MLK day....Repost

Not every white person is a racist. Not every black person is a criminal. Not every cop is bad.

In lue of all the situations going on from Missouri to New York and everything in between I thought I would share my thoughts a bit. I read this past week on Facebook by someone I know made a comment about “white privilege”. At first I got a little offended when I saw this, but in all honesty, its true. I am still looked at by my skin and judged. As a white male I am not normally looked as a criminal. Now I do have tattoo’s in view and I’m looked at differently sometimes but they were my choice. I wasn’t born this way, and I willing put them on my body.

This said, I recall my teenage years and getting into trouble. I should have done 2-5 years in prison for choices I made. As I got off with probation, I recall my lawyer telling me that I was passed over because I was a white kid. My color was taken into account for my pardon. Now granted Cleveland where I grew up is not the best city, but my past record should have been enough to say to the judge that I was going to be a repeat offender. This was all around 1998 with the Tupac and Biggie situation. I hate to say it, but my skin color kept me out of prison.

Now across the board we need to stop giving perception of the statement I made above. I’m not looking to speak directly into the choices made by the people involved in the situations in MS or NY, but I do what to say that we need to see people as they are. They are people, human beings created in God’s image and likeness and loved by God equally as they are. My faith as a Christian must be found in the simplicity that all people are created equal, but in America you’re better when born of certain decent and skin color.

In the end it starts with education. We need to educate the younger generation about equality and being mindful of the greater good. With equality as central to my faith and to the constitution we must continue to move forward. No matter, we have progressed in this, but now we need to take the next steps towards seeing everyone as bleeding red when cut. To move forward we need to educate people, specifically the kiddos about equality and not just say its written somewhere, but truly believe and live it. Its only been around 50 years since black’s haven’t had to use a segregated restroom or sit in the back of the bus and I’m excited since we have progressed, but still need to always understand that we have a long way to go in this for the greater good. 

Lets keep moving forward, as country, as a people, as a nation, as a world!

One Another........

Imagine a place where the Church lived out the one another in the context of love. Jesus said that the church will be known by love for each other. There are numerous scriptures that talk about dealing with one another. I'm going to do something different then normal and just list the passages that talk about how we deal with each other and let them stand in the context of themselves for us to meditate on. Just take one or two of these to prayer about how we live as community and Jesus words....
"A new command I give you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13: 34-35). Our love and dealing with one another proves we are disciples of Jesus (John 15:8). Notice the "one another" that are in all these passages.

"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." (Romans 12:10)

"Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister." (Romans 14:13)

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." (Romans 15:7)

"Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings." (Romans 16:16)

"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought." (1 Cor. 1:10)

"All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss." (1 Cor. 16:20)

"Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you." (2 Cor. 13:11)

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love." (Galatians 5:13)

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (Eph. 4:2)

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Eph. 4:32)

"speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord," (Eph. 5:19)

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Eph. 5:21)

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13)

"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." (Colossians 3:16)

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness." (Heb. 3:13)

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb. 10:24-25)

"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters." (Heb. 13:1)

"Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it." (James 4:11)

"Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!" (James 5:9)

"Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble." (1 Peter 3:8)

"Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." (1 Peter 4:9)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)

"And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us." (1 John 3:23)

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." (1 John 4:7)

"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." (1 John 4:12)

Blessings to you all!!!

Not everyone.....(a simple look at racism)

Not every white person is a racist. Not every black person is a criminal. Not every cop is bad.

In lue of all the situations going on from Missouri to New York and everything in between I thought I would share my thoughts a bit. I read this past week on Facebook by someone I know made a comment about “white privilege”. At first I got a little offended when I saw this, but in all honesty, its true. I am still looked at by my skin and judged. As a white male I am not normally looked as a criminal. Now I do have tattoo’s in view and I’m looked at differently sometimes but they were my choice. I wasn’t born this way, and I willing put them on my body.

This said, I recall my teenage years and getting into trouble. I should have done 2-5 years in prison for choices I made. As I got off with probation, I recall my lawyer telling me that I was passed over because I was a white kid. My color was taken into account for my pardon. Now granted Cleveland where I grew up is not the best city, but my past record should have been enough to say to the judge that I was going to be a repeat offender. This was all around 1998 with the Tupac and Biggie situation. I hate to say it, but my skin color kept me out of prison.

Now across the board we need to stop giving perception of the statement I made above. I’m not looking to speak directly into the choices made by the people involved in the situations in MS or NY, but I do what to say that we need to see people as they are. They are people, human beings created in God’s image and likeness and loved by God equally as they are. My faith as a Christian must be found in the simplicity that all people are created equal, but in America you’re better when born of certain decent and skin color.

