Crossing Over

3Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4And it happened, as they were bgreatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6“He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7“saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”8And they remembered His words.
Luke 24: 3 - 8 NKJV

There is a story in ancient Greek mythology about those who would pass from this world into the next after death.  Upon death, a persons soul would journey to the river Styx, where the now bodyless soul would arrive on the rivers banks and attempt to cross to the other side.  The other side being the underworld.  One could conjur up a ride across the river from a boatman named Charon, who bore a suprising resemblence to the grim reaper.  However, this ride across the river was by no means free.  If your family had not buried you with a coin in your grave to cover the cost of this final ride, then you would not cross the river Styx.  It seems that even the boatman needed a side gig.  If you found yourself without the fare for the voyage across the river, then you could always attempt to swim across.  Some made it...most didn't.  So, what awaited you on the other side of the river Styx?  Well, more waiting for the most part.  See, the Greeks believed that once a soul crossed the river that it would wait for the opportunity to secure another body to start life over again as a infant.  It seems that one could indeed have a new body of their choosing.  What surprised me about this story were the similarities between this ancient Greek myth and our own christian beliefs.  For are we are not also assured that death is not the end for ourselves as well?  We may indeed ask ourselves, "O death, where is your sting?" {1 Corinthians 15:55}.

1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5: 1 -5 NKJV

One of my favorite verses from scripture comes from Luke 24.  As the women arrived at the tomb of the risen Christ that morning the angels proclaimed His resurection..."Why do you seek the living among the dead?"  Indeed, it is Christ Jesus Himself who has not only overcome death {Romans 6:9} but that we are no longer to fear that which Jesus has overcome {Philippians 1:21}.  Indeed, why should we fear our own final journey when we have been assured by Jesus that we will be with Him forever? {Romans 8: 38-39}.  I believe that it was for this very reason that the apostle Paul proclaimed that for him to live is Christ...and to die is gain {Philippians 1:21}.  For if indeed the Spirit of Christ Jesus is within us as we live today {Galations 2:20}, then it is that we shall forever live with He who has overcome death.  Death...where is your sting?  The beautiful part of all of this is that we do not need to worry about paying that fare for our final voyage across the river.  See, that debt has already been paid by Christ at the cross.

4“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said bto me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7“He who overcomes dshall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Revelation 21: 4 - 7 NKJV

~Scott~

In Gods House

McChurch

47“But Solomon built Him a house. 48“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 49‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, Or what is the place of My rest? 50Has My hand not made all these things?’
Acts 7: 47 - 50 NKJV

I was asked by a friend of mine some time ago if I had been to "Gods house" on Sunday.  Of course, this man knew that I was a christian and that I would attend church...on occasion.  I honestly didn't know what to tell him.  If I told him the cold, bold truth then he might just question my christian faith.  However, if I told him what was not true, that I had indeed been to Gods house, then I would need to answer to my own conscience.  See, while most practicing christians file into houses of worship each Sunday morning, a few select brothers in Christ will gather at a local fast food joint for breakfast with Jesus.  Having now been dubbed "McChurch" by one of the wives, we gather every Sunday morning to catch up and some Jesus talk.  Who would ever understand that our group of men who gather to dine on breakfast burritos, pancakes and coffee were indeed attending church?  We don't have a pulpit.  We have no praise and worship band. There is no first and second service.  All we have is a few brothers in Christ Jesus who come together on Sunday in fellowship.  Does this make our gathering more or less of a church?  Well, in the eyes of many it would.  The physician Luke refers in Acts 7 that the Most High "does not dwell in temples made with hands."  Indeed, if God has created all things then "what house will you build for me?"  The issue that I run into in my interaction of with others is that so many people defend their belief that our heavenly Father will only be "properly" admired and worshipped in a dedicated church...in Gods house.  I will usually disagree with this assumption for more than a few good reasons.  The most prominent of these reasons being that we cannot say that our Lord is all in all, and yet put Him in a box as to where He can be worshipped and praised.  In fact, some of the christians I have had this discussion with will defend their claim that God dwells in His house, yet in the same breath they will tell me that He is all around us.  So which is it?  Do we serve a God who is all in all but stops by His house every Sunday that His children may worship Him?  That sounds a little too old testament for my liking.

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be adone away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

From what I can gather, many a christian will defend the coming together in worship for a select few reasons.  One of these reasons is that they feel the need to "be close to God."  I mean, how else would we feel closer to our Lord than in His house?  To this I would suggest to more than a few others that we who have accepted Christ Jesus are already closer to God than we realize.  The apostle Paul mentions to us in more than a few places in his letters that it is in we ourselves where the Spirit of Christ Jesus makes His home today.  Indeed, if we "died with Christ, then we believe that we shall also live with Him" {Romans 6: 8}.  Do  we discount these proclamations made by Paul?  Do we ignore his testimony that Christ was revealed in him when it pleased the Father {Galations 1:16}?  I would say that it simply does not matter as to where we choose to gather in rememberence, worship or celebration of our heavenly Father.  There is nowhere we can go where we will be closer to Christ than we already are.  And if we are one in Christ Jesus, then we are one in God as well.  What house will we build for He who has created all we see?

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

~Scott~

This Man Jesus

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Colossions 1: 15 - 18 NKJV

The sign was indeed inviting, for a church.  "Come inside and meet Jesus," was its welcoming message.  Meet Jesus?  How in the world could I meet a man who has been dead for centuries?  How in the world could we ever meet a man who was...God.   For the casual observer passing by this church in the north of Portland, one might assume that this Jesus was nothing but a local pastor inviting all into His church.  Well, you would correct in your assumpton.  This man, this Jesus is indeed a pastor and leader of the largest church in the world.  In fact , Jesus sits at the head of the church of the Christ-ians.  All who proclaim themselves to be christians are under His leadership {Colossions 1:18}.  Indeed, if I claim to be a christian, then it is Christ Jesus who is the head of His church.  Now, I've seen many a pastor come and go in my time.  Some I've enjoyed, others not so much.  However, I can admit that I've very seldom considered in my heart that it was actually Jesus who had that preeminence in the church and not a man appointed and annointed by men.  Yes, I knew and loved Jesus, I just never realized Him as the head of the church.  That position fell on the man in the pulpit on Sundays.  I believe that this is where our major disconnect in christianity has come.  For how can we call ourselves christians if we lack a relationship with He whom we celebrate?  Jesus is more than just a storyline and certainly more than just a image on some painting.  Indeed, as Jesus proclaimed, if we have seen Him then we have seen the Father as well {John 14:9}.  This is exactly why He is sometimes refered to as the "God man," fully God and yet fully man as well.
24And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Matthew 8: 24 - 27 NKJV

