Last week’s discussion brought out a number of things that people do not like about church, theology and such.  There is a lot of information there to digest and see if we can come up with ideas and solutions.

There are almost always some things that get to us that just really do not matter.  As for these, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us drop and get over them.  But a lot of us do have some valid pet peeves and some of us do not.  There just is no question about that.

But when we do see a problem, what do we do.  A lot of times we resort to criticism.

This brings me to my questions for this week.

Do you criticize people, things, systems, beliefs, etc?

How often do you think you criticize?

When you criticize, do you think of solutions before resorting to just criticism?

And finally, is criticism necessary at all?

I know some of you may shy away from this one, but I ask you to boldly go where you might have never gone before.  Remember, it’s just a blog.

Love you all

Tags: Belief, Discussion, Holy Spirit, Love, Theology, Townhall, Tuesday

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

I started this blog on September 11, 2008.  Today, 122 days later, the counter just reached 10,000 hits.  When I first started this I did not think I would have much to say and I sincerely doubted anyone would read it.

I was wrong on both counts.  I evidently do not know how to keep my thoughts to myself, even when I should.  So I have had more to say than I imagined.  And you have supported me in this endeavor.

I had read of online communities but didn’t put much stock in them.  I was wrong.  They should never displace real, live interaction with people, but they can be a rewarding addition to the fellowship of God’s children.

So I want to say thank you to all of you who read and respond here.  I do personally know a lot of you but I really want to say that those outside of my personal acquaintances really mean a lot to me also.  People tend to keep you grounded when you have never met.

I want to thank Shannon for urging me to do this and I thank you all once again and I really, really

Love you all

Tags: blog, Fellowship, live interaction, Love, milestones, online communities, Personal, september 11

As any follower of Christ should know, he is worthy.  But, what exactly does that mean?  Do our lives reflect in any way that we believe that he is worthy?

I know that most of the time my own does not.  Sure, I praise him.  I adore him.  I love him.  I talk to him.  I listen out for him.  I look for him.  But am I really serving him like I should, if he is worthy.

To define worthiness is to understand that he is great.  He is excellent.  He is valuable.  He is important.  He is deserving.

We sing about how great our God is.  We know when we need, he supplies, when we hurt, he heals, when we cry, he wipes our tears.  And even though you probably don’t have any doubts, I sometimes do.  And he sends what I need to overcome them.  He loves me and forgives me and accepts me as I am and that is just a small part of why he is worthy.

We celebrate his excellence.  Just look at the magnificence of his creation.  When each of my grandkids were born, I went to see them at the hospital and one of the first things that always caught my attention was their tiny fingers.  So small and delicate, some not much thicker than a matchstick, yet they worked just like my own.  As they grasped one of my fingers, I marveled that something so tiny worked just like mine did and also had a surprisingly strong grip.  And the fingers of a baby are just the beginning.  Even though with twelve grandchildren, that did give me 120 amazing little symbols of God’s excellence.

We all have different ideas about value.  Some find money valuable, some knowledge, some power, and some prestige.  Some find family valuable, some friends, and some pets.  Some find solitude valuable, some a noisy crowd, some a quiet few.  Valuing something or someone is simply seeing it as very important.  Since this is so, God is the most valuable.   He is the one who actually provides all the things that I have listed here and any other thing that anyone values.  And even without those things, he is simply all we really need.

God’s importance just cannot be overemphasized.  Everything I have said so far would not even be, without him.  If you believe in him, and I did not for so very long, then you know that every day that you wake up, you owe to him.  Without him, nothing that exists would or could exist.  And just think of the fellowship with him.  As I said, there was a time when I did not believe that he was real, and I was a miserable, depressed person.  I did not love, except myself, and could not love.  I am still learning how even now.  And he helps me by, and in, his closeness.

What does he deserve then?  He deserves me.  And he deserves you.  He deserves my praise, my adoration and my love.  He deserves my time, my attention and my thought.  He deserves my effort and my ability.  He deserves my obedience and my labor.  He deserves so much more than I am or can give.  So I simply have to give him all of me.  You have to also.

He is worthy and we need to start showing him we believe it.  There are so many ways we can do this better than we do.  Thinking about this, I have come to realize we blow it right at the start.
What is Sunday to you?  For me it is the day I go to church.  I go to serve (teach) and worship.  I go to praise and get fed.  I go to rest and receive from God.  This is probably what a lot of us do.  And there is nothing wrong with this.

If we think about it further, how much preaching and teaching and singing do we allow before we start getting a little frustrated?  Doesn’t the pastor realize I have some things to get done this afternoon?  A little extra work would get me so far ahead next week.  Penney’s has a great sale and it ends today.  The game starts at two o’clock and I still have to eat lunch.  The kids are bringing the grandchildren over.  Just how much time does God need?

But what is Sunday to God?  Some of us confused Christians like to say Sunday is the Sabbath.  I do not think it is.  God began his work on the first day and he stopped on the seventh.  He called it Sabbath and it was for rest.  He did not need rest, but he knew we would, so he set the example.  I believe Saturday is still the Sabbath and we should still be resting on it.  I believe if we truly used the last day of the week as God intended we could have real rest.  The week’s battles could be laid at his feet and he would guard and protect us in our downtime.  (Thoughts from a warfare worldview)

Sunday is the first day, the Lord’s day.  It is the day our work starts.  What we do at church is only the beginning.  We need to get up out of bed with the knowledge and attitude that this is the day we start our weeks work.  And we start by meeting our God and King for his guidance, equipping, and blessing for this week’s mission.  We have to realize our work is warfare.  The work he began by creating has been corrupted and usurped by his and our enemies.  Our work (mission) is to take it back and help to restore it.  By noon or a little after, most of us are done.  We have given almost all we are going to give to God this week.

Let’s show him we think he is worthy by trying to at least give him all of ourselves for that one day.  What might that look like?  I am not sure but I would love to read some of your ideas.

I do know that to serve him is to love.  It is to love him and to love others.  This is all Sunday should be.  A day of love.  If we start the week off with love, the rest will more readily follow the same path.

Love you all.

Tags: Church, Creation, grandkids, Love, Praise, Sin, warfare, Worth, worthiness