"Say It Ain So Joe..."

Oh gosh, don't you just hate the sweaty hot summertime?
Heat so intense that you bust out a sweat
going from the car to the house?

Maybe it was such a hot time "in the old town tonight,"                
when a young lad, shocked at the accusations,
against his favorite baseball hero asked with
a cry in his voice- "say it ain' so Joe?"










It's not dry heat here in the South of the U.S., so to my
readers in the Greek Isles, China and Russia, folks you
are better off there, than we are, here, in terms of heat.
One time on a mission in New Orleans I was fussin'
about the heat going into the worship service and Chris
who was handling the reception desk said, "Ah Bray
(Cajun accent a bit) ain nothin compared to Hell..."
He was smilin' when he said it...thank God - or else
I might've wondered...

So you can tell I'm no fan of heat time- but it's here,
and what I mean is, this blog may draw a little heat
from folks who once again, think they've got it all
figured out- bless their hearts, I'm thankful for their
guidance- just wish, on occasion, they'd stop and
pray and meditate (we're gonna have to do a series
on the totally lost art of meditation...)
and then think, before they say what they say...
'cause it might not be hot compared to Hell-
but my friends, sometimes that's not the point!

Lately some of my really confident and secure
feeling folks- in other words, there is no doubt in
their mind whatsoever how solid their discipleship
is- they and Jesus is tight, tight, TIGHT!  So that
they not only clearly hear His voice, but they've
been given the wondrous mandate to let others-
less spiritual than they- by implication and other
means- folks who obviously aren't as tight with
Jesus as they are- well lately- they've been making
this statement, as if though, it's a good one:
"Well it's win-win for me, if I stay here, that's
a win, if I go to be in heaven, that's a win, so it's
a win-win for me."  In my heart I cringe, because
I know they are parodying something they think
Paul said -

2Cr 5:8

We are confident, [I say], and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord

And what makes me cringe for them is this
that Paul says in the very next line,
which isn't said with the previous
statement, usually, by those who believe they've won:

2Cr 5:9

¶

Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

Notice Paul's emphasis, which is the emphasis
that Paul strictly and totally maintained
throughout his entire following, discipleship,
with Jesus - to wit, we are here for a purpose-
we are here as warriors- and when we aren't
here anymore- we have to leave behind a
legacy - disciples- and if we don't - we
haven't labored as we ought to have. Paul
made his entire life about fulfilling the
saint's around him, and when Paul ventured
off that trail, just a little bit, he
encases all of those moments in the
trench of being "a fool" look at this:

2Cr 12:6

For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but [now] I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me [to be], or [that] he heareth of me.

Paul knew and experienced parts of his life
that we ought to find making us quiet- indeed,
Paul was beaten, he was lied about, he was lied
to, he was chased, he was mistreated- and
through it all- Paul kept his earthly focus
precisely where his earthly focus needed to be-
on those who would come to know Christ- and
not as Paul's disciples, but as Christ's
disciples - for Paul's historic legacy and
ministry is that God used him to change
the world. But Paul wanted nothing more
during that time than to serve right where
he was, wherever that was- serve, be a servant!
My fear is, far too often, I hear judges who
believe they've earned the right to judge!

God used Paul at a time when
there was no immediate messaging system,
and yet, Paul's messages are now being
circulated world wide! God used Paul when
writing wasn't yet simplified, and yet now
he speaks into an age where writing is
commonly conducted by speaking into a
computer that takes the dictation down!
Paul was used by God to bring the message
of His Son to the world, in a time when
that wasn't possible and they thought the
world was flat! God today encircles that
message to the entire cosmos, not because
Paul figured it was win-win, but because
Paul fought to survive every last inch
of what he had in him to put it on the
line for Christ. My friends be cautious
when you think you've got it all figured
out and you understand what it is that
God is doing with you.

