Thinking out loud…

Thinking out loud here.

The world is changing, and not, in far too many ways, for the better.

Things that I hold as truth, things that I see in the Scriptures, things that I would LOVE to be able to edit or ignore, are becoming something other than what they are.

And they are sin. Period. And yet, we see them filling our churches and not being called what they are. And please spare me the worst case scenario instances that most people use as an excuse for sin, when we allow things for the supposed “what if” scenario, it just makes us fall that much more easily.

Divorce? Without the reasoning found in Scripture, this is sin. And yet we watch as people change husbands and wives faster than they change clothes.

Stealing? Sin, no big incident of finding justification here. And yet, church leader after church leader is caught fleecing their flock.

Anger? Sin, save in righteous instances which are few and far between nowadays. We run about railing against all the things that we hate, in God’s name of course, up to and including one another.

Homosexuality? Sin, plain and simple. And this will quickly become an issue that will make or break many a congregation.

Fornication? Adultery? Sin. You want to engage in the act? Get married. Sorry, I didn’t make the rules. Oh, and when you ARE married? That does not allow you to sleep with someone ELSE that is also married, it has to be with YOUR spouse.

Sin…let’s be honest, it’s fun. At least for the moment it is, anyway. Or we tell ourselves that it’s fun, and we are enjoying ourselves.

And for the world, maybe it truly is fun. Their frame of reference is not guided by God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within them bringing the conviction of the sin and the following guilt, shame, and/or remorse.

And far too often it seems that we that reside in the Church feel none of those things as well.

And it worries me, not because I am some sort of kook that thinks we need to rush about with our flails and flagellate ourselves and cry out how horrid and sinful we are, but because we are His children, or at least we profess that we are, and we are allowing sin to slide by in greater and greater frequency simply because the world says we have to.

I sin, , no really I do. And sometimes it is deliberate, an instance of rebellion to a parent that I feel is not doing what I want done or is keeping me from doing something that I REALLY want to do. So I do it.

And while it may take a bit, I always regret it. The feeling of guilt that accompanies it ALWAYS catches up to me, which I am glad to say is a GOOD thing IMO, it reminds me that HE is still working in my life and directing me away from those things that would do me harm and that do NOT bring glory to His name.

If you are sinning, have sinned, or are planning to sin, and you are a Christian, may I offer a piece of advice?

STOP!!! DON’T!!!!

I speak from plenty of experience, trust me, it is NEVER worth it.

But if you have already done it, hopefully you are feeling the pull of the Spirit to confess to God and to truly repent. Rest assured, He will forgive you, He WANTS to forgive you and free you from the burden you have placed on yourself, that lead weight of guilt.

Tell Him about it, don’t try to justify anything, just tell Him and ask Him to help you through it.

And we? The Church? We have GOT to start standing up for the Truth found in Scripture, because if we become the same as the world what is the point?

Grace and peace,

Tony

In the valley…

I’m on the downward side valley trek.

You know the one, right? The one where you are burning the tread off your tires for God (or at least you FEEL that way ), you are focused and dedicated, praying and humble, you feel like your right in the middle of the stream of the Holy Spirit.

Then, for some reason I have yet to fathom, the stream dries up on you. You start to feel tired and listless, your focus becomes blurred, and the things of God kind of lose their luster.

Maybe it’s just me…

These valley moments always stink; they get me doubting myself, my calling to God’s work, and even my salvation at times.

But, I do have to say something about them that is positive…

I have, so far anyway, always come up the other side of the valley, and usually it brings with it a lesson or an increased awareness of His work in my life.

I just wish that He would fix it so I could just always be in the upward side.

Valleys suck…

If you’re in the valley too, look to the right or the left (not sure which side I’ll be on ), I’ll give you a wave and a nod.

And between us, He’ll be walking along, matching our paces.

Grace and peace,

Tony

Unity is cool…

Unity…

It seems to be the “in” word in Christian circles lately. And, as many times it does, it has a definite root in Scripture.

John 13:34-35

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Romans 12:10

10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 13:8-10

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

2 Corinthians 13:11

11 Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

And there are more, look them up and be blessed…

Anyway, unity seems to be the new cool thing to pursue.

And, in theory, I am all for it. My only hesitation is that it too will become, as many other great ideas have, something that is rich in idea but lacking in Spirit.

We come charging out far too often with the next great idea on how to “better” the church and beat it until it has a long, sad, frustrating, and vociferous death… (I like vociferous…it’s a big word )

I would love to see some actual unity, differing groups (denoms) coming together to worship and praise the Lord. Reaching out to the community at large, or better yet, to each others’ family groups, with prayers and real tangible support.

