Emotional Evolution

I have learned some meditation techniques to help me find inner peace. I imagine myself a small child alone and afraid. My adult self comes along and asked the boy if he'd like to go for a walk. We walk hand in hand. As an adult, I voice understanding and affirmation to the child. Eventually, I introduce the child to my higher power, Jesus Christ. Christ greets the boy with a huge smile and open arms. 

I have worked this meditation for several years now and have responded with a evolution of emotions. I balled as the instructor walked a group of people through the meditation for the first time. I felt pain. Don't get me wrong. I believe the meditation worked it's purpose as it helped to bring my suppressed emotions to the surface. 

I continued to practice this mediation regularly - at first daily and usually while laying in bed before sleep. It was a great way to end a day. My response changed considerably from sobbing to serenity. I continued to found peace in the arms of my loving savior. As I would crawl up in his lap, he would look down on me with loving eyes and a rather toothy smile. He was happy to see me again! I would curl up in his arms and find rest. 

I practiced this meditation early this morning. Everything was the same and my response changed once more. Rather than curling up in Jesus lap and feeling serenity, I SMILED when I looked into his eyes! I smiled. I felt not only serenity but also joy and pleasure. I was happy with myself and enjoyed being with my higher power. 

My emotional response to Christ's constant love has changed, beginning with pain and progressing to peace and joy. 

The Kingdom of Heaven and Ice Cream

A recent article by Phil Drysdale, http://www.phildrysdale.com/2014/07/jesus-saved-you-from-your-sins/, discusses the dangers of preaching a gospel centered on our sin and need to be saved from it. While he states very clearly that Jesus did save us from our sin (note the past tense), he argues this is NOT main point of the gospel. Rather, the main point of Christ's coming to earth, as stated by Phil, was to bring us into relationship with God.

I grew up in an extremely conservative church in which sin was much the focus. I remember hearing about a "relationship" with God but that was such an enigma. What was very clear, however, was my sin and my need to be saved from my sin. As I kept sinning, I figured "it" just wasn't working for me. Thus, the gospel was not much good news for me. While Jesus did save me from my sin, that was not the purpose of his coming. He came to restore my relationship with God through the power of the spirit.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous,that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, (1 Peter 3:18 ESV)

Focusing on sin and our need to be saved from it is causing needless division in the church and alienating others from it. If we focus on our need to be saved from sin, we are forced into arguing whether or not something is sinful, and we need to convince someone they are a sinner so they have agree they need saving. A problem with this philosophy is it is based on moral behavior rather than relationship with God. This is why so many outside the church point to mistakes made by those in the church - for every finger I point at another, three are pointing back at me.

Indeed, Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,". However, the very next phrase, Romans 3:24 says "AND all are justified freely through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

In short, we are restored into full relationship with God through Christ. Listen to the spirit as it speaks the truth of who you are - created in His image.

What of the picture?

The Kingdom of God less like a hospital and more like a going going out for ice cream after a doctor's appointment. That is assuming someone other than you covers the tab.

In order to be admitted into a hospital, you have to first be diagnosed with a sickness.  Hospitals are pretty depressing places unless you are there to have a baby or bring someone home when they are well. Everyone likes ice cream!

Blessing the Blessed

In the past year, high-profile sports figures such as Michael Sam of the NFL and John Amaechi and Jason Collins of the NBA have come out as being athletic and gay. This is significant as the athletic culture has rejected anything gay making it extremely difficult for anyone to come out. As such, a number of athletes have come out after their active involvement in the sport. This is not unlike the inclusion of athletes of color not too long ago. Few people are not aware of Jackie Robinson's story and we have recently celebrated its significance with the movie 42. The sports culture appears to be taking steps similar to the U.S. military when they abandoned "don't ask don't tell" in favor of embracing all who wish to serve our country. The sports culture

Some people, many of them friends of mine, are attempting to minimize the significance of these men and women coming out. For example, this cartoon compares the praise Jason Collins has received for coming out to the criticism Tim Tebow has received for public display of his faith. I understand where some Christians are coming from when they cry "foul". We all want celebrities to be praised for sharing our beliefs. As I am a Christian, I smile when I see Tim Tebow take a knee in the end zone. I loved it when Sammy Sosa of my beloved Chicago Cubs would point towards heaven after a home run.