Folks are being enticed away from the
true discipleship of Jesus to wander
around in a haze of "is it the end
days?" When the Bible clearly says
that except of a choice couple of
witnesses (that term is martyr-)
nobody will know, which is just how
it was in the days of Noah. So being
enticed to speculate about such,
shouldn't be more than a moments
joyous soul boosting looking to the
future, for a true disciple of Christ
as they will realize, Jesus told us
all we need to know about the days to
come which is:

Matt 5:11

Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Matt 5:12

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Dogs Life

Ever see a dog just relaxing in the shade,
just, laying out relaxed and at ease, not

bothered by anything, and find yourself
saying to yourself, "its a dogs life?"

We can relax far beyond any dog in the
shade, we are held in the shade of the
mightiest wings ever- and we are
held in hands that never grow weak.

Even a relaxed dog can awaken riled
up, though, when someone or something
that doesn't belong in the yard, enters.
You've probably seen that, or been greeted
by such a pup?  It's not fun is it? 

We have a call to be ready alert at all times
because we are aligned with the Master of
all Masters, the one who makes all the towers
over which we are Watchmen and guards.
Guard your heart carefully that your inner

peace doesn't get invaded by a presence which
doesn't belong there.  That way you will feel
a sense of peace without interruption.

It might be a dogs life, and they might have it
made, mine certainly does, and I wouldn't have
it any other way; but  for my soul, there isn't
anything better than to know that God is
in control no matter what happens, to my soul.

"Dogged If I Know,"

It is a way of saying that you don't understand
something, that it's confusing to you, or isn't

clear, and so, you just don't know.  Ever find
yourself in a situation which seems like it
ought to go one way, yet goes another? 

Ever face a foe that you aren't exactly sure
how they are the enemy, they just present
themselves as an enemy, they aren't clear
cut about it, they are strangely and mysteriously
cloaked about how they do what they do?
That enemy leaves you feeling like you
want to fight but aren't sure where the fight
is at, dogged if you know?

When this happens what do you do?  May
I be so bold as to suggest that you bring
the enemy out, and that when you go back
and read the incident in the desert, you 
now have eyes which see that Jesus, far
from being invaded upon, had waited
for 40 days to bring his true enemy out.

Would you also indulge me the saying that
enough is enough- there are and should be
limits to what you allow as an enemy.  When
you are in this war with a strange enemy you
have to clarify where the fight is going to
take place at- but also you have to clarify
what the fight will be about.  So sometimes
those who you believe are true to you, well,
they turn out to be just as false as false can
be.  What do you do when that enemy
emerges- and you find yourself working
in and working with self righteous hypocrites?

Jesus prayed about this, it seems to me, He
took long times with His and our father in
heaven, to sort through the myriad of things
that He might have been distracted to fight
against, but they weren't the real enemy- yet
another thing about the self righteous- they
rarely do the sort of loving things Christ
followers do- it's why their churches are
dwindling in membership, and their religion
is false, James warned about this, we are
seeing it, and living through it.

Dog - Devotional

It was the simplest command possible,
in the worst movie (my opinion) ever
made, Don Johnson, from Miami

Vice fame, took a starring role in a
movie called, "A Boy and His Dog,"
which was based in an after nuclear
attack world, and his dog could read
his thoughts (think that was it...).  So
Don just called his companion, dog.
Companion, dog, they do fit together
don't they?

When you think of an
animal that is loyal to it's master,
dog is one that might pop into your
head?  Is it possible that one of the
reasons that we believe this is that
we have seen it so many times?

The famous scary book author Dean
Koontz, wrote a book about his
dog, "A Big Little Life," and it's
an amazing book.  The Koontz's
support and got their dog,
from the dog's who are trained to
work with blind people, and also
assist people with disabilities- these
dogs, the Koontz's dog was a Labrador,
are known for being especially well
trained and very intelligent.  They are
known as "companions." 

What happens to them when they become
too old to do the job?  What happens
when there are too many of them and
they can't find a home?  They are
loyal, and highly intelligent- but
those are questoins that you might
want to pick the book up and read
the answers to.

The story is told about a dog who was
trained to follow the masters command to
walk- but one day when the master, a
blind person, insisted they cross, the
dog wouldn't do it- the master even got
cross with the dog insisting it was time
to move, but the dog knew, the lights
were off, had they crossed the master
would have been hit.  That is loyalty,
and that is intelligence, and that is
a thankful master.