So, realizing that I am jaded and anticipate failure, I will simply pray that the “in” thing will catch on this time…

How ‘bout that unity?!!!

Grace and peace,

Tony

A daughter’s perspective

  I am a teenager, and like most I am: prideful, dramatic, as faithful as mud… XD Obnoxious! ANYWAY!! I also know as a teenager, some, maybe useful, info about us teens being a teenager and all.

                                                       Suicide… It. Is. Everywhere. On the news,

                                                 in newspapers… It’s even spoken of at school…

                                                 Just like that EMO stuff, and no, it doesn’t mean they are

                                                   ‘Over Emotional’ (although that is also a small part in it)

                                                it is cutting one’s self, and some teens are able to hide from

                                           their parents… (Thighs and wrists are a good place to check)

                                                 But suicide, is like homosexuality; it’s EVERYWHERE.

                                           (although homosexuality of teens is a different topic that I can touch

                                            on, if you like this post enough *hint hint*)

Well, I was a victim to the thought. My life is a good one, not perfect, but no one’s life is perfect. I have two loving parents, who are still sickening-ly in love (EW! X>), I have my six-year-old brother -_- who is a heck of OBNOXIOUS, and my closest friend. I am never, and have never been depressed, I am not a go getter, but I am never depressed.

                                                      Even though my life is a very good one,

                                            I could lay in bed and think of how I could walk in

                                      (even with my parents awake and in that room), grab a knife…

                                   and kill myself. (Don’t worry, no attempts were made), usually I could

                                 forget about it… But one night, that ONE NIGHT, I couldn’t get it out

                                  of my subconscious, I tried, but it repeatedly returned.

                                           It scared me into tears.

                                Finally, that night, I prayed: 

“God; I’m scared, I don’t wanna think like that, please, please, PLEASE; help me stop thinking like that…”

                           And, as though awaiting that ONE prayer, he answered (he works faster than a manager lol). As soon as I ended my prayer, boom; the thought was gone, no more and since then, I’ve never thought that way again. That was a few months ago.

                                                       What I’m trying to get at is, you and your teen could be,

                                        the tightest in the world; but they could be hiding something serious

                               and need help, but you can’t see it. (We aren’t THAT bad at hiding things we don’t

                              want people to know.) You can go in, sit down and ask your teen to pray,

                             and maybe save them; or you can not and let it tear them up inside, maybe

                               causing it to end in a horrible tragedy.

                                                        you have the choice to take the first step,

                                God’s waiting patiently for that one prayer, all you have to do,

                             is pray with your teen.

       

                                     – Please, comment on whether it was good or poor ;3 thanks-

                                                                                                                                                                 – Annie

In the pool…

I spent Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and yes….Tuesday night two weeks ago prepping the ground and stuff for our Redneck above-ground pool. During the time I was putting it up, it was in the 90’s. After I got it up?

Windy and 70-80’s…

But YESTERDAY!!!!!

We got to get in for a while, and it was COLD!!!!

And it was a hoot.

Our daughter, Annie, got in first, and of course she bragged that she didn’t whine like I did when I got in (daddy’s little girl alright ). I got in, and almost dropped the S bomb a couple of times , but I turned it carefully into ,”SHOOT!!”. Then Dane got in, and surprisingly he stayed in for quite a while. We thought for sure that he would have touched a toe and been all, “I CAN’T GET IN!!!!” but he splashed around with a fair amount of gusto.

Then Mickie got in, eventually, I mean it took like an HOUR for her to actually get all the way in…

Sad….

But, the important part here?

We were spending time together.

Grace and peace,

Tony

It’s a dance…

You hear the music…it is faint, and it sounds…well….like EVERYTHING.

He stands before you, a man of obvious Middle Eastern descent, dark hair, and dark eyes. He wears a robe of the most brilliant white.

He holds out His hands, an invitation to you. You start a bit, because as you look at those hands, you can see through the holes in the center of His palms.

You are nervous.

He smiles, and oh what a smile it is. The warmth and love that emanate from that face, the compassion, the welcome, this is the face of One that truly loves you and wishes to be with you.

You step closer, placing your hands into His. You notice the feel of His hands, strong and firm, calloused and soft at the same time.

You step up on His sandaled feet, as a child does with their parent.

The music increases in volume slightly, building in anticipation of what is about to begin.

You rest your head on His shoulder, and peace settles over you. All the tension, the random thoughts and worries, the weight of all that you feel you MUST do or say or feel, it all is washed away.

And you hear it…tha-THUD….tha-THUD…the beat of His heart, strong and steady, bringing memories of the comfort and safety of the womb. Your heart picks up the same tempo.

