Sandy Hook Nightmare - Do you see Jesus?

I don't really have a lot to offer that hasn't been brought up countless times already from everywhere about the events that took place at Sandy Hook.

But I can't help but ask: Do you see Jesus?

When you look at the kids, no doubt you see him - how couldn't you.

But that's not where I'm asking you to look.

Look Here:

Look at Adam Lanza...the man (yes at 20 years old you are a man, no longer a boy at least) that shot at and killed 20 kids at Sandy Hook Elementary.

I'm sure right off you want to say "no." You might say you see "evil" or "the devil" but you don't see Jesus.  I want to say those as well at times.

But I want you to look deeper, beyond Adam...I can't say (nor will I) that Jesus wasn't "in" Adam that day.  But I do know this: Jesus was with him.

Jesus was right there, heart breaking, pouring out his love upon Adam as he unleashed an almost unspeakable horror. Jesus is always there.

Problem was, maybe, no one else was standing there with Jesus. (but that's a different post)

Jesus is with us, all of us, even when - or especially when - we fall, fail, and falter.  No, most of us won't fall to the degree that Adam did, but that doesn't make us better than him or him worse than us.

Yes, grief for the loss of the children.

But let's not forsake the grief at the loss of Adam - he too a child of God. In this case, yes still a child as we all are.

And yes, I am not forgetful of the fact that I personally am not effected by this and what I say may not come so easily were that a different story.

But we must remember who Jesus loves...all of us.

I don't recall there being exemptions.

Are you willing to assign exemptions to that love?

I'm not.

Jesus loves the lost as much as the found...and, at least at one time - if not again at some other point - weren't we all lost before we were found?

So look at the picture of Adam, of the man who shot and killed 20 children not even a week ago...

Do you see Jesus?

We can't all play the same position.

As much as I would love to be able to: I can't save the world.

Heck, I can't even save everyone in my state, city, neighborhood, block...I have to remind myself of this when I am frustrated at times at the feeling that I don't "do enough" for the world.

But I need to cut myself some slack.  First of all, none of us will ever "do enough" and that is just a plain fact Jack.  Second, we are not called as followers of Christ to do it "all".  We are called corporately to love.  Personally, what God calls us to do.

Many times I second guess what God calls me to do.  Simply because it doesn't seem "enough."  Shouldn't God be calling me to something greater? Bigger? More challenging? More life changing?

It seems to happen to some people, why not me?

Well, who's to say he hasn't?  In my hustle and bustle to "do more" I may have missed a calling.  Certainly I have ignored some as well.  However, that doesn't mean God stops calling us, using us.  But we have to remember, He's God, we're not - he knows what he's doing and he will use us in the best way, if we let him.  Nor can we do it all.

I played 3rd base during my "career" in baseball.  Yes, I played other positions as well, by my primary position was 3rd.  During a game, while a player can play multiple positions, a player can't play them all or even more than one at the same time.  Hard to play 3rd and catcher at the same time.  Or more obvious, pitcher/catcher.

We are placed in a position to play THAT position.  Maybe for just an inning, maybe the entire game.  But when we are placed in that position, that is all we are meant to do.  It would be silly for me at 3rd to feel bad that I wasn't pitching, or playing 1st...I'm playing 3rd, and while at 3rd I will play my best. And when the 1st baseman makes a fantastic diving catch for the last out, I will be happy that they did! Rather than guilty or envious.

Because in reality, we are all in this together like a baseball team. Yeah, the stakes are higher and we make far more errors than are counted, but if we accept our current position we are playing then we allow ourselves to 1) play our position better and to the fullest, 2) are joyful when others play their position and are successful!

I'm not a preacher standing before millions of people (perhaps we should all be thankful for that).  I'm just a guy, ordinary fella', but for today and until otherwise notified it is my position.  Now, I could be resentful that I'm not playing another more 'important' position - however, who's to say my position isn't important at all?  What if, in my position I influence and inspire the next Billy Graham? (that would be cool!)

I can only see the now today, this game....tomorrow is another day/game.  I can only play one game at a time, one position at a time.  Some days I'll play like an all-star, other days I should be benched.  But there's another game, God willing, tomorrow.

