Life Theology

As many in the contepmorary Christian world are probably aware, Pastor Rob Bell has a very controversial book being released this month. The little bit I have heard and read about it worries me, but I'll refrain from passing judgement until I've read it. As the discussion of his theology has come up, a friend, one I hope will serve on staff with me as Associate Pastor to Children and their familes, some day, she asked me what my theology is.

The answer: Live in the Spirit, Preach the Gospel of Jesus, Glorify the Father. Love God, Love others, do what you want.

We see in Acts 2 that after Jesus asscends to Heaven the Holy Spirit comes to empower us and guide us as we journey through life. We are to live in the Spirit a life that is pleasing to God and a blessing to others. The life that God desires for us to live.

I look at life and I see that there is a command, teach people to obey everything Jesus has commanded. This includes His story, becasue we are told to take up our cross daily and follow Him. So we preach the Gospel of Jesus both in word and in action.

Philippians 2.11 says that "every knee will bow, and every tounge confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father." Jesus Himself saught to Glorify God the Father, so why should my life be any differnt.

We serve a Triune God, we interact with each member of the Trinity, each one plays a part.

The second part of my theology I first heard from my mentor Jeremy. He shared it with me and I have really tried to grab a hold of it. Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to Love God, and the second greatest is to love our neighbors as ourselves, and that all the law and the prophets hang on these two.

If I love God I will keep His commands. If my life is lived for God and committed to Him, I don't desire to hurt Him, so I will strive to do everything to please, serve, and glorify Him, not because I am forced to, but because my desire, and my greatest motivation is my love for God.

If I love people, I won't steal, murder, lie, because all of those cause hurt for people, and you don't desire to hurt those you love.

If everything I do is motivated by my love for God and my love for people, then I can do what I want, because my motivation is Love. love doesn't result in pain or hurt, love lifts up, love builds up, love encourages, love tells the truth.

Live, Preach, Glorify, Love.

Peace be with you

Hand or Face

Over the past few weeks I've been filling in at a church in Cleveland preaching on Sunday mornings. It's been awesome to see who God has completely guided the services, coordinating music and the message without any human conversations regarding scripture of subjects. Last week I preached what I feel is the best sermon I've been given so far, Hand or Face, out of Philippians 4.4-13.

The sermon looks at the way we live life in regards to God, do we live from the Hand of God, simply seeking His blessings, living from blessing to blessing, or is it more than that. Do we live seeking the Face of God, desiring His presence in our lives, and striving simply to do His will? Honestly, it's an awesome message, and I'm simply glad I was in the room when God was writing it.

The reason I love this sermon so much is that the whole focus, the whole purpose, the whole point of the message is God. He is the center of it, and without Him there is no message. That's how a sermon should be, God at the center.

Recently I had saw one of Lou Giglio's video's "How Great is our God" it's incredible. In it, and the previous one, "Indescribable" he looks at the wonders of the universe, and how all of it points to the glory of God. Realizing the size of God, how incompressible He is, how small we really are compared to a star, let alone the one who holds all the millions of stars in His hand, it really puts it in perspective.

Galatians 4.9a says, "Know that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God" It's not a big deal that I know God. Get on Youtube, search for Lou Giglio's videos,

Indescribable part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn2dPZDMOWA

How Great is our God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KqziOKZ4AE

it isn't a big deal that I know who God is. He made this universe that we don't even know how big it is yet because we can't see it all yet because light hasn't gotten here from the farthest corners of it, and God holds it all in His hand. I should know that God. But the fact that this God knows me, that He can look at this wonder of stars, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, that is in His hand and point to me, that is a big deal. And honestly it just blows my mind.

Daddy, help me to never forget how Great and Indescribable you are. When my faith is weak, help my unbelief. When I fail to fully trust and stumble, catch and carry me. Show me what love really means, and help me to love as you love and serve as you serve.

Peace be with you

The Word

Recently there has been one word that has stood out to me. Whether it's been a sermon, a children's message on Wednesday night, songs, or a random Louie Giglio video my grandma asked if I wanted to watch with her. The word, Trust.

I never expected life to be like it has been the last few months. Living at home, working in a job that I hate. The entire time I've been trying to see what the lesson in this experiance is, and last night I finally realized it, Trust.

I've doubted a lot of things these past few months, but in all of it I never doubted that there was a God who loved me, who made me. I did however begin to doubt that He had a plan and that He was working towards that plan. I look at the ideas I've had about how life should be, where life should go, what would happen when, and so far none of it has happened when or how I thought it would. Some of them have been awesome, I haven't been crazy about the timeing being later than I thought, but looking at how life was before this point, I'm glad certain aspects have come later.

I look at where my life seems to be headed now, in a direction I never anticiated to be going this soon, and honestly part of me is terrified, part of me doesn't feel ready at all, part of me feels I will comletely fail and be stuck in one place forever, hating every second of my life. And then I hear the word, Trust.

Here I am
In a river of questions
Can I pour my heart out to a listening ear?
I see this life
Its valley's and mountains
And I think of all the roads that brought me here

I've questioned my reasons
The life I'm living
I've questioned my ability
To judge wrong from right
I've questioned all the things that I've ever called certain
My race, my religion, my country, my mind

But the one thing I don't question is you
You really love me like you say you do
You really love me like you say you do
Hold me
Hold me

I've questioned significance
Meaning and relevance
Does the work I'm doing really matter at all?
Well I've questioned my friendships
Alliance, dependence
Who will still be here when I fall?

Only one thing doesn't change
Only one thing stays the same
All I know at the end of the day is your love remains

Those are the lyrics to "The One Thing" by Paul Colman, and no matter what I question in life, no matter what I'm terrified of, no matter what failure I feel I may fall into, none of it matters, because there is one thing that is constant. In that one thing I Trust.

Daddy, I do believe, help my unbeliefe.

Peace be with you

The Line

I've been disappointed with myself recently for my lack of blogging, but honestly, I've had nothing really that I've felt was worth saying, as my last two posts probably indicate. Right now I just feel like writing, and I wish something would just come to me.

I've been working on a paper on Philippians 2.12-18, and now have a deeper understanding of Philippians, but that's for a later time. I've been listening to a song repeatedly for the last week or so, "What Love Really Means" by JJ Heller. It's really good, but honestly, it's pretty simple and self explanatory. So as it plays over the laptop I'll write about something else.