You smell fresh sawdust…no….the ocean….no….a meadow full of flowers…the scent of a newborn….fresh cut grass…the smell of the air just before a heavy spring rain….

He tightens His hands on yours slightly; you stiffen in anticipation of His movement.

“Be at peace,” He whispers.

You relax once again, fully and completely relax.

And with the final release of your efforts to help, He moves.

Oh, what a dance….

He does not call us to move on our own.

He calls us to dance His dance, with Him.

Let Him lead and just enjoy the dance.

Grace and peace,

Tony

A blessing…

Nothing earth-shattering today, not that there ever is necessarily .

May you be blessed today.

May God’s face shine upon you and remind you that you are loved.

May you have peace and joy in your heart.

Smile, Jesus loves you.

Grace and peace,

Tony

As it depends…

Romans 12:9-21

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

More on love.

Love must be sincere…

How often do we either give or receive the Sunday good-faced love? You know the one, all fake smiles and “I’ll pray for you”s. I would almost better enjoy a snide face and being ignored, at least then I know where you stand.

And I can be as guilty as anyone of this, and it makes me kind of sad; but, I recognize it and have been asking God to help me with my love and sincerity, and my patience and forgiveness as well.

See the verses about one another? How we are supposed to be devoted, and honoring? How do we do that when we probably don’t even know everyone at our church, or maybe don’t WANT to know everyone? We far too often are simply a group of individuals meeting with one another for an hour or so on Sunday, or maybe even meeting on Wednesday for a bible study as well, but never really KNOWING one another, and I think,

We have to start taking an interest in one another, perhaps a bit less focus on the world and more on the Body is in order? I’m all for evangelism, but when we spend more time on reaching the lost than taking care of the FOUND, I think we do each other a great disservice and weaken the Body in ways that are detrimental to the very evangelism efforts that we are trying to sustain.

Here’s one of the hardest verses, at least to me it is anyway:

18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

See, we rely all too often on how others affect our responses, to how we act and react to them, but God calls us to an INTENTIONAL decision as to how we are to live with one another.

“But she said…”

“But he made us…”

“But they decided to…”

Those are not YOUR problems, you are responsible for what YOU bring to the situation, and as far as what YOU can do or say, you should do your best to be at peace.

Grudges are fun sometimes, let’s be honest. We get a thrill out of being the victim, over being able to blame this or that on another and carefully gather the sympathy of others. We NEVER want to lay open the truth of whether or not maybe, just maybe, we had a hand in the situation.

How often do we stop and look at ourselves, taking a good long assessment of our actions and reactions to a given situation and accepting our part in troubles?

We are to live at peace, to forgive, and to love. By doing these, we show the love of our Savior to a doubting and cynical world.

And better yet, we follow in His footsteps and further His kingdom. We build up instead of so quickly and viciously tearing it down.

And we LOVE one another…

Grace and peace,

Tony

Some idle thoughts…

Well, I preached on Sunday, Pastor John is on a well deserved break, spending time with his family. It has been a while and I was nervous…

Went well I guess, folks said they were blessed. I truly hope so.

I preached on love, and I covered a pretty big couple of sections of Scripture.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 John 4:7-21

And finally…drum roll please….

John 3:16-18

I pray that the folks heard the message (goodness knows I get loud enough when I get excited, which I always do when I preach ), that they will truly understand that they need to love the Body, that they need to participate, not just observe. That they will begin to CARE!

But, we had a prayer meeting last night, and lo and behold, out of a congregation of 250-300 folks, there was a total of 4 of us there to pray.

Sigh…

We also lack enough teachers for the large number of kids we have (we have a couple moving away), and I wonder if anyone will step up and answer the call to help.

I will be leading the bible study tonight, we start Titus, and I am excited.

But I can only do so much and still give my family the time and effort that they deserve.

So, when I pray on Tuesday nights, and in my own personal prayer time, I will pray for more workers. If you have a moment, I could use some prayer backup.

Thanks in advance.

Grace and peace,

Tony

Time for quiet…

1 Kings 19:11-13

11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

I am a firm believer in the fact that He is supposed to be in the wind, the earthquakes, and the fires.

He, more often than not it seems, disagrees.

And He has the advantage of being God and therefore He is right.

Not fair…

How hard is it to hear that whisper? How hard do we have to try and even imagine enough silence, be it internally or externally, to be able to hear Him when He speaks to us?

For me, it is HARD. Even when I get to that moment of quiet, my mind immediately begins to flood with white noise.

I think quiet comes with practice, so practice I will.

Homework- See if you can get quiet and listen. Just listen. And if you fail, recognize that it’s not a bad thing to fail because at least you are TRYING. And then? Try again.

Grace and peace,

Tony