We have a call to be loyal in our lives,
we aren't Labrador's who lead the blind,
but we are called to provide a way for
the disabled to get home- so our tasks
are very similar- but I wonder if our
loyalty is very similar also?  It isn't
often true that a person can say this,
but in my life my friends have been
so loyal and so helpful, it's not possible
to really express how wonderful they
have been to me and for me- and so
I know exactly how they are toward
their master, as well.  Today if you
get the chance to be a loayal and
friendly companion- help some poor
disabled soul get home.

Gone to the Dogs

"Gone to the dogs," another saying that
we don't know the origin of but the suspicion is

that dogs of the Germanic Europe weren't liked
by the Roman invading armies, and so, they were kept
outside the camps and when someone went outside
the camp; you know, to do what they needed to do,
the saying was they'd "gone to the dogs."

It has come to mean something negative in our
culture, when it shouldn't, my dogs behave far
better than many of my so called Christian friends.
You may have had a similar experience, which
is unfortunate, have to admit it's rare, but there
are too many times when my dogs seem to get the
whole thing about loving, but Christian's?  Well
you get the point.

Right now Mopsey, who came to us as an abused
dog, she weighed in then at skin and bones twenty
pounds, most of her fur had been kicked or torn
off, she looked like she had the mange- and so
Debbie took her to the vet, and $150.00 later
we found out, no mange- always nice to know.
But our relationship with this remarkable heart
was just getting warmed up.

Debbie's original game plan was to put Mopsey
in with some dogs who lived in the country, but
in her abused state, bruised, battered, someone
even shot her in the ear with a BB Gun- and the
BB was still in there- in her abused state, she
didn't get along with the other dogs who wouldn't
have anything to do with her?  They'd look at her
as if to say, "you probably had it comin'," and
they'd shy away from her- kind of like people
do when your down on your luck, ever seen that
happen?  The poor girl couldn't even get anything
to eat, they'd gang up on her and chase her away
from her food- as if though to say, "you aren't
gonna make it anyhow, why waste it."  Ever see
somebody like that, where it just didn't seem
to make much sense, really, to help them?

Mopsey couldn't get along with humans much
either, in fact, finally Debbie decided we needed
to bring her home, we had a discussion about it
and I said, "if we are going to bring her here, then
we need to treat her to love as she has obviously
never known, if we can't do that, we shouldn't put
her through anything else- so can we agree to that?"

It was agreed and Mopsey came to stay with us.
But she wouldn't let us near her, if we'd go near
her, she'd whimper back - she ate finally after
three days, and then took some water, but she
wouldn't let me come near her for 3 months-
everyday for three months I'd put my head
down, and put my hand out backside first,
this is supposed to be a position of submission.
But she'd still feel threatened, finally after
three months, she came over bye me, looked
at me, sizing me up, eye to eye, and then she
just leaned against my hand, as if though to
say, "thank goodness I can trust you, can't I?"

You see sometimes when somebody has been
kicked around so much, what they really need
is somebody that they can depend upon.  What
they don't need is a fancy lecture about how they
ought to behave, or, some non sense about what
the Bible says- that can come later, and really
probably should come, much later, for first
things for the person who has been injured, just
as it was for my hero Mopsey, was to see love-
to feel trust.

The picture is of Mopsey, and now, ten years
later, you can see it in my Mopsey's eyes, she
is the wonderful soul God intended she be-
but for Mopsey that journey must have been
a bit longer than for some?  Just as it is for
some people, hey?

Dog gone it...Doggonit?

You're right, I'm not sure either, is it

dog gone it, or, doggonit?  All that
we can be sure of, is, we aren't
sure of where it comes from- but
we do know- what doggonit means.

Alright, here is what it breaks down
into- dog, yes, that's my basic friend
to observe, gone, which is a state of
not being where someone expects you
ought to be, and it; meaning as Bill
Clinton so aptly asked, "it depends
upon what you mean by, it?"

One of my closest associates has
a wonderful dog, he is like me, getting
older, and losing his hearing- and while
it's sad; we've quickly got on the train
of telling her, "we just have to be more
careful with him, he will still have a
marvelous and long life."  Which is
true- about him, and about me- so
my close associate is maybe listening-
we sure hope so, because, for a dog
this one has the amazing ability to bring
other dogs into his act.  Ever know
somebody like that- they get you into
the strangest stuff, but they are fun
aren't they?

