Self Rule

2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not acomprehend it.
John 1: 2 - 5 NKJV

You'd think that I would have figured it out by now.  I mean, if there is one thing that we continue to suggest is that we, ourselves and all that is around us, was created by our heavenly Father from the very begining.  In fact, He is adamant in His admission of His deity as He claims that God is indeed the Alpha and the Omega, the begining and the end of all {Revelation 22:13}.  That includes all which we see around us...and ourselves as well.  So, as I experienced once again this week, that notion that we somehow are and can be independent of God is a lie of the most giant proportions.  This is the very same lie that satan used in his vain attempt to usurp God and become himself like the the most high {Isaiah 14: 14}.  It is the very same lie perpetrated by satan in the garden when he claimed that Eve could be seperate and independent from her creator {Genesis 3:4-5}.  For if the woman were to disobey God, she would become "like" God and knowing good from evil.  This is the lie which he continues to wave in front of each and every one of us even today.  Despite my knowledge of all that I am and all that I have become, this is that very same lie which I fell victim to this week.  In that split second, my own needs took priority over all that I already knew of who I am.  See, despite all within me that cries out that I need to go my seperate way and take charge of all which is around me, the fact remains that there is nothing I will ever find which does not have the fingerprints of the Alpha and the Omega on it.  Indeed, God created all and is in all.  I can no more seperate myself from God than I can from my own body.  Everything I am or ever will be is in His control.

7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Genesis 2: 7 NKJV

There is some truth to that ceremonial chant men have recited at the end of the life cycle for generations...ashes to ashes and dust to dust.  For it is from dust which I came and it is to dust that my physical shell at least will return.  Fortunately, that need not be our fate.  Indeed, our heavenly Father has assured us that through Christ Jesus the end of our life in this world is but the begining of our time in His presence.  Now, if I was truly independent of God why do I continue to come into His presence to seek His help, wisdom and guidance?  Am I, as a independent being, not able to provide these for myself?  This is one of the glaring inconsistencies of satans lie.  He continues to urge us onward in our independance from God, yet our hearts time and again draw us closer to Him.  It would seem that despite the lie of the enemy, that we know the truth in our own hearts.  I would suggest that independance is in our very flesh nature, which in turn conflicts with what our heavenly Father has for us.  My friend asked me this week if I was going to continue to let my self rule the conversation.  I did, at least for a short time.  Suddenly I was the alpha and the omega dictating the terms of my own life...FREEDOM!  Yet in my heart I longed to return to the way things had been.  Something in my independent self was drawing me back to the God of my own heart.  Of course, I knew that He had never left me in the first place but was calling me home once again.

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~

Conduct Unbecoming

Men, all this stuff you hear about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of bullshit.  Americans love to fight, all real Americans love the sting and clash of battle.  When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, the big league ball players and the toughest boxers.  Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser.  Americans play to win all the time.  Thats why Americans have never lost and never will lose a war.  The very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.  Battle is the most significant competition in which a man can indulge.  It brings out all that is best and removes all that is base.
~General George S Patton, June 5, 1944~

I've always been interested in history books and movies.  Not just any history but military history.  Few people will admit that the study of warfare is a worthwhile endeavor, but it's something I have devoted a lot of time to learning.  From battle to tactics to those events which caused the outbreak of wars, I've studied many a conflict.  One of my favorite military leaders of all time was Third army General George S Patton.  Fierce, bombastic and controversial, old "blood and guts" never seemed too far away from the spotlight.  As far as egos go, Patton was one of the best and those under his command knew and respected him for it.  One of my favorite scenes from the movie Patton came as the old general was visiting wounded soldiers in a field hospital.  Now, keep in mind that Patton himself had a deep respect and fondness for the men of his third army.  They'd been through hell together on their march through Europe.  On that day, as Patton encouraged his wounded men, he chanced upon a seemingly uninjured soldier.  When asked what his injury was, the young man replied that he "just couldn't take the killing anymore."  Now, for the battle hardened general, this could mean but one thing, and he let the soldier have it with both barrels.  "Fatigue?  Well...hell you're just a godamned coward!"  After smacking the soldier on the head, Patton ordered him back into action.  Now, where most people today would see this as conduct unbecoming an officer, Patton saw it as a good dose of motivation for someone who sorely needed it.  I can honestly say that I can relate to that young soldier.  For there has been many a time when I myself have graced those around me with my own self pitty party.  Usually, these times are simply my way of letting others know I've been slighted.  Conduct unbecoming.

 5And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the cchastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11Now no echastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12: 5 - 11 NKJV

I only mention this as this week was one of those times of self pitty.  However, like that old general, a good friend of mine took me behind that woodshed to remind me once again that no, the world didn't revolve around me after all.  So, what is it about those times when we all feel that need to let the actions of others affect us so much?  And not just major life issues, but petty things we would normally laugh about?  I think of that issue which my wounded pride was dwelling upon this week and I shake my head and ask...why?  I mean, there are certainly going to be those times in our lives when the actions of those around us will drive us mad.  Hell, I just know that more than a few of things I've done have angered a good many people.  Is this who I truly am?  Is this how I want to be remembered?  No...to both questions.  What was so very important about the correction my dear friend provided me this week is that it placed that behavior I was exhibiting right smack in front of me...and I didn't like what I saw.  Not only that, I didn't like what others saw in me.  This does not exemplify that Spirit of Christ Jesus which I celebrate so much in me {Galations 2:20}.  Would Jesus hold that grudge over another person?  If that were the case, then my own salvation is a farce.  No, it is Jesus who not only loved me first, but calls me to do the same for those around me {John 13:34}.  Thank you my friend.

~Scott~

Alone On That Island

18“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
John 15: 18 - 22 NKJV

I was listening to a radio preacher the other day who joyfully staked the claim that he had very, very few friends.  I found this surprising since this man has apparently been in his ministry for over 30 years.  But then I started to see things a bit from his prespective and realized that he might not be too far off the mark.  Now, notice that he began by saying that he in his lifetime he had FEW friends.  That isn't to say that he had isolated himself from society, only that he had chosen to highlight those few friendships which he has held close over time.  I get it.  Many of us are the same way, celebrating those few close friendships we have been blessed with in life.  Personally speaking, I have a few select friendships that I shall always keep close to my heart.  But what of that man who seems to wander through life without the benefit of knowing a friend?  Well, speaking from my own experience, such a man just may feel like he is on his own island all alone.  See, I've been there.  It's not that I was a social hermit, it's just that I trusted very few people to let them into my life.  Trust me, it's not a good feeling.  Now, we all might reach that point where we might cry out that we need time away from it all, that's not at all unusual.  Most of us may recall that soap commercial from years back where a frustrated mother crys out "Calgon take me away!"  Yes, we all need time away from it all eventually.  However, I want to reiterate that this time away from it all in no way means to shut ourselves off from those around us.  That wouldn't be good.  Like I said, I've been there.  I like to say that I've gotten better, although there are still issues I continue to scrap with.