In the end it starts with education. We need to educate the younger generation about equality and being mindful of the greater good. With equality as central to my faith and to the constitution we must continue to move forward. No matter, we have progressed in this, but now we need to take the next steps towards seeing everyone as bleeding red when cut. To move forward we need to educate people, specifically the kiddos about equality and not just say its written somewhere, but truly believe and live it. Its only been around 50 years since black’s haven’t had to use a segregated restroom or sit in the back of the bus and I’m excited since we have progressed, but still need to always understand that we have a long way to go in this for the greater good. 

Lets keep moving forward, as country, as a people, as a nation, as a world!

the Rabbi's yoke......

I’m not sure about you but somethings about the Church frustrate me. I’m upset to the point of discontentment that I want change. I’m warranted towards change, but a lets look at this and see what we should change. The bible teaches righteous anger. Jesus got angry when the people made the temple a market selling animals for sacrifice. He flipped tables and scattered the money changers. He said they made the temple a house of thieves when it was to be a house of prayer (Mark 11:15-19). I want to see the Church flip tables over the issue of discipleship. Until we are discontent with the way discipleship is counted as converting someone in the Church then nothing will be done. 

If you sit back and look at most churches now a days it can be frustrating in some ways to see how most have been shaped. There is a large emphasis on the building. On Sunday mornings and the flow of the service. On small groups, community groups or whatever your church calls them. On those that come Sundays. Now granted I am all for inward care of the Church and have been doing it for about 9 years now, but when that’s the main focal point of the week we’ve lost something. We’ve in a way become selfish with our faith. We’ve forgotten about those that won’t come into a building called “church”. We’ve lost the mandate to go into the world and bless people. To make disciples of the nations. 

Jesus says in Matthew 28:19-20; “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of age.”

If we really sit back and look at why Jesus says to make disciples then we must first place our understanding of modern day evangelism aside. First off the English word ‘evangelize’ comes from the Latin word ‘evangel’ meaning ‘good news”. Where we, in modern America get the word Evangelical meaning ’bringer of good news’. I love the meanings and the depth of these words, but lets place them a side real quick and dust off that joyous word ‘disciple’ mentioned in Matthew 28. The English word ‘disciple’ comes from the Latin word ‘talmadem’ meaning follower and learner (it means the same in Greek and Hebrew). It simply speaks about the one who follows, but also the teacher and leader they are following and learning from. 

Francis Chan says in his book Multiply (page 30), “”Somehow we have created a church culture where the paid ministers do the ‘ministry’ and the rest of us show up, put some money in the plate and leave feeling inspired or ‘fed’. We have moved so far away from Jesus’s command  that many Christians don’t have the frame of reference for what disciple making looks like.”

In fact all that follow Jesus saying, “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations” is the very act of following to make disciples. There is no separation in Jesus’ words. Whether its baptizing people to follow Rabbi Jesus or teaching them to obey Rabbi Jesus or trust what Rabbi Jesus is saying. These are all part of the last command we see in the gospels to make disciples. Jesus doesn’t place emphasis on conversation or saying a prayer. We must go into the world and be little Christ’s to people. The cool thing about Rabbi’s and disciples is that the disciples would not only sit at the Rabbi’s feet to learn but they would also imitate their Rabbi. They would take the Rabbi’s yoke (covering and lifestyle) as their own. They trusted the Rabbi’s teaching and lifestyle as there own. 

This mentality is to be or mentality. As hard as it might be we need to be disciples of Rabbi Jesus and nothing else. I see two simple things to walk as a disciples of Jesus. Learn from what Jesus taught and follow what Jesus did. Its just that simple. Its simple but hard. Its the gospel of out King Jesus and the Kingdom. Now “Go and make disciples”……

Keep your focus.....

        When I was kid growing up in Ohio I always looked forward to Thanksgiving. Yes for the food, but I also went with a group of men and headed to Salk Fork, OH for a week of hunting white tail deer. I really enjoyed this year in and year out. I recall the first time I ever shot a deer. It was exciting. It was hard to keep focus. It was an adeline rush. I was the most eager 12 year old in all Ohio. I shot a deer. Now it was about obtaining a goal not just shooting an animal. I wanted to eat the meat and make use of everything, but the big deal is that I kept focus and accomplished the goal. It was such a big deal that my Dad made a little certificate for me about that day. 

When you lift your gun and take aim you must be carful not to take aim to quick or pull the trigger prematurely. You must not take your eye off the deer because you could very easily lose the target. Its extremely easy to forsake the goal in the rush of it all. Not intentionally of course, but just simply not keeping focus on the target can do this. Its easy to jump the gun (pardon the pun). 

