When I see this bar...

I am admittedly a shameless Kenny Chesney fan.  While his music may not be everyone's cup of tea, he music represents a vibe that makes me feel comfortable, familiar and at home.  One of his latest singles titled When I see this bar is one of my favorites.  The lyrics paint a picture of stories shared, memories made and a community of people doing life together and having a ball at the same time.  When I hear this song it doesn't make me want to drink more Corona but it makes me realize how blessed I am to have a place like this that I am a part of every week. This place is full of people doing life together, sharing stories, having parties and carrying on with jokes and laughter.  Oddly enough, its not a bar, it is a community of faith. 

I watched the video for the first time, I was amazed at how much that what these folks are doing is so similar to what is going on at my community of faith.  I go to a "church" (don't really like to use that term anymore because it has negative connotations associated with it) that lives in community with each other and the community around us.  We love each other, lift each other up and give to each other whether it be financially, emotionally, spiritually or musically.  We have music, good times and a bond with each other that I have not ever had anywhere.  I feel sorry for the rest of the folks that are "doing church" as an obligation or religious practice cause that ain't what its about (had to get my redneck slang in there).  I look as forward to going to my community of faith as someone that might look forward to going out on a Friday night. We whoop and holler and jump around just like a rock concert and we laugh at all the crazy things our tattooed, pierced pastor does to keep our attention while he challenges us to live a better life.  I feel so lucky that I found this place and would love everyone to experience this.  However, the unfortunate reality is people are turned off by "church" because they have been abused by people in the religious atmosphere that have turned God into a rules based judgment atmosphere instead of a party and celebration like it should be.  Here are a few lyrics of the song and how it speaks to creating community and relationships

Well I see the souls of so many friends,
And I see us all back here again.
With sandy floors and ceiling fans,
A Rastafarian one-man band with songs
That fill my memories like a tip jar.
Yeah, that's what I see
When I see this bar.

 

The bottom line is this.  Church shouldn't be about feeling worse about yourself. It shouldn't be a place where you dread going because you feel worse leaving then when you came in. It should be a place where YOU can be YOU!  It should be a place where you create memories with others you are doing life with. It should be a place to laugh, have fun, be goofy and crazy for all the right reasons. The right reasons are because we have a God that is big, joyful, full of love and ready for us all to embrace this crazy life with enthusiasm, fun and excitement.  When I think of the Kingdom of God I kinda think of this video of Kenny's.  Maybe some of you "religious" folks think its sac religious to compare a video about a bar to the Kingdom of God but why would anyone want to experience the Kingdom of God if its not fun and exciting?  Because it is fun and exciting! No we don't need to get drunk and act irresponsibly but I believe that if churches would start following a model of creating an atmosphere of creating relationships and memories and having fun doing it, the Kingdom of God would be experienced by so many more souls!  If you would like to experience this atmosphere check out Hub City Vineyard in Hagerstown Md at 9:15 and 11 am on Sundays.  http://www.hubcityvineyard.com/ and by the way, enjoy this video! 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWZe6YoHYIg

 



Setting the Captives Free in the Most Unlikely Ways!

As I was reading my Bible this morning I felt led to read something about David.  David is one of those characters in the Bible that I just am drawn to.  Not because he is some kind of super saint but the fact that David was both passionate for God even in the midst of his own character defects, something I can relate to.  As I began to read and soak in the passage I Chronicles Chapter 15, I was struck by the celebration that was going on during this time.  Sometimes we gloss over stories in the Bible and don’t really understand the significance of the events being described.  So let’s dig a little deeper!