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

I love the scriptures from Ecclesiastes 4 when it comes to friendship.  Two are definately better than one.  I'd rather have two dollars over one.  I'd rather have two coffees over one and...I'd rather have two cars over one.  Indeed, two is better than one.  But the real meaning behind this passage does not relate to our possesions but to those people in our life.  Or, those people we choose to allow into our lives.  Because that's just it isn't it, we will only allow certain people to share our lives with us.  That doesn't mean that we are inherently racist, biggoted or anti social.  All this means is that there will be certain people who we connect with who we will develop close relationships with.  Two are better than one.  But what abou that other side of the equation, the side we call human nature?  Remember, there was a time when I wouldn't allow too many people into my life.  Why?  Because I had seen all too often that side of human nature.  I have a coworker who has a phrase for situations such as this.  People will be people...human nature.  Make no mistake, we will all come across those who will deceive us, hurt us and do us wrong.  From my experience, there are few pains in life than that of being hurt by someone we thought was a friend.  But how is it that we should see such people?  Should we see them as those in need of Gods punishment for hurting us in such a way?  Is that who they really are as a person?  I dare say that I share that same identity with one who has harmed me that I have myself.  In my heart I know that my true identity lies with Christ Jesus who lives through me {Galations 2:20}.  I also know that I don't hold a monopoly on this identity.  For Jesus gave Himself that ALL might be saved through Him {John 3: 16-17}.  That means all men, not just Scott.  So, Christ also lives within that man whom I might be refusing to allow into my life for whatever reason.  That's a me issue plain and simple.  I'm certainly glad that Jesus didn't use the same standards in His love for us that I sometimes use unto others.  Two are better than one.

~Scott~

Street Jesus

 2“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4“And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 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: 2 - 9 NKJV

As I was driving home the other day I happened to pass a local church I've driven by many times yet never entered.  What made this drive by different than before was the message which was on the sign out front.  Just below the Sunday service times was what someone apparently thought was a welcoming message.  "What this world needs is more Jesus."  Immediately I knew that I was doing ok with God, but obviously this message that others might see was designed not to know the man Christ Jesus, but to draw people into a local church.  Now, I won't argue the point that the world needs more Jesus, but do we really even know where to begin looking for Him?  Do we really know where to find He who it is that we are seeking?  I have a better question for all of the Jesus seekers out there, why all of a sudden are we so interested in finding Christ?  I mean, he's always been there {John 1: 2-3}.  It's not like Jesus has suddenly burst onto the scene proclaiming some new religious fad.  If that were the case then my faith and trust in Him has been misplaced.  No, Jesus has always been there...waiting.  See, our heavenly Father so loved us that He would give His only Son.  Not that the Son would condemn the world, but that all through Him might be saved {John 3: 16-17}.  That doesn't sound like someone who we just happened to find out about.  Now, I will also venture a guess as to why there are so many Jesus seekers out there these days.  See, this world of ours can be a harsh place for anyone to survive in.  Christians and non christians alike have often found that we need something no, someone, to somehow make this life of ours make sense.  Enter street Jesus.  Street Jesus walks among us each day showing us that very image of the invisible God {Colossions 1:15}.  In fact, we would not know God if not for street Jesus.

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

So, who is this street Jesus?  Well, I'm street Jesus.  People I pass on the street are themselves street Jesus.  We see Him everywhere we go.  Street Jesus is everywhere.  The apostle Paul assured us of this in Galations 2 when he spoke of the indwelling Spirit of Christ in him.  It is Jesus who gave Himself for us, and it is Jesus who lives through us today.  This is why I call Him street Jesus.  For is Christ is in us, then He is indeed in those who we see each and every day.  Some just might not know it just yet.  So they keep looking for Him.  I would even say that the person who put up that sign outside the local church was Jesus, even if they didn't realize it.  See, Paul wasn't always Paul, nor did he always have Jesus.  No, the man Saul of Tarsus was one of the biggest persecutors of the early church of the followers of Jesus.  Then, one day God chose to reveal Himself in Saul {Galations 1:16-17}.  Now, Saul may have been born with the Spirit of Christ in him, but it took the revelation of the Father for him to see and proclaim it.  Paul was now street Jesus.  I'm thinking that a better message on that sign outside the local church would be something along the lines of..."The world HAS more Jesus."  Then again, that might not bring in too many people if everyone already knew where to find Him.

 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: 15 - 16 NKJV

~Scott~

The Warriors Code

~He's waiting for warrior Jesus to climb that trail~

In the warriors code there's no surender
Though his body says stop
His spirit cries, Never!
Deep in our soul a quiet ember
Know it's you against you
It's the paradox that drives us on
It's a battle of wills
In the heat of attack
It's that passion that kills
The victory is yours alone
~Burning Heart, Survivor~

I've never considered myself a warrior, a fighter or a hero of some kind.  In fact, I've often felt that that drive, that desire within me was due to something being wrong with me.  Maybe I needed some kind of counseling or something.  Don't get me wrong, having dedication can be a good thing on many occasions.  Countless people have applied it to whatever they have attempted.  But what about that guy who doesn't seem to have that drive?  What is his fate?  Well, that was me, or so I thought.  Sure, I would make plans and goals, but all too often I would put them aside as they became too difficult to attain.  Some warrior huh?  I figure that if our ancestors had this attitude that Washington would never have crossed the Delaware nor would the cowboys have pushed west.  All too often the status quo of our everyday life seems like the safest bet in the house.  Yes, this is what I used to believe about myself.  Until I noticed something strange.  My mother would often tell me the story of her youngest son (me) and how he would become frustrated as he built another model airplane.  All too often I remember her telling me to put away my project and pick it up another time.  I'm thinking she thought I needed a cooling off period as I could become pretty frustrated at these moments.  Years later she would smile as she told me how I would all too often look at her with a look of determination and tell her "Mom, let me do it!"  The warriors code.  We may not notice it within us, but it surfaces in ways we might not recognize.  That will to finish, that desire to complete what is set in front of us.  It's in these moments where we will not be denied.  I honestly cannot recall a time when my mom would use her parental authority when that desire within me dictated that I finish what I was doing.  On the contrary, she would quietly let me continue.  Then something else would happen...I would run to my mom to show her my latest completed project.  I'd done it!  I'd crossed that river and faced the enemies gunfire to finish what I had started!  Well, at least that's how I felt at the time.

