But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Gal 5:22-23

There was a time not too long ago when most children did not have much to do with me.  I believe they were probably a little intimidated by the perpetual scowl and the fact that I didn’t really care about or notice them.  They mostly avoided any interaction with me, even when I tried on occasion to reach out to them.  But some say that children know or perceive things that we as adults do not.  Maybe those few knew that I only did it out of politeness or for personal gain of some sort.

Now I am starting to encounter some problems that I don’t handle very readily.  Children are starting to like me.  And I don’t know how to respond.  The old fake responses do not work because I do care about and love them now, only I don’t react very well.

Children have always loved my wife with abandon and she loves and relates to them so well that I am in danger of covetousness.  I want that and am starting to actually need it.  One night in the revival last week, a little girl that is usually all over my wife, came and sat beside me while my wife was practicing singing.  She was sitting next to me and playing, making faces and other kid stuff, and I was just doing my best to respond.  And probably not doing very well.

I love it, but not only is this new to me, it is a mystery also.  Why the change in so many children in their attitudes towards me?

Maybe it is the fruit.  I know that I am growing daily in Christ and that the Holy Spirit is working steadily to change me, so maybe it is an evidence of the next to last fruit as listed by Paul in Galatians.

Gentleness, or meekness, as it is translated in some versions of the bible, is a fruit of the Spirit that we all need.  Me more than most, probably, but we all must cultivate this along with all the others.  I already discussed self-control and I didn’t mention this, but that fruit is not very hard for me.  Gentleness is.  Any of the fruit that have any relation to compassion or care are foreign to who I used to be.

What is gentleness or meekness?  This is from Dictionary.com:

Gentleness…The quality or state of being gentle, well-born, mild, benevolent, docile, etc.; gentility; softness of manners, disposition, etc.; mildness.

Meekness…A calm temper of mind, not easily provoked; a disposition to be patient and long suffering.

We get the sense from these definitions and the biblical narrative that this fruit, gentleness or meekness, implies a calm disposition, particularly under fire–which actually requires a great deal of strength. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of a bearer of this fruit.  He exemplifies the biblical description of a calm disposition, particularly under fire.  I like to say meekness as meant here, is having “strength, under control.”

Jesus said that the meek would inherit the world.  And the world today has come to misuse this word and define it as something Jesus did not mean.  The world would have us think that “meek means weak” and that is just not true. At any time during Christ’s abuse, torture, and crucifixion, or any of the other times He suffered, He could have called on the Host of Heaven or even His own disengaged power, and wiped all who came against Him out.  But He didn’t.  He was meek; He was gentle, in all His dealings save one, with those He encountered.  And even in the temple, He could have done so much more.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).    The world says, “Blessed are the strong, those who can hold their own.”  The world favors more conspicuous and so-called heroic virtues. The strongly competitive, aggressive and assertive are the ones who receive recognition, admiration and reward. They seem to end up on top of the heap, possessing the most and the best, despite their obvious and offensive character flaws.

As we know, these types of achievements, these accolades from a fallen world, have nothing to do with eternal reward except to waste the time we have for the storing of this treasure.

When we hold our temper in check, or better yet when it starts to disappear, we are displaying fruit.  When we could strike back, but don’t, we are displaying fruit.  When our attitude and character invite instead of intimidate, we are displaying fruit.

When a little girl named Kaci can sit and try to play with someone that used to be described as a bear and was called Sarge, it must be another evidence of this fruit called gentleness or meekness.

Thank God for His gracious power to change us all.  I want to be one of the meek who inherit.  Don’t you?

Love you all

Tags: attitudes, Character, Compassion, Faith, Fruit of the Spirit, galatians, gentleness, Good, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Love, meekness, Power

The choir in my church sang a song today called, I believe, We Are Not Ashamed.  They have sung this song on many occasions and I am always moved by it.  It is about not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is something we should all take to heart.

But do we?  How often do we keep silent when we should speak up?  How often do we make sure we do not put ourselves in a place or a position where we might have to speak of the gospel?

Some of us, maybe even all of us at times, find ourselves embarrassingly inadequate at sharing our faith.  Are we really ashamed?   Probably not.  I truly doubt, except in certain situations, that most of us are really ashamed of our God and Savior.  That would be like being ashamed of our wives or girlfriends, husbands or boyfriends.  Most of us are really not ashamed of those we really love.

So what is really the problem?

I believe it is probably intimidation.  I do not, entirely, mean intimidation in the sense of being afraid, but instead being under the impression that it will do no good.  That it won’t really matter or make a difference.  Some of us are concerned with others attitudes toward us and opinions of us and some of us just really think we cannot make a difference.

Why bother talking to that guy at work who is bragging about his adulterous affair?  He won’t listen if he is that outspoken about it and I just might be ostracized from the group for my holier than thou attitude.

That Muslim you know is just so devout that you know you will never reach them, and you are a little intimidated by what you know of their religion; so why take the chance of being looked on as one of those hate spewing Christians?  We can all live together in love, if we keep silent.