This year has been interesting. I've been to the other side of the world, had lots of time to think about a lot of things. I've gotten to spend a ton of time with Janey, every day for close to two weeks, and we've seen that we can spend large amounts of time together and found that we can and want to do this for the rest of our lives. And this post comes as a result of a conversation she and I had a couple of days ago.

Thursday night we were talking and, for the first time to another person, I vocalized all of my frustrations from the last six months or so. Saying a lot of it, some of it out loud for the first time, helped. Showing someone else, especially her, that vulnerability was huge. She said some stuff that I didn't really want to hear, but really needed to be told.

The next day I was meeting one of the teens from the first youth group I lead to talk about some stuff she was dealing with, and as I was walking to the PSU at MVNU I began to pray. My thoughts were on the attitude I've had towards life, my self, the situation work wise, my frustration towards God because of all of it, and I simply prayed, "God help me to trust you." And then I began to think, where is the line drawn between being a guy who is wired to succeed in working, and lacking faith in God?

As a guy I'm designed to work, it's in my nature to do something to contribute to society. Some people may say you don't have your dream job because it's not God's will, the issue is my dream job is pastoring, following the call God has placed on my life. I love the work of a church. I love sitting in an office pouring over scripture, reading commentaries, looking up Greek and Hebrew words, finding the real meaning of a passage based on the text, historical and social context of the verses. I love the relational side of it, hanging out with teens just talking about life, visiting people in the hospital, working through issues with parents. I love preaching and teaching. There is nothing that makes me come alive like ministry. Honestly, I'm miserable doing anything besides it. I'm so restless, and honestly a little depressed right now. I just want to do what I've been called to do, what I've trained to do.

I feel so useless. I know that I'm still having an impact, I was able to help this girl from the youth group. I've gotten to serve at a church I love as a volunteer children's worker, but it isn't the same. I really do just feel like a waste of space some times.

I'm not defined by church status or work success, but not being able to fully focus on the thing that I've been called to do is the worst feeling ever. So here comes the hard part. How much of this is the way I'm wired as a guy, the way I'm supposed to be as a contributing member to society and the Kingdom, and when does it become a lack of faith and trust in God?

Honestly I don't have an answer. I really wish I did because it would make my life so much simpler. Some days are better than others, right now is a low moment, probably just because I'm tired.

Where is the line between who I was created to be, and who I am called to be? Where is the line? Where does desire end and faith take over?

Daddy, when? That's the question I've had for months, and the answer you always give is "Soon" to which I respond "Your soon or my soon?" There is so much on my heart and in my mind right now, so much of it I can't even express, so much of it I don't understand. Now is the part where I should ask for your help. Help me to trust, help me to have faith. There are so many ways that this could be worse. Help me to work through the frustrations, and may all of this serve to make me more like you.

That's the prayer I want to have.

Peace be with you

Random

Over the last week I've had a lot of down time. I'm working on a paper for a class I'm taking, spending a lot of time with Janey, and getting to see Mandi and Ryan, Terry, Jenny and the kids, Zach and Whit, and some other people from school. It's been good.

The restlessness is really starting to get to me, I have to get into a church where I can serve full time, where I can get behind a vision and work towards helping it become a reality.

I've spent a lot of time driving over the last week, and I've gotten to listen to three cds several times, Matthew West, Aaron Shust, and Robin Mark, and a lot of the songs are really incredible. The depth and simplicity, the truth and encouragement, the brutal honesty.

I look at the biggest blessing I ever could have asked for, Janey. I've loved her for four and a half years, honestly since the day I met her. Looking at how God had this planned all along, it's just incredible. I look at her, hold her hand, look through pictures, and I can't believe I get to be with her.

I look at the lack of continuity in my life right now, there is no routine, no structure, honestly, nothing really worth while. Part of me wonders what the point is, what am I doing, how much longer, why?

In the footsepts of a Man, Part 2

I'm back from Greece/Turkey, and there's a lot still to take in. Honestly, the experience was not what I expected it to be. It's a completely different place from Israel, different but equal significance, but nothing that I was expecting.

Now that I'm back and I'm trying to figure out how to share the experience I wonder how much of it I actually took in. A lot of this trip was working through feelings and emotions as I reflected upon the past year. Sitting on a bus for hours everyday gives you a lot of time to think. Working through anger, frustration, discouragement, feelings of inadequacy, Paul dealt with all of that. And that is what I believe God was trying to teach me there.

I was able to work through some thoughts about the church and ministry. I had the opportunity to go to a Greek Orthodox church in Thessaloniki and as I walked through the church looking at the ornate items there I thought, what would Paul say to this. Dr. Nielson was there, and he and I talked about the idea of what church buildings were then and are today, the differences in how we see the building and the significance it has. All of it is about finding balance, finding the right mix between having a building worthy to be called the House of God, and a building that doesn't neglect ministry for the sake a beautiful building. I'm not sure that I've found what that balance is yet, but I think that is the most important thing I take away from this.

I'm glad I went, I realized things that I knew but had just never realized that I knew. I don't know that any of the expectations I had going in were met, but that's ok. And now as the process of taking it all in and figuring out how to apply it to life begins, I'm glad its a day by day thing that I don't have to figure out all at once.

Peace be with you

In the footsteps of a Man, part 1

Today I leave on another adventure to the other side of the world. From Januray 8-January 25 I will be in Turkey and Greece traveling to the different cities of Paul's missionary journeys, I get to do a devotion out of Philippians at Philippi(And going to the location of the Battle of the 300, Spartan's are awesome).

As I've been preparing for this journey I've begun to see Paul in a different way. Whenever I read one of his letters I would always get the sense that this guy was the super Christian no one else could ever be, he walked into a city, started a successful, rock solid church, and when issues arose after he had left he wrote a letter knowing exactly what to say. Paul was untouchable and always had the answers, I could never be like him.

But in preping for this class I began to see another side of Paul, the human side. The side of him that had a life that really sucked. The side of him that dealt with whinny people who needed to grow up. The side of him that dealt with mobs wanting to kill him. I began to wonder if in his letter writing he ever hesitated before he started a sentence thinking, "God, this is really going to tick some people off, are you sure this is what I have to say?"

To me, Paul is no longer the super Christian that I could never be, rather, I now see Paul for what he really was, a Pastor. Paul was a man trying to do the will of God, trying to be more like Christ. He knew the junk that came with leading people into Christlikeness. He knew the struggles that come with preparing a message that people have to hear but would probably be offensive to some. He knew what it was to work with stubborn people.