I can't do it all, I'm not God (again something we should be thankful for).  I can't play every position at the same time - and I won't get the chance to play every position anyway so I might as well enjoy playing my position and play it to the best, and enjoy when others play theirs (like Billy) well.

Love - You can't give what you ain't got.

Listening to a Greg Boyd sermon yesterday (or the day before) Greg said, "you can't give what you ain't got!"

And it struck me in several ways.

This is true to two levels: material and spiritual.

Materially, I think, is quite self explanatory.  If I don't have a dollar, I can't give a dollar. If I don't have a coat, I can't give a coat...etc.

However, spiritually, this isn't so obvious - or at least, I don't know that we act as such.  That is: we still try to give what we don't have AND we can hide the fact that we don't have it as well.

I may SAY that I have love in my heart for my fellow man, or my enemy - however, what I have is anger, or apathy or hate.  I can put a smile on my face, act nice, do all the "loving" things that I should do - but I'm not really giving love am I?

To truly GIVE love, we must HAVE love.  Which type of love?  Well, the love Jesus shows us, and expects from us.

Unfortunately, w(m)e don't always possess this love.  For many reasons: fallen world, sin, etc...you know the list.

Yet, we still try to "give" this love or make it seem that we do.  However, in reality, we know we are going through the motions.  We give to a charity for helping the homeless ("love") yet we turn around and chide and make disparaging comments about a man holding a sign on the street begging for spare change.

We say we love our enemy, yet speak ill about them with like minded company...

(this was especially true during this past election - how many people said something not so nice about Republicans/Democrats?)

Love is a funny thing because it isn't just a "feeling" it's a FORCE - we can feel it.  Deep down we know this to be true.

How often have we heard or said, "I could just FEEL the love."

Yes we FEEL love, but that isn't the best word to describe our interaction with it - we EXPERIENCE love.

People can FEEL love behind an act, just like you can hear a smile over the radio/phone.  You know it's there.

But if it isn't there...

So where do we get love?  Where does love come from that we can HAVE it and SHARE it?

Sadly, we can't just create love.  It doesn't work that way.  WE - you and I - cannot make love "out of nothing at all" as the song goes.

Only God can.

Only through Jesus can we GET love.  Get the love that we need to have and to share.  And thankfully Jesus has an endless supply so we can love freely and with wild reckless abandon!!

And that is EXACTLY what we are to do!

We are to give love FREELY and WITHOUT hesitation or restriction - and why not?  We can always get more from the source!  We will never run out because HE will never run out.

Yet we don't love that way - not always.  I certainly don't - though more and more I try to, and do, but if I am honest, I will never be perfect at it as HE is perfect at it.

But that shouldn't stop us, that should SPUR us!

On the days we have abundant love - give it away as if there is no tomorrow (for there might not be).  And when have little to no love?  Turn to the one that ALWAYS DOES.

Love can do miraculous things, but it needs to be shared, given, shown, etc.  and if we don't have it within us - we certainly cannot give it, share it, show it...

Don't have love for your enemy (or just for today)?

Jesus does and he will be more than happy to give you that love as well...

But there is a catch (isn't there always?):  we have to ask for it, and more importantly we must truly WANT it.

Jesus will not force love upon us - love doesn't act that way.  While it is a FORCE it is NOT FORCED.

We must truly want it and want to give it, share it, and show it.

Then we will see miracles happen.

Black Friday - The most selfish day of the year!

Hey, I like a great bargain just like the next guy - maybe even more so.  My two favorite words are: Free and cheap.

The clothing label I always buy: Clearance.

However, today - the deal day of deal days - is quite a different bird than being thrifty.

Let's be honest, it's about STUFF -  not the just the deals.

I have even seen some reports that say that quite a bit of the shopping done on Black Friday is not even related to Christmas - that is, while we might pick up some gifts, the majority of the deals/gifts are bought for ourselves.

And in that regard I'm guilty as charged as well.

But in the end, regardless, the day itself is a testament to our Western (material) culture.  People wait in lines, HOURS BEFORE stores open - to such a point that stores this year opened a day early!  Why not?  The shoppers would already be there, why not let them in and get their money sooner!