And that goes for that very outspoken atheist also.  If we keep silent about our faith, we can all get along very well.  And maybe even love each other.  And if we can show enough love, then that will win out in the end.  Right?

Wrong.  What love is this that is willing to keep silent about something so important?  I started thinking about this post after listening to this video the other day.  In this video you will hear Penn Jillette, a very outspoken, oftentimes crude, but very logical and consistent thinker and atheist.  He is the talkative half of the comedian/ magician team known as Penn and Teller.

He is also what I call a true atheist.  I was one for many years myself.  I believe a true atheist is someone who says they do not believe that there is a God and they are not afraid of those who believe.  We seem to be surrounded today by people calling themselves atheist that are intent on silencing us.  They seem afraid of something, or maybe it is Someone.

In the video you will hear Penn say that if we, as believers, really love everyone and we really believe what we say about heaven and hell, then our love demands that we tell everyone about it; in effect, we should proselytize.  Evangelize, if you prefer.

I admire his stance on this and find that this was the way I felt also.  As a Christian we must tell everyone the gospel.  If we do not, do we really love?  I can’t see how.

We can never be ashamed, and as I stated, I doubt many of us really are.  But we must also never be intimidated.  We may be called intolerant, or a holy roller, or hateful, or many other things; but we must still tell the story because for the sake of love, it is necessary.  Those that can’t except this and call us all of these things are running scared and can probably be reached.

And those that are not running scared, like Penn and like I used to be, will be reached through the consistent witness of love and the telling of the good news.

Listen to the video.  And pray for Penn Jillette.  A transformation of someone like him would be a mighty witness for the Kingdom.

And the next time you feel a little timid about sharing, remember that if you really love them, you have to.

Love you all

Tags: atheist, Believe, Christians, Church, Faith, Good, Heaven, Hell, Jesus Christ, Kingdom, Love, muslim, Penn Jillette, religion, Self, Sin, witness, Work

Today is the day that some of us celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  And today is the day that some just enjoy another holiday.  It is also a day which some try their best to ignore because they feel it is a pagan holiday or one for only those bigoted, intolerant people known as Christians.

Whatever your view, and I am sure there are some others, it is still Christmas day.  Whether you try to change it by refusing to say Merry Christmas or just ignore it, you simply cannot change the fact that a little over two thousand years ago, God took it on Himself to become one of us in the person of Jesus.  Submitting Himself to the indignity of being birthed the same bloody, nasty, helpless way that you and I were born.

If a king or a presidents or even a CEO’s son was being born today, they would be surrounded by the best of facilities and personnel, ready to attend to that special new baby.  A clean, sterile environment, cutting edge technology and only the finest doctors would be in order because of the VIP status of the newborn child.

But the King of Kings, the Lord of Glory, the Alpha and Omega, the very Creator of all came to us and was born in the cold of night, surrounded only by a stable of dirty, smelly stable animals.  Nothing clean and nothing warm except the loving arms of Mary were there for this baby who was God.

He came to be among us, to feel what we feel, to experience what we experience.  And it seems He decided to do all of this on the lowest, most common level.  Why?

He did this because He wanted to truly have a relationship with us.  He did all of this because He loves us and He wanted us back.  I am humbled just imagining it all.

I asked you what you enjoyed most of all about this holiday a couple of days ago.  There is no wrong answer to this because it is purely subjective.  And as some noted, it seems to change from year to year based on a number of things.  Family, age, level of spirituality, all of these must affect our answer.  I know for me it seems to change every year as I grow in Christ.

This year, I would have to say that the best part of Christmas is the fellowship opportunities.  As I have said a few times lately, I have a growing hunger for relationships and fellowship with those others in the Kingdom of God.  I believe it must be a sign of maturity in the faith and a necessary component of Kingdom advancement.  We do not spread the gospel or make disciples by being alone.

A lot of people, me included, have looked at Christmas in America and have knocked it and bemoaned the passing of the true celebration of Christ’s birth.  I still see all of the commercialization of this sacred holiday and am saddened by it.  But I must admit that I am not as upset as I have been in the past.  The Holy Spirit has directed me to some things that I want to share.

Christmas is becoming more and more commercial and secular.  But as I look around, I see something that I did not notice before.  That is that love is more evident at this time of year than any other.

People reach out to those in need.  Shoebox ministries to needy kids, the inevitable ringing bell and red kettle in front of Wal-Mart, families being bought food and gifts for the holiday, pleasant attitudes and well wishes in business establishments, and other small and large things that we can see going on around us, if we’ll take the time to notice.  Even the greeting of Happy Holidays, although upsetting to some, is better than the nothing we get all the rest of the year.

And all of this is being done by more than just Christians.  I have been wished a Merry Christmas by some that I can’t even imagine in a church.

I am naturally skeptical and probably a little pessimistic.  But this year, I have been awakened to the fact that there is still some good in this world; and some good people.  It just seems that after a full year of self-centered attitudes, most people let it go for a little while in December and are filled with at least some love for one another.

It has to be because of what the holiday really stands for.