I now see Paul simply as a man who understands what I'm going through, a man who is relatable, a man who made it.

Peace be with you

2010 Recap

As 2011 begins people are making resolutions. I made one, but only one person knows what it is, and it will stay that way until it is fulfilled. But as we look forward and look at thing to change or improve upon, I can't help but looking back.

Honestly, 2010 was very rough in a lot of ways, but in all of that I look back at what God brought me through, and taught me along the way.

Heart break, and showing me what love really is and how He loves me, and how his plans really are more incredible than we ever could have planned. at the beginning of 2010 I was pursuing an incredible girl, but it wasn't the will of God. I didn't understand why, but now I do, and now I'm with my best friend. I still can't believe I'm with her. Every time I sit with her, hold her hand, hug her, I can't believe it's her.

Frustration, and how He has a plan to work everything out for the best for those who are striving for Righteousness. I was in Michigan for most of the year, working in a struggling church, but with people who really do love Jesus. A lot of things happened that I won't talk about, but in all of that God worked. The young adult ministry went from being basically non-existent to ministering to over 20 college and career age people. The teens went through a process learning what this whole Christian thing is about, and really began to get it. He brought me to a group of youth pastors who were nothing short of a blessing from God, they loved me, ministered to me, and encouraged me through the roughest days, and I am forever grateful to all of you. Personally, God showed me so much about His character and His heart. And when the time was over He opened the exit door.

Church, the role of a pastor as a leader and servant, how crucial vision is, how to build a team, how to lead that team, the importance of unity to the survival of the church and it's ability to building the kingdom of God.

There was a lot in 2010 that really sucked, some of it I still don't get, and honestly some of it I may never understand. But I take everything I have learned and I apply it to the life. I take what I learned about God and mold my life more around it, I take what I learned about pastoring, and I apply it my future staff and congregation, and with that everything I've learned culminates in the church God will one day place me in to shepherd and serve.

Even the times in life that absolutely suck are part of Gods plan. In a few days I leave for a couple weeks in Greece and Turkey walking in the footprints of the Apostle Paul. Preparing for this has shown me a new aspect of his life and it leaves me knowing that I have letters written close to 2,000 years ago from a man who went through all of this and understands it all.

As we head into this next year, I simply want my prayer to be, God make me more like Christ. "Help me to love like you loved, to serve like you served, to speak only words of truth, help me to care like you cared for a world in despair, help me to love like you." (Johnny Diaz)

Peace be with you

Number 2

Tomorrow is Christmas, the day we celebrate as the birthday of Jesus. And while this day is crucial to Christendom, it is only the second most important day in history. In the words of Dr. Sanders, "No Easter, no Christmas."

Jesus came to die on the cross to pay for the sins of the world, but more than that, so much more than that, He came to rise in power as the Lord, conquring Sin, Death, and Hell forever. If Jesus had never risen from the dead, no one would ever celebrate His birth because without the resurrection the brith of Jesus is meaningless, He would be just another baby born.

I love the movie Brave Heart, I'm a guy, and the warrior spirit of William Wallace is one that captivates my heart and soul. Towards the end of the movie as Wallace is in prison awaiting execution he gives the most powerful quote of the movie, "Every man dies, not every man really lives." Every one has been born, everyone will die, but becasue of Easter, everyone has the opportunity to really live.

Because of Jesus and the sacrifice He made to defeat Sin, Death, and Hell, true life is available. He came to die as the Savior and Rise as the Lord. This Christmas as you celebrate with friends and family, or remember loved ones who are no longer with you, remember the real meaning of the day. God became man, not to rule the world as the King He is, but to show us the way we are to live life. He came to buy back what was already His by giving His blood, and He came to fight the decisive battle of all eternity.

Tomorrow, remember the reason that He came, becasue without that reason tomorrow would be just another day.

Merry Christmas, Happy Easter

Peace be with you

Not a Denomination

A few weeks ago I preached at my dad's church, I reused a sermon, honestly one of the best ones I've written to date, and afterwards one of the ladies came up to me and was telling me what a great job I did. Then she made a statement that really bothered me, "That's Nazarene" refering to the sermon. She's one of those people who you just let talk in order to avoid a discussion you can't win, so I didn't say what I was thinking, but that thought that entered my mind was, "No, that's the Bible."

I know I've shared this with a few people before, but I hate denominations, and honestly I'm not living for a denomination. Yes, I was raised in the Church of the Nazarene, my education is Nazarene, my credentials are in the Church of the Nazarene, and they are the denomination I agree most with when you look at the foundaion of it, what it has become is a seperate issue. But I don't live for the Church of the Nazarene.

Denominations aren't going to go away, they can't becasue people are different. One person will say that a certain passage of Scripture means this, while someone else will say it means something completely different, and both of them could be completely wrong, the point is we are creative people with the ability to think, and because of that we will disagree. Maybe when we all take our thoughts, that line up with the character of God and the rest of Scripture, and put them together, that's when we arrive at something close to the truth.

I don't live for a denomination, but for the God that the denomination is supposed to be about. One of my professors once said, "All churches, all denominations, tend to fall in love with themselves, and that is the greatest form of idolotry." The denomination losses site of what they were founded for, what they were made to do. That is what my sermon series on Philippians is trying to show.

To illustrate, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is perhaps the holiest site in Christendom. It is built over the traditional site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The church is literally falling apart, and the keys to the church are held by a Muslim family. Within the church are six different denominations, and this is what is destroying the church.

Nothing can be done in the church because of the power struggle between denominations. There is a ladder on the front of the church that has been there since at least 1852.

http://atlasobscura.com/place/immovable-ladder-church-holy-sepulchre

Denominations are ruining this Holy place. When I was there I had the opportunity to knee under an altar where they say the cross stood, the only words I could get out where "Thank you" yet in this same building denominations struggle for control.

When will we set aside our pride and arrogance and simply humbly fall into service building the Kingdom?

Peace be with you

Journey with the Trinity

I wrote this several years ago at a time when I was going through major depression. It was through this that God showed me He was always with me as warrior, protector, deliverer and friend. Whoever this is for, just know that you are never alone, and that God is always there.