It is the apostle Paul who has proclaimed Jesus as the "Image of the invisible God."  So, how is it that we can ever see God?  We HAVE seen Him through Christ Jesus.  Philip asked Jesus to "Show us the Father" {John 14:8}.  Thomas doubted when those around him claimed "We have seen the Lord!" {John 20:25}.  In my christian infancy, I often found it hard to trust in someone I could not even see.  Unfortunately, I've heard this from other christians as well.  I guess I feel as if I'm in good company if even Jesus' own disciples had difficulty comprehending just who He was.  So who is this man Jesus?  Well, it is Jesus who is the very image of the LIVING invisible God.  We are told that no one has seen God at any time {John 1:18}.  Yet we are called to worship Him and hold Him holy.  Rather than calling this a leap of faith on our part, I would trust in what we know.  We know that God was present at the begining of creation {Genesis 1:2}.  We know that He created the heavens and the earth {Genesis 1:1}.  We also know that through Christ Jesus that all things were created {Colossions 1:16}.  Fully God, and fully man.  I understand that many will find it hard to believe in someone whom they cannot see, I get it.  What helped me into a relationship with Jesus was when I finally made it a personal relationship between Christ and myself.  Instead of some pie in the sky wish, I came to see myself as Christ.  The apostle Paul assures us of this truth in Romans 6 and also again in Galations 2:20.  It is no longer I who live...but Christ lives in me.  I've already met Jesus.

5Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
John 14: 5 - 9 NKJV

~Scott~

One Last Lesson

 15But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
Galations 1: 15 - 17 NKJV

I found myself thinking this week of the apostle Pauls revelation in Galations 1:15.  It is here where Paul tells of his own conversion, and possibly why he was allowed to continue in his persecution of the early church {Acts 9:1-2}.  I believe that many early followers of Christ Jesus fell at the hands of the man Saul.  A man trained in the faith of Judaism.  A man whose hatred burned against those of "The way."  A man so feared by those of the early church, that Ananias questioned whether it was wise to accompany Saul to Damascus {Acts 9:13-14}.  I wondered why it was that God had chosen this man Saul to be His messenger.  I also wondered just why so many had to suffer at Sauls hands before his conversion.  This was definately one of those 'Why do bad things happen to good people?' moments.  That answer was revealed to me a few verses later.  As Ananias wonders aloud as to why he is being asked to lead this persecutor of the church into Damascus, he is told "For he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before gentiles, kings and the children of Isreal."  Despite his evil against the early church, God was using Saul for His purpose of telling the world about the very man he had been persecuting.  In my opinion, He could not have chosen a better witness.  For through the writings of Paul we are witness to and brought into a deeper relationship with Christ Jesus.  Not bad for a man who once spewed wrath on the early believers.  I am of the belief that the best teachers are those who have come through the fire of experience.  For it is these few from which we ourselves learn our most valuable lessons.  Paul was such a man.  Chosen when it pleased God to be used as His vessel to proclaim Christ to the world.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

As I pondered Sauls conversion and the events leading up to it, my thoughts turned to my mother.  In the days leading up to her passing, I found it layed upon my heart to minister to her as she was in the hospital.  Day after day I would visit her.  Sometimes I would read from her favorite verses while others I would sing her favorite hymms to her.  It helped that she had been a lifetime christian who loved her Lord.  Then, I came across something that gave me some difficulty.  It had only recently been revealed unto my heart the truth of Christ Jesus which Paul tells us of in Galations 2:20.  With the help of Dennis, this revelation was becoming more clear each day.  Not only had Christ died for the forgiveness of my sins, but He rose that His Spirit would remain in me forever.  In essenece, I live AS Christ Jesus.  This was my dillema in my mothers final days.  Although she knew and loved Jesus, I just wasn't sure if she knew the truth that He could be found in her.  Her savior had always been that close to her.  However, as my own revelation about Christ in me had come when it pleased God to reveal Jesus it, so it would be with my mom.  Believe me, I tried my best to get her to realize that Jesus was in her.  But it wasn't me who could produce that revelation, that was Gods territory.  I was just that vessel He was using to speak of Jesus to her.  It seemed strange that all of my life she had been the one to teach me, now those roles were reversed.  A few days before she passed, I asked her once again if she knew where Jesus was.  My mom smiled at me and pointed to her chest.  She had given her son one last lesson.

~Scott~

Murphys Lament

4“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Revelation 21: 4 - 7 NKJV

There are few things in this life that are sure bets.  For the most part, we cannot count on the things of this world as a constant.  You say that the sun will rise tommorow?  Well, God can change that in the blink of an eye.  I think that one of the most true statements anyone has ever made is that tommorow never comes.  For when tomorow supposedly does come it is not tommorow at all...but today!  So it is that whenever someone tells me about some this, that or the other which is a sure bet, I take it with a grain of salt.  There are far too many things that can and will happen to erase any sure bet.  I guess it was based on this thought that Murphys law was created.  Somewhere along the line, ol' Murphy realized that there were no sure bets.  So, does that mean that we should believe in nothing which has ever been predicted?  Most definately, with a few exceptions.  We see a few of these exceptions in scripture.  Indeed, the bible has been true to its predictions through the ages.  What has been foretold...has come to pass.  We find one of those predictions in the book of Revelation.  Here the apostle John sits in exhile on the island of Patmos for the high crime of following Jesus.  It is during his time on Patmos that God decided to show John just what He had in store for His creation.  This was His revelation of the final battle, the second coming and a new earth.  When it pleases God, He will set these final events in motion that all will see His glory.  These events are not a matter of if, but when they will come.  With appolagies to Murphy, nothing can go wrong that will disturb the timing of what is to come.

