This past Sunday morning I took a trip to Canton, Ohio. There was a Sports Card Show going on and so I thought I would check it out. On my way to Canton while traveling on a long stretch on the Ohio turnpike I petitioned the Lord.
It went something like this; "Lord, I know that you are busy but can we talk?" "I always have something to say but I need to hear from you. I'll tell ya what Lord, I'm gonna keep quiet and just wait on you."
And so I am dead silent driving along on the Ohio turnpike. I must have traveled about 15 minutes or so in dead silence when I began to approach a very gradual and long upward climb on the highway. I could see the horizon and the sun rising in the morning amongst the clouds and then this thought crossed my mind.
His love is greater than the expanse of that great sky. In fact his love reaches far beyond the horizon. I began to quietly thank him for my life and the time that He has given me here on earth. I felt so small because of the significance of what I was viewing. In the quiet I began to see and hear this thought in my mind.
"If you will come to me more often, you will hear from me" I didn't say a word. I just thanked the Lord for that thought. After pondering that thought I realized that I wonder about so many things because I don't know how to have intimacy with the Lord. The Lord wants us to spend time seeking Him. He enjoys our pursuit and He really doesn't want to be our fast food God. He wants us to sit and dine with Him. I'm glad it's that way. If it was easy it would be way too mechanical and our Lord is way to personal to respond to us like a computer.
Yes, He is a great God. His love is way beyond the horizon and yet He can be reached by little old me. How awesome is that! By the way, I ask Him to come with me to the card show. Why? Every father likes to play with His son!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
You will find Jesus in Life not religion
John 1:4
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
I have a greater appreciation for this verse than ever before. Could it be that we have been looking for Jesus in all wrong places? We try to invite him to our pre-arranged religious settings all the time. This does not seem to fit the pattern of intimacy that Jesus displayed while on the earth. Jesus would walk about interceding in every day life. After all these years I am beginning to see a different reason for such behavior by the Lord Christ. He didn't fit well in the organized religious system of the day but more than that He wanted to participate in every day life because that was His dwelling place. The human part of Jesus was a man who understood life and wanted to be among those who were living life and not those dead in religion.
In Him was life! I am fully persuaded that you have a much better chance connecting with the Lord in your everyday life than you will in any religious arrangement on Sunday or any other day. The Sunday arrangement has a subtle undermining to it's prescribed value in that people tend to dump God after Sunday.
If you want to return to Him or find Him again then I recommend that you look for Him in your everyday living because that is His desire. He is Life and that is where He is. How awesome is that?
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
I have a greater appreciation for this verse than ever before. Could it be that we have been looking for Jesus in all wrong places? We try to invite him to our pre-arranged religious settings all the time. This does not seem to fit the pattern of intimacy that Jesus displayed while on the earth. Jesus would walk about interceding in every day life. After all these years I am beginning to see a different reason for such behavior by the Lord Christ. He didn't fit well in the organized religious system of the day but more than that He wanted to participate in every day life because that was His dwelling place. The human part of Jesus was a man who understood life and wanted to be among those who were living life and not those dead in religion.
In Him was life! I am fully persuaded that you have a much better chance connecting with the Lord in your everyday life than you will in any religious arrangement on Sunday or any other day. The Sunday arrangement has a subtle undermining to it's prescribed value in that people tend to dump God after Sunday.
If you want to return to Him or find Him again then I recommend that you look for Him in your everyday living because that is His desire. He is Life and that is where He is. How awesome is that?
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Our Theology Can Be Destructive
I was sent this article this morning in response to my last article on the Shack. The book has stirred the pot for sure. It doesn't quite fit into all of our theological pre-conceptions about God and so there is both uplifting joy about this book along with theological debate and criticism.
This is a "Fictional" writing. Those married to theology cannot even enjoy a book like this because it doesn't fit into their theological premise of God. This is exactly what troubles me most about what we have done with our faith in America. I am getting more and more convinced that God is not very interested in our theological stance on many things because these things get in the way of a sincere relationship with Him. We make our own God around our theological interpretations. I'm sure that this is grievous and offensive to the real God.
Please read.
www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090110_18_A11_AdamBe922589
Davey B
This is a "Fictional" writing. Those married to theology cannot even enjoy a book like this because it doesn't fit into their theological premise of God. This is exactly what troubles me most about what we have done with our faith in America. I am getting more and more convinced that God is not very interested in our theological stance on many things because these things get in the way of a sincere relationship with Him. We make our own God around our theological interpretations. I'm sure that this is grievous and offensive to the real God.
Please read.
www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090110_18_A11_AdamBe922589
Davey B
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Shack
I read a book last year that was completely different than any other Christian book that I have read. The book was called "The Shack". I don't want to reveal much of the story but you might want to pick it up at your local book store. The author is William Paul Young. The Trinity is depicted in this book in human form. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were just as human as you and I. In hindsight, after reading that book it kind of makes you wonder about how we view God. The book is fiction but it really makes you think about the possibility that maybe we have God pegged all wrong.
You would think that God is all about religion and theology and very little about life. I am convinced after a lifetime of observation that we have created this image of God and because of that we cannot fully embrace this hollow false image of a God that we made. The real God though; What is He really like?
For example;
One of the greatest life changing experiences that we can receive occurs when we are touched in a personal way by God's Spirit. There is a defining moment when that occurs. Many times you are undeserving when it happens and so that rules out any thing that you had to do to earn it. You don't have to have a firm grasp of the Bible for that to happen.
The only necessary ingredient on our part is to make the decision to seek Him out. I have found myself over the years slowly relying on my own theological perceptions about God rather than seeking Him with all my heart, mind, and soul. When we substitute a relationship with God with our self imposed man-made religious activity then we are spiritually dry and still longing down deep inside.
I can't imagine our God creating us the way He did so that