll with the punches.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
What's that smell??
So what is that smell you ask? Is it someone's old shoes laying around? Is it the smell of someone who hasn't taken a bath in quite awhile? Is it the trash/rubbish can/bin? It could be someone's fine cooking or someones food that requires health code approval to prove sanitary. The title is probably leaving some of you wondering what the heck I am talking about. I've been thinking lately about the type of odor/stinch the church leaves on the world. I know, some of you are probably thinking who cares what the world thinks...it's only what Jesus thinks that matters. Some might say that any negativity that is coming from the world could be considered persecution...so bring it on right?? In this blog I'm going to discuss my reasoning on why the church needs to change it's flavor or plan on being regurgitated.
If you think back to Jesus talking to Peter and the disciples, he asked them one question, "Who do people say that I am?" Today, I'm finding myself asking when people think of Christianity and the followers, what type of picture do they see? So let's ask ourselves this...If people were to base what they know about God off the examples of our lives....what would our lives say about him/Christianity? In Jesus time, most of the religious leaders were conscerned with law. I think today, the first thing people see from christians is the Anti-gay, pro-life, anything republican/conservative movement. I'm starting to think that what people see most now a days has nothing to do with Christ and more about other man made requirements. Think about all the things that we associate with Christianity? How many of them can we actually say have anything to do with being like Christ? If you remember, it was the disciples and the jewish people who wanted to return to the good old days of being a country and having power. Why do we as Christians fight for the same thing? I'm always hearing about how we need to "turn back to God" and "become a Christian Nation again." Having Christian laws wont make us Christ Followers. I would say that what we need to do is become people who are like Christ..and the being a Christian nation thing...will work it's way out. You can't force people to live by the law. I really think it's time that we consider opening the doors of our churches to people who don't fit our mold of what christianity is. Jesus was a friend of sinners. He hung out with tax collectors and prostitutes.
We are so quick to kick anybody out of the church who is gay, but yet, what about the people who struggle with other sins? I'm not saying that being gay is ok, but what I am saying is...we will seperate ourselves from them, quicker than lightning, but yet..what about people who struggle with say pornography? Smoking? Drinking? Greed? I know I am not perfect and I have my struggles. I hear all the time about God's love, and how he loves us. My question is, when is God's love going to compel us enough to go after those who are lost? We are all broken, we all have sin. Jesus was a friend of sinners....don't you think we should be? Or is that a little beneath our vision of what being Christ is like? Would it make us not clean enough? We all know the story about God leaving the 99 to go after the one. Shouldn't we as well? My point isn't just about homosexuals. It's just been hitting me that the aroma that comes from the church at times is more of a stinch than a pleasant thing. What does being like Christ look like? The Good News has taken so many forms that I think it's lost it's original message of Love. Sometimes it takes the form of crazy people who are after money such as people on tv. Sometimes it's whacked out charismatic people who do weird things. Sometimes it's rarely seen because of the counterfit stuff posing. I'm feeling called back to the original message, the original purpose, the heartbeat of God..." I came to bring life, and life more abundantly." His yoke isn't hard, it's easy..light. We have the light of the world at our fingertips, we are the city on a hill, we are salt. Where is our light? Is it covered up? What message are we sending? If the statistic is true that says that soon only 4% of youth growing up will be followers of Christ.....in 10 years time...what will things look like? I'm all for signs and wonders, I'm all for the Holy Spirit doing it's thing. However, in the Great Commission, it says that signs and wonders will FOLLOW the good news. What good is signs and wonders without the good news? So I ask again....what's that smell???