While I understand the emotion behind such satire, it is not a fair comparison. No openly christian person has ever been excluded from professional sports. I have been involved in sports for several years and I have never known a player or coach afraid of coming out as christian for fear of discrimination or rejection. While I have seen players ridiculed by teammates for standing up for their moral values, this harsh treatment often comes from others of the same faith. For example, one christian athlete might tease another for his or her decision to remain sexually pure until marriage. Christians have been the majority of our country's professional sports arena since its inception. Gays, on the other hand, have only recently found the strength to be open in professional sports. They should be applauded for their bravery and I am grateful our society provides them sufficient support to come out.

I understand the emotions behind those who would have christian athletes keep their faith to themselves. We, as Christians, are to blame for this response. Some people associate Tim Tebow with judgement and pride rather than humility and charity as modeled by the focal point of our faith Jesus Christ. This is unfortunate as Tim Tebow and many other Christians are very compassionate and charitable.

As humans, Christian or not, we take care of and show respect for our fellow man.

Toxic Shame and Addiction

The cycle of addiction is expressed in a variety of ways, but just about every "cycle" demonstrates that shame comes before use. Therefore, removing shame is essential in breaking any addictive behavior whether is be drugs, food, sex or anything else.

One problem with christian counseling is the claim that "if we completely surrender of lives to Christ, we will no longer struggle with X, Y or Z." I would use caution in suggesting that if we give our whole life to Christ, we will find this kind of victory over drugs or anything else.

I have worked with addicts claiming complete victory over drugs through complete surrender to Christ, only to find them back on the streets. One problem with suggesting this "cure" is that it heaps additional shame on top of existing shame. For example, if the addict is in love with Christ and still struggling, they may feel as if they are doing something wrong.   Likewise, they may have "victory" for a period of time only to struggle later. Thinking they should be free of addiction may prevent them for seeking the necessary help they so desperately need.

The apostle Paul speaks volumes of wisdom when he said, "...everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial." That is a great summation of our freedom in Christ. He goes on to say that "...nothing can separate us from the love of God". What does this mean? In terms of our salvation, we are FREE from the penalty of sin as sin is no longer an issue for salvation. Jesus took care of sin, not only for us but the entire world. I believe (and this is my opinion) that a person can be an active user and be in love with Christ. I believe a person can be saved and use drugs. Sounds a bit crazy, but so is grace. As Paul says, "...the things I do not want to do, I keep on doing."

Unfortunately, the consequences of drug abuse are horrible; i.e., "not everything is beneficial." There is no need to expound on this. Addicts don't need to be told of the ill effects of drug abuse. Addicts need to be introduced to the radical and unfair love of God through his son Jesus Christ. Knowing "there is no condemnation" helps to remove the shame which feeds the addictive cycle.

Christ has removed death's sting. As we are no longer under the law and the power of sin is the law, sin is no longer an issue in terms of our salvation. Christ's blood was and is sufficient for the forgiveness of the entire world.

I am not a "Christian"

A priest shared the following story:

Two women were being honored in church for their decision to become nuns and thus be "married" to Christ. As the congregation was settling in for the service, the priest noticed two rabbis sitting in the back row. The priest welcomed everyone to the service including their two unexpected Jewish guests. "To what do we owe this honor of your presence this morning?" the priest asked the two rabbis. The elder of the two slowly rose from his seat and plainly said, "We are family of the groom."

This is a great story and drew some laughter from the pews. The moral of the story is a bit sobering however. You see, Jesus was not a Christian. Jesus was born and Jew, lived as a Jew, and died as a Jew. Never once did he claim to be a Christian. If Jesus wasn't a Christian, I suppose it's not too bad if I'm not one either. Jesus was not only Jewish, he was a radical Jew. He was an extremist in his day and would still be an extremist today. He didn't try to find the middle of the road for issues that concerned the public, he came to save the public. He loved us so much that he surrendered his own life that we might be free. Guess what? He accomplished his purpose.

There is no doubt that being a Christian today carries preconceived qualities not all of which are Christ-like. Being a Christian is more like belonging to a system of beliefs than being a follower of the Word of God. What's interesting is how Christian systems of beliefs can closely resemble political party platforms. For example, supporting the death penalty and denying evolution seems to have become battle cries of many Christians.

