Freedom

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32 (NIV)

Most everyone knows this passage. Most know it was said by Jesus. Many know that Jesus embodies the truth. Some invest everything in trying to obey and follow Him.

Bear with me. Here is another take. One I think is just as faithful. If the words Jesus (or God) utters are the truth, do we listen to the GOOD truth about ourselves?

Here is the truth.

• ·         You are more than a product of all that has happened to you. There is New Life.
• ·         Not everything is your fault and you are forgiven for that which is. God allows do-overs.
• ·         You are beautiful and just what God thought the world needs.
• ·         You are not anyone else's project (or object)
• ·         You are awesomely gifted. Do sweat what you don't have. You are not accountable for that. Test drive what you do have.
• ·         Your value does not lie in your beauty, popularity, political leanings, youth, wealth, ability, or productivity. You just plain have value.

I dare you to embrace you today. Do it as tenaciously as God does.

The Echo

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely
more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from
generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus
for ever and ever.     Amen.     Ephesians 3:20,21 \

To those of the Episcopal persuasion, you might remember this passage from the end of Morning Prayer. It is in my top Ten Scripture Passages (I'll publish those soon.) I love it. I depend on it.

Here God picks up echoes of Genesis and the Gospels. In fact echoes of the whole of scripture. The echo goes something like this.

"I, God, create something out of nothing. I take dead things and bring forth life. The subject of my love is you. I dare you to imagine and create along with me. You may be too puny but I will cover what you are missing. Deal?"

Are you lacking imagination of beautiful things because you are too tired or puny? Are you setting your sights too low today because you think you are alone? Dare to imagine what God specifically yearns for in your world. Create something beautiful. Deal?

The REAL Angry Birds

How Long?

How long, Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?
³ Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    there is strife, and conflict abounds.
⁴ Therefore the law is paralyzed,
    and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
    so that justice is perverted.  Habakkuk 1:2-4 (NIV)

My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Psalm 42:10 (NIV) 

Do you take God (and yourself) seriously enough to get pissed off at God? I mean, really let God have it? No eloquent prose or poetry, just “tell it like it is?”

Prayer is so much more than politely telling God what you have in the way of a “to do” list for him for the day. Prayer is honest speech and honest listening. Prayer is the crock pot of relationships. People who invest in one another can tell it like it is. The investment in one another is “no matter what.” Casual acquaintances employ a clipped politeness or flowery inflated speech (if they wish to impress.)

Not so with God. Only when we will honestly speak and honestly listen with the transforming reality of God and God’s power take hold of us and our situation. The world, our world is full of pain and grief and, I believe, God is addressing that through us, the followers of Jesus.

Go ahead; engage in a real conversation with your Maker.

610

For those of you in Houston, no, not the 610 Loop. 610 Ash Avenue, Rifle, Colorado. Christine and I designed and built this house. We moved into a boom town. The only housing was that which was built. Beautiful stained wood exterior (needed to be redone every 3 years due to the sunshine.) I spent a summer hand digging post holes to fence in the ¼ acre. Planted a huge 500 sq. ft. garden.  Planted fruit trees as well. Even got peaches and apples off of them before the oil "bust" came and we had to move.

This past week, we returned to Rifle and western Colorado to visit friends and the sun without humidity. We checked on the house. Well, it was just plan ugly. Yellow vinyl siding (do they allow that in Colorado?) Cedar fence gone. Fruit trees gone. Two huge cottonwoods (junk) tree instead. No garden. We were crushed. In fact, the entire street (we oil field trash build most of it) was a mess.

God reminds us that we cannot go back and, in fact, trying to go back will only serve to lessen our lives. There was no past Golden Era. Memory is selective. Time cannot be frozen, only savored.

What will you do to savor today, as ordinary as it may seem?

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (NIV)

Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62 (NIV)

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Easy

I noticed these on the pharmacy counter while on vacation. Every puzzle was made "easy." I wondered who would spend good money on puzzles anyone could solve and solve quickly. While there are a myriad of tastes, I suspect we want to feel good about ourselves by "conquering" puzzles. Why not make it total? Quite honestly, I prefer the Sunday New York Times Puzzle, which I NEVER finish. I like the mental exercise, the battle. And I learn.

Jesus said that we were not going to wring out much life from taking the easy route. Do you believe him? Enough to seek challenges and risks?

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

Weaklings

Jesus purposely sent his friends out into the world to do the impossible with minimal assets. In other words, he weakened their ability to rely on themselves and their accumulations even while having outrageous expectations.

(Jesus) called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.

Mark 6:6b-9 (NRSV) 

How often do we surround ourselves with so much stuff in order to minimize risk and pain? How much to we prepare ourselves for all sorts of contingencies? How many of us feel safe with full storage units? How many accolades or ribbons do I need to be comfortable in my own skin?

I think Jesus wants us to have just enough so that we MUST rely on him. Too little and we may be crushed. But too much and we become our own god.

I would bet that we all would benefit from divesting ourselves in order to rely on Christ instead. What needs to go?

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)