This can be likened to the Gospel. We can get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of life, the excitement of people, the false hope of a good life and the many other distractions that this world can bring to disfigure the Gospel. Sharing your faith can change things, but only done in a proper manner. I’m not talking about methods or anything like that. Just keeping the Gospel as it is. Keeping focus on the good news. We should look to what God says and not the excitement or adeline rush of someone wanting to hear about Jesus. 

I’ve been recently reading through the Gospel of Luke. The other morning something caught my eye I just don’t recall seeing before. As John the baptist preaches repentance to the people of Israel. The scripture says that this is good news (Luke 3:18). Repentance is good news?! Yes. It’s good. To turn from sin, change your mind in accordance with sin and walk towards God is good. The latin for good news is ‘evangel’; it is where were get the modern word for evangelical. Simplified meaning, bringer of good news. Thinking about the good news in line with repentance is different, but very much what the Bible teaches.

Today repentance seems to be taken one of two ways. First, its talked about in a ‘turn or burn’ mentality. And second, its downplayed to ‘you shouldn’t live that way’ mentality. Either extreme is bad. Very little is it talked about in light of being ‘good news’. Repentance is good news. We are offered by God a chance to come back to him. In the midst of God’s love he calls us to come and die. He loves you right where you are but leo won’t leave you where you are. He is righteous and must bring change (we repent) so that we live different, so we live like his Son. Hebrew culture says repentance is a change of lifestyle and Greek culture says its a change of mind. Both are biblical teaching. Both are necessary for this to remain true. 

John “proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). What? Repentance is part of forgiveness. Repentance is an act of the grace of God. His kindness and forbearance leads us to repentance (Rom. 2:4). What about today’s Gospel? Saying God has a wonderful plan for your life or God wants the best for you or any man centered gospel is not God. Well, just like hunting, when the focus is lost you lose the target. We end up missing the mark of what is the good news. 

All these outside influences change things. We lose the good news of repentance. Repentance is an act towards God as is our faith to be towards Jesus as Messiah (Acts 20:21). God commands repentance but also delights when we commit this to him as we see with the prodigal son (Luke 15:17-24; Acts 17:30). Repentance is about new life. It’s meant to bring us unto life. Its resurrecting. It is filled with hope. It kills the old and brings in the new. 

“As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no lose through us. For godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas wordily grief produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:9-10)

In the verse above we see a few practical aspects to focus on in repentance…..

1) Focus on God

2) Focus on proper grieving 

3) Focus on moving past regret

4) Focus on your new life

If we build a foundation when we must have God in focus when all parts take place. First we need to reptant towards God and not man or the world. We must be broken towards God and who he is. He is Holy. There is God and everything else. God and what he created. As we see this we can see our sin in light of who God is. Having a God focus brings us closer to how God acts and moves in the world. It teaches us to live in light of who God is. 

Focusing on God’s character moves us into a proper grieving. It should push us closer into the heart and calling of God. God focused repentance brings change in us. It brings a change in our minds; “Godly sorrow produces repentance”. Being grieved into repenting brings life and change, it brings about a life in the midst of sanctification (Romans 6:20-23). Regret can kill this all. If we look over the past and only see mistakes then we never fully move past them. 

Our God redeems, even our past. Remember I said that repentance brings life and is resurrecting. It raises us from the depth of sin. It brings us past our faults into the redeeming work of God in our lives. We should no longer regret what we’ve done because God uses that to make us into who we are today in Christ. Our choices and aspects of life help shape us to live for God. To “redeem” means to “by back” in the simplest form. God bought us back to himself from the power, presence and penalty of sin. We must focus on redemption and that we belong to God alone. He is your Father, brother and friend. Redemption brings reconciliation within our own lives and the lives of others. As we repent others see our love and passion to truly follow Jesus and the work of redemption in the cross. In this the gospel is lived out in word and deed!

actively active......

       Over the past few months I have been processing my life and where God has brought me. Sitting down over coffee, my journal and bible in the moorings has at points been tough. God has made a stand. He has covered me with love. He is fully in control. But through it all I’ve had rough patches. I’ve wondered about what I am to do. I’ve wondered where I am to go. But God has over and over said just a couple of things. Trust me and rest in me. Now these are very simple yet profound words for me and the season I’ve been in, but they are very necessary words. I moved 600+ miles for a woman I loved. I was engaged and then she broke up with me. I questioned about ever doing ministry again. I wondered about my direction in life. I had many questions that I was not able to answer and neither was anyone else. I was at a standstill in my faith in ways and it sucked. 