Journey with the Trinity

Inspired by God October 29, 2003

Written by William Gunsalus
October 29, 2003-July 11, 2004

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
-Matthew 11: 28-30

Journey with the Trinity

In my dream one night I saw a traveler, weak, hurt, hungry, and lost. He struggled beneath the many burdens he carried, some for most of his life. What was he seeking, what did he long for? He wanted rest, he wanted relief, he wanted to find an eternal place where he would feel no pain, and bear no burdens.

Then in my dream a man came to the traveler. He offered him bread and wine to restore his strength. The traveler gladly accepted this free gift, and when he had finished the man healed the traveler’s pains. Then the man asked, “What are you seeking and why are you so weary?” The traveler answered him, “I seek a place of rest and comfort, and I seek relief from my burdens.” The man responded, “Come, I will take you to my father; He will lead you to the place you desire. I will take your burdens from you and carry them for you.” The traveler jumped up and immediately gave the man the largest burdens he carried; however, he kept three small ones with him, not willing to give them up yet.

The man led the traveler along a straight and easy path. Even carrying the traveler’s heaviest burdens didn’t tire him. The traveler followed willingly behind curious to see the one who would finally lead him to eternal rest. The man stopped at the base of a mountain, which had a path leading up winding around it. At the start of the path stood two other men, one was powerful with a mighty sword in his right hand, and armor on his body. The other man was dressed in white robes, and wore a friendly smile on his face. The traveler turned to the man who had come to him and asked, “Who are these men, and who are you?” The man answered him, “I am the Son. I bring freedom, deliverance, and help to those who need it; and to those who accept it I give unconditionally and abundantly. The man with the armor is my Father. He will lead you to your desired destination, and clear many dangers form your way. The other man is the comforter and councilor. He will walk beside you on this journey and will help and encourage you along the way. I the son will come behind you. I will protect you from the things you have left in your past, and deliver you from any struggles you encounter on the way.”

I saw the four of them begin the journey. The father, going first, cleared the path of all dangers that the young traveler couldn’t have overcome. He led by example and clearly marked dangerous areas that the traveler should avoid. The traveler and the counselor went next. The traveler was strong and excited at first, but as the journey continued he began to tire. The counselor encouraged him, and he received strength from his words. The counselor also helped the man with the journey itself. If the traveler stumbled over a rock or log on the path he caught him. And if the traveler didn’t know whether to avoid an area or not the counselor advised him. The son came last and carried the traveler’s burdens easily. He protected him from the things he had left behind. Nothing could get by him to attack the traveler.

The traveler still carried his three small burdens, and as they went he dropped one in an area the father had marked to avoid. He ignored the warning and the advice of the counselor and went in after it. Suddenly he found himself in total darkness and began to sink in a patch of quicksand. He called out for help and the son came immediately and pulled him out. The traveler apologized for his disobedience and failure, and gave the son two of the three burdens he still carried.

The traveler grew stronger as his journey continued. He was now able to easily see the marks the father had made warning of danger, and avoided them. Once as he passed one of these areas he dropped his one remaining burden. He thought for a moment, and then walked on leaving it there. As the son walked by he smiled, proud that the traveler had left his final burden for him to take, picked it up, and walked on.

Finally the group came to the top of the mountain, and before them stood a magnificent city. The traveler could tell that there was no pain or suffering here. This was the place he sought. As he approached the city gates the father told the gatekeeper, “He has accepted my son’s offer, and he has followed my ways. Let him enter.” Then he turned to the traveler and said, “You have persevered through the struggles of the journey. Well done good and faithful servant, come join in the reward that has been prepared for you.” The gatekeeper opened the gate and let him enter. Finally after all his struggles he was home. The traveler then turned to the son and asked, “What about all the others left down there, will they reach this glorious paradise?” At this question the son looked sad; a painful realization flooded his mind. “No,” he responded, “some will reject the gift I offer, others won’t learn that it is available for them, and others will wait to long. One day it will be too late for them, one day the gates will close and no one else will enter the city.” The traveler began to weep. Some of his tears were joyous for himself; he had found the way and entered the city. Other tears were wept in sadness for those who would never enter. They were doomed to eternal suffering.

Then I awoke with two questions racing through my mind. The first was am I ready to enter the city if my journey ends right now? Yes, I have made my peace with God, and I am following after him. The second is how will I help others begin the journey? I leave you with these two thoughts: If your journey ended today, would you be ready? And, what are you going to do to help others begin the journey?

.

Breaks my heart

Over the last year I have learned a lot of things, I've changed in many ways, and many things about the way I live my life have been confirmed that I'm moving in the right direction. But one thing that I have really noticed lately is how God has begun to break my heart for the things that break His.

Currently I'm seeking another church position, and God is showing me that life is meant to be lived one day to the next. In this time of transition I'm working for my cousin cleaning out foreclosed homes. You see a lot of things, things people collected but had no where to take. You see the way people lived, and in some way, however small it may be, you find out what people lived for.

The last house was one of the most heartbreaking. The woman who had lived there seems to have made a living as a stripper. I got into the home after the other two guys I work with had arrived, and immedeatly I got rid of all of the pornogrophy that hung on the walls, and littered the floor. But amid all of the porn were a pictures of a beautiful baby girl.

Getting through the kitchen the first door to the left was the little girls room. Her walls were covered with Dora the Explorer stickers, in the corner was a little toy vanity set. All over her room there were toys. This little girl was forced to be exposed to the lifestyle of her mother. And as much as my heart breaks for her, my heart breaks even more for her mom. A young woman, we found her id card, and she is just a year older than me, but she's trapped in a degrading life style were men desire her simply for her body, they simply seek pleasure at her expense.

I don't know her story, but I do know that she is loved by her Daddy, the King of the universe. I know that His heart breaks for her and her daughter. My heart breaks for them, and I simply hope someone is there to show them the love of their Daddy.

Prayer of the Righteous

As I've been seeking another staff position people continue to ask me what is going on, so certain people I text updates to. This week I got an email from a pastor about a potential position and emailed my Proverbs 18.24 brothers. One of them responded with "Yeah. prayers of the righteous availeth much" and over the last few days I've been thinking about that verse.

James 5.16b, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." (NASB)

What makes this prayer effective? What makes it accomplish so much? The key to this verse is the word righteous.

When people consider the word righteous they probably think most often of one of the disciples, Billy Graham, or some really old Christian who has lived for Jesus for 75 years. Yeah, those people are righteous, but it doesn't take walking with Jesus in the flesh, preaching the Gospel to millions, or being really old in order to be righteous.