5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it brobbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2: 5 - 11 NKJV

There was a interesting discussion in our Sunday morning McChurch group this morning.  What started as a conversation on if someone who has Christ in them can indeed behave badly eventually morphed into just how God orchestrates all of His creation for His purposes.  Everything that has or ever will happen has been according to our Lords desires.  Yes, even the rise and fall of that spirit of error...satan.  Even today, God continues to play satan like a fiddle that His will be accomplished.  We do well to remember that satan himself was one our Lords creations.  It was also satan who proclaimed that he would place himself above God {Isaiah 14:14}.  Many may wonder as to why God would allow such a thing to happen on His watch.  Well, God allowed satan to believe falsely that he was independent, which led to satan getting cast from heaven {Isaiah 14:15}, which led to satan deceiving Eve that she could be like God {Genesis 3: 4-5}, which in turn led to the fall of man{Genesis 3: 23-24}.  How could we ever recover from this expulsion from our Lords paradise?  Enter the next part of Gods plan, our very salvation {Isaiah 53:5}.  Indeed, God has even used satan himself for His own purposes.  The enemy has already been defeated.  As a good friend of mine will so often remind me, when satan  will remind you of your past...remind him of his future!

~Scott~

Layovers

14Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
Psalm 27: 14 NKJV

It's no secret that I don't like to fly.  Whether it's a just a short hop or a long flight, I can usually be found taking the train or driving.  I have heard far too many stories of air crashes and air disasters to persuade me that being grounded is one of the safest things that I can do for myself.  For those who say that flying is one of the safest ways of travel, well, everyone is entitled to their own opinions.  The funny thing is is that I LOVE aircraft and have from a early age.  Yes, I can like everything about the airplane but just not fly on them.  On one of the few times that I was dumb enough to take a flight somewhere, I was stuck in Seattle on a layover waiting for a flight to Las Vegas.  After waiting for three hours I came to the realization that my dislike for flying was indeed well founded.  Another thing that those who know me have long known is that I don't like to wait..for anything.  My patience level seems to be a few pegs below the normal person.  I don't see this as a bad thing, however.  Just let me have what I need right now and we're good.  Unfortunately, life usually doesn't work out quite like that.  There may indeed be those times when we will feel as if we are spinning our wheels or slogging through mud in our own lives.  Has God placed our lives on hold?  Definately not, but at times it may seem that way.  We pray, we fast and we tithe all in the hopes of somehow encouraging our heavenly Father to act on our behalf.  It isn't long before we began to ask ourselves that ages old question, where are you God?  For some reason, in times like these I used to feel as if I was infringing upon Gods time when I would come before Him with my requests.  I felt guilty that perhaps I had asked too much of Him and that this was His way of telling me no.  Well, our minds can lead us down many wrong turns when we don't understand something.

30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40: 30 - 31 NKJV

Despite my own lack of patience, there are more than a few places in scripture where we are told that waiting...is a good thing.  So, all of those times where I felt guilty for wasting Gods time with my requests were wrong?  Well, yes, but only because I did not yet understand that I did not need to look very far to find my heavenly Father.  Not only that, His love for me guaranteed that He would always be as close to me as my next breath {Psalm 34:6}.  There is nowhere that I can go where my Lord is not with me.  Not near me...WITH me.  Before my own understanding was deepened unto the truth of Jesus which the apostle Paul tells us about in Galations 2, I really believed that there was a seperation between myself and God.  Of course, those in the church did their best to stoke this belief for their own reasons.  If only I would pray more or spend just a bit more time in scripture, then God would surely give in and answer my requests.  Well, this is performance based religion, and it's CRAP!  We are told that it is by our Lords own mercies and desires that we owe our salvation, and nothing to what we have done to earn it {Ephesians 2: 8-9}.  God does not base His approval of His son (me) on my ability to appease Him or on just how much I can do to earn His favor.  So many christians get stuck on this spinning wheel of performance christianity only to get burned out on church in the end.  I should know, I was one of them.  The truth of Jesus that we need to shout from the rooftops is that Christ Jesus is not seperated from Gods children, waiting on us to perform our own way into His good graces.  No, the truth of Jesus is that His Spirit is in us today.  Each and every day we live...as Christ.  Although this may not mean that I'll have more patience, I am assured that if I am waiting on God, then Jesus is right there with me.

"So no, I'm not too big on religion...and not very fond of politics or economics either...and why should I be?  They are the man-created trinity of terrors that ravages th earth and deceives those I care about.  What mental turmoil and anxiety does any human face that is not related to one of those three?"
~William Paul Young The Shack~

~Scott~

He Who Has Ears

19So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James 1: 19 - 20 NKJV

It is interesting that in my bible there is a heading in front of James 1:19.  That heading is "Qualities needed in trials."  There are countless conflict resolution courses which have been introduced, but none of them can come close to one which James tells us here.  For one of the most important factors in the resolution of any conflict...is to listen.  Being quick to hear and slow to speak is indeed one of the best pieces of advice that anyone can receive.  If we enter into any discussion without this in mind then we might not hear that other person through the noise of our own voice.  However, there are many people who feel that this is indeed a good way of communicating.  To me, it's nothing but someone forcing their own opinions upon someone else.  More than a few times in scripture, the Lord Jesus encourages those who are listening to Him as He says "He who has ears let him hear!"  It would seem that listening is a good thing.  Of course, there is listening...and there is hearing.  The difference between these two is that one is listening to another while the other is taking to heart what one has said.  I can hear you speaking to me, but do I take it to heart?  Do I actually process what it is that you are saying?  I have heard this refered to as active listening, and it is a big part of most conflict resolution regimens.  Do we hear what others are saying?  Or, are we just listening?  He who has ears, let him hear.  Keep in mind that our heavenly Father is in the habit of using others to speak into our own hearts.