We have two dogs of our own, a mixed
breed that we've written the truth about,
she came to us abused, and her recovery makes
her a hero in my life.  We have a standard
Poodle, which makes me wonder, if this
one is standard, what's the nonstandard like?
Our hero is Mopsey, she is a wonderful
and very insightful girl of 13 X 7 years- as
people tell dogs age 7 years per one human
year- and Sophie, our sophisticated Poodle.
Sophie is the sweetest dog you could ever
ask to have, she trained to go out to go to
the bathroom in about a week, she is
just wonderful and loving, and she does
odd stuff that probably only her master
appreciates, but here is the oddest, when
my associate brings her dog down, they
form into a family, and you can tell that
Sophie is thrilled that Luck luck, my buds
pup is here.

Dog gone it- it's strange how some things
just fit together, almost like they were supposed
to be together, and that is odd, we don't really
get that, do we?  But there they are, three dogs
from totally different parts of the world, who
by getting their humans to do right, became
a family.  Now right about this point you're
asking -"hey is there a devotional thought in
here somewhere?"  Oh I believe you're gonna
really love this one, almost as much as Sophie
loves it when Luck luck shows up.

As Luck becomes less able to hear he really
needs extra looking after- because like any
curious and loving creature, Luck likes to see
"hey, what's over there?"  So he goes, over there,
dog, gone- and that's sometimes not good,
over there is, street.  Sophie comes running
into the backyard, tongue out, as if though to
say, "hey, he's out there and he won't listen
to me, I tried to tell him, but hes...gone."
Stop watering, go look, there is Mopsey heading
toward the street with a look about her that
says, "hey I'm taking the kid out for a time in
the pond."  It's very hot out there, so Mops,
loves to go find water where she can dip, and
I don't know why it is, but she prefers pond
water to dish water?  And there is Luck,
hot on her tail, following, willingly, the
conspiracy for freedom, is on.  Evidently
they haven't been properly introduced to
the right dogma- they're seeking - freedom.

Sophie, having "ratted," them out, is happy
now as I head toward the driveway, because
Luck can't hear me gently encouraging him
to come home, and Mopsey is my only hope-
and so, "Mopsey, come on, bring him back
here, he can't hear- come on girl."  She stops
her favorite walk to her favorite place and
comes back- you do the math.

It, see there is the it part of dog gone it-
because just like Christian's who used to
be there, sometimes they need a Mopsey
who will help them seek freedom, but when
it's gonna be dangerous, bring them back home.
But my suspicion is, freedom, is such a precious
thing to a family that when those Christian's
want to take a long walk to a lonely pond,
where just possibly the water tastes better,
it's good if there is a Sophie to tell Dad,
"hey, they're going over there, we need to
get after them about it."  Dog gone it -
or is it doggonit?  Still don't know, but this
we do know, there is something uncanny about
life and my dog family sure shows me a lot about
it- not the least of which is, my dear friend who
trusts me enough to care for her most precious
of friends, Luck luck, the wonder pup, dog gone it.

Not Cruelty, Something Else

You and I and God all share a common hope, we hope; for a better world.  Given the end of the story, that is absolutely true; what we honestly waste our time here doing, is anticipating such; for just as we do not know the next heartbeat, we absolutely cannot tell, with certainty what that next moment will bring.

Even though we believe we can read what John wrote about,
when Jesus revealed the end to him, can we?
Some diners at a cafe were enjoying
lunch, they'd made their choices, probably
some of the them were a bit anxious
about the spaghetti, or, the fish they'd chosen.
Maybe they were ready to get through
the main course to get to that wonderful
chocolate pudding; when the car broke
through the glass- and they died. 

Not how you'd like to spend the next bite on life,
but who would ever think such could happen? 

We call them accidents, but that may be a
euphemism for, we don't know what to say,
but we know what we can't say; that
accidents don't exist, for we know if
we say that; then we have to reconsider
and rethink every prayer we've ever prayed. 
This might give you an ounce of insight
into why it was that often the disciples
would see their Lord Jesus alone in
the mornings, praying. 
And you, have you spent some morning
prayer time doing the same?