Righteousness is a right standing relationship with God. It means that there is nothing in the way of our communication with God, there is nothing stopping us from going before Him, there is nothing keeping us from communicating with Him. Why is the prayer of a righteous person effective? Because there is an open line of communication to present it to God.

It isn't that some 85 year old saint of the church knows the right words to pray for God to respond. Have you heard children pray, the simplicity and beauty of their prayers captivates the Heart of God. It doesn't take presenting the Gospel to the entire world in order to earn the right to speak to God. Have you ever heard the prayer of someone who has just come to faith after a lifetime in sin, the love and gratitude is lavished on the heart of the Father and He rejoices over it. It doesn't mean that we had to walk around Israel 2,000 years ago with Jesus, we simply must walk with Him today.

The cross paved the way to the Father. The cross opened the path of communication with God. When we simply enter into a relationship with God through the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are in a right standing relationship with God. We are righteous.

"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

Peace be with you

The simplicity of wisdom

My mentor continues to amaze me with every conversation I have with him. He has so many qualities and characteristics I respect, but the thing that has continued to blow my mind recently is his wisdom.

I think that when many of us think about what wisdom is we think about some deep thinking prfound individual who gives answers we feel we could never have come up with. Honestly, I don't think that is what wisdom is. Wisdom shouldn't confuse, it should enlighten. The thing that amazes me about my mentor is the simplicity of his wisdom.

I've asked him questions excpecting the deep profound truth that I wouldn't be able to come up with, but instead he gives me the simple answer that I can't believe I missed. Each time I have an issue that I don't know what to do with I call him, and each time I wait for the deep truth that only 30 years of ministry experiance can provide, and each time he shows me that wisdom is not in the deep thoughts that people can never come up with, but that true wisdom is in the simplicity of it all.

It's the beauty of simplicity that amazes me.

Peace be with you

Essential Characteristic

I'm down in Mount Vernon for a few more hours and I'm helping my friend Stevie with a paper. She has to take a hymn and a contemporary praise chorus and compare and contrast them. Her contemporary song is Amazing Love, and her hymn is And Can it Be? As I'm reading the lyrics of of the hymn I saw something in verse two that caught my attention.

"He left His Father's throne above, so free, so infinite His grace! Emptied Himself of all but love, and bled for Adam's helpless race."

Emptied Himself of all but love, this phrase is so essential. 1 John 4.8, "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

Philippians 2 tells us that He emptied Himself and took the form of a man, He became nothing, a servant, and died on a cross. He gave up Heaven, He set aside His heavenly form, He became a man, but He never gave up His essential characteristic, Love. He never gave up love because He couldn't. If He had, love would have ceased to exist.

Over the last year I've been through a lot, and as I look back I try and see what God was teaching me.

No matter how many times I break God's heart He will never stop loving me.
The goal and purpose of life is becoming like Christ and helping others become like Christ.
I need to Live in the Spirit, Preach the Gospel of Jesus, and Glorify the Father.
This is all about God, and everything comes back to love, which comes back to God.

I'm still learning and I have other thoughts, most likely I'll blog about them soon, but those three lessons have been transforming my life and ministry for the last year.

He emptied Himself all all but Love, He set aside everything but His most essential characteristic, and even when I go through junk, that essential characteristic never lets me go, never stops teaching me, never stops loving me.

Peace be with you

Did you know...?

I've been in the process of moving back to Ohio for about a month now, and last week I finally finished taking care of everything for my vehicle. During this process I learned something new. In order to obtain a new Ohio driver's license I was required to take a written exam! That thing that I took way back when I was 16 in order to get my license and that thing I haven't thought about since, yeah I had to retake that.

In case you're wondering, I did worse this time. The first time I took it I only missed two questions, this time I missed five, after the fourth one I began to think, "Wow, if I fail this, that's going to suck a lot." But in the end I passed, and I am once again a citizen of the great state of Ohio.

As I look at the questions I missed, most of them were about drunk driving and the legal alcohol limit, I started to go into pastor mode and think, "What can I use this for?"

As look at the questions I got right the answer came to me.

Romans 16.17-19, "Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil."

The reason I missed the questions about drinking and driving is because it isn't something I'm concerned about or experienced with. I honestly don't care what the legal alcohol limit is for me to drive because I have no need to know that. The questions I got right, the ones about what street signs mean, what to do in certain driving situations involving school buses or bikers, I got those right because they are things I do all the time when I drive. I am wise in the things that are good for driving, knowing the laws, know what to do, but innocent in regards to something that can cause death to others while driving.

Now what about my God walk? If I had to take a written test of being a Christ follower I'd pass with flying colors, I've grown up around it and I know all the answers. But the written test doesn't matter. Anyone can pass the written test, just study a few things and you'll pass. What matters is life, being on the road. What matters is living out the answers to the test.

I'm a pastor, and it would suck a lot if I failed the God walk test. What about you?

Peace be with you

Chapter done

This week I moved back to Ohio, and now I'm waiting. There is definitely a restlessness to get back into ministry, but at the same time there isn't a desperation to have to be in the first church that calls me.

I look back at what I've learned and experienced, the good times and the rough times, and I know all of it has served to make me a better minister. While in Michigan I had the opportunity to meet some awesome people, to talk life and ministry with some incredible youth pastors, and to think through different aspects of ministry. These things have molded how I will do youth ministry in the next church and my experience as a staff member there has already begun to shape my plans for how to lead a church one day.

As the page turns now I don't know what will be written next, I don't know what the next weeks and months hold, but I do know this, "When it's all been said and done, there is just one thing that matters. Did I do my best to live for truth? Did I live my life for you?"

Peace be with you

Question from God

Recently God has been asking me a question, "Bill, what are the desires of your heart?" Every time He's asked my answer has been, "I don't know that I know." So right now that's what I'm trying to figure out.

Desire- (noun) strong conscious impulse to have, be or do something

Conscious- aware, intentional

Impulse- moving force

In Biblical language the heart is the center of the human spirit. It is the source of emotions, thoughts, motivations, courage, and action. It's the source of life. The desires of the the heart are the things that make us come alive. St. Irenaeus once said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." The glory of God is man living to the fullest, living life in a way that exercises our passions and creativity in a way pleasing and honoring to God. The desires of our heart are the things that drive us to do our best, the things that challenge us to be the best we can.

So the real question I'm facing is what makes me come alive? What am I driven to have, do and to be?

