Brothers and sisters,
I know that this comes a little late, well two days late, but hey its better late than never, right? When life becomes predictable it loses its flavor and excitement, i think. So its really a gift that we never know when i will post a blog, right? At least thats my story and im sticking to it. No but seriously i have worked out my class schedule, and i am making a weekly work schedule, so that this doesn't happen again. And i will be posting the blog on Wednesday mornings, before ten. Hope that helps.
What about this week? I know that we dont have much time to dive into the text for this week, but maybe this last minute blog will keep the text fresh, so when we talk about it in the morning, it will be an engaging, stimulating, empowering conversation. Plus i want to see how many, though i dont expect many to read this, because it is so late, read the blog, because the message will begin to quote the blog, share stories, and just be a continuation of the blog.
But i will keep it short and sweet. Or i will do my best...
In the spirit of the text, i could say that Satan was tempting me to avoid the blog, to see who actually reads, but that would be a cop out that too many Christians have used to justify their behavior, and it would be a lie. No. But temptation does come, a lot, and i have, all too often caved to the tempter, which only stands to make Satan stronger, me weaker, and Jesus less audible.
How? I have shouted/lost my temper. Not sure that honors Jesus. I have gone on binges where i buy a lot of CD's, many which i dont need or use, that doesn't honor Jesus. I have succumbed to the need to draw attention to myself, even manipulating people, often times without the results i wanted, only to push Jesus further away from my heart. And i have done so many things, all too often, that have silenced the author of my faith, the sustainer of my faith, and the reason for my faith, to the detriment of my faith and my whole being.
I wish i could give a great excuse, but i dont have any. I even know how to ward off the temptations: Scripture. But in those moments, i close my mind, my ears, and yes my heart to whatever and however, God wants to free me. Why do i do this? Why do i, like Paul, do what i shouldn't? Why does temptation have such a hold on me? And how does caving to temptation interfere with my ability to fulfill God's call for me?
Temptation steals. It steals my heart and attention and power away from God and empowers the enemy, who has no desire to offer me abundant life. Every cross word, weakens the cross. Every lustful thought, weakens Jesus. Every purchase that is not needed but serves an emptiness enables the evil one to only attack more. And with every failed choice, Jesus fades further into the darkness and Satan becomes that which i serve, even if only unknowingly.
I realize how dark and disturbing this blog is, but folks the truth is this: The TRUTH: Jesus, came to give us life and if we do not serve Him, fully serve Him, we will serve something, or worse, someone else. And more than that, when we give our lives to Jesus, wholly, Satan steps up the attacks. When we don't employ the weapons God gave us to stand against the enemy, we will succumb to the enemy. And that is a road that leads to hell. Not just the place of eternal anguish, but in this world. When we serve temptation, cave to temptation, we become slaves to that hell which becomes our lives. And that, friends, is not what Jesus wanted.
Jesus wants us to have life, abundant life. He wants us to open the door for others to experience that life. And He wants to free us from the pitfalls of this world, of the tempter, which only serve to destroy and rob us of life, true life. So we must battle against the principalities, and we must take up our cross and confront the evil one, face to face, with the weapon of Jesus: Love, Truth, Scripture, so that we can and will put Satan where he belongs: in the pit of Hell...
Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
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Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Rest
Dear Family...
I am going to do something i havent done, ever. I am truly going to keep this blog short and sweet. Why? Because it is at the heart of the message.
Sunday's text is Luke 10: 38-42, and it rehearses the story of Mary and Martha, when Jesus comes over to visit. Martha, being a great host, works, works, and works some more, to make sure Jesus, who is her guest, has an amazing experience while Jesus is at Martha's house. Mary, well she just sits down and listens to Jesus. Martha gets upset, but it is Jesus who says, (paraphrase), "Martha, its all good. Mary is doing what is right. She is showing me respect and honor by just sitting here and listening to what i have to say."
All too often, especially in our culture, we think the more work we do the greater reward. There is no day that people simply do not work. We celebrate 24 hour stores and burger joints. We love that on Sunday, when it used to be hard to find a place open, we can go anywhere and have a good meal. It is any wonder how the family is becoming more and more stressed and affected because we have lost the art of dining and sitting and just being with one another, just as Mary just sat and enjoyed being in Jesus' presence? What can we do?