13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4: 13 NKJV

Some years ago, John Eldredge wrote what has become known as one of the owners manuals for the heart of the Godly man.  In Wild At Heart, Eldredge lays open the heart of every man.  That man in all of us who desires to fight that desperate battle, save the maiden and bravely lead those around him.  The warriors code.  I've since come to realize that this wild and brazen heart within every man is not something which is taught, learned or purchased.  No, that restless spirit within us which Eldredge has made a living trying to illustrate has always been there.  You might say that it's a part of our very DNA.  We know that within us today is the very Spirit of Christ Jesus {Galations 2:20}.  We can truthfully proclaim that Jesus lives through us today.  For how would we know the nature of our heavenly Father if not for His very image in Christ? {Colossions 1:15}.  In fact, we are assured that we also are created in His own image {Genesis 1:27}.  Now, I seldom have seen Jesus as a warrior, but I now know that it is from His own DNA from which I am all that I have become.  It is Christ  Jesus who wandered the wilderness for weeks as He endured the temptations of satan.  It is Jesus who walked through His life of ministry knowing in His own heart that He would give Himself that others might live.  And, it is Jesus who suffered the persecutions and torture of those who crucified Him.  All for us.  If Jesus is not that embodiment of the warriors code then nobody is.  And if Christ is the embodiment of the warriors code...then it is through Him that I am as well.  I am that hero, that adventurer and that knight.  I am that warrior.
I remember being with Dennis at the trailhead of Angels Rest as I looked uphill of that rocky trail wondering if I could make the climb.  Well, I spent a good part of that morning more nervous than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but then something strange happened.  Not too far from the summit of the trail, something within me staked the claim that I could, and would conquer that climb.  In fact, I actually started to enjoy the trail we were on instead of worrying about my surroundings.  Now, for his part, Dennis never pushed me, he simply walked along with me.  The enormity of my conquest didn't hit me until we were almost down the trail as I walked in the victory of my accomplishment.  I had slain my dragon!  The warriors code.

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~

The Rubber Band Man

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done 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

I found a interesting article today that was forwarded to me by my friend Dennis.  In this article titled "A surefire way to kill lust in your life" the author Dr. Doug Weiss gave his perspective on defeating these flesh desires of ours.  I immediately felt like banging my head against a wall.  Really, this is but the latest in a long line of "Sure fire" ways to rid ourselves of those unwanted lustful thoughts.  Believe me, I've been there.  I can recall trying everything from extended prayer and video programs to all day mens retreats all aimed at defeating that which, if we were smart, would claim no longer even existed.  I can remember cowering in fear at the very thought that my Lord who had guaranteed my own salvation would somehow yank it from my grasp if I didn't defeat those evil lusts within me.  See, something was wrong with me and I had to deal with it...or else.  At least that's what I was told by all of the so called experts.  I remember walking out of church feeling utterly rejected one Sunday after being told by a fellow brother in the Lord that he didn't know if he could meet with me until I stood in front of the entire congregation and admitted my shortcomings!  For all intents and purposes, I was the problem and God, well, God was sitting there in heaven shaking His finger of condemnation at me.  I didn't feel like a good christian at all, and I probably didn't act like one either.  However, something changed when I left the church I had been attending for more than a few years.  I recall a conversation with Dennis on that very topic of men and lust where he simply told me "Scott...you're DEAD to that now."  Of course, it took some time for me to realize just what he was talking about, but that was the first time that someone had affirmed to me that I no longer had to fight, claw and scratch in order to defeat this enemy in my thoughts.  That I no longer needed to feel like I needed towork my way into my Lords wonderful grace.  Far from it, for it was because of Gods grace that I no longer need to worry about losing the battle against lust...I'm dead to that.

15For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Romans 7: 15 - 24 NKJV

Let me just say that I would much rather lay claim that I am dead to those lusts I fought than to continue on in that struggle for acceptance.  This sure fire way of defeating our own lusts which Dr. Weiss lays claim to seems to be designed along the lines of retraining ourselves to resist these temptations.  We wear a rubber band on our wrists, so that we may snap it when we feel lustful thoughts creeping in.  We seek the help others to keep us honest.  This buddy system will seemingly keep any bad thoughts in the light, making us that more unlikely to engage in them.  I mean, who wants to face a fellow brother and admit that they've done wrong?  That's not on the highest of my things to do.  I guess this is exactly what my brother in church wanted when he challanged me to air out my lustful thoughts in front of the entire church.  In order to avoid this shame, I would need to avoid lustful thoughts.  Or, I could simply just keep my thoughts to myself.  This is the issue with accountability relationships, there is always one who is afraid of bringing their sins into the open for fear of condemnation of their brethren.  It's about condemnation and IT DOESN'T WORK.  What does work is coming to that realization that through Christ Jesus we are now dead to those sins which have so long fought to overcome.  Why is it that we fight so hard against sins which Jesus gave Himself to become? {2 Corinthians 5:21}  Why do war against sins which Christ died to forgive us of?  No, for as the apostle Paul proclaims in Romans 6...we're dead to that!  For Christ died that we "should no longer be slaves of sin."{Romans 6:6}  We're battling something that Christ put away long ago.  We're dead to that.  We don't need a reminder or a accountability partner in order for us to realize that the battle has been won.  All we need is a reminder of just what Christ has done through us {Galations 2:20}.  There is no unclaimed sin, no condemnation and no shame...there is only Christ in us.