Have:

I want to have a family. I want to marry my best friend and spend my life living an adventure with her. I want to help her see how beautiful and captivating she is to me, but more importantly to God. With her I want to raise some incredible kids. Boys who are warriors for the Lord of Lords, girls who are princesses of the King of Kings.

I want land, somewhere I can escape into the wilderness and just hide from the rest of the world with my Daddy for a while. A place to escape to refuel the fire.

I want a canoe and a dog.

Do:

I want to travel, mostly to Israel, as much as I can. I want to spend Easter in Jerusalem walking through the last days of the life of Christ, going where He did, seeing what He saw, trying to understand it all.

I want to bike across America from San Francisco, California to Yorktown, VA with Jeremy.

I want to backpack in as many states as I can.

I want to climb Mount Everest.

Be:

I want to be the pastor of an incredible church. A church that would fall apart if the Spirit left. A church that if it disappeared the community would notice and be affected.

I want to be the leader of an incredible staff with a vision focused on building the Kingdom. The leader of a staff that is united as a team working together for the Kingdom.

I want to be a husband and a father.

I want to be a man who Lives in the Spirit, Preaches the Gospel of Jesus, and Glorifies the Father.

I want to be a man after God's own heart.

Ultimately, I want to be in a constant relationship with my Daddy. I want a new passion for Him daily. I want to daily become more like my Lord and Savior, and to help others become more like Him.

Live, Preach, Glorify

Peace be with you

It's so crucial

Over the last five years I have had the opportunity to serve, in some capacity of ministry, in five different churches. Some experiances were absolutely incredible and I honestly never wanted them to end, others I was relieved when they were over. But in all of them there are things to learn.

I have been called to a life of full time ministry, eventually as a senior pastor, and as I move towards that I take the things I have seen and experianced in these churches into account. I look at the positive things that worked, the things that seemed good but weren't fruitful, and the things that totally flooped. All of these were things to learn from.

I look at people, leadership and ministry styles, how they work with people, how the lead and empower people. What they do that works and what doesn't.

While I've learned a lot about how to pastor and how not to, and how to work with staff, and the congregation, I think leading a church all comes down to one thing, vision.

Vision is the most crucial thing, after being centered on Christ, to the survival of a church. Proverbs 29.18a, "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained" Where there is no vison there is no unity, and where there is no unity a kingdom can't survive. "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand." Matthew 12.25b, even the Kingdom of God.

I look at the churches I've served in that have thrived, and it's because of vision that is gronded in Christ, and the leadership and congregation are united behind it.

I have come to realize just how crucial vision is to the survival of church.

...against such things there is no law

For the last few months I've been outlining the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5.22-23. I've taken each one back to the original Greek text and looked at the real meaning of each one.

To start we looked at how this is Fruit, so it is produced, it takes time to grow, and it all comes from God. Then we looked at each one.

Love, agape, the unconditional love of God for us, the love we are to have for God, for others, and also ourselves.

Joy, chara, the source of joy, the reason for rejoicing.

Peace, eirene, contentment, satisfaction with life.

Patience, makrothumia, enduring hardship or trial withoug complaing or retaliating.

Kindness, chrestotes, goodness expressed through action, doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do.

Goodness, agathosune, moral excellence, striving to be like God, and do what God would do.

Faithfulness, pistis, honesty, integrity, uprightness.

Gentleness, prautes, being submissive to God, humble and teachable with people, and being considerate of others.

Self-Control, egkrateia, properly using what God has given us by His help.

These are the things that God calls us to. These are the characteristics that a life immersed in Him will disply. These are the things that as we walk with Him will be produced in our lives. And against these things there is no law.

The law is limiting and condemning. The only thing the law can do is show you how bad you are, how far you fall short, how much you mess up. The law restrains because it only shows us our sin. A life immersed in God, a life that the Spirit is at work in producing the Fruit of the Spirit, that life is free from the law. Why? Becasue that life does not chase after sin, but after God.

Freedom in Christ is a Spirit guided life style. There are still limits and there are still rules, but they are under the Law of Love that Christ gave. The life of Jesus recorded in the Gospels shows us this new law. Christ has set us free to a new life, He has redemeed us and given us a new way to live. He set us free for the best life, a life a freedom that is full of Love, which gives us Joy, which leads to Peace, which gives Patience, which turns into Kindness, which strives for Goodness, which calls for Faithfulness, which helps us have Gentelness, and that helps us have Self-Control.

Freedom comes with obligations, but the obligation is to God, He bought us with a price. We have an obligation to others, to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are not free to do whatever we want, we are free to love, and from a life based upon love comes the best life ever, a life rooted in God.

Take this, and let the Spirit fill you, may He be at work in you cultivating the soil of your Heart so that this incredible Fruit might be produced.

"But the Fruit of the Spirit is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control; against such things there is no law."

Peace be with you

...Self-Control...

When people found out I was doing a study on the Fruit of the Spirit a lot of people had the same comment, "Let me know when you get to self-control." After seeing the depth and complexity of the other eight aspects of this incredible gift of God, I was shocked when I got the the final characteristic, not by the confusion that it caused me like gentleness, or by the seemingly impossible command of goodness, or of the incredible realization of joy. This one shocked me in its simplicity.

The Greek word for self-Control is egkrateia (pronounced egg-kra-tee-a). Literally it means, "self-control, continence (self-restraint), temperance". Temperance means, "moderation in or abstinence from indulgence" and indulgence, "yield to the desire of/for".

This one is so simple in it's meaning. We as humans have been given so many good things, so many great things. And with every thing there is a right way to use it and exercise it. It there is a right way then there obviously has to be a wrong way. We are capable of abusing what we have. Think about it.

Food, it's so good, it looks and smells amazing, in moderation it provides energy, but sometimes we over eat.

Our bodies, they are capable of producing so much good, of doing so many things, but sometimes we fail to take care of them, we fail to exercise.

Our minds, think about how incredible this is, we have the ability to think, to learn, to remember, to reason things out, and yet we are guilty of not living up to our fullest potential at times because of laziness.

Sex, God gave this incredible gift for pleasure, procreation, and most importantly to seal the covenant of marriage between a man and woman. But this too has been abused, in premarital fornication, in extra marital affairs, in homosexual relationships, and in pornography.

What is it for you?

All of these things are gifts from God. He made everything and made it for a good and perfect use. We have the ability to miss use them all. In order to use these gifts correctly we need the controlling will power that only comes through the power of God.

Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 9, he uses the illustration of an athlete in training. In 1 Corinthians 7 he talks about sex and the good it does in marriage. In 1 Corinthians 6 he talks about how the body belongs to God and how we need to honor God with our bodies. In Matthew 25 Jesus talks about the parable of the talents.

Self-Control is crucial because without it we abuse the awesome gifts God has given us. Without it we fail to live up to our fullest potential, and without it we fail to honor God.

Egrateia, draws upon God in order to use the gifts He has given us properly. I gain Self-control by having Gentleness, submission to God, humility and teachability, and being considerate of others. This comes from a spirit of Faithfulness, honesty, and integrity. Faithfulness flows out of Goodness, moral excellence, striving to be more like God. This attitude flows from Kindness, goodness expressed through action, doing the right thing simply because it's the right thing to do. That starts with Patience, enduring hardship and trial without complaining or retaliating. I am able to be patient because I have Peace, contentment and satisfaction with life, peace comes from Joy, the reason to rejoice, and the source of joy is Love, the unconditional love from God.

Peace be with you

...Gentleness...

Disclaimer:

The Greek word is prautes (pr-ow-ta [long a]-s). As I was preparing for this lesson I kept reading the definition in my Greek dictionary over and over. The more I read it, the less I understood it. I finally got to the point where I almost didn't understand the words I was reading, and out of desperation I picked up William Barclay's commentary on Galatians and Ephesians only to be greeted by this, "Gentleness: prautes is the most untranslatable of words."

I put that as my facebook status and my college Greek professor said, "If Barclay says, 'I dunno' then there isn't much hope for the rest of us." That made me feel great, so as we begin this one all I can promise is to try and explain it.


The Greek word prautes, translates as "gentlenss, kindness". Most versions of the Bible have this word translated as gentleness, however, the King James uses a different word, "meekness". In our current culture the idea of being meek is one that is equivalent with weakness and submission.

Meek

1. humbly patient or docile, as under provocation from others.
2. overly submissive or compliant; spiritless; tame.
3. Obsolete: gentle; kind.

The word docile is defined, "easily managed or handled; readily trained or taught"

Spiritless is defined, "without spirit; without ardor, vigor, zeal"

Tame is defined, "changed from the wild or saved state; spiritless; lacking in excitement; dull; not to be taken very seriously; without real power"

This is how people see the word meek today. The Biblical definition however, is one of strength, power, and virtue. Meekness, "Moral quality of humility and gentleness, usually exhibited during suffering or difficulty and accomplished by faith in God."

This is what the attribute listed in the Fruit of the Spirit is all about. In my best effort to explain this word (and with the aid of William Barclay [a lot of aid]) we see three characteristics of the word prautes.

First we see the someone who possesses prautes is submissive to the will of God. We see this in the life of Jesus. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a white stallion as a conquering warrior would have. He came to die, not to kill. In the Garden we see He prays, "Father, your will be done." He knew the cost of that prayer, but Jesus was submissive to the will of the Father, and He was exalted for it. Matthew 5.5, "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. "

Second, a person who posesses prautes is teachable. This person is humble and learns from others.

Third, a person with prautes is considerate, they don't offer insults and condemnation, but they preach the truth in love, they reach out to those in need. We see this in Jesus, He welcomed the little children, He touched lepers, He healed people who were unclean, He raised the dead. Jesus was gentle in His words, in His message. If you look at His teaching, the only peopel He ever got on were the religious leaders of the day, they people who should have recognized Him as the Messiah He is. He met people where they were, He taught in ways they could understand and relate to.

Prautes is all of those things, but it does not carry the negetive idea of meekness with it. I think part of prautes is also the righteous anger. It is being angry about the right things. It is angry about sin, it is angry about cancer, it is angry about abortion, it is angry about child abuse. It is not hateful towards the people that do these things, but it is angry towards the act itself.

Jesus was not a sissy, one of my professors said, "It took a stronger man to hang there and die than it would have to come off the cross and beat everyone."

Gentleness is an essential quality, it allows us to live together in society. It allows the younger generation to learn from the older generation. It allows churches to function together in harmony as we seek the will of God, or atleast is should.

If all of us would strive for gentleness, if all of us would strive to be submissive to God, humble and teachable, and considerate of others, that society could function very effeciantly, and honestly it would be a pretty plesant place to live.

Prautes, gentleness, the state of beign submissive, teachable, and considerate comes from pistis, faithfulness which is honesty and integrity.

Faithfulness flows out of goodness, agathosune, moral excellence, striving to be more like God, to do what God would do. Goodness is an exaltation of kindness, chrestotes, which is goodness expressed through action, doing the right thing becasue its the right thing to do.

I am able to have kindness because I have had patience, makrothumia, enduring hardship and trial without complaint or retaliation. I can endure because of eirene, peace, which is contentment and satisfaction. I have contentment because of joy, chara, the reason to rejoice, and the source of joy is the agape, the unconditional love, that I have from God.

...Faithfulness...

Last week we examined goodness, agathosune, "moral excellence, striving to be like God". This is not an attempt to become God, but an effort to become more like Him in what we do, and who we are. It is something we will never attain, but something that we are called to continuously strive towards.

Out of goodness comes the next attribute listed in the Fruit of the Spirit, Faithfulness. The Greek word is pistis, translated as "good faith, honestly, integrity". I love words, and sometimes with word definitions I look up the definition of words withing the definition. I looked up honesty, "truthfulness, sincerity, frankness; uprightness, firmness" and integrity, "adherence to moral and ethical principles." Pistis carries the idea of trustworthiness.

As we studied this characteristic we looked at three stories in the Bible. The first is the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39. Joseph is in Egypt after being sold by his brothers. In Egypt he is bought Potiphar and God blesses Joseph. Potiphar puts Joseph in charge of his house, and God blesses Potiphar because of Joseph.

Potiphar's wife notices that Joseph is a rather good looking fellow, and tries to seduce him. Repeatedly she offers herself to him and each time he says no. One day Joseph goes into the house to do his work, but none of the other servants are there. Potiphar's wife grabs his robe in another attempt, but he flees and leaves it in her hands. A lie is started, Joseph is falsely accused and thrown into prison, but in prison God still shows him favor and he is put in charge of the prison. Eventually, Joseph is released, God shows him favor again and he is made second in command of Egypt. Joseph goes from a slave to one of the most powerful men in the world.