8“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11“Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12“If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
John 3: 8 - 13 NKJV

In John 3 we read of a man named Nicodemus, who came to talk with Jesus one night.  The very first words spoken to Jesus by Nicodemus testify that he indeed knew who Jesus was.  As he proclaims that "we know that You are a teacher come from God."  Keep in mind that this man Nicodemus was a leader of the Jews.  I believe that this is exactly why he came to Jesus at night, so that his contemporaries would not see him associating with this man...this self proclaimed Son of God.  Obviously, Nicodemus knew of Jesus and His teachings and works.  Obviously he had not only listened, but heard Him speak.  Whatever it was Jesus may had said which prompted Nicodemus to come before Him that night, it had spoken to his heart.  If we believe in the truth of Christ that the Spirit of Jesus lives through us today {Galations 2:20}, then we may just see just how God will speak to our own hearts through those around us.  Is there anything that is impossible for God?  We may not see the heavens opening up in dramatic fashion, but our heavenly Father WILL get His message across to us in His own way.  If we have ears to hear what it is He wants us to hear.

~Scott~

Money Talks

31“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
Luke 6: 31 NKJV

We've all seen them.  Those people who say one thing and yet do another.  A coworker of mine has a unique observation on such individuals.  Money talks and bull***t walks.  Translation, your actions often speak louder than those words which you tell others.  If I come across a person who confesses to be a christian and yet engages in destructive behavior I can but come to a few conclusions.  Either they do not realize that Spirit which is truly in them {Galations 2:20} or their professed christianity is merely a veil and a disguise.  Actions speak louder than words.  Yes, I can listen to another person, but what are their actions telling me?  That man who claims time and again to be devoted to his family, yet in the shadows he leads a secret life with another woman.  Actions speak louder than words.  I believe that this is a major contributor as to why others all too often criticize christians as being hypocritical in their dealings with others.  We often talk a good game when we tell others of how we are supposed to act and yet all too often we ourselves fall woefully short of that standard we are holding others to.  Now, I will not go so far as to characterize most christians as hypocrites, but all too often we fail to see just how our own actions are seen by others.  In fact, Jesus warns of this in Matthew 7 when He tells us that "You will know them by their fruits."  How is it that others will know that we have Christ in us?  It is by our own actions that Christ who is in us will be glorified and personified.

15“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17“Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Matthew 7: 15 - 20 NKJV

Indeed, if Christ is in us, then all that we do we do as Him.  Would Jesus engage in adultry?  Would He hold others to a different standard than Himself?  No, for I believe that to Jesus actions spoke louder than words.  When Jesus spoke of His woes to the Jewish Pharisees, He was speaking to men who would often require others to a righteous standard that they themselves fell far short of.  Jesus had some pretty choice words for these men.  Hypocrites, blind guides and fools.  Was Jesus being too harsh on these religious leaders?  Probably not.  For if there is one thing about Jesus is that He did not shy away from speaking of the heart of a man.  Jesus was speaking of the hearts of these Pharisees, not of the men who they led others to believe that they were.  If we believe in our hearts that the Spirit of Christ Jesus resides in us, then it is through our own actions that He will reveal Himself to the world.  After all, many would never had seen the Father had it not been for Christ {John 14:7}.  For the physical body of Christ was simply a vessel which contained His Spirit.  So it is with ourselves, we are mere containers for that Spirit which is in us.  It is this Spirit which is exemplified and glorified by all we do.  Actions speak louder than words.

7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
John 14: 7 - 11 NKJV

~Scott~

The Others

1 John 4: 20

13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter envy and hself-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
James 3: 13 - 17 NKJV

We've all seen them, those among us who strive to cause division in whatever situation they're in.  This afternoon this was once again confirmed as I was unsuccessfully baited into a argument with a coworker.  Now, I know this individual and how he operates in his interactions with others.  This gives me a advantage whenever a disagreement looms.  Honestly, I usually have to ask myself "Is this who I truly am?"  Am I that person who jumps at each opportunity to struggle and argue with those around me?  Am I that person who strives to be assured that those around me know that I am right all the time?  This is not the person that I want others to see when they see me.  What gives me the advantage over my coworker, or anyone else, when strife looms is that in my heart I know who I truly am.  No amount of anothers convincing can change the fact that I live as Christ Jesus who is in me {Galations 2:20}.  Knowing this truth about ourselves can be beneficial, putting it into practice can be a bit more difficult.  However, if we know in our own hearts that the man that is looking back at us in that mirror is indeed Jesus, then we're already on our way to a better life.  A life in Christ Jesus.  All too often we have been told that we can be "more like" Jesus, but we are rarely told that we ourselves can live as Christ Jesus.  As a former local pastor who shall remain nameless recently shared with me, the church may not be ready yet to embrace this truth about Jesus.  And so it is that those of us who have come to know Him wait with bated breath for the day the institutional church catches up with us.

20If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
1 John 4: 20 - 21 NKJV

I have had many a conversation with others in my time about those hypocritical christians among us who go to great lengths to lay guilt on others because their behavior doesn't measure up to some holy standard.  In fact, this was the very basis of the disagreement with my coworker today.  Now, it's well known where I work that I am a child of the living God.  In fact, I tend to wear my faith on my sleeve without shame.  Am I perfect?  Absolutely not, but there is no mistake that those around me know where I stand.  So it is that I have often been bombarded with words like hypocrite, holier than thou and bible thumper.  Of course, those who have known me would say that I am far from perfect in my own right.  So, how is it that we are supposed to handle those "others" who will cause strife among us?  The apostle John tells us in 1 John 4 that he who does not love his brother who he has seen, how is it that he can love God whom he has not seen?  Furthermore, he tells us that he who claims to love God yet hate hates his brother is a liar.  Indeed, if I live as Christ Jesus whose Spirit is in me, who am I to ridicule another who has the Spirit of Christ as well?  One of the greatest commands which we have been given by Christ is to...love one another.  Yes, even that man who takes each and every opportunity to belittle us for our faith.  We do well to remember that we do not wrestle, as the apostle Paul tells us, against flesh and blood but against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places {Ephesians 6:12}.  It is not the person next to us who we battle against, but satan and his crowd.  The only one who we can be assured that satan cannot defeat is Christ.  This is the advantage that we have when we live each day as Christ Jesus.