I know that might raise some eye brows, but Jesus is the Word of God - not our interpretation of scripture. The very purpose of scripture - old and new- is Jesus. All scripture points to him and; therefore, our interpretation of scripture should be filtered through him. As I have said before and I'll say it again, I am really bad at following Christ AND I am very grateful he still calls me his own. None-the-less, it is my responsibility to be Jesus to the world. As such, I cannot support the death penalty knowing what Jesus teaches us through his own words.

Furthermore, I find it puzzling how someone can insist on literal interpretation of some scripture while rationalizing or ignoring others. For example, how can anyone ignore Jesus direct statements concerning murder and yet insist on the literal interpretation of the Genesis creation account?

Another point of contention among those who claim Jesus is sin - what it is as well as how Jesus dealt with it. Some say sin separates us from God as if somehow we, by our actions, could possibly undo what Christ has done on the cross. Some say it is necessary to call certain behaviors sinful so those that are sinning will repent and turn away from their sin. This sounds a lot like the old covenant to me.

I'm not saying repentance is not necessary. I'm saying some have a distorted perspective of repentance. The old covenant would say repentance is to turn away from sin. The new covenant says repentance is to turn towards Christ. Our sin is forgiven - it is as far away as the east is from the west - sin is no longer an issue. Sin cannot separate us from the love of God anymore than I can earn my way into heaven by good works. I would say that sin never was the issue. The purpose of the law was and is to point to Christ. It's purpose has been fulfilled! How do I know? Jesus told me so! He said, and I quote, "I did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill the law." There it is - a done deal.

While I don't like the connotations that go along with being a Christian, I am repentant. I have turned towards Christ who has already forgiven me of my sin. Guess what? Your sins are forgiven as well.

So, let's do as Christ did. Let's take sin off the table and love God and our neighbor. In case you are fearful the world will fall apart with rampant thievery, murder and rape, just remember what Jesus said. He said that all the law can be wrapped up in two commandments. One - love God and two - love our neighbor. Now that sounds like a pretty good place to live to me.

God's not dead!

Jesus is Grace, Grace is Jesus, and Jesus is alive. This is good news!

His death was the final payment for the sin of the world - past, present and future. This means the entire world is forgiven and sin no longer requires atonement. "It is finished" and He did it for us - everyone! "God so loved the WORLD ..." The good news is that includes you and me! We are forgiven and sin is no longer an issue. He fulfilled the law and we are free indeed. We don't have to do a single thing - it is finished! These aren't my words; Jesus said it.

Better news is Jesus is no longer dead. Indeed, as the title of a popular song and movie states, "God is not dead!" We don't have to bring him back to life, back into our government, or even our schools. On the contrary, He has always been and will always be. He put everything into place and with reason - his will not ours. This is amazing news! Why - because He loves us. He is our heavenly daddy and made us just like him. He wouldn't make anyone like him and not like them. That's too many 'likes' so let's just say, he loves us all.

If you can believe that, you're in. That's right, you're saved. You're already forgiven and now you will be with him in paradise forever. If it is no true, then I am the biggest fool of all. I'm okay with that.

War on Poverty

We need to change the way we do "church" or get out of the church and start being Jesus to the world. Both would be ideal.

More than 2.2 million people are incarcerated in the U.S., a number that has quadrupled since the 1980s. If current incarceration trends continue, one in every three black males born in America today can expect to go to prison at some point in their life, compared with one in six Latino males, and one in 17 white males, according to a recent report by the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based justice reform group.

Of the countless drug related convictions each year, almost half are for low-level offenders. Almost all low-level offenders come from poverty and almost all of them end up in prison accounting for much of the incarcerated since 1980. While I don't condone their offense, I understand why they do what they do. Instead of trying to help these people, we stigmatize them. If they are not hardened before incarceration, they will certainly have plenty of opportunity while in prison. In a very real sense, the "war on drugs" has become a war on the poor.

Consider your own life for a moment. How many of us would choose an easier way to make more money if we were shown how to do it? How many of us already take a non-drug related easy way out? The poor have a choice. They can make an "honest living" by flipping burgers or make a whole lot more money by selling something else. Perhaps we are not so different.

As we remember the death and resurrection of our lord and savior Jesus Christ, let us remember those in need. Let's follow up our songs of praise this weekend with outstretched arms to men and women in need. How do we find them? They are the poor, the marginalized, the outcast, the addicts, and they will likely not be sitting next to you at church this Sunday.

Why aren't they in church? That's an excellent question!