Well we can do what we should. We are going to have worship and fellowship at PJ and Jerry's house, and all you have to do is bring a dish and just enjoy the day. No need to go to Applebees or Ruby Tuesdays for lunch, we will serve you. No need to worry about what to do, we will have plenty of stuff to do. And no need to worry about who to call and meet, because your entire church family will be there. You and I will have plenty of friends to eat with. So join us on Sunday and simply be. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
I am going to do something i havent done, ever. I am truly going to keep this blog short and sweet. Why? Because it is at the heart of the message.
Sunday's text is Luke 10: 38-42, and it rehearses the story of Mary and Martha, when Jesus comes over to visit. Martha, being a great host, works, works, and works some more, to make sure Jesus, who is her guest, has an amazing experience while Jesus is at Martha's house. Mary, well she just sits down and listens to Jesus. Martha gets upset, but it is Jesus who says, (paraphrase), "Martha, its all good. Mary is doing what is right. She is showing me respect and honor by just sitting here and listening to what i have to say."
All too often, especially in our culture, we think the more work we do the greater reward. There is no day that people simply do not work. We celebrate 24 hour stores and burger joints. We love that on Sunday, when it used to be hard to find a place open, we can go anywhere and have a good meal. It is any wonder how the family is becoming more and more stressed and affected because we have lost the art of dining and sitting and just being with one another, just as Mary just sat and enjoyed being in Jesus' presence? What can we do?
Well we can do what we should. We are going to have worship and fellowship at PJ and Jerry's house, and all you have to do is bring a dish and just enjoy the day. No need to go to Applebees or Ruby Tuesdays for lunch, we will serve you. No need to worry about what to do, we will have plenty of stuff to do. And no need to worry about who to call and meet, because your entire church family will be there. You and I will have plenty of friends to eat with. So join us on Sunday and simply be. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
Friday, August 13, 2010
Prepare the Way!
Dear Family...
How many of you have been to a concert? Then you know that when they introduce the headliner, you know the band you really came to see, they hype it up. The announcer, usually a local dj, comes out and proclaims all the wonderful music that the artists has done, in an effort to get you ready. The dj might even yell, get excited, hoping to entice the same kind of energy with you, letting you know it is time to get ready to "rock." The lights go out, and bam the music starts...
And if the band is big time, like U2, well their entrance is going to be memorable. The one U2 concert i went to, i cant afford their tickets now, they came through the crowd playing, "In the Name of Love..." It was amazing to be standing, with the audience, and see Bono and the Edge walk right past me, only six to ten feet away. They had me at that moment, and i was a fan for life.
The larger the band, the larger the show, the more outrageous the introduction, and that is how it should be, right? I mean they earned the right to have their name at the top of the billboard. They earned the great introduction. And they earned the right to enter with thousands of screaming fans, waiting for Bono to burst into a classic song. That's how famous people take the stage, in the real world. But not Jesus.
Jesus' introduction comes through a wild man, a man dressed in camel's hair and eating honey. That's odd. U2's introduction draws you in. John the Baptist, the one who was called to "prepare the way," he has a tendecy to push people away. Its a different approach to introducing royalty, a messiah, or even a popular figure. But it is just the path God takes.
But more disturbing, at least from the perspective of what great people do and expect, instead of walking out to applause and people bowing before Him, including John the Baptist. Jesus walks up to John, knees down, and invites John to baptize Him. Talk about scandalous. The King of kings, the Lord of Lords, the Messiah, chooses to humble himself and be baptized. That's beyond worldly. That's. That's. Well that's nonsense really. And yet, it is what Jesus does.
In fact, isn't most of what Jesus teaches and commands nonsense? Love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you. Blessed are the poor. The last shall be first. Sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor. Peace and mercy and grace over revenge, justice, and right. Jesus is countercultural, so it makes sense that his entry into the world and his ministry, would stand opposed to what most people expect from greatness.