12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6: 12 - 13 NKJV

~Scott~

Trash Talk

~Going to the fights only to see a hockey game break out~

5For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be adone away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, creckon yourselves to be dead indeed to , sin, but alive to God through Christ Jesus our Lord

Romans 6: 5 - 11 NKJV 

It's hard to watch any sporting event without noticing it.  There are a few profesional players who excel at that fine art of...trash talk.  Having grown up in the frozen wastelands of Minnesota, my favorite sport by far is hockey.  Now, more than a few people have been drawn to the game due to its somewhat violent nature.  Although the National Hockey League has done its share to wussify this once proud league, there remains remnants to this day of its violent, glove dropping, sucker punching past.  Yes, one of the most enduring part of any game for fans is that moment when two opposing players will somehow eventually talk themselves into fisticuffs.  Indeed, as long as it takes two to tango, so it takes two to initiate a NHL fight.  More often than not, it all begins with the trash talk, the constant back and forth chatter in which a player will question anything from his opponents will to his manhood.  inevitably, the fight will comence.  Don't get me wrong, trash talk is not limited to professional sports.  Sometimes, as silly as it seems, it is a means of communication between friends.  Other times, it is a war of words.  Obviously, this sometimes vicious back and forth has come to be commonplace these days.  It need not be meaningful communication, just as long as it gets on the nerves of another.  Now, I admit that I have at times engaged in this past time, but there is a form of trash talk which I will seldom engage in these days.  That is, talking about that trash which has already been removed from my life.  I'm talking about the sin which was once a prevelent part of my life.  The scriptures tell us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God {Romans 3:23}.  Yes, that means every one of us.  However, the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 6 that our old sin nature, our old man, was nailed to that cross and crucified alongside Jesus.  Jesus Himself bore that penalty which was meant for us.

 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not dimputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5: 17 - 19 NKJV

When we talk of those things which are meaningless to us, we talk of sin.  When we talk of things which we are no longer slaves to, we are talking about our old sin nature.  I fail to see the connection when people tell me that Christ Jesus bled and died for my sins, but that I should continue to ask my heavenly Fathers forgiveness.  Why is that?  Did Jesus somehow miss a sin or two of mine that His blood did not wash away?  Make no mistake, when scripture tells us that Jesus died to take away our sins, He died to take away ALL sin past, present and future.  We have no need to continue to come before our Lord to ask His forgiveness, for there is nothing left to forgive.  All blemishes have been wiped away.  Paul tells us in Romans 6 that we shall reckon ourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  The trash has been take away, there's nothing left to remove.  You could even say, we're dead to that.

~Scott~

Our Selfie

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

If you look anywhere on social media these days you'll more than likely see someone posting a "selfie" self portrait from one location or another.  This seems to be the modern greeting card, a electronic greeting that seems to scream "Look where I am!"  In fact, Dennis and I have gotten into the selfie habit ourselves, snapping as picture at each hike we do.  It seems that I have pictures of us standing in front of trailhead signs from Portland to the Columbia River gorge.  Yes, we were there, and we have the pictures to prove it.  Far from people taking random self portraits and posting them on facebook, I never saw too much use for these self portraits.  But, that's just me.  I really can't complain all that much as I've snapped a few selfies in my time myself.  Instant communication, instant postcards.  I'm guessing it has more to do with being social than anything else, I get it.  However, I've also seen people waste 15 minutes trying to get the perfect selfie.  People...it's a picture!  I can understand if it was a formal portrait, but c'mon, 15 minutes?  I guess I'm not into that hipster in crowd.  So, for that person who takes 15 minutes taking that perfect selfie, what are you expecting to see?  Something different than the person you saw in the mirror only hours earlier?  Well, if indeed that's what you're looking for, then you might just  be disapointed in your own selfie.  As for me, I never really expected to see someone different looking back at me after I took a selfie.  But, who is it that I see when I snap another facebook picture of myself?  I'll tell you who I see, I see Jesus.

9But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8: 9 - 11 NKJV

Indeed, when I look in the mirror, that man staring back at me...is Christ.  By the same token, with each selfie I take...I see Jesus.  The apostle Paul makes it pretty clear in Galations that we ourselves cease to exist, but that the Spirit of Christ Jesus Himself lives through us.  Indeed, everything that we experience each and every day, we do so as Christ Jesus.  Of course, this wasn't possible until that sin nature which we were all born into {Romans 3:23}.  However, through the death and resurection of Christ it is His Spirit which now remains in us.  For lack of a better description, we ARE Jesus.  If that sounds a bit too hard to wrap your understanding around, consider the reaction of the Jewish officials when Jesus proclaimed that He was indeed the Son of God AND the promised Messiah {Matthew 27:11, John 19:7}.  Was Jesus wrong in making such statements?  Of course not, and neither are we for staking claim that we live as Christ Jesus who is in us.  The is the truth of Christ in us.  This is our real selfie.

~Scott~

Man Stuff

~Crockett and Tubbs doing man stuff~

Responsibilities and expectations are the basis of guilt and shame and judgement, and they provide the essential framework that promotes performance as the basis for identity and value.

~William Paul Young The Shack~ 

It's been said that the pre teen years are a hellacious time for a child growing up in this world.  Still considered a child and not yet an adult can definately lead to some confusion for many a young man.  I recall one of the more popular television series while I was going through those years myself was the action series Miami Vice.  Ohhh how I dreamed of cruising around town in a corvette all night when I grew up.  Well, that really didn't work out the way I thought it would.  Life rarely does.  The point I'm tring to make here is this, when does a child stop being a kid and start doing "man stuff?"  Is it after his very first shave?  Is it after he changes his first tire?  When he learns to drive?  Personally, I don't think that we can put a timeline on such things.  People will grow and mature in different ways.  I have seen grown men struggle with basic life skills.  I have also seen pre teen kids who have more maturity than kids twice their age.  I believe that this is part of those moments we experience as we grow.  The child who is forced into the role of being the man of the house at a young age may very well have more maturity for his age.  Then again, a child who is privelidged and spoiled may very well be slow in showing his own maturity.  I've been around enough children in my life to come to the realization that, as adults, we cannot place expectations upon our children which they will never be able to achieve.  As a kid, I was constantly warned to not be like my older brother.  Now, my brother is not a bad person, he just made some poor choices at times.  In reality, I could never be like my brother, nor could my brother be just like me.  We were both unique in our own way.  So, when is it that I started doing man stuff?  I don't remember really.  I just know that it was something that happened over time.