Luk 2:52

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature,

and in favor with God and men.

A Simple Call To Worship

"Oh God, we know not what the future holds, but we know You hold that future, and because of Jesus, we know that Your love is real, we have seen that love which You have chosen to show to us, through Him.  We thank You God for that fact of the sacrifice, for the Word and for the insight of the Holy Spirit which tells us that Word became flesh and dwelt among us, today God we choose to trust You, and to trust that You are love." -Amen 

Read this morning where the head of British Petroleum says that he is devastated by the oil spill.  What would have been the reaction if he would have said, "we knew the company men were instructed to keep drilling even if there was risk that might be rash?" Or if he had said, "well the U.S. Congress and Senate have been investigating our procedures for two years and so far they've not said we need to add those expensive upgrades." What would have been the reaction, oh, let me tell you, about the same as it was before the spill - a yawn, people are already refocused.  Tell me I'm wrong, tell me that the day it happened, people were concerned, then the next day when the death of the eleven began to hit home, people were more devastated, and then the week that it was learned what a disaster this really was (the full enormity of that still being withheld for everyone's own good) that week, people were pretty riled up, but now, 59 days later, it's just another piece of news in your busy day.  We are becoming so distracted that as a third of the worlds waters become infected with "Wormwood" (chemical distillate or poison- read that Benzine) those of us who have read that description in end times material, haven't made the connection.  Tell me I'm wrong?  See why we began this with prayer...

Listen to it all...

One of my favorite movies isn't one most fundamentalist would own up to loving, because it's central character is a homosexual in Savannah Georgia, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," is a brilliant movie that catches the flavor, the ambiance of that great southern city and it's people.  In that movie is one of my favorite scenes, John Cusack, the lead actor is getting ready for bed, he turns on his recorder and plays the sounds of New York where he is from, he can't sleep without the noise.  We live in noise and we get used to it.  Noise, on the other hand, also changes our experience, one of my close associates insists that they have really deep feelings for me, nice to believe that, but what if they've merely become accustomed to my being like John Cusack was to noise?  I wonder if in some cases, we who claim the cross, haven't fallen into the same trap?

You or God?

Karen Armstrong in "The Case for God," makes
a very strong analysis that most people are
unaware of, simply put, only 7% of Muslim's
interviewed in a recent Gallup Poll said they
believe the 9/11 terrorist attacks were justified.
Think about that, 93% of Muslim's believe the
terrorists were wrong and horrific,
only 7% believed otherwise, and yet,
we totally and without much thought
condemn Islam?  How many Christian's,
it ought to be asked, would think that
a Holy War were justified today, by
Christian's against enemies who did
not believe in Jehovah God?  Where
does the spirit of war come from?
Maybe we should first ask, is there
even such a thing as, the spirit of war?
Well, let me ask you this, suppose that
there were specific and dynamic proofs of
such, and, would you be willing to take
part in finding them out, even if it cost you?

  John Eldredge, popular author of such
works as "Wild at Heart," and other
works, about the heart, says in his
work "The Way of the Wild Heart,"
speaks of "God has set his warrior
heart in every man."  (pg. 146)
As I look around me at men in their 50's,
my question is, "where's the fight in you?"
I've all but given up the fight myself;
it takes every bit of my spiritual,
mental and physical strength to stay
faithful to God- because the world
is shredding that faith.  If you agree with
that - would you also agree that sometimes
offering support to those who are both
studying and reporting on that fight
against that enemy might mean doing
so outside the normal church channels?
Maybe even a committment to support
someone writing each day about such?
We will talk about that later - just wanted
to ask you that question?

  We trust in everything else, at times,
except, trusting in God -
especially in America, where
we have so much "else", but also
in the rest of the world. The figures are true,
I'm certain, which James Denison in his
"God Issues," blog is presenting about
the numbers being "born again," in the
other parts of the world except
Canada and the United States are
like, and yet in all, what
representation of the total
population of those countries do those numbers
illustrate? And to be certain,
how many of them are young
people up to the age of twenty? You see
what everyone realizes but won't address

is, every great revolution in human history     
has been started by youth, including, Christ
and the disciples, who, almost to a man were
in their teens, to late teens.  Isn't this information
which you would find useful if you were
trying to convince someone to wake up
to the very real danger we face?