But that's Jesus. And that guy with the camel's hair, he is John the Baptist. What's that got to do with us? EVERYTHING! John wasn't just a zealot preaching repentance, he was a faithful man of God doing what God called him to do. Even if it meant making a fool out of himself. Why? Because John understood that the work John was doing, baptizing and calling people to turn around, was the beginning work of ushering in God's Kingdom. Folks, God and Jesus and the Holy Spirt have called us to do the same: usher in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Are we doing it? Are we willing to make fools of ourselves? Are we giving up our need to be recognized and honored so that we can honor the author of our salvation? If we aren't, we will not experience the fullness of God's Kingdom. But if we are, well we might just find ourselves knee deep in a rushing river, calling people to repent. John did, and look how it turned out for him... He baptized Jesus. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
How many of you have been to a concert? Then you know that when they introduce the headliner, you know the band you really came to see, they hype it up. The announcer, usually a local dj, comes out and proclaims all the wonderful music that the artists has done, in an effort to get you ready. The dj might even yell, get excited, hoping to entice the same kind of energy with you, letting you know it is time to get ready to "rock." The lights go out, and bam the music starts...
And if the band is big time, like U2, well their entrance is going to be memorable. The one U2 concert i went to, i cant afford their tickets now, they came through the crowd playing, "In the Name of Love..." It was amazing to be standing, with the audience, and see Bono and the Edge walk right past me, only six to ten feet away. They had me at that moment, and i was a fan for life.
The larger the band, the larger the show, the more outrageous the introduction, and that is how it should be, right? I mean they earned the right to have their name at the top of the billboard. They earned the great introduction. And they earned the right to enter with thousands of screaming fans, waiting for Bono to burst into a classic song. That's how famous people take the stage, in the real world. But not Jesus.
Jesus' introduction comes through a wild man, a man dressed in camel's hair and eating honey. That's odd. U2's introduction draws you in. John the Baptist, the one who was called to "prepare the way," he has a tendecy to push people away. Its a different approach to introducing royalty, a messiah, or even a popular figure. But it is just the path God takes.
But more disturbing, at least from the perspective of what great people do and expect, instead of walking out to applause and people bowing before Him, including John the Baptist. Jesus walks up to John, knees down, and invites John to baptize Him. Talk about scandalous. The King of kings, the Lord of Lords, the Messiah, chooses to humble himself and be baptized. That's beyond worldly. That's. That's. Well that's nonsense really. And yet, it is what Jesus does.
In fact, isn't most of what Jesus teaches and commands nonsense? Love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you. Blessed are the poor. The last shall be first. Sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor. Peace and mercy and grace over revenge, justice, and right. Jesus is countercultural, so it makes sense that his entry into the world and his ministry, would stand opposed to what most people expect from greatness.
But that's Jesus. And that guy with the camel's hair, he is John the Baptist. What's that got to do with us? EVERYTHING! John wasn't just a zealot preaching repentance, he was a faithful man of God doing what God called him to do. Even if it meant making a fool out of himself. Why? Because John understood that the work John was doing, baptizing and calling people to turn around, was the beginning work of ushering in God's Kingdom. Folks, God and Jesus and the Holy Spirt have called us to do the same: usher in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Are we doing it? Are we willing to make fools of ourselves? Are we giving up our need to be recognized and honored so that we can honor the author of our salvation? If we aren't, we will not experience the fullness of God's Kingdom. But if we are, well we might just find ourselves knee deep in a rushing river, calling people to repent. John did, and look how it turned out for him... He baptized Jesus. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Names.... again?
Dear family,
I have been wrestling with something a few years now, and i have even vocalized it a few times with you all, but i dont think i do a very good job of communicating what my struggle is. From my brain to my mouth, a lot gets lost in translation? Or maybe from my mouth to everyone's ears? Somehow something gets lost, and i still have this nagging feeling in my gut about our church family. We aren't truly a family, a community of Jesus Freaks.
And that, sisters and brothers, worries me.
Because the health of the church depends on our being a truly connected, interdependent community of brothers and sisters. That being said, though, my sense is that we dont understand what that means, truly means. And i dont know why. Is it because i dont explain the core elements of community? Is it because you are all tired of hearing my hot air, so when i speak its like that boring teacher in school that everyone hated, but loved going to because it meant you could sleep? Or is it something else?
I ask these questions, because even though we have had a vision and mission statement for the last five years, and we have transitioned our leadership style to a more team oriented model, i still think, as a church, we suffer from an identity crises. And this concerns me.