With Joseph we see faithfulness to God. He served his earthly masters well and refused to compromise even when he could have. We see his faithfulness to people as well. He respect Potiphar's marriage, again, he worked hard and did well. God blesses this faithfulness.

Next we looked at Daniel, and Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. In Daniel 1 we see that the four of them refuse to eat the food of the king and choose to eat only vegetables. God blesses them and gives them favor and wisdom. In both Daniel 3 and Daniel 6, we see that these four men are each given an opportunity to deny God by either bowing to an idol or praying to the king. If they don't the face death. But all four of them refuse to worship any one but God.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, are thrown into the furnace, but God saves them. Daniel is cast into the lion's den, but God closes the lion's mouths and Daniel is spared. The were faithful to God, and God protected and blessed their faithfulness.

In these we saw positive examples of faithfulness. In all of these stories we see men who had the opportunity to compromise but refused. This is faithfulness, but faithfulness has another aspect. Sometimes we do compromise, sometimes we do mess up, but in this we can still show faithfulness.

2 Samuel 11, David, the man after God's own heart, commits adultery and then murder. In 2 Samuel 12 the prophet Nathan comes to David and calls him out on his sin. David responds, "I have sinned against the LORD." David owned his sin. That is honesty, that is integrity, that is pistis.

As I strive for goodness, faithfulness comes out of it. Goodness stems from kindness which is doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Kindness comes from patience, taking the endurance of hardship without complaint or retaliation to the next level. Patience comes from the contentment of peace. Peace comes from joy, the reason to rejoice. The reason to rejoice is the unconditional love which we have from God.

Peace be with you

...Goodness...

Let's start this week with review. So far in our journey through the Fruit of the Spirit I've talked about five:

LOVE: agape, the unconditional love that God has for us, the love that I am to have for others, and also the love that I am to have for God. This is love expressed through action. Love comes from God, the ability to give and receive love is a gift from God.

JOY: chara, the source of joy or the reason for rejoicing. I can be joyful always and consider it pure joy when I face trials (1 Thessalonians 5/James 1) because chara is not a feeling but the source of that feeling. My source of joy is the unconditional love that I have from God.

PEACE: eirene, contentment and tranquility. I have peace with my circumstances no matter what they are because I have a reason to rejoice, which comes from the unconditional love I have from God.

PATIENCE: makpothumia, enduring hardship or trials without complain or retaliation. I can endure hardships, I can survive because I am content, I am content because of my reason to rejoice, the unconditional love from God.

KINDNESS: chrestotes, goodness expressed in action. This is doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Praying for my enemies, giving my enemy water when he is thirsty. I can do this because I endure the hardships without retaliating, because I am content in my source of joy, the unconditional love I have because I belong to God.

I said in the beginning that they all build upon each other. The foundation is God, and they all point to God, and with that we look at Goodness.

A few months ago when I really started to look at the fruit of the spirit this aspect really stood out to me. The word in Greek is agathosune (pronounced a-gath-o [long o]- soon- a [long a]) which translates as "goodness, virtue, generosity". When I walked through these with the teens I work with I would always look up the English definition for each word, this one gave some very interesting results.

good·ness
   –noun
1. the state or quality of being good.
2. moral excellence; virtue.
3. kindly feeling; kindness; generosity.
4. excellence of quality: goodness of workmanship.
5. the best part of anything; essence; strength.
6. a euphemism for god

A euphemism for god. I said that this one really stood out to me when I first started to look at the Fruit of the Spirit. As I prayed through them I tried to understand them, and when I got to goodness a verse came to my mind.

Mark 10.17-18, "As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.'"

No one is good but God alone. The word used here is agathos, the root of goodness. The word good means excellence in being. The very core is perfect, absolutely perfect, no flaws, no impurities, completely perfect. This is only true of God.

Agathosune describes the moral quality which is described by agathos. Someone who is agathos does not just do something good, but they embody goodness. Their desires are characterized by goodness and they desire to both do and be morally excellent, perfect. Again this is only true of God.

But we are to strive to be like God, not to be God, but to become more like Him daily. To do this we strive to do the things of God and to do the things that God would do. We seek to love like He does, to serve like He does, and to care like He does.

We will never attain the moral excellence, the absolute perfection of God, it isn't possible, but we are to constantly strive after it. Paul talks about it in Philippians 3, "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

I am striving daily to become more like Christ. The prayer for goodness, is the prayer that my life will reflect God in all that I do. That people will look at me and not see me, but will see the Lord who lives through me.

"Help me to love like you loved, to serve like you served, to speak only words of truth. Help me to care like you cared for a world in despair, help me to love like you."
-Jonny Diaz, Love Like You Loved

Peace be with you

...Kindness...

Kindness, noun "the state or quality of being kind; a kind act; favor; kind behavior; friendly feeling; liking." This is one that isn't too far off from the original Greek meaning. The Greek word for Kindness is chrestotes (pronounced hre-stot-as [long a]) and is essentially translated as goodness in action, expressing itself in deeds.

As I studied this word and saw its meaning a quote came to mind that I heard several years ago, "Your talk talks, and your walk talks; but your walk talks louder than your talk talks." Normally people have to look at that one a couple times to get it. But that's the idea of chrestotes. Kindness is doing the right thing because its the right thing to do.

For this one we look at the story found in 2 Samuel 9, David and Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was the the son of Jonathan, and the grandson of King Saul. Based on blood line, he is the heir to the throne. But we see in 1 Samuel 13 that Saul is rejected as king and in 1 Samuel 16 that God chooses David to become the next king.

Normally what would have happened in this situation is that the new king would kill all of the relatives of the previous king in order to protect his throne. This is not the response of David. Rather than killing the descendant of his predecessor, he restores the land of Saul to Mephibosheth. Instead of taking his life he invites him to eat at his table. David shows kindness.

Kindness is essential, Romans 2.4 says that the kindness of God leads you to repentance. My mentor has often said, "No one ever became a Christian because they lost an argument. People become followers of Christ because they are shown love."

Kindness is directly related to love.

If you remember, patience is enduring trial and hardship without complaining or retaliating. Kindness takes patience one step farther and instead of just enduring, it does something good. I am able to do good because I have endured without complaint. I am able to endure without complaint because I have contentment through peace. I have peace because I have joy, a source of rejoicing, and that source of rejoicing is the unconditional love I have from God.

Let your walk talk today, let your life be full of chrestotes, goodness expressed through action.

Peace be with you.