As I said earlier, a little over two thousand years ago, the very epitome of true love stepped off the throne and entered into creation.  A baby named Jesus came to fulfill a rescue mission.

The wonder of it all still fills the air to this day.

I hope that you all have a really wonderful, very merry, Christmas!

Love you all

Tags: America, Believe, Christians, Church, Creation, Creator, Fellowship, God, Good, Holy Spirit, Hope, Jesus Christ, King, king of kings, Kingdom, lord of glory, Love, Merry Christmas, pagan holiday, Relationships

I love to read.  I don’t remember exactly how old I was when I first started reading books on my own, just because I wanted to, but I was about eleven or twelve, I think.  I remember back in the 70’s getting lost in the adventures of The Three Investigators.  While other kids who read were following the mysteries of The Hardy Boys, I found that I was more interested in this series because of the supernatural element.

I moved on to other mysteries and detective stories like Ellery Queen and Sherlock Holmes and then my Dad introduced me to Edgar Rice Burroughs.  He was the creator of Tarzan of the Apes and many other larger than life characters that operated in many fantastical, magical, fantasy filled worlds that I found more fascinating than my earlier times helping to solve mysteries.

As time went on I read many genres; westerns, fantasy, science fiction, adventure, action, suspense, horror and of course many of the classics.  From comic books to extensive collections of adventure series, I always had something to read.  I was a quiet, shy, introverted kid that found the most enjoyment while alone with a book.  I had a vivid imagination and could get lost in the worlds of many of the stories that I read.

This has carried over into my adulthood.  I still read a lot but my focus since I was born again almost seven years ago has been on all things theological.  I have focused mainly on anything that helps me to do my work for the Kingdom.  I still have many works of fiction that I intended to read before I got saved that have been placed on the back burner.

I used to read fiction, I believe, to escape this world; this world that I really did not find much joy in.  My atheism and my dislike of people in general didn’t help me in this.  The wonderful and mysterious worlds of fiction kept me engaged on a level that allowed me to find some joy at least.

The introduction to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom has changed me.  I find joy in this world and relationships now because of the changes He has made in me and because of the importance of the work I need to do for Him.  And the investigation into the mystery of God and who He is, is satisfying in and of itself.

Yesterday afternoon I read a work of fiction again.  I read The Shack.  I know that I am a little behind the times on this one and almost did not write about it but I believe I should.  I originally did not want to read this book.  The hype surrounding it actually turned me off to it.  All the highly touted books in the realm of Christianity since I got saved have let me down.

The Purpose Driven Life is more about us than Christ.  The Prayer of Jabez was a misplaced idea about incorporating something that someone else prayed for in a certain context for the enrichment of ourselves,  again.  And I don’t really believe I need to say anything about Your Best Life Now, the title says it all.

Most everyone was saying how life changing The Shack was while the fundamentalist crowd has critiqued every word for theological error.  I read a little about it and figured that I would probably just look for the error in it also.  But yesterday, while sitting alone feeling pretty lousy from this flu or cold or whatever I have, I decided to give it a try.

I read it in three hours.

It surprised me.  It was fascinating and wonderful.  I t was an amazing view of a God that loves us and wants nothing more really, than a dynamic relationship with us; and our trust.
It will probably upset some with the authors liberties in the portrayal of God but I found it rich and authentic.  The relationship of the Trinity went a long way in helping me to possibly understand a difficult concept better.

The idea of a God that reaches out to His hurting children did not quite fit the reformed concept of foreknowledge that was there but that did not bother me.  That, I believe, was the power of the story.  If you allow yourself to lose any critical attitude and immerse yourself in the story, you will get something wonderful from it.

The story and the concepts of God in it fit so well with my growing ideas about who God is.  The relational aspects of our walk with God are just now starting to come to the front of my own and others theological thought.  Emerging churches, missional movements, open theism; all of these have at their core the concept of a loving God who wants us in a rich relationship with Him and each other.  This was a major theme I saw in The Shack.

The portrayal of the trinity as truly one God is exactly what I believe also.  We tend to treat God as three separate gods in our attitudes and speech, but I have always made it a point to see the God of the Old Testament, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit that is here with us now as the same being.  They all share in this relationship and in all the pain and suffering with us.

The last concept put out in the book, the necessity of forgiveness was, in my opinion not expanded as much as I would like, but it was a powerful part of the story.  Forgiveness is one of the major steps to finding peace in this world.

The author made it a point in some interviews that this is a work of fiction.  He is not trying to put out a commentary or textbook about theology.  Take it as that and you will find it enjoyable.  Life changing, I don’t know, but a valuable work to place into your mind for the enrichment of your spirit, I believe it is that.

Read it, enjoy it, but have some tissues nearby.

Love you all.

Tags: Atheism, Christianity, Church, edgar rice burroughs, ellery queen, fantasy science fiction, foreknowledge, Holy Spirit, Jabez, Jesus Christ, Kingdom, Love, mission, Prayer, Relationships, Self, sherlock holmes, spirit, Supernatural, supernatural element, tarzan of the apes, Theology, worlds of fiction