If you think back to Jesus talking to Peter and the disciples, he asked them one question, "Who do people say that I am?" Today, I'm finding myself asking when people think of Christianity and the followers, what type of picture do they see? So let's ask ourselves this...If people were to base what they know about God off the examples of our lives....what would our lives say about him/Christianity? In Jesus time, most of the religious leaders were conscerned with law. I think today, the first thing people see from christians is the Anti-gay, pro-life, anything republican/conservative movement. I'm starting to think that what people see most now a days has nothing to do with Christ and more about other man made requirements. Think about all the things that we associate with Christianity? How many of them can we actually say have anything to do with being like Christ? If you remember, it was the disciples and the jewish people who wanted to return to the good old days of being a country and having power. Why do we as Christians fight for the same thing? I'm always hearing about how we need to "turn back to God" and "become a Christian Nation again." Having Christian laws wont make us Christ Followers. I would say that what we need to do is become people who are like Christ..and the being a Christian nation thing...will work it's way out. You can't force people to live by the law. I really think it's time that we consider opening the doors of our churches to people who don't fit our mold of what christianity is. Jesus was a friend of sinners. He hung out with tax collectors and prostitutes.
We are so quick to kick anybody out of the church who is gay, but yet, what about the people who struggle with other sins? I'm not saying that being gay is ok, but what I am saying is...we will seperate ourselves from them, quicker than lightning, but yet..what about people who struggle with say pornography? Smoking? Drinking? Greed? I know I am not perfect and I have my struggles. I hear all the time about God's love, and how he loves us. My question is, when is God's love going to compel us enough to go after those who are lost? We are all broken, we all have sin. Jesus was a friend of sinners....don't you think we should be? Or is that a little beneath our vision of what being Christ is like? Would it make us not clean enough? We all know the story about God leaving the 99 to go after the one. Shouldn't we as well? My point isn't just about homosexuals. It's just been hitting me that the aroma that comes from the church at times is more of a stinch than a pleasant thing. What does being like Christ look like? The Good News has taken so many forms that I think it's lost it's original message of Love. Sometimes it takes the form of crazy people who are after money such as people on tv. Sometimes it's whacked out charismatic people who do weird things. Sometimes it's rarely seen because of the counterfit stuff posing. I'm feeling called back to the original message, the original purpose, the heartbeat of God..." I came to bring life, and life more abundantly." His yoke isn't hard, it's easy..light. We have the light of the world at our fingertips, we are the city on a hill, we are salt. Where is our light? Is it covered up? What message are we sending? If the statistic is true that says that soon only 4% of youth growing up will be followers of Christ.....in 10 years time...what will things look like? I'm all for signs and wonders, I'm all for the Holy Spirit doing it's thing. However, in the Great Commission, it says that signs and wonders will FOLLOW the good news. What good is signs and wonders without the good news? So I ask again....what's that smell???
Saturday, April 24, 2010
A Christian nation.....really???
It's been awhile since I had something noteworthy to blog about, so i finally found something that gets me thinking. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that by watching the news President Obama is the antichrist and Nancy Pelosi is the false prophet and Senator Harry Reid is a really bad person....I know, if your a really hard right conservative I made you laugh. You would also see that the dems are trying to push Socialism onto everyone and making us lose all our "Christian rights", right?? I'm starting to ask myself something as a Christian....are Christians today any different than the Socialist unholy trio that i mentioned before? Your now probably thinking...Wait...I thought you are one of us?? Are you backslidden? No, I haven't backslidden, I still go to church, I still vote for Republicans, I listen to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, I even write my own stuff. I have a brain that is fully functional and I dont need talking points...whether it's Christian or Political...either way...they are annoying. I'm Pro-life, pro-marriage the way God intended it to be, I have a foid card and a shotgun, and will protect myself. I'm for less government, less taxes and all of the things that most conservatives vote for. Now that we have all that out of the way, let me get started on something. Let me ask a series of questions.