 

 

 

Background…

The chapter I opened up to when reading this morning was I Chronicles Chapter 15 that is titled “The Ark Comes to Jerusalem”.  So this is a big deal.  Why?  Well let’s see, the Jews were in exile for 70 plus years outside of their home, away from their place of worship and basically wondering around aimlessly, lost so to speak.  Why?  Well lots of reasons. Historically the Babylonians exiled the Jews out of Jerusalem, took over and did their thing.  Morally, the Israelites weren’t exactly following the plans that God had laid out for them. I like to say they fell into that moral relativism stuff.  Meaning, the “I can do whatever I want and it want hurt anyone” mentality.  During these years they fell into worshiping false Gods and basically doing things God told them not to do.   Then they commenced to whining and complaining when God did not “deliver” them.  Basically, they were miserable.  Fast forward to 583 BC and this guy Cyrus comes into the picture.  He was a king that basically defeated the Babylonians and allowed the Israelites back into Jerusalem to worship their God and to rebuild their lives, their temple and their faith.  So in Chronicles one of the key points that the text describes here is the famous Ark of the Covenant returning to Israel.  Why was it a big deal?  It was symbolic of Gods covenant or promise to His people to deliver them. Inside it contained the 10 commandments, Aaron’s staff and a jar of manna (which is the food God sent down from Heaven when the Israelites were complaining about being hungry).  To have this back in their presence was a huge deal.    So they were in celebration mode, full on party in Jerusalem.  So as we read through Chapter 15 of Chronicles we see all kinds of things happening, leaders chosen, decking themselves out in the finest party clothing and blasting the city with trumpets, cymbals, harps and lyres. Worship at its finest!  The people were so happy to not only have the ark back but to have the opportunity to be close to God again. 

 

God Used Who?

 

So as I am reading this passage I can’t help to think about King Cyrus. You see, prior to this awesome party the Israelites were having with David dancing wildly and uninhibited before God,   Cyrus isn’t mentioned in this chapter.  I kept thinking to myself, wait a minute, if it weren’t for this Persian King, who didn’t really even know God, the Israelites may have never have been allowed back into Jerusalem, never been able to experience God again and never have gotten the opportunity to see God’s goodness.  The more I thought about this, the wow factor kicked in.  God used Cyrus, a Persian King, to bring His people back to Him.  What?  God didn’t use some noble, religious High Priest to do this?  I’m confused.  I thought God only used people that were into Him and followed Him?  But He didn’t. Why? Well let’s read this prophecy from Isaiah:

This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:

I am the Lord,
    the Maker of all things,
    who stretches out the heavens,
    who spreads out the earth by myself,
²⁵ who foils the signs of false prophets
    and makes fools of diviners,
who overthrows the learning of the wise
    and turns it into nonsense,
²⁶ who carries out the words of his servants
    and fulfills the predictions of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’
    of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
    and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’
²⁷ who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
    and I will dry up your streams,’
²⁸ who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd
    and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”
    and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’

45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,
    to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
    and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
    so that gates will not be shut:

Cross referenc

1. Isaiah 44:24 : S Job 19:25; Isa 43:14
2. Isaiah 44:24 : S Isa 27:11
3. Isaiah 44:24 : S Ps 139:13
4. Isaiah 44:24 : S Ge 2:1; S Isa 42:5
5. Isaiah 44:24 : S Ge 1:1
6. Isaiah 44:25 : Ps 33:10
7. Isaiah 44:25 : Lev 19:26; 1Sa 6:2; Isa 2:6; 8:19; 47:13; Jer 27:9; Da 2:2, 10; 4:7; Mic 3:7; Zec 10:2
8. Isaiah 44:25 : S Job 5:13; 1Co 1:27
9. Isaiah 44:25 : 2Sa 15:31; 1Co 1:19-20
10. Isaiah 44:26 : Isa 59:21; Zec 1:6
11. Isaiah 44:26 : Isa 46:10; 55:11; Jer 23:20; 39:16; La 2:17; Da 9:12; S Mt 5:18
12. Isaiah 44:26 : S Isa 1:1
13. Isaiah 44:26 : S Ps 74:3; S Isa 51:3
14. Isaiah 44:26 : S Ezr 9:9; S Ps 51:18; Isa 49:8-21; S 61:4
15. Isaiah 44:27 : S Isa 11:15; S 19:5; Rev 16:12
16. Isaiah 44:28 : S 2Ch 36:22; S Isa 41:2
17. Isaiah 44:28 : S Isa 14:32
18. Isaiah 44:28 : Ezr 1:2-4
19. Isaiah 44:28 : S Isa 28:16; 58:12
20. Isaiah 45:1 : S Ps 45:7
21. Isaiah 45:1 : S 2Ch 36:22; S Isa 41:2
22. Isaiah 45:1 : Ps 73:23; Isa 41:13; 42:6
23. Isaiah 45:1 : Isa 48:14; Jer 50:35; 51:20, 24; Mic 4:13

 When I found this passage in my study, I was struck.  I see in this passage that God is saying that He gets to call the shots, not us.  When we pass judgment on who can be used by God, then take it a step further and claim that we know more than God, we are sadly mistaken. I especially like the part of making fools out of the wise, yep I can relate!  