I’m the type of guy that always likes to be on the move, so for me this situation was not easy and in some ways, it still is not. I’ve had many words spoken over me where the Father is saying ‘rest’. This has happened many times from people that know me to people that don’t know me, so I am convinced that God wants me to rest. Resting does not mean a complete stopping of life. I’ve come to see that my life is more then doing, but it is necessary to be resting even in my doing. Trusting that the good, the bad and the ugly parts of life; God is there. 

Trusting has had come from a woman breaking my heart. Having to up and move a second time 600+ miles again. Saying she loved me and wanted me to lead her, love her and care for her. Only to turn around and change her mind. That hurts my friends. In this hurt and what I thought was abandonment, I’ve learned a greater trust in my Father. His love has abounded in new ways that I now see in light of true reality. I was angry with him in this at first but found him faithfully calling me back to himself as he does with us all, even when trusting him is hard. Psalm 13 says, 

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken, But I have trusted in your steadfast love;  my heart shall rejoice in your salvation, I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

This is what I’ve learned. True trust out of hurt and lack of seeing God in the midst of pain. I’ve come to cry out….I trust you Lord. No mater what the situation. No matter what my lot in life. I can now more then ever cry out to my Father in the midst of my pain rather then in the midst of anger from my pain. 

I’ve also learned about resting as I do. We have a daily sabbath rest in Yeshua from our Father. A claim that not only means a daily reprieve in the midst of life but also a time to pull back and check yourself. I’ve always done. I’ve always been doing ministry. Now I’m learning that doing is possible only cause of my resting. Resting in the love of my Father. Now I know my identity and have known who I belong to but I’ve always been challenged to work form resting. I’m not good at resting so its been challenging for me to rest minute by minute, day by day, week by week. Hebrews 4:6-11 says, 

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

Now the point is just learning to rest. Not that I’ve been sinning as the text implies. I’m just learning to rest in the Father in new ways and it has been amazing. Ways that I can in my doing, rest in my being his beloved son. I’ve always separated the two for some reason. In needing to pull away from doing in order to truly be his son or so I thought. This is and was wrong. I serve God out of my being as his son, for in that I do the work of his Son. I think about the old hymn Trust and Obey by John Sammis, 

“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way. To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, But His smile quickly drives it away; Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, Can abide while we trust and obey. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, But our toil He doth richly repay; Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, But is blessed if we trust and obey. But we never can prove the delights of His love. Until all on the altar we lay; For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows, Are for them who will trust and obey. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet. Or we’ll walk by His side in the way. What He says we will do, where He sends we will go; Never fear, only trust and obey.”

Blessings  to you my friends……

We all have impact.....

I’ve had a word thats been going over and over in my head for a few days now. That word is Impact. This has been a necessary word for me over this season and time as I transition into new things. Things in which I have been placed into and desired for years. About 5 years to be a little more exact. As an individual who desires to see change and cause impact in this world. This word is very necessary for this day in age. Impact is a big word and has a lot of weight behind it. Webster’s Dictionary defines Impact as meaning “to press together” or “a forceful contact or collision”. Impact can be good and bad I’ve experienced. I’ve impacted communities in both ways so I feel that I can speak into both. The thing is we all have impact. Good or bad.

The questions that must be asked are: How are we impacting? Where are we impacting? And why are we impacting? All are very simple questions but necessary to review what we are about. Since we all do have impact in someway or another, I want to speak into one other question real quick. How are we impacting our community? Now before we all asses what that looks like, let me define community on my end. Community is not only about those we hang with on a regular basis (our closest friends), but also those we live around (our neighbors) and also the town/city we live in (our whistle stop). Now I want to express that its easy to pour into our close friends. Usually cause we are close to them and have common interests of some sort but what about those from the last camp; the whistle stop. 

I want to touch mainly on calling the city/town, the whistle stop. Before cars and planes there was trains and in each town or city there were stops which people called whistle stops. This was the way in and out of a city. It was the means of connection with people. Its how they got in and out. It was the means of connection with the outside world. I want to argue for our own personal whistle stops. The means on connection in our lives. I’ve forced and willing to ask a simple question in my little life as a Christian. How does my whistle stop work in my community? Why is this necessary? What makes this happen? What keeps this going? I’m not looking to answer these questions for you, but I hope and pray that you will look at how you are impacting your community; your whistle stop. 

I want to leave you with this Proverb from the Bible that says, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but the abundant of crops come by the strength of the ox.”. It will take work. It won’t be easy. It will take sacrifice, but it will be worth it! (14:4)