1. Would you support a bill that would ban the homosexual marriage and even lifestyle?
2. Would you support a bill that would bring prayer back to the schools?
3. Should "In God We Trust." be on the dollar bill?
4. Have you ever been to a rally or political demonstration about these things?
5. Should you have the freedom to go to church on Sunday or anyday?
6. Should we overturn Roe V Wade, and illegalize abortion?
Ok, chances are, you have or would agree with most of these statements. Here's where I'm coming from, How is socialism by taking away our rights, and then Christianity forcing our own beliefs any different from each other? Here's a story I got off of the website called "The OOZE" today. I was reading a discussion by a guy who is a christian who struggles with homosexuality. He was talking about a christian radio station that had two women on discussing Prop 8. That is the bill in California outlawing homosexual marriage. These women were on there and laughing and so joyous about the fact that conservative values won again. I was also glad. However, what he said next hit me. He said that by christians being so Anti-gay..we are turning them away. It clicked with me what he was saying, We care more about banning everything we don't agree with than we do the actual people doing these things. Am I saying we shouldn't protest and get some of these things banned..NO! But what I am saying is, I think we spend so much time trying to maintain our status as a christian nation and our precious values and rights, that we lose focus on what we are here to do. I believe if Christ wanted us to force our views on everyone else, he would of came back more militant than he did. Instead he gave us choice..that's the real difference between true Christianity and Socialism...you have a choice with Jesus. My point is that, we've gotten so caught up in protests and laws and what Obama's doing next, that if we were to just care for people like Christ did...it would change people. Look at the woman who was brought before Jesus for sleeping around. The religious leaders wanted her put to death. Jesus himself knew she deserved it. She didn't need another law telling her how wrong she was. Instead he had compassion and forgave her. How many people do we turn away by much of our christian talking points, and lose what we are here to do? Alot of us would be quick to kick this guy out who is struggling with homosexuality. My question is....what about the struggling addict, the struggling alcoholic, or even the guy/girl into pornography. By everything the bible says...None of these will inherit the Kingdom. My point in all this is that...we can have our laws, our rights, our christian president, and country...but none of that makes us a christian nation. We are known by our fruits......
1. Would you support a bill that would ban the homosexual marriage and even lifestyle?
2. Would you support a bill that would bring prayer back to the schools?
3. Should "In God We Trust." be on the dollar bill?
4. Have you ever been to a rally or political demonstration about these things?
5. Should you have the freedom to go to church on Sunday or anyday?
6. Should we overturn Roe V Wade, and illegalize abortion?
Ok, chances are, you have or would agree with most of these statements. Here's where I'm coming from, How is socialism by taking away our rights, and then Christianity forcing our own beliefs any different from each other? Here's a story I got off of the website called "The OOZE" today. I was reading a discussion by a guy who is a christian who struggles with homosexuality. He was talking about a christian radio station that had two women on discussing Prop 8. That is the bill in California outlawing homosexual marriage. These women were on there and laughing and so joyous about the fact that conservative values won again. I was also glad. However, what he said next hit me. He said that by christians being so Anti-gay..we are turning them away. It clicked with me what he was saying, We care more about banning everything we don't agree with than we do the actual people doing these things. Am I saying we shouldn't protest and get some of these things banned..NO! But what I am saying is, I think we spend so much time trying to maintain our status as a christian nation and our precious values and rights, that we lose focus on what we are here to do. I believe if Christ wanted us to force our views on everyone else, he would of came back more militant than he did. Instead he gave us choice..that's the real difference between true Christianity and Socialism...you have a choice with Jesus. My point is that, we've gotten so caught up in protests and laws and what Obama's doing next, that if we were to just care for people like Christ did...it would change people. Look at the woman who was brought before Jesus for sleeping around. The religious leaders wanted her put to death. Jesus himself knew she deserved it. She didn't need another law telling her how wrong she was. Instead he had compassion and forgave her. How many people do we turn away by much of our christian talking points, and lose what we are here to do? Alot of us would be quick to kick this guy out who is struggling with homosexuality. My question is....what about the struggling addict, the struggling alcoholic, or even the guy/girl into pornography. By everything the bible says...None of these will inherit the Kingdom. My point in all this is that...we can have our laws, our rights, our christian president, and country...but none of that makes us a christian nation. We are known by our fruits......
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