I'm not saying we shouldn't participate - though, it might not be a bad idea: Buy Nothing Day

I know the stores NEED this day, but is that really a good thing?  A perhaps that's a question for a different day.

Instead, what I'm offering, challenging, is simply this:  after all this shopping (regardless if it's for gifts or ourselves) let's not forget about those who are REALLY in need.

While we stand in line to get a great deal on a TV (that we really don't need), let us not neglect those who have no line to stand in for even fresh water.

No, I'm not trying to go the guilt route here (though if you do feel guilty, perhaps you should do some self-reflection as to why) but just to keep our minds in check.  Most, if not all, of what we buy today is NOT a necessity to us.

A great way to help is through World Vision.

They got lots of cool gifts you can buy that will actually help someone, in many ways.

Peace and Love

Chris

Where the heck have I been?

Been gone far too long from here...will be back soon - in  a couple of weeks with more regular posts, etc.

Chick-Fil-A Employee Takes the High Road

I'm sure you've heard the news story about the man who ranted at a Chick-Fil-A employee (Rachel Elizabeth) during a drive-thru visit for his free cup of water.  He recorded the incident then posted it, then got fired.

Now, this employee could have gone on TV and played the victim game, could have blasted the man live on national TV, embarassed him to no end...instead: she forgave him and even feels sorry for him that he lost his job.

Read the full article on her HERE.

Mike Gallagher is Evil!

Today on the Mike Gallagher Show he spoke of the audio clip of the abortion doctor ranting and raving at pro-life protesters.

Mike asked if this man (and Democrats as a whole) are evil because abortion is evil and they support abortion - and if we only rely on the rant of the doctor, he is racist too - another tally in the evil category.

One of his early callers - if not the first caller - was Mary.  And Mary took the stand that while racism and abortion are "evil" she hesitated to call the man evil.  Even went so far to say she "used to" think that Hitler was evil.

Mike was flabbergasted by Mary.

Mike had a hard time seeing how a person could NOT be judged evil - in light of one's actions.

Mary tried to make the case, but failed.  She appealed to the authority to a theologian that showed her that the person isn't evil.  Mike flat out said the theologian was wrong and wrong for telling Mary that.

But Mary is right.  WE - you and I - DO NOT get to judge people as evil.  That is, if we are followers of Christ.

I attempted to call Mike to throw in my support for Mary and to point out what, I believe, she was really trying to say.

I was put on hold, but my call wasn't taken.  The segement ran out of time (though two calls supporting Mike's position were taken, especially a person who cherry picked the Bible and misusing it to support judgement).

now, I only point that out not to say that I was 'ignored' (as I told the screener I was calling to support Mary) on purpose - but in a later segment, Mike made this statement about a similar topic "If you disagree, call me, I'll put you to the front of the line."

So how is Mike Gallagher evil?

I can't say.  Why?

1) as a follower of Christ, we are not given AUTHORITY to judge people.  NO MATTER WHAT.  Ther is no case, no situation, no nothing that Jesus gives us the authority of judge a person - and calling a person EVIL is a judgement.  Jesus, however, DOES give us this warning: judge not, lest ye be judged.

2) we are sinful and fallible.  We are not perfect.  We ALL sin and fall short, so none of us has ANY standing to judge the sins of another.  We are told to be mindful of the "log" in our own eyes, before worrying about the "speck" in anothers.

3) our command, from Jesus, is to do NOTHING MORE than love.  And when we turn to love and love only, we find that this requires A LOT from us.  Love, as we are commanded to do, does NOT judge in any way or form.

I sent Mike and email and challenged him to find a command of Jesus that says we can and SHOULD judge people....hint: he won't find a SINGLE ONE.

Only God can judge, and when WE judge - we are telling God, move over, we know who's good/bad.  We play God.

I would venture that Mike would beleive himself to be a loving person - I assume he's a Christian.  However, in this case he is being UNloving and NOT following Jesus' commands to us.

Now, I like Mike Gallagher.  I listen to his show when I can.  However, in this case I have to severly disagree with Mike and point out that HE is wrong.