  You realize that's a hard question,
but my reason for it is this, we are
taught by the world to trust science
to cure our ills; and that if we don't,
we are foolish.  We are taught to be
self reliant, not God reliant, and we
are taught to believe in what we see,
not what we cannot see, but what
should be (Hebrews chapter 11 calls this "faith")
- so my point is, faith is being assailed,
and trust in God will fall shortly behind it.
So what is one thing that a person who
knows such can do?

  Glenn Beck of Fox News has now moved
into the lamplight of being called to
identify the evils which he sees,
yet sadly, many people are missing
the connection Beck is making with
the profound lessons of history;
as we in the America's yawn our
way through another half committed
day of doing whatever we are told
to keep our jobs, because goodness
knows our economy needs that;
so where's our focus there?

  As we yawn our way through another day,
we are being set up for the roast,
we are being led astray, and the
forces which are doing so
are Biblical in proportion.

  I witnessed a video of a young person
attacking a Bible scholar, they were
using every invective in the world
against this brilliant man; my writing
to them said simply this, "why do you
choose to defeat the sound points
of your argument by the use of such
limited language, so that, even if one
were to believe your points, they would
soundly choose to disregard them because
of your obvious hatred in presenting them."

  I wonder when Christian's today,
when we, today, mutter under our breath,
"well they just need to get "born again,"
how much different are we?  Why should
anyone listen to what we have to say?
Who is in charge of your day today?
Do you believe? Do you believe it is free will,
which would be you, rather than God?
Or, have you decided to listen to love,
that would be God?

The Depth Of Small Things

Cities are often built on top of the rubble of older cities as they are pushed down and turned into platforms to be built upon.  They claim such for Chicago, which built on top of old Chicago after the fire, and Seattle also has a reputation for having a subterranean support system that is in itself an old city, New York has such- now those cities down there exist as remnants of a past that we can't reach- they are dangerous to explore, and every so often you will hear about someone who got injured while attempting to explore them.  But a mouse, a little creature, it can do down there and go as deep as it would like, with little threat from the surroundings, they aren't likely to cave in because of the mouse's carbon footprint.  Small things can have amazing depth, and so it is in our lives as well, we have past's which have been for the most part, buried and built upon; if we go back there to explore, they can, in some instances, cause danger, even cave-ins and ruin!  But if we only briefly, like a mouse passing over the timber of an ancient city, and lightly go there, the past can be a place where we learn and grow, from, as we build the new city of our present success.  God wants your life to be successful, He put a lot of care and planning into the enormous energy of your present life, and He wants you to be able to have a firm foundation, one which, if it must be explored, isn't allowed to become a place of abode, therein would be the real danger of actually living in the subterranean past and not experiencing the joyful light of the present.  Today it is easier for me to see the present light and be thankful for the fact that I have a past, to sometimes gently and lightly go back there to take a lesson from it, but not to live there among dangerous rotting timbers of time, how about you?  Let's pray for each other who participate in this experience of walking with God.

Pretending

Here is a safe bet, anybody with any brains who actually believes Hell is a real place, has no interest in going there.  Safe bet because if they have brains enough to be rational, they can't like the idea of eternal dark and pain which are together in one place.  The truth is, however, that most folks don't believe it to be real.  Here's why- we are the age of technology, we have arrived here from science, to a large extent we are (most particularly in the United States) believers in what we can do with our time and our money.

We are fiercely independent people,
and we don't like authority when it is
not extremely proper or necessary
(defined as a police officer giving
traffic directions to a funeral procession,
proper and necessary)- all that being
put together, we trust, but that trust
isn't in God, it's in our own innate
ability to solve problems.  We
believe that we through our own
personal strength, solve the problems
that we face, and we also believe
that people who don't are weak and
incapable of being grown up and
well adjusted in their lives.  Lie to
me and tell me that's not exactly
how you and others around you
treat each and every day.  Only
problem with that is everything in it-
every part of that construct is against God-
against the very nature of God; but
most people don't know that because
they don't know God, certainly, a deeply
worshipful person realizes that they
cannot know God, not really, but we
can depend upon God, we can know
God to the extent that we know His
Son Jesus; and that's all we need to
know; really, Jesus is enough-
problem there is, how many folks
do you know who really know Jesus?