So what’s my point? 

My point is in this whole story is I look at how hard I fight to control my life, my circumstances and others.  I try to “make things happen” on my own. I build my own Tower of Babel to God and say “loookey at what I did!”.  I think that the grass is greener sometimes and have my idols and turn my back on what is true from time to time.  At times, I too, like the Israelites, spend some time wandering in the desert. But God is faithful and He does what He says what He is going to do, when the time is right.

  Looking back over certain aspects of my life that I fought so hard to change, but ultimately could not, I see now how God has shown me that He has used some of the ugliest of circumstances in my life and quite frankly the most ungodly individuals to change the course of my life and ultimately bring me back to Him.  In the midst of our suffering we don’t see what God is doing or what He is trying to show us about our own character.   As I was studying this this morning I was listening to the news about Syria and all of the opinions on whether the U.S. should or should not intervene.  I don’t have an opinion. Does that mean I don’t care? Absolutely not!  I don’t want to see lives destroyed, people killed and families torn apart if more service men and women are deployed.  But I know this, God is in control and He is faithful.  How do I know?  I know both from revelation from God’s Word, which by the way is a historical text and Cyrus is a historical figure, and I also know from my own personal revelation of what God has done in my own life.  Just when we think that God can’t use the worst of the worst, guess what, we are wrong.  I know personally now, even in the midst of the most difficult struggles it is much easier for me to accept what is going on knowing that God is doing something good.  He frees us continually from our messes just like He did in the Old Testament and we have proof of it in His word.  For me personally, this increases my faith in truckloads! 

 

Yes this is a long blog, but something God is showing me about Himself.  And that is reason to celebrate, dance wildly and uninhibited and loudly in His presence. David knew his own character defects and recognized how God loved him despite those defects and he demonstrated his excitement in his worship.  Just like the Israelites, God has set all of us captives free through the blood of Jesus and I personally am going to shout from the rooftops about it!  

Faith

I had something on my mind to write about this morning....however, God had other plans, so here it goes.....

Faith.  I used to get completely frustrated when I would see this word and it was all "roses and rainbows" or the font used to convey the word was in calligraphy or some ornate and soft writing. It frustrated me because I looked at the word presented in that way and thought there was something wrong with me because I did not see the word that way. I saw it more like this....

A friend of mine posted on Facebook that faith "sucks".  I would have to agree.  Faith is not easy, but what I have discovered in my own journey is that faith is gut wrenching and life changing.  That gut wrenching, yes, that helpless feeling in your stomach when you don't know what else to do...that is the most beautiful place to be in your life because it is the place where we KNOW that we need something bigger than ourselves. As I was on the treadmill this morning, the lyrics to this song reminded me that the most beautiful place to be is on our knees...

How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down into my core where I’ve become so numb
Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I’ve become

 

 

It is in that nothing that we have become that emptiness and that gut wrenching, soul crying out that we understand what faith really is.  Jesus comes in, picks us up like the woman who was about to be stoned by her accusers and sets us free.  We aren't sure when or where it will come but it does and when it does we all have a tendency to forget how many times he has set us free.  I know I get complacent.  When things go bad, I cry out to God "help me, help me".  But when things are ok I don't need God as much.  I know when I am in that place I need to shift the paradigm in my own life and look at my weaknesses and my character defects and realize that needing God is the better place to be.  Paul says it best...