11When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 

1 Corinthians 13: 11 - 12 NKJV 

In his letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul possibly tells us of his own transition into manhood.  As Paul tells us, when he was a child he spoke and understood as a child.  However, when he became a man, he put away such childish things...and concentrated on doing man stuff.  Now, I believe that Paul was refereing to his faith and belief in Christ Jesus, but the same principal applies to our own maturity.  When the time comes, we will all put aside those childish ways we once relished in and turn to more adult behaviors.  For this is what we are expected to do.  How many of us have criticized someone as being "childish" who engaged in behaviors which so many of us have so long ago put aside?  Like it or not, we expect that one will mature in time and that their behavior will follow suit.  Trust me, I've seen many men doing man stuff who didn't have the maturity of a man.  They had yet to put aside such childish things.  At the end of the day, it doesn't really take a man to do man stuff, but it does indeed take a man to know when to put aside those childish things.  

~Scott~  

Why I Can't Follow

No, try not!  Do, or do not.  There is no try!

Yoda ~ "Always with you it cannot be done.  Hear you nothing that I say?  You must unlearn what you have learned."

Luke ~"Alright...I'll give it a try."

Yoda~ "NO, try not!  Do, or do not!  There is no try."

What master Yoda was looking for in the young Skywalker was simple...commitment.  Commitment to the jedi way.  Luke must be certain that he CAN achieve what his new friend is asking of him...or he will indeed fail.  Rather than scolding his young apprentice, Yoda is giving him one of his greatest lessons.  There is no try...there is only do.  Looking back on what I have accomplished, and that which I have not finished I can see the underlying lesson that Yoda was trying to get across to young Luke.  For if we indeed persist in our belief that we are "trying" to accomplish that which we endevour in...then there is yet room for failure.  When we reach that decision deep within ourselves that the time for trying, testing and attempting is through, then and only then will we become doers instead of tryers.  It didn't take me numerous Star Wars movies in order to figure this truth out, but that little green guy certainly reafirmed that which I already knew.  Do...or do not.  There is no try.  I thought for some time just how to integrate the lessons of Yoda into a lesson of following Jesus.  There again, I must unlearn what I have learned.  Are we not continually taught that we must be "like" Jesus?  That we must be "followers" of Christ.  This mantra from the modern institutional church looks good on the surface, but it isn't long before we long for something deeper and more personal.  I know I did.  Those early disciples of Christ weren't simply followers of an old school Yoda.  No, these men from all parts of society were selected by Jesus to follow Him.  But it became more than that.  In the course of following Jesus, they shared their lives together.  Now, it wasn't uncommon in those days for people to "follow" a teacher who people liked to hear.  As millions of people tune into a weekly broadcast from a popular pulpit pounder, this is exactly what was happening with the followers of Jesus.  One look at the definition of the word disciple reveals something interesting.  A disciple is...a follower.  So, in the time of Jesus, He indeed had his disciples (followers).  In fact, in the book of Acts we are told of the early church of the "followers" of Jesus.  But then something happened on the way to Damascus.  It was here that He who had died was revealed in Saul {Galations 1: 15-16}.  As a result of Gods revealing of Christ in Paul, Paul WAS Christ and not just a follower of Him.  As the title of this post proclaims...I cannot be a follower of Jesus.

1When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2: 1 - 4 NKJV

Indeed, if Christ Jesus has been now been revealed in me, I have ceased to be a follower and I now LIVE as Christ Jesus.  In each and every thing I do daily, I do it as Christ Jesus who is in me {Galations 2:20}.  As the angel who stood at His empty tomb that glorius morning proclaimed, "why do you seek the living among the dead?" {Luke 24:5}  Again the angel spoke to the women.  "He is not here, but is risen!"  Indeed, why is it that we still seek the living among the dead?  Paul clearly tells us that we have DIED with Christ Jesus {Galations 2:20, Romans 6:6}.  We are no longer followers of Jesus, but we LIVE as Christ whose Spirit is within us.  We don't need to chase our own tails in the hopes of following Jesus the right and respectable christian way.  We simply cannot follow one who we live as.  That is why I cannot be a follower of Christ Jesus.  However, if you ask me if I can live as Jesus, then I will definately agree with you!  There is no longer a need for me to follow Him who is in me.  I had to unlearn what I had learned.

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be adone away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been bfreed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

~Scott~

Christ Revealed

13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15“Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5: 13 - 16 NKJV

How will they know?  If you are a believer in Christ Jesus, how is it that others around you will know where your heart truly stands?  Believe me, I've seen plenty of men whom others have touted as "men of God" who didn't seem to fit that bill.  Also, there more than likely have been times where others have looked upon me and wondered where Jesus was in my own life.  It seems that at times my own light had fallen off its lampstand.  This by no means that Jesus no longer had a prominent place in my life, it's just that I wasn't allowing Him to shine through my flesh.  As Jesus tells us in Matthew 5, it is we who are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  We are to let that light shine before others, that the world around us would see our good works "and glorify your Father in heaven."  Does this mean that those who don't follow Jesus cannot do good works?  Not at all, for God Himself can work through any of His creation for His own goals.  Do we see God in those who do good who do not know Christ?  Absolutely!  Our heavenly Father is not limited in what He can accomplish.  However, I also am of the belief that not only should we glorify God when followers of His own Son do good works, but that when those who do not know Christ do them as well.  For both are prompted by God.  It used to be hard for me to comprehend that someone who did not know Jesus as I did could be capable of being used by God for His purposes.  Despite numerous scripture references that God has used non believers that His will would be made known, it was my belief that only christians could be used by God.  Thankfully my heavenly Fathers true nature has now been revealed to me.  The truth is that Christ Jesus will Himself be revealed in all of our heavenly Fathers creation, for through Him all we see was created {John 1: 3}.  Indeed, there is nothing in our Lords creation where Christ Jesus will not be revealed, for if we have seen Jesus then we have seen the Father as well {John 14:9}.