We can call an action evil, but we CANNOT JUDGE a person evil - only God can, as only God knows the heart and soul of a person.

Not me, not you, not Mike Gallagher.

Not that you'll read this Mike, but if you still believe that you are supposed, can, and have the authority to judge someone evil, I would love to discuss it with you and hope to change your mind.

justoneministries@hotmail.com

attn Chris

Love is tough, and as the blog says love is offensive - Mike, your position shows just HOW offensive love is, especially the love of Jesus.

Please reconsider you position Mike and look to Jesus for how we are to deal with evil.  Love is our weapon, NOT judgement.

Judgement is God's alone - you are not God. Neither am I.

Love is our weapon against evil.  Jesus commands this.  Narrow (love) is the way...I hope you chose it.

Jesus Loves You, James Holmes...and so do I.

I debated whether or not to post this.

For one reason, I haven’t posted in quite some time; hadn’t had much to post about.

Two: because of the raw feelings that might still be out there regarding the tragedy.

Three: I hesitate to even say or write your name, to give you “credit” for the evil that you have perpetrated.

However, after much thought and prayer, I have decided to write this post.

Believe me when I say that there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to say it.

But I believe it to be true, thus I believe it should be said:  Jesus loves you James Holmes.

Part of me feels there is no way this could be true.  Dare I say there’s a part of me that DOESN’T want it to be true.  Not for you.

But that’s the sinful, worldly nature part of me, though.

The real part of me, the follower of Jesus part of me, however, knows it is true.  Jesus does love you, and even more…he forgives you.

If there is one thing we are to know about Jesus – it is that he loves us.  All of us. Every one of us, no exceptions.

This includes you.

This is includes all of us.

It’s easy, James, for us to point our fingers at you and condemn and judge you – your “evil” is right there for all of us to see.  And by pointing out YOUR evil actions and thoughts, we then get to hide and keep our evil actions and thoughts from being discovered.

Of course, we don’t want to use the word “evil” when we speak about ourselves.  Sins, yes, issues for sure – but nothing evil.

But that would be a lie.

If our thoughts and actions were on display, such as yours were, James – we would be devastated by what we would uncover…not just about ourselves, but about those whom we know and love and deem “good” people.

And this is a big part of the problem James…because part of our evil, is that we allow other evil to exist.

You don’t just remind us of our own evil, James, you also remind us that we have failed.

Jesus calls us to love one another, as ourselves, and as he has loved us – yet it doesn’t take any special eyes to see that we fail at this miserably.  Pick up a paper, and while you might be on the cover James, our failings are evident from the first to the last page.

And instead of seeking the true solution: Love.  We seek to blame.

So in a way, James, we failed you and blame you – and are now reaping what we have sown.

This does not take away what you have done, nor relieves you of your responsibility in the actions.  But if we are to stop this sort of evil from happening again...only through admitting our failings will we discover the true problem.

The problem wasn't just that you killed 12 people...it's far deeper than that.  And maybe that's what we are afraid of...to look too deep, for we might discover our hand in the matter.

We didn't pull the trigger, you did.

But before you even set foot in the door, James, where were we to stop you.  Not just at that moment, but far before then?

Maybe we'll never know...

And since you can't take it back, and we can't stop you (from that one instance) there is something we can offer you in hopes to stop this in the future by other James Holmes'.  We can offer something to combat the evil that you were a part of: love.

Love is the true and most powerful weapon against evil.  Especially the love of Jesus.

You have been and will be called many names for the rest of your life, but I wish you to remember the most important name you have “Child of God.”

And though, for whatever reasons, you have strayed away from – as we all do from time to time – he is closer to you than perhaps he has ever been before.

Should the full realization “hit” you one day of what you have done, you will most likely find yourself in a very dark place…perhaps darker than where you are now, but do not forget.

You are loved.

Not only by your friends and family.

But by God, by Jesus.

And by me.

You are also forgiven.  You were forgiven before you even set foot in that theater.

No, James, neither you nor the rest of us can take away what you did.  But we can stop the flow of evil that came from it.

You, like the victims and their families, have tough days ahead.  But evil will not get you through them, only love.