The true Christ, not the nice Christ,
often He wasn't, the Christ who has a
sense of humor, often Jesus just had
to outright laugh at the stuff He was
being asked; and that usually doesn't
come out until you dig down into the
Aramaic language itself, and then, BAM-
suddenly there it is, He was laughing
at the Pharisee's who were the epitome
of dumb and stupid in asking Jesus
where He got the authority to do
what He had done- that's a stupid
question to ask - God.  But the Pharisee's
believed they knew who Jesus was,
a faker, a liar, and a man who had
come to dislodge their choke-hold
on the people who wanted to get
to know God.  Those Pharisee's
believed that when they rebuilt
the Temple, under their own sweat
and strength, that it would never be
destroyed again!  When Christ said
it would, they were furious at such
an insult to their strength, their money,
their time!  Any of this starting to
sound like churches, outfitted with
their money, their strength, their time?

Any of this starting to sound like a
culture where people say "all they
are is whiners," instead of "I pray
I can be compassionate enough to
understand where their hearts are
hurting at."  Oh my, where is the
love of Christ in this generation?
I'd say...like the movie- it's "Gone Baby Gone."

If It Isn't Moral Why Are You Considering It?

Love - without qualifications?

It's pretty funny, we know what love is, you really don't have to explain it to people, they aren't stupid; they know.  Bet me they don't? 

Lately I've heard a rash of sermons which wanna explain to me what the Greek's thought love was, and how they defined it, and how that's what the writers of the New Testament meant, by certain words, when they
used them?  Not sure such is the
case for us today- you see, I know,
instantly, where a person is at with
me emotionally- we connect- or
we don't- and if we don't, and if
there is a chance that we might,
then that person gets what is less
than what someone that I love gets. 

Now while your busily thinking,
"and this has what to do with Jesus..."
let me just help you out a bit, look
at how Jesus reacts to those who
walked every day with him, and
look at how He reacted to those
who were in the crowd- and then also,
consider those who actively sought
to kill Him?  He knew, didn't he? 

We know- don't we?  So the question
then becomes, if Christian's say, SAY,
that they are loving someone- are they? 
Is it time, perhaps, for the reality
check that gets beyond saying one
thing and doing another, if we don't,
how can we ever get to the point
where we actually, love somebody?

The Best Will Find A Way

We know that we are made stronger by the struggle, we see this in our lives, we hear it in the oft quoted "that which does not kill me makes me stronger."  Of course the fun thing is to ask who the source of that quote is?  The same person said this "Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself." So we have a matter for you to ...research...and what's the first place you go?  If you said "Google," then you will understand my next statement - this technology is so much more powerful than you and I are willing to let into our heads...you see, last night, you probably slept, it doesn't, last night you got tired, it didn't, you might catch a cold, it uses "Anti-Virus," software and gets you to pay for it...and the real kicker here...it thinks.  Let's prove that...type into the Google search engine...fireI (capitalize the i)...see what it says...on mine it came back and asked "did you mean fire."  Truth is...that's what is burning under the pot we are slowly boiling in...

Your Case Today

Getting close to God, for you, how does that happen; do you pause and mention to God that you are enjoying this day, or do you bring up God's name after something bad happens?  Do you spend time considering God during the day, much at all?  These aren't questions designed to get you hot under the collar at the beginning of the day, but if they are, guess what's going on?  We have a theory, some of the folks who follow Jesus and myself that we are moving further and further away from God, and that it seems is taking place in a natural seeming way.  Our contention is that it isn't natural but driven- and that one of the largest driving forces for such in the world is media.  Here is something else to consider, would God love you more today if you did a few more things that He'd like you to do?  Being honest, we'd almost like to believe such possible, but the truth is God loves us.  Interesting fact about God, He loves us, in fact God is love.