26the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossions 1: 26 - 27 NKJV

If anyone is wondering why their own lamp is not a shining light, I present to you the apostle Pauls message we find in Colossions 1.  What Paul himself called that "mystery among the gentiles" is indeed the truth of Jesus...of Christ in you.  In fact, Paul himself did not always have this revelation but walked among the world. However, when it pleased Him, God chose to reveal Christ Jesus in the man Saul on the road to Damascus {Galations 1: 15-16}.  Up until that point, it had not yet been revealed to Saul just who he truly was.  That mystery among the gentiles.   For myself, I did not always have the assurance that I am one in Christ.  No, this was revealed to me when it pleased my heavenly Father.  Does that mean that Christ was not in me until He was revealed in me, I don't believe that either.  For we may indeed have Jesus in us and not realize it at all.  He has not been revealed yet in us.  So, even though Christ Jesus may not have yet been revealed in us, God can still use us for His purposes.  This is different from Jesus being revealed in us.  God played the Egyption Pharoh like a fiddle for His own purposes, but we are not told that Pharoh had God revealed in him.  Of course, this all went down long before Jesus was crucified.  It is when Christ is revealed in us that we are to let HIs light which has been revealed in us to shine for others to see.  For through all we do, Christ who is in us will be revealed through Gods children.

14And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood.
Galations 1: 14 - 16 NKJV

~Scott~

Old Smokey

~Old Smokey~

If

If you can keep your head when all about you;
 Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
 But make allowance for their doubting too.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
 Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
 And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
 If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster,
 And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
 Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
 And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make a heap of all your winnings
 And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
 And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
 To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
 Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
 Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
 If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
 With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
 And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
~Rudyard Kipling - 1895~

Back in the 1970's there was a ad campaign plastered all across america showing what seemed to be the typical american man.  Cigarette maker Marlboro introduced its Marlboro man campaign in 1954, which is why I recall it so well as I was growing up.  The ads, created by advertising firm Leo Burnett worldwide, showed the marlboro man in different settings doing...man things  Well, what the advertisers wanted us to think were man things.  We'd see him as a cowboy riding the range, roping cattle and sitting on a fence talking with other marlboro men.  This was what it meant to be a man in america so it seemed.  That stoic, cigarette smoking, chaw spitting figurehead of manhood in the free world.  I often wondered just how many kids in other countries saw these ads and yearned to come to america...and sit on a fence to smoke cigarettes.  Trouble is, I rarely saw marlboro man with his kids, if indeed he had any.  Then again, I rarely saw him with his wife.  Pictures of marlboro man with his family, on holiday picnics, kids baseball games or even a date night with Mrs. marlboro man seemed to be missing from the ad campaign.  Was this the image of manhood in america, of a rough riding loner who stood alone against the world?  If so, they were sending the wrong message.  What happens when marlboro man suddenly finds himself in a situation he can't handle?  Who does he turn to?  I'm sorry, but the whole marlboro man theme to me simply portrayed one who was emotionless, stoic and without feelings.  If this is what it took to be a man, then I guess I've failed.  I'm nothing but a wanna be marlboro man.  It's funny that I do not recall poet Rudyard Kipling pining that if indeed his son would smoke marlboros, remain stoic and be a loner then...you'll be a man my son!  So is the perception of manhood.

2What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows? 3Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings. 4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; 5Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all athe afflicted. 6Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. 7Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more. 8Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are bappointed to die. 9Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31: 2 - 9 NKJV

I find it interesting that lost in what many point to as the virtues of a christian woman we find in Proverbs 31 we find something else.  For in the very part of this passage we find sage advice for...men.  Yes, those qualities which make a godly man along with those which make a godly woman.  Although this isn't a earth shattering revelation by any means, it shows us exactly the worlds view of manhood.  I have not found anything in Proverbs 31 which instructs me to shutter up my feelings and emotions, rope cattle or lean up against a fence all day.  Of course, I wouldn't even begin to expect anything like that from a cigarette ad campaign.  No, this isn't the measure of ones manhood.  In recent years, I've taken to refering to marlboro man as 'Old Smokey' for obvious reasons.  Old Smokey may indeed have been a man, but I doubt his manhood was due to his conduct in those ads plastered across the globe.  No, he would have needed to be seasoned by the storms of life, brought to his knees by his broken dreams and humbled by those around him.  If Old Smokey indeed could have endured these things...then he'd be a man my son!

~Scott~

The Walls We Build

"Lies are a little fortress; inside them you can feel safe and powerful.  Through your little fortress of lies you try to run your life and manipulate others.  But the fotresss needs walls, so you build some.  These are the justifications for your lies.  You know, like you are doing this to protect someone you love, to keep them from feeling pain.  Whatever works, just so you feel okay about the lies."
~William Paul Young The Shack~

There was a promise which I made to myself a long tme ago.  One which I had thought I had managed to keep through the years.  That promise was that I would never...never...ever be like my father.  For my own father was a tough son of a gun to those around him.  He kept his own emotions to himself, he drank to forget, he was a adulterer.  If that wasn't enough, my own father sacraficed his relationship with his own children.  Having lived through this, I was assured that I was not like my dad.  No, his youngest son would not follow that path which he had chosen for himself.  For the longest time, I thought that I had pretty much succeeded in my goal.  Well, in some ways I had while in others I had become something I detested.  No, I had not dabbled in adultry or in the abuse of alchohol, but in some ways that apple had not fallen far from the tree.  For where my own father had spent his life keeping his own emotions in check from those around him, in retrospect I have become what I didn't want to.  We call it building walls, tall, strong structures behind which we ourselves can be safe in our own sanctuaries.  All too often, those of us who live our lives behind these walls we've built up end up closing ourselves off from others.  There is no room for interacton with those around us if these walls are to steep to overcome.  Indeed, precious few are those who will even attempt to scale those walls we've built around us.  The problem with living behind walls is that we rarely share in the lives of those around us.  We're way too busy building and defending our own sanctuaries to take notice of what others may have to offer to enrich our own lives.  These are the walls we choose to live behind.

9Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. 11Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? 12Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4: 9 - 12 NKJV

It was William Paul Young who described the walls which we build about ourselves as simply lies.  I would tend to agree.  It is a lie that we hide behind that fortress for we fear what others may think or feel towards us.  Now, we ourselves may feel inadequate, unworthy or unloved, but we do a terrible disservice to those around us when we plaster our own thoughts and feelings upon our neighbors.  I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be a mind reader, yet I have spent a lifetime building up walls to defend myself from what I THOUGHT others were feeling towards me.  These are  the lies upon which my own walls have been built.  Now, add to this whatever walls those around me have built up for themselves and we now have many a fortress among us.  It seems that far too many people somehow know what those around them are thinking and feeling.  Far too many mind readers.  Far too many walls.  Whatever lies we may use to justify our own walls, they are usually built on a shaky foundation.  My own father built up walls around himself because he didn't want people to get too close to who he was.  In that I've been guilty myself.  I sometimes thought that others would not want to associate with someone like me...and so I build up walls around me.  When we do this, we cheat ourselves out of showing others who we truly are.  When we build up walls we are not simply secluding ourselves from those who we think may hurt us.  Rather, we are extinguishing the light which we are to the world around us.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that we are to "let your light shine before men."  Indeed, when we build up those walls, we are keeping others from seeing Christ Jesus who is in us {Galations 2:20}.  When others see us, they indeed are seeing Jesus through us.  When we allow others to see Christ in us, the walls we've taken so long building up are broken down.

13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15“Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5: 13 - 16 NKJV

~Scott~

Better A Help Than A Hinderance

Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart

12“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 

John 15: 12 - 13 NKJV 

 30Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among ithieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31“Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32“Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34“So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35“On the next day, jwhen he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36“So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 37And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10: 30 - 37 NKJV 

We've all seen them at one time or another.  Those among us who seem to rejoice in the pain and misery of others.  Now, most christians have heard the teaching of the good samaritan which we find in Luke 10.  However, looking at this passage closely we will see some pretty surprising things.  I am not at all surprised that all two others passed by this wounded man before one took mercy upon him to help him.  What about those first two fellows who passed by?  Well, we're told that one was a priest, a pretty high position in the time of Christ.  The other was a Levite.  What many fail to realize about these two men is that both are basically cut from the same cloth.  The priests were the leaders of the temples, while the Levites were of the tribe of Levi, and were assistants to the priests in many ways.  Both of these men found it better to pass by this wounded man on the opposite side of the street, treating him as if he were an outcast.  Make no mistake, both men knew what they were doing.  Both knew of the teachings of showing mercy and kindness to others.  Then, along came a samaritan, a good samaritan.  I find it interesting that in Jesus' conversation with the samaritan woman at Jacobs well, that this woman would comment that Jews usually had no dealings with samaritans {John 4:9}.  Now, this traveler from Jerusalems life was in the hands of one who he most likely never would have associated with had he not been injured.  

3He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4But He needed to go through Samaria. 5So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

John 4: 3 - 10 NKJV 

There is no doubt that Jesus knew the thoughts and intentions of those around Him as He related the parable of the good samaritan.  It was something they needed to hear.  It's something we ourselves need to hear.  For rather than taking joy from the predicament of the travler, the samaritan showed mercy upon him and immediately helped him.  Better a help than a hinderance.  One of the greatest commandments which Christ has given us is to love one another.  Yet, we've fallen short on far too many occasions.  We find it far better to strive for a "eye for an eye" than to give a helping hand.  We relish in the truth of "karma" when one who has wronged us finally gets whats coming to him.  Are we loving one another?  That road less traveled is indeed the high road of sound morals and conduct.  Far too many others all too often choose the low road of slime and mud in their dealings with others.  A friend of mine recently commented on a coworker who had wronged him.  As I asked him why he could remain calm in the midst of such mistreatment from another person, he told me "Scotty, I refuse to lower myself  to his level...I choose to bring him UP to my level."  Go and do likewise. 

~Scott~ 

Being Free To Be Jesus

~9 April, 1865 Appottomax, Virginia~

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent,  new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaed in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived or so dedicated, can long endure.  We are met on a great battle-field of that war.  We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who gave their lives that that nation might live.  It is alltogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate - we can not consecrate - we can n ot hallow - this ground.  The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.  The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.  It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.  It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased dedication to that cause to which they gave the last full meausure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
~President Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburgh, Pennsylvania, 19 November, 1863~

I find it interesting that one of our nations greatest conflicts was known by different names.  In the northern states, the conflict will forever be known as the Civil War.  However, many in the southern United States to this very day continue to see things differently.  To these modern day "Johnny Rebs," the conflict is known as the war of northern aggression.  For this is indeed how those in our young nations southern states viewed the intrusion  of president Abraham Lincolns union armies onto the fields of old Dixie on April 12th, 1861.  At the heart of the conflict was the issue of slavery in the United States.  While many in the north supposrted the abolition of slavery, many in the south opposed such a move.  The economy of the south, ruled by "King Cotton," relied heavily on its slave labor to keep it prosporous.  In the end, it was the union army which controlled the blood stained battlefields and slavery was thereby ended in our nation.  Why do I mention this?  Because, like our forefathers, we also bear the scars of slavery.  While I personally have never been shackled with the chains of slavery, I know all too well what being a slave is like.  For I have surely felt the chains of my sin.  The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 6 that our "old man" was crucified with Christ Jesus that we "should no longer be slaves of sin."  Indeed, without the suffering and death of Jesus, we would all be slaves to our old man, that old sin nature we were born into {Romans 3:23}.  However, it is also through the death of Christ that that body of sin was done away with.

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be adone away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

So, if we have indeed been freed through Christ Jesus from our chains of sin then there is but one thing left for us...freedom.  Freedom to be in Christ.  Freedom to be free of that sin debt.  Freedom from the condemnation which we once carried while enslaved to our sins.  I chose the title of this page for two reasons.  First, it is through Christ that we are indeed free.  Secondly, as our old man was put to death with Jesus, we now today live "as Jesus" whose Spirit is in us {Galations 2:20}.    Not only that, but Christ has also done away with that handwriting of requirements which was against us {Colossions 2:14}.  We are therefore no longer bound to any such traditions or institutions (Tithing, communion etc.) which others may claim that we are indebted to.  Christ Jesus has done away with all of this.  What we are now left with is freedom.  As the christian hymm tells us, "My chains are gone, I've been set free!"

13And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14having wiped out the ihandwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 16So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Colossions 2: 13 - 17 NKJV

~Scott~