As much love as I am able to offer you, and to all those effected by this tragedy.

It is a narrow path that Jesus calls us on – and love is narrow because it’s so broad.  We sometimes wish it were not so, but Jesus didn’t call us to be likers – but lovers.

If Jesus loves and forgives you James, then we – especially us followers of Christ – are to do no less than the same.

This is His greatness; this IS why I follow him.  It is this love.  A love that surpasses ALL understanding.  And such a tragedy as this – shows this never more clearly.

Yes, this – in a way – is easy for me to write.  I have not been directly touched by this.  However, for those who think this love, this forgiveness aren’t possible – I beg you to listen to message I link Here.

This woman HAS experience the tragedy and evil of losing a loved one through senseless violence…yet, through the love and forgiveness she found in Jesus…well, it’s best if you hear it from her.

Again, I prayed about whether or not to write this…but I believe it to be true and I hold firm to this belief and should not fear expressing it.

Is it popular?

No, but Jesus didn’t come to win a popularity contest either.  He came to save, and show us the truth and light and the way.

That way is: Love.

God Bless.

Peace and Love

Chris

To Love Like The Rain

Matthew 5:44-45

⁴⁴ But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;⁴⁵ That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

I have read over these two verses many times before, but not until today did they really stick out for me.

I was listening to Greg Boyd this morning and he came to these two verses.  Greg pointed out that our love is to be like that of the sun and the rain.

The sun and rain do not discriminate - the same rays of sun that shine on me, shine on everyone, including my enemies.


Thus is how we are to love.  Our love is to fall on everyone as the rain falls, and our love is to rise and shine on everyone as the sun does: without discrimination.


More often than not, I think of terms of "deserve."  I deserve ________, they DON'T deserve ________.  But love does not fall into such a category.  That is: no one deserves love.


God loves us out of his nature, not because we have earned it, not because we have merited it.  God's love, as revealed to us through Jesus, is freely given to all.


God is love.


And like the rain and the sun, His love is to the just and unjust.


So is our love to be.


No one "deserves" our love, because ALL deserve it.


The rain cares not who it falls on, neither should our love.


The sun cares not who it shines upon, neither should are love.


THIS type of love, freely given to all, isn't easy at first.  We may have some worldly ideas and beliefs that will desperately try to hang on...but the more we love, the more we will love.


And this love is freeing!


If we love everyone, we need not have to carry the heavy burden of hate, anger, rage, jealousy, you name it...all those negative emotions that do weigh us down.  We can chuck them aside and leave them for we now love.


How much easier is it to "carry" ONE way of being (love) than all the others?


Jesus said his yoke is light...it certainly is: Love.


However, sometimes it seems heavy, and I believe that is because we are still carrying OUR yoke, so of course ADDING to our yoke makes it that much heavier...so first we must REMOVE our yoke and then we can experience the ease and lightness that is Jesus'.


So as the rain falls, as the sun shines, let your love BE.

"Follow me." A Call to Action.

Jesus said, "Follow me."

This is a call to action.

"Follow."

To follow, we must DO...yet more often than not we DON'T.

Sure, we might think we are following Jesus, IE we GO to church, we GIVE to charities and the church we READ our Bibles. etc.

And while those are all well and good - are they really examples of FOLLOWING Jesus?

Certainly they are disciplines that we as Christian's work on...but how are they "following" Jesus.

They aren't.  And maybe that's why we like them!

Now, I'm not saying that we are AGAINST Jesus and don't want to follow him - we do!  However, the list above most times is EASIER than following Jesus.

Oh, it's not complicated, it's not a heavy burden to follow Jesus - even he promises us that - but change is hard at times and THAT'S what Jesus is calling us to do, via Following Him.

The rest of the world follows itself.

It doesn't take much study to see this.

The western world runs and works differently than the Kingdom of God.

Money is a god in the western world - as I've pointed out before, there are people who are celebrities and deemed IMPORTANT simply because they have money!  They are popular and people watch shows on them and the only reason they are known is because of their MONEY.

Is this a Kingdom philosophy?  Of course not.