 

We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best! 2 Corinthians 4

 

What is your true artist rendering of faith?  Is it something that you might see in the Christian bookstore, on a card or in a photograph or is it something different than what we have been accustomed to believing?  The word I chose to illustrate does not mean I don't have faith but when I see that word in that way I know that God is doing something in me. When He is doing something in me, I know it is good and it allows me to accept that faith is hard, hideous at times and as my friend describes it sucks, sometimes. But it is the most beautiful, most profound struggle we will ever have.







We need a hero...

 

Hero's and heroines are an integral part of any movie or show. They engage us with their bravery, their personality traits and characteristics. Just watching the Hunger Games we are drawn to the character of Katniss Everdeen and her passion for justice and caring for others. It drives her to the point of stepping in to save her sisters life by giving her own instead.   It is a basic human desire to seek justice, morality and care for others. It is not something we learn, it is something we are born with an innate character quality placed in us by the master creator.   It is the thing that separates us from the animals, our ability to act not merely out of survival instincts, but to show compassion and caring to others.  But something has gone wrong....


We do what feels good, we pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and we subscribe to the moral relativism theory that as long as I am not hurting anyone, what does it matter what I do?  My question to that theory would be, how do we really know that our choices are either hurting or helping others? We make choices without considering if our choices are causing others to suffer. In the Hunger Games the folks in the "Capitol" are glamorous, gluttonous, and greedy and all at the expense of young lives and a reality show.  If we get honest with ourselves and do some self examination, how many of us buy into this mentality.  How many go without because we HAVE to have a thing or have our own way?  And who suffers if we get our way?  We don't really know what's best for us and  like rebellious children we question authority, make our own rules and create our own misery.

We need a hero... and its as easy as making one simple choice.


Yesterday, 30 people made a choice in the world.  What was the choice?  It was not a new career, a new purchase or even a new religion.  The choice was made by these people by their own will to follow a central idea that has been around since the beginning of time. It is to follow a hero. The hero is Jesus.  What do we know about Jesus?  Well, he didn't much like the religious practices of the Pharisees, he put others on the spot when they were prepared to stone a woman to death in judgment, he gave to those in need, healed, fed and the list goes on, oh and not to mention, He gave His life to show how much he loved us.  Want to know more?  Just read about him in the New Testament of the Bible.  This is what a hero looks like.  The folks that made the decision yesterday decided that they too want to live a life like that. It is POWERFUL!  And it is such a paradigm to the way that things have been going in the world or as in Hunger Games "The Capitol" which is full of the do what feels good mentality at the expense of others suffering.  The choice to follow Jesus as our hero, is to deny ourselves!  What!  But that is so contrary to what we know of this world!  EXACTLY!    And that is exactly what will change the world, not religion, not rules, not judgment, but love. Real, relevant, sacrificial and unconditional love. 

So to the folks who were baptized yesterday and made this choice, my heart is full of joy because you are world changers.  You have decided that you no longer want to live with the status quo of doing what feels good and you want to live a life full of compassion, love and above all hope.  It's a new day and just as the sun was shining down on you during your time in the water... the Son is alive in all His love in He resides in your heart and you will love others radically when they least expect it. And one by one... you will be world changers! 

 

 

Heaven Let Your Light Shine Down!!

Its time to reclaim that which has been lost.  It is time for a generation to claim what is rightfully theirs.  It is time for the Kingdom to rain down on us and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to be present in this age.  The desire cannot be pushed aside any longer.  We cry out for something more than what we see right in front of us.  This generation will rise up and claim the Kingdom here on earth and begin to change the world and ignite the same flame that was fanned in the book of Acts.  We are hungry, thirsty and want more of God!  We desire truth and not lies, something real and not artificial, something organic and not manufactured.  This generation is NOT lost!  This generation can bring hope to the desperate, it can bring joy to the miserable and it can bring revolution to the distressed.  It is time!

We hear the cry out in songs "Heaven Let Your Light Shine Down". We see the desperation for the Kingdom in the downcast and forgotten.  We seek healing for those who are suffering and we hunger for virtue and honor again!  It may be true, this is not our home, nevertheless we need to stop believing the lie that the Kingdom cannot dwell on this earth.  Here's the proof:

The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish. 

 If God made it, it is good, it is us that generates garbage.  So what are we going to do about it?  How bad do we want it?