More than anything, what troubles me, is how quickly i find myself doing what i find as destructive to the community. Gossip will kill a community, and yet i do it. Side taking is a quick way to create dysfunction, and i do that too. Maybe we do these things in our homes, in our families of origin, but those situations may suffer from this behavior, but the family systems will survive, because we are all committed to our families of origin. But our church family, the West Milton Church of the Brethren, thats a different story.
Why are we willing to sacrifice our church family, or our role in that family, but we will go out of our way to restore, rescue, and protect our family of origin. Folks, you, my church family, have been our only family for six years, and yet i wonder who else feels this way? Who else wants our church family to be healthier, and more vibrant than our family of origin? If you do, like i do, than it takes recreating our identity. We must live, authentically, the name of the West Milton Church of the Brethren family. We have to be tied to each other. We have to work together. We have to spend time with one another. And when we do, when we genuinely care and live for each other, than the world will see something unique in us, and the world will run to us.
But we have to be together, and i dont know how that happens. I really dont. I know i haven't helped by taking sides and joining in the gossip. I havent helped by allowing the gossip. And i havent helped by sitting back, choosing comfort over right. And for my own complicity in not being above and beyond the gossip and side taking, i beg your forgiveness, but i also ask you to pray for me. Pray that i quit and risk losing it all to do what is right. Pray that we all do that. Because until we are ready to risk it all, for Christ and His church, we will continue seeing our numbers decline and our fears heightened... so pray with me. Create with me a new identity for our church. And lets jump into the world of mission, together. Amen.
Shalom.. and May God's Shalom overwhelm us..
jerry
I have been wrestling with something a few years now, and i have even vocalized it a few times with you all, but i dont think i do a very good job of communicating what my struggle is. From my brain to my mouth, a lot gets lost in translation? Or maybe from my mouth to everyone's ears? Somehow something gets lost, and i still have this nagging feeling in my gut about our church family. We aren't truly a family, a community of Jesus Freaks.
And that, sisters and brothers, worries me.
Because the health of the church depends on our being a truly connected, interdependent community of brothers and sisters. That being said, though, my sense is that we dont understand what that means, truly means. And i dont know why. Is it because i dont explain the core elements of community? Is it because you are all tired of hearing my hot air, so when i speak its like that boring teacher in school that everyone hated, but loved going to because it meant you could sleep? Or is it something else?
I ask these questions, because even though we have had a vision and mission statement for the last five years, and we have transitioned our leadership style to a more team oriented model, i still think, as a church, we suffer from an identity crises. And this concerns me.
More than anything, what troubles me, is how quickly i find myself doing what i find as destructive to the community. Gossip will kill a community, and yet i do it. Side taking is a quick way to create dysfunction, and i do that too. Maybe we do these things in our homes, in our families of origin, but those situations may suffer from this behavior, but the family systems will survive, because we are all committed to our families of origin. But our church family, the West Milton Church of the Brethren, thats a different story.
Why are we willing to sacrifice our church family, or our role in that family, but we will go out of our way to restore, rescue, and protect our family of origin. Folks, you, my church family, have been our only family for six years, and yet i wonder who else feels this way? Who else wants our church family to be healthier, and more vibrant than our family of origin? If you do, like i do, than it takes recreating our identity. We must live, authentically, the name of the West Milton Church of the Brethren family. We have to be tied to each other. We have to work together. We have to spend time with one another. And when we do, when we genuinely care and live for each other, than the world will see something unique in us, and the world will run to us.
But we have to be together, and i dont know how that happens. I really dont. I know i haven't helped by taking sides and joining in the gossip. I havent helped by allowing the gossip. And i havent helped by sitting back, choosing comfort over right. And for my own complicity in not being above and beyond the gossip and side taking, i beg your forgiveness, but i also ask you to pray for me. Pray that i quit and risk losing it all to do what is right. Pray that we all do that. Because until we are ready to risk it all, for Christ and His church, we will continue seeing our numbers decline and our fears heightened... so pray with me. Create with me a new identity for our church. And lets jump into the world of mission, together. Amen.
Shalom.. and May God's Shalom overwhelm us..
jerry
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