God calls us to something different - "Follow ME"

Not follow your friends, family, culture, church (yes), society, the next fad, the hottest celebrity, but "ME."

This is tricky too, because it's quite abstract - exactly WHAT does it look like, feel, seem, appear, etc. to Follow Jesus?  Can any of use truly put a finger on it?  If we can, I doubt we are correct.

And Lord knows we like things CONCRETE, black and white, straight-down-the-middle, up front and clearly defined.

God doesn't always, in fact rarely, works this way - for a very good reason too: we are to TRUST Him.  Trust is easy when you know all the facts...it's quite different when you can't see two feet in front of you.

What's worse about following Jesus? Well, like many of His teachings: He gives us NO EXCEPTIONS.  No way to back out - yet we still try to figure out ways around this.

Thus, we read our Bibles MORE.

We DO more "Christian" THINGS - of which I am a culprit of doing!  Sure, we might be doing good - but WHY are we doing good?  Because Jesus called us to it or because WE chose to do it?

The problem with following Jesus is that he doesn't call us to comfort.  He IS comfort, and we will find such IN HIM - but he doesn't call us to do that.  No, he calls us to follow him into areas of our lives we'd rather not go.  He calls us to do things (or not do things) we'd rather not.

Instead, we get more pious - as if THAT will be a fine replacement for what Jesus is calling us to.

Sadly, it's not.

While it's a lot of ACTION at time - it's more or less just spinning our wheels.  Waiting to see if Jesus forgets that he asked something of us...of course that's silly.

He NEVER forgets...and that calling will haunt us until we finally do, put EVERYTHING down and follow.

Yes this means we will have to give some things up that we love.  However, this also means that we will be expected to do MORE of what we love also - which oddly, is just as "bad."  As with doing, comes responsibility and cost: time, money, etc.

But if we truly trust Jesus, as we claim to, then we must trust that Jesus is leading us to where WE should be.  By "we" I mean, individually.

For where Jesus is calling ME is not the same place to where Jesus is calling YOU - and sometimes that is hard to accept.  There are things I am called to do, that (if I am honest) I sometimes feel others should be as passionate about - however, just because I am being called to it, doesn't mean that others are being called to something else.  And because I am passionate about it, doesn't mean others have to as well.

Jesus calls us each onto our OWN path as well - and that's another reason we might not follow as often as we should: sometimes that path is lonely...often times it is...and it's supposed to be!

Those lonely times on that path are to help us get closer to Jesus, depend on Him more, so he can call us into deeper and more challenging places.

While reading the Bible, attending church, giving to the poor, even helping the poor, are great things to do - they can never, NEVER get in the way of the most important thing we are called to do:

Follow Jesus.

God Doesn't Want Your Money

New podcast (again, finally) posted.

You can check it out HERE.

Take care!

Been Too Long

It has been far too long since I have posted much of anything on here.  Hopefully that will change soon.  I have been working on a personal project as of late and haven't had much left over for here.  However, as I said, it should be changing soon.

Chris

Pardon The Mess

I will be making a few changes around here for a bit - so it might get a little funky for a bit!

Thanks.

Chris

Forgive us our sins...

The next (and I believe) toughest line in the Lord's Prayer is this:

Forgive us our sins AS we forgive those who've sin against us.

I highlighted the AS - it wasn't until recently that the "as" struck me.

Is is "as" as in is "while" or as in "like"?

The more I got to think of it - what if it's "as" as in "like?"

Then I might be praying for something I don't really want!  Because if God forgives ME as I forgive others?  I'm in trouble!  And here I am asking God to do just that.

This puts forgiving in a whole new context...

And one that more and more I am trying to forgive others as I want God to forgive ME.  Which means: absolutely and without reservation.

Am I ready for that?  Is that what I really want?

If I am to live how Jesus taught and lived, then yes.

If I want to do things my own way, then no.

Well, considering the trouble I have gotten myself into - I think I'll go with the former.

And while I don't completely like the idea that I am asking God to forgive me the same way I forgive others - I DO like the idea of forgiving others as God forgives them.

I'm not for rewriting the prayer, but one way to look at it might be: to THINK "Help me to forgive others AS YOU forgive us."