"I don't need to punish people for sin.  Sin is it's own punishment, devouring you from the inside.  It's not my purpose to punish it; it's my joy to cure it.
~William Paul Young, The Shack~

~Scott~

Heart To Heart

20“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who jwill believe in Me through their word;  21“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
John 17: 20 - 24 NKJV

The conversation in our group this week once again turned to God and how it is that we listen to Him.  In scripture, we often hear Jesus in a heart to heart conversation with His Father.  In fact, Jesus speaks to the Father as if He was walking with HIm side by side as in a normal conversation.  Now, to Jesus, this was just a normal conversation.  But what about us?  There has been many a time when I have struggled to find the perfect "way" to speak to God.  Not only that, but to discern what it is that He wanted me to know.  More than a few times I have been among a group of christian friends when inevitably one will turn to me and say "God told me something I think you need to hear."  Really?  First off, if God truly wanted to tell me something, why didn't He cut out the middle man and just tell me Himself?  Which brings me back to my original question of...how do we listen for the voice of our heavenly Father?  I believe that there is ZERO difference between those conversations between Christ Jesus and God and those of ourselves.  It's just that Jesus knew how to listen for that voice of His Father.  He had indeed heard it from the begining of time so it was nothing new to Him.  I believe that it is nothing new to us as well, if we listen for Him.  I believe the key to hearing our heavenly Fathers voice lies in the conversation which Jesus had with the Father in the garden prior to His crucifiction.  The words of Jesus in John 17, His prayer for us today, that we today would be one with Christ in the Father and  the Father in Christ Jesus.  In this we would be made perfect in one {John 17: 23}.

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

What did Jesus have that we also share with Him?  He had the Father.  The apostle Paul assures us in Galations 2 that we ourselves have what Jesus had then, direct access to the Father.  I believe that the mistake too many people make in their search to hear the assuring words of the Lord lies in where it is they are looking for Him.  All too often we make that mistake of seeking the Lord outside of us.  Yes, God must be outside of us which is why we are so often told that we need be more "like" Jesus right?  Wrong!  Paul assures us that we do not live under a seperation from our heavenly Father.  He is not simply looking down from heaven ready to intercede should we need Him to.  No, Jesus' prayer for all believers in the garden was that we would be one as He and the Father are one.  So, if we indeed are one with Christ Jesus and the Father, then each and every conversation that we have with Him is very personal, for we are one with Him.  We need not look outside of us for some sort of guru religious experience in order to hear our Lords voice, we need to listen for Him within ourselves.  After all, if Christ now lives in me, then He is that much closer to me than I'll ever need.  So how is it that we listen for that voice of the Father?  Well, I believe that we can always have a heart to heart conversation with Him.  What I mean by that is that look for and listen for Him in our own hearts...we will find Him.  Indeed, if Christ is in me, then when I listen to my own heart I will certainly hear His words meant just for me.  If I listen to my heart I will hear Him.

~Scott~

My Friend

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. 15“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."
John 15: 12 - 16 NKJV

We have all had that one person in our lives whom we have honored with that one word...friend.  Yes, we may count our friends as many, but there is always one who we turn to in a time of need or a emergency.  Someone who is not only loyal and faithfull to the friendship we have developed, but one who will tell it to us straight if needed.  In the end, I want a friend who doesn't pull any punches when I seek his advice, I want the truth at all costs.  My friend Bill from my high school days was just such a person.  In the years since I left Minnesota for Oregon I have developed a few friendships with a few Godly men as well.  I've always found it quite the honor for someone to call me a friend, but with this title comes at least a bit of responsibility of our own.  Granted, I have damaged a few friendships with things I have done.  However, it was never done with bad intentions.  I guess we all have issues.  That responibility we all share in our friendships is that we keep them all close to our hearts.  There is indeed a solid line between aquaintences and those friendships of ours.  There are people I know, and then there are those whom I call friends.  There is indeed a difference.  I have those who I come across each day who I greet in passing that I do not consider to be friends, at least not yet.  My uncle once told me a story when I was younger of a close friend who he lost in Vietnam.  It was someone who he had connected with in basic training and that friendship carried over into the jungles of southeast Asia, until a vietcong bullet took his freind from him.  Now, this was just one of the deaths from his time in Vietnam, but even at my young age I could tell that it affected my uncle alot.  I've never had a freind who has given his life for me.  I can't begin to imagine the emotional toll of such an act of selflessness.

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

I look at my scriptures and I almost always see pairs.  When Noah led the animals of Gods creation into the ark, they were two by two.  When God created man in His very image, it wasn't long before He declared that "It is not good that man be alone."{Genesis 2:18}  You will notice that upon our heavenly Fathers creation of Eve, that the intention wasn't for a servant for Adam.  No, it is God who declared of His new creation "I will make a helper comparable to him" {Genesis 2:18}.  Gods true intent was never for the husband to rule over his wife, but that both would be complete as one.  I have heard many a couple who have described their spouse as being their best friend.  I couldn't think of a better description.  The best of friends, the closest of companions and the strongest of unions.  There is one, however, who has called me friend who will never let me down.  He is the man Christ Jesus.  Jesus tells us in John 15 that a man will know no greater love than to give His life for His friends {John 15:13}.  This is exactly what Jesus has done for us.  Not only has He called us friends, but He has given Himself that we, His friends, might live {John 15:15}.  It is Jesus Himself who became sin on our behalf that we would no longer be defined by our old sin nature {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  How many friends do we know who would willingly lay down their own lives that we, their friend, might live?  In my lifetime I have known but one...and He is Christ.  Not only is He my Lord and savior...but He has called me His friend.

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

~Scott~

Authentic Worship With Vegtables

6As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Colossions 2: 6 - 10 NKJV

I remember hearing one pastor or another in my time talk on and on...and on and on about the subject of authentic worship and I almost had to keep myself from laughing.  Now, it's well known by now that I don't see eye to eye with the many institutional church leaders out there, and there is always a reason for my beliefs.  As far as the subject of authentic worship goes, I will first derail this train of thought and talk instead about...vegtables.  Not only vegtables, but organic vegtables.  I recently had a conversation with a coworker whom I almost had in tears as we debated the pros and cons of organic produce.  Now, I should make it known that I'm old school.  By that I mean that when I need some vegtables...I buy some vegtables.  Likewise, when I need some fruit...I buy that.  I remember growing up and visiting my grandparents house where grandma always had a garden growing in the summer months.  This was for more of need than a hobby, as my grandparents would usually survive off of the income of the family sawmill.  Therefore, grandma grew that garden to suppliment food for the family.  Good thinking eh?  So, what does all of this have to do with organic vegtables and authentic worship?  Well, in all my time with my grandparents, I never ever heard that word organic spoken.  No, for when the time for the season came, there would by the usual tilling, fertilizing and tilling of the soil to make that garden grow.  It was a processs that had been repeated countless times over each generation.  Those beloved farmers among us plied their trade season after season.  So, I vaguely understand the  argument that organic is right and pure and how things used to be...blah blah blah.  To me, there is simply NO difference between a organic tomato and a "normal" tomato.  They both come from the same soil and are nourished from the same environment right?  Is there organic rain?  Organic sunshine?  To me the entire organic argument is simply a marketing ploy to bilk we the consumers of more money.  When we see that "Organic Grown" label we somehow think that it must be of higher quality worthy of the higher price.  Yet, these very same people will shudder at the thought of paying the extra price for a higher grade of gas.  "It's all the same" they'll claim.  Balh blah blah.  So, back to that topic of authentic worship...just what is it?  Seriously, what is authentic worship and how does it differ from that which we have been doing for generations?

1Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
Romans 14: 1 - 6 NKJV

Well did the apostle Paul tell those in Rome that we are not to judge our brethren who choose to partake of one tradition or another or who choose one food or another.  Who are we to judge anothers servant?  For it is God who is able to make each of us stand.  In fact, Paul himself refers to these disputes among us as doubtful things.  Each of us in our own way raise our spirits and hearts in worship to the Lord.   I've been told too many times than I can count that I am far too silent in my thankfullness and worship to God?  Seriously?  I worship in my own way.  I have mentioned a man named Bruce a few times who would sing and dance in the aisle during our worship services.  That was his way of worshipping and celebrating God.  I never condemned Bruce for his worship, but complimented him a few times for his own authentic worship.  It is here, with the example of Bruce, where I think we need see that definition of authentic worship.  Authentic worship is not tied to the loudest band, most pointed sermon or best small group program.  These are all traditions that I believe have very little to do with the authentic worship of our Lord which we ourselves partake in.  There is a modern hymm I first heard at a Promise Keepers event titiled "He has made me glad."  In the words of this song I often find the true meaning of authentic worship...without the vegtables.

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart
I will enter His courts with praise
I will say this is the day that the Lord has made
And I will rejoice because He has made me glad!
~He Has Made Me Glad - Maranatha promise band~

~Scott~

Bloodline

26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 1: 26 - 27 NKJV

There has been alot of interest lately among a good many people in ancestry websites.  Those websites which in a matter of minutes can tell someone almost all they needed to know about their heritage.  A few of my coworkers, out of curiosity, decided to see just where they came from.  One was surprised at his apparent german heritage.  After my mom passed, I did some research into my parents family roots and just how I fit in.  I have always known that I have Finnish heritage, but I was curious of the generations which had passed before me.  My own mother had mentioned her parents, but I had been too young to remember meeting them.  So it is that my own bloodline stretches from both of my parents through the generations.  Perhaps one of these days I will endeavor to dig a bit deeper into my heritage.  For now I'm good.  But why all of this sudden interest in our own heritage?  Why that desire to ultimately know where it is that we come from?  Granted, my own parents would often regale me with those stories of old.  Stories of how it was when I was younger.  I am not so old that I don't remember many of those events, but my parents all too often gave me a different perspective on what I remember.  This was, and is, who I am.  While it's all fine and good to know just where it is that we come from, I also feel that it is equally important to realize where it is that we originated.  For we may be flesh and blood, but there is indeed another part of our bloodline that we very seldom look at.  I didn't until it was revealed to me.  Yes, I am Scott, born of my parents and forever a part of my families history.  However, I also belong to a far more important bloodline, one that I share with my fellow man.  While I may have been born into my earthly family, it is through that bloodline I share with Christ Jesus where my true heredity lies.

14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Romans 8: 14 - 17 NKJV

I am prepared that I just might receieve some backlash from more than a few christians and others over this statement.  Oh Scott, how could your bloodline originate from that sinless man who never even knew a woman?  Well, listen closely, as it is by my heavenly Father from where we originated, then it is definately by Him that my heritage belongs.  I think we may all agree that it is our heavenly Father who ultimately breathed into us all that breath of life so long ago{Genesis 2:7}.  So, where does Jesus fit into this equation?  Well, it is through and for Christ Jesus that all that we see was originally created {John 1: 1-5}.  I feel that we might also agree that it is Christ Jesus who is the very image of our invisible God whom we serve{Colossions 1:15}.  Therefore, my own bloodline originates with Christ Jesus.  While it is true that the Spirit of Christ lives through me today, it is also true that His very DNA is within me {Galations 2:20}.  What better genetics could one desire?  For I have not only been declared a child of God, but a heir to Him as well.  I am just one part of His legacy which has been handed down for generations.  From Adam, Abraham and Moses to Christ Jesus, my own bloodline stretches across many generations.  I don't think I will need ancestry website in order to realize that fact.

1Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of aGod! Therefore the world does not know bus, because it did not know Him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1 John 3: 1 - 2 NKJV

~Scott~

Strange Days

47When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” 49The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” 50Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”
John 4: 47 - 51 NKJV

I got that feeling once again this morning.  That feeling that spoke to my heart that said that everything would be ok.  To be honest, this past week was a rather hectic one with the everyday chores of life but also with the added thoughts of a possible career change.  Nonetheless, the feeling came over me this morning that despite the chaos around me that all would continue to be well.  Now, I can't explain this feeling except by the workings of Christ Jesus who is in me {Galations 2:20}.  I've had this feeling before, but I must admit that it's been awhile.  It was a a strange day indeed.  This past week our group tossed about that question of just how we communicate with God.  How does God communicate with His children?  Well, we're told that in days of old that God certainly would talk to His children through visions and dreams.  Are we to believe that all of that has changed for some reason?  I don't believe so.  In fact, I'll go so far as to say that the very reason by which I proclaimed this a strange day was in fact due to my Lords communication with me.  This wasn't through any vision or dream, just that reminder in my spirit that He was on the scene and that He had this.  Ok, now what?  What are we to do when our heavenly Father reminds us that He is laying claim to whatever it is that is troubling our hearts?  Well, I believe that we just might do as I did and accept His proclamation as truth and live our lives free of the stress and worries that these thoughts had brought upon us.  I believe that Jesus had a very good reason for telling those in His presence that day not to worry {Matthew 6:27}.  What good has worry ever brought us?  Indeed, the stresses of worrying can and do bring about many physical ailments.  That ages old phrase of "worrying yourself sick" could not be more true.  So it is that Jesus warns us against worrying.

1God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged eour sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Hebrews 1: 1- 4 NKJV

Many a time have I sat through a sunday sermon where the pastor would proclaim that we all needed to tune in our senses in order that we might hear what it was that God was trying to tell us.  Like some favorite tv episode of the walking dead, if we somehow missed what He was trying to tell us, we may not get another chance.  I don't buy that for a minute.  I believe that if there is something which God needs to tell His children, that the creator of all which we see will certainly find a way to let us know what He wants us to know.  I mean, wouldn't that be just like God?  What kind of a loving Father would withhold something of vital importance from His children?  No, if God truly wants us to know what is on His mind, He will let us know.  After all, we need not look too far to at all to find Him right?  For if Christ lives through us today as the apostle Paul proclaimed, then we need not look very far in order to hear the words of our Father in heaven.  We do not need to be more like Jesus, closer to Him or tithe until it hurts in order to gain favor with Him.  That original image in which we were all created guarantees that we have His very DNA within us {Genesis 1:27}.  Our bloodline stretches from God down through each generation through our own.  As He created us, so it is that He will ALWAYS be a part of us.  It is for this very reason that I believe in my own heart that He spoke His reassurance to me this morning that He had everything in control.  While I may see a world swirling in chaos all around me, God smiles and gently tells me "I got this."

~Scott~

Mornings With God

~July 1, 1898~

6But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of enecessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”
2 Corinthians 9: 6 - 9 NKJV

I've never seen God as anything but kind and righteous.  I'm guessing that this is because of how I was raised in a christian home.  God is kind, God is just, God is...our provider.  It's here where I so often was tripped up in understanding my Lords nature and His feelings towards me.  Now, I'm not saying that God and I have not had many heart to heart conversations where I found myself upset with He who breathed into me that breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  Inevitably I would find myself questioning why God would abandon me in my time of need.  Granted, that time of need happened to be one of those many times where I had requested something from Him only to end up empty handed in the end.  I felt betrayed, and I let God know how I felt.  God had become a "feel good" God for my life.  Of course, many of these conversations between myself and God were pretty one sided.  I would complain, cry and rant...and He would listen as He always has.  I may have felt abandoned, but that was certainly no the case.  In fact, I can just picture God sitting beside me, His arms arond me as His precious child was hurting.  That's what God does.  We talk, and He listens.  How special is that moment when we both seem to be on the same page, being able to hear each other.  It's in moments like these where we may just hear just what we need to in our time of need.  But why is is that I would be upset with God for not providing what I FELT I needed?  Well that's just it, I thought I needed them, but God knew that I didn't.  Who was I to question Gods motives?  Well, Job did that very same thing until God took Him to school.  Now, Job had more than a man could ever need.  Money, family and prestige among his neighbors.  Job was a man about town.  The trouble with Job is that he had fallen into the pitfall of believing that it was all about him and his efforts.  Job had lost his perspective.  Indeed, all that we have or will EVER have be it plentiful or paltry, we have from God.  It is God who provides for our very needs, not the other way around.

7“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9“Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10“Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Matthew 7: 7 - 11 NKJV

I recall a book authored by David McCullough titled Mornings On Horseback.  The book, written in 1981, is a biography of the early years of the life and times of president Theodore Roosevelt.  How appropriate that title was.  Roosevelt, known for leading his "Rough Riders" during the battle of San Juan hill in July of 1898.  Roosevelt was an expert in his day on horses and calvary.  What struck me about McCulloughs story was how, in his quiet times, that the young Roosevelt would find solace and peace on horseback.  I feel that this is where he felt at home.  Hence the title of the book.  There have been many times where, in my conversations with God, that I have found that quiet place to reflect and listen to just what He might have to say to me.  While I agree that we need to be in a "listening" mode during these moments, I also believe that God is more than capable of whispering in our ear at any given moment in time.  We may be in a quiet field on horseback or in a crowded room.  Either way, if God wants us to hear Him, He will make sure that we do.  Are we listening to him?  That's the question of the hour.  With all the background noise around us, are we taking time to listen to Christ Jesus?  One thing that is certain is that we don't need to look too far in order to hear Him {Galations 2:20}.  Being one with Christ guarantees that He will always be there when we need Him the most.
I remember a story my mom used to tell me of when I was just a boy.  It seems that whenever I felt that she wasn't payaing attention to me I would put face close to hers and say "Listen to me!"  She always did.

20“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; Jesus began His prayers for us way back in the garden of Gethsemane before His arrest. We have trusted in Jesus through the word of the apostles, and this prayer of His is therefore for us. 21“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
John 17: 20 - 24 NKJV

~Scott~

Finding Our Freedom

16Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3: 16 - 18 NKJV

Where the Lord is...there is liberty.  This all sounds pretty good in scripture, but why is it that so many have not taken advantage of what Christ has to offer us?  Freedom in knowing that our scars are healed.  Freedom in the knowing we have overcome this fallen world.  It all sounds like a no brainer.  Yet all too often we stand aside, tell ourselves "I got this!" and go our own way.  Like shoppers obsessed with finding that latest bargain, we all too often pull ourselves away from what we know is right and instead go down the path of independence.  The apostle Paul tells in Galations 5 that we should no longer submit to that bondage of slavery.  Now, when someone mentions that word slavery, it may very well conjur up some strong emotions.  However, just as slaves will be expected to submit to the will of their masters, so it is with those who continue to follow the path of their own sin.  I've heard more than a few christians tell of how they felt trapped in their own sin before opening their hearts to Christ Jesus.  How even though they knew better, they felt compelled to obey its call.  I'm not sure if this was by habit or simply becoming set in our behaviors, but I've been there so I can vouch for some of the feelings that others have gone through on the road to finding their own freedom in Jesus.  Make no mistake, it is Jesus who desires that ALL of our Lords children would choose that freedom which He offers to us.  This isn't some exclusive club where only the most righteous, the biggest tither or the regular bible reader will find membership.  No, for it is not by our own desperate efforts that we will be saved {Ephesians 2: 8-9}.  Indeed, how much more would I be able to boast among my brethren if through my own efforts I would gain entry into eternity in my Lords graces?  How utterly selfish of anyone to claim that they themselves were responsible for their own salvation.  Even though Paul warns us of this folly, we all too often strike out on our own to claim Gods free gift for all.

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

There is a condition which has been described as the Stockholm syndrome.  The stockholm syndrome is a condition where one being held against their own will will develop feelings of trust and/or sympathy for those who hold them hostage.  One former army Delta Force trooper claimed that dealing with terrorists was easier than dealing with the psychological damage they left behind.  I agree.  For the physical can be neutralized...not so our emotions.  So, what does this have to do with our freedom in Jesus?  Well, despite the damages and pitfalls of living with that belief that we are in sin, we continue to do just that.  A dear friend of mine told me a story of a conversation which he had once with his wife.  Frustrated by lifes circumstances, he once complained to his wife that "Everytime I do this something bad happens!"  The funny thing about this is that one look from his wife brought my friend to his "Aha!" moment.  So often we dabble in our behavior knowing full well that we're doing wrong.  That isn't freedom.
Not too long ago, Dennis and I spent a few hours at the home of a friend where the discussion turned to the very subject of freedom.  One after the other, those who were gathered expressed the freedom they felt that morning.  A freedom to gather in the presence of Jesus without the trappings of institutional religious traditions.  There were no praise and worship rock bands, no sermon and no offering, yet we all agreed that we felt closer to Jesus than we ever had in any church.  This is the freedom we have in Christ.  There is neither guilt, condemnation nor religious expectations in His presence.  What we do find in Jesus is love.  We know that His Spirit of love lives through us today {Galations 2:20}.  And what is freedom without love?

7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4: 7 - 10 NKJV

~Scott~

Background Noise

3and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 4You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
1 John 4: 3 - 6 NKJV

How much do we listen to those thoughts of those around us?  Not only thoughts, but those criticisms and cutting remarks which are often directed our way?  I work with a man who by all appearances is a good man, talking with others and seemingly with a good number of friends.  However, I've seen the other side of that coin as well.  I have been on the receiving end of more than a few comments that I would rather not repeat here.  Needless to say, I've been accused on more than a few occasions of being incapable of learning anything and of being dumber than a box of rocks among various other putdowns.  Now, I've been around many people in my life who simply would not have tolerated such abuse.  So why do I give an ear to this sometimes abusive coworker of mine?  Well, I decided some time ago that people such as him were doing nothing but providing background noise to this already busy life which I live.  Far from taking his comments as a indictment on who I truly am as a person, I have simply come to see them as I do the sound of a breeze or the traffic around me.  They have no bearing on who I truly am as a man...they're just there.  Some would call them distractions while others simply brush off the negative comments of others as not being important to the big scheme of things.  Both of these approaches may be correct.  However, far from discrediting my coworker, I see him as I am, a child of the living God.  The apostle John tells us in 1 John 4 that He who is in the hearts of those who have known Christ Jesus is greater than they who are in the world.  We are of God, little children.  However, this is tempered with the reality that we were ALL created in the image of our heavenly Father.  As christians, we do not hold a monopoly on being righteous, forgiven or saved.  For this is the free gift we have received from God Himself {Ephesians 2: 8-9}.  God has given the same breath of life to others around me as He has blessed me with.

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45“that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46“For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47“And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
Matthew 5: 43 - 47 NKJV

Bless those who persecute me, really?  I've often wondered to myself if God knew just what He has asked me to do so often in the pages of scripture.  Does He realize just what He is asking?  I mean, isn't there some modern day cultural thing that could somehow negate those things that my heavenly Father has asked of me?  Well, it's a good thought but...definately not.  For our Lord is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last.  By Him all things were created which are seen and unseen.  Heck, even the culture differences from biblical times to our own have been introduced by our Lord.  There will never be ANYTHING which will ever come as a surprise to God.  Not only that, but everything indeed has a purpose in our Lords creation, there is no room for chance.  With this in mind, how is it that I as a Child of God can proclaim that the benefits of my Lords salvation belong to me alone?  Instead of looking for that wickedness in those around me, shouldn't I be spending more time looking into just how much alike we really are?  Oh how many conflicts could be avoided were we all to spend our lives in this pursuit.  Before I digress too much, this is one of the main reasons that I began to see those negative comments of others as more of background noise around me than of who I am as a person.  Indeed, knowing just who I am in Christ Jesus has gone a long way in this realization {Galations 2:20}.  Not only that, but it is with those around me in which I share that image of my heavenly Father {Genesis 1:27}.  When you think about it, we have more in common than we thought.

~Scott~

The Judgement At Eagle Creek

~Eagle Creek trail burns on September 4th 2017~

~Eagle Creek hike July 2016~

14For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 16Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 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 imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5: 14 - 19 NKJV

The local news this week has been full of wall to wall coverage of one of the largest wildfires in the country.  The Eagle Creek wildfire in Oregons Columbia River gorge has to date grown to a size of 33, 300 acres as it burns its way through some of the most picturesque forest land in the country.  I remember hiking this same Eagle Creek trail with Dennis just last summer as we hiked into Punchbowl falls.  Although I'm rarely one to use flowery speech to describe too many of my experiences, I will admit that the forest land of my home state are something to behold.  Only time will tell when these iconic trails will return to the splendor so many people have so often enjoyed.  One story which has been lost in all of the coverage of this tragic fire is the story of just how the blaze originally was sparked.  From news reports, a young 15 year old local lad was seen to have been fooling around with a few illegal fireworks somewhere up the Eagle Creek trail the weekend of September 2nd.  For anyone who is familiar with normal summer conditions here in the Pacific Northwest, this is beyond foolish.  For depending on the previous winters rainfall, many areas in our forests will be a flashpoint that even the smallest spark of a passing train or car will spark. So it was with the Eagle Creek blaze.  For in the span of a few hours, our famous east winds had fanned the flames into a major fire.  In the span of 12 hours, the fire grew 12,000 acres as it moved further east.  Evacuation orders were issued from Troutdale to Cascade Locks and Interstate 84 to this point remains closed from Troutdale to Hood River.  All from one careless moment and some fireworks.  Already I can hear the drums of retribution beating in local opinion and radio talk shows.  Somewhere along the line, this 15 year old kid needs to pay for this destruction he has caused!  One thing I'm damn glad for is that this crowd of torch bearers of revenge wasn't around whenever I messed up in my life.

3among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2: 3 - 8 NKJV

Now, before I get into some hypocritical rant that many feel is typical of we high and mighty christians I want to mention that there is a huge difference between revenge and responsibility.  Oh, and consequences, yes consequences.  The apostle Paul Himself explains to us in 2 Corinthians that we are to judge no one by the flesh any longer.  Christ Jesus has also taught us on the value of love and forgiveness {Matthew 7:5}.  How can I, Scott, proclaim the love and forgiveness of Christ if my own heart is set upon that retribution for the actions of another?  This is the very model of hypocracy for which we are all too often criticized.  For if our heavenly Father has loved us, so must we love one another {1 John 4:11}.  Trust me, I have made enough mistakes in my lifetime to warrant revenge from countless victims and those I've offended.  Does this change the man I truly am in Christ {Galations 2:20}?  Absolutely not, for even though I am now dead to those sins which once plagued me, it is Christ who has now declared me clean {Romans 6: 6-11}.  Not only that, it is Jesus Himself who has declared ALL who beleive in Him righteous and forgiven.  So, who am I to condemn one who Christ has proclaimed forgiven?  Who are we to pass judgement upon one who belongs to the Spirit of Christ?  We as christians do not have a corner on the market of the indwelling Christ.  It is He who has given Himself for all {2 Corinthisns 5:21}.  Now, as I mentioned, there is no thin gray line between retribution and those consequences for our own actions.  Yes, Christ has not only declared us forgiven and forever His, but we still need face the those consequences for what we have done.  What is painfully obvious to me is that in the midst of the flames of the Eagle Creek fire is what must be a confused and hurting 15 year old.  We may not know what weighs heavy on this lads heart, but just as he faces the consquences of his actions...we face those of our own.

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

~Scott~

Abraham, Martin And John

~John Calvin~

~Martin Luther~

1Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; aand he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
Romans 14: 1 - 6 NKJV

A dear friend of ours has been traveling with his wife to Germany for a week or so now.  A big part of this trip was to explore his family homeland, along with the roots and locations of Luthers protestant reformation.  Ironically, the word we use for reformation comes from the latin word "reformatio," meaning restoration or renewal.  That seems pretty appropriate considering the very reason that Martin Luther broke from traditions and heritage of the state run Roman Catholic church was due to those very same traditions.  One of Luthers complaints against the church came over the churches sale of indulgences.  Basically, the church was selling get out of hell free cards.  In Luthers mind, what power did a mere man, the pope, have to raise up or condemn a mans soul?  Indeed, Luther had a long list of grievances against the state run church.  Of course, it was the Roman leader Constantine who had incorporated the church into a state entity.  What better way to control the masses...genius.  It is for this very reason that to this day I have huge issues with the catholic church.  A institution which prides itself on the adoration and worship of man made traditions and objects over our God.  Sure it sounds good, but everything sounds good for awhile.  Thus was the basis for Luthers...renewal of the church.  As the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 14, who are we to judge anothers servant?  Indeed, God is able to make all men stand...or fall.  Above all, man made traditions meant to control Gods children masked as religion is absolutely wrong.

1Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’seat. 3“Therefore whatever they tell you ato observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4“For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5“But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6“They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7“greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’8“But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10“And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11“But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12“And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23: 1 -12 NKJV

After Luther came the second member of our crew, a man named John Calvin.  Calvin also shared in Luthers beliefs that the Roman Catholic church was, shall we say, heretical.  So the protestant reformation rolled along.  In my mind, the basis of the Catholicism is the inherent control over those it supposedly serves.  That was the initial goal of Constantine, which seems to have been carried forward to the modern catholic church.  Now, before a few of my cohorts get on my case for yet another anti institutional church rant, I'll step off of my soapbox.  The fact is that Christ Jesus himself has told us that NONE are to be called teacher or Rabbi.  For there is one who has claim to both of those titles...the man Christ Jesus.  Our focus is not to be upon those positions or traditions of men...but on Christ.  It is Christ who has given of Himself that we would be forgiven, and Christ Himself who lives through us today {Galations 2:20}.  Therefore, we who have Christ Jesus are not bound to these traditions.

4Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
1 Corinthians 8: 4 - 6 NKJV

~Scott~

Something More Than A Business

16Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body gand in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6: 16 - 20 NKJV

Forbes magazine recently estimated the annual sales of the pornography industry to be in the 10-14 billion dollar range (2001 figures).  In recent years, however, this figure has dipped by an estimated 50% due to the overabundance of free material availble on Al Gores internet.  Like a goodwill warehouse for porn addicts, the internet has provided millions of people the opportunity to browse their addictions at home alone to their hearts content.  It seems that pornography has become quite the big business.  Too many people protest, cry, yelp and complain of large corporations that all too often rake in billions of dollars in profits at the consumers expense.  However, I have yet to see a occupy wall street protest that protested the billion dollar a year porn industry.  Why is that?  Why are we so quick to demonize corporations which seemingly take in ridiculous amounts of money and yet legitimize the true scoundrels who take advantage of us?  Well, for one thing, far too many people see the porn industry as one that offers up few victims.  However, these same people will react in mock outrage at each and every human interest story of that wayward teenage runanway whose very life has been destroyed by the porn industry.  These are the very same people who will be all too quick to pass judgement on those who are caught in the addictions of this wickegame.  At the end of the day, many of these who have passed judgement upon others for a seemingly unpardonable sin will themselves sneak away to their own dark corner to indulge in their own internet addiction.  It all seems a bit hypocritical, but that's just my take.

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done 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

There are a few areas in the christian life where my own life experiences have presented to me a opportunity to warn others of the dangers of things I myself have faced.  One of these areas is the subject of pornography.  See, my own father fell victim to the evils of this disease, as did his two sons.  I'm guessing that it's true that the sins of the father will be passed down to his own offspring.  While not true in every case, it was for me.  While more often than not we might classify the pornography industry as a business, I feel that at its deepest roots that it is more than that...a lot more.  The way I see it, many men see pornography the very same way in which they see women in this world around them.  That is, a woman is only there to satisfy whatever needs he may have in any given moment.  While this isn't the case for all men, I feel that there is a large percent of the population that feel this way.  Remember that I was once among that crowd.  I was shocked one day to realize that as I watched a few ladies walking down a sidewalk...that my very first thought was of how I could get them into bed!  Despite the fact that this was someones wife, daughter or mother, my very first thought was the quenching of my own desire.  THAT, in a nutshell, is what I believe lies at the core of this issue.  Our own needs must be met, no matter the cost.  Given the chance, would any one of us actually approach a woman with those thoughts we secretly carry for her?  NOT...A...CHANCE!  Why?  Because that would only serve to validate her fears that she is simply there for the gratification of aother.  Not only is this not biblical, moral or right, it gives us a false image of what relationship and intimacy truly is.  Why would we waste our time with the stresses, pain, hurts and discouragements of building and keeping a relationship when at the click of a button we can have all the pleausres of what our heavenly Father intended for a MARRIAGE relationship without the struggles and commitment of that relationship?  It all seemed like a no brainer at one time to me.  However, I came to one realization that helped me turn my heart towards that direction which God desired for me.  I realized that it could be far more gratifying for me to actually learn all that I could about another person.  I realized that it wasn't all about me, but about the needs of others.  Finally, I realized that I was indeed dead to those sins my own father engaged in through Jesus Himself {Romans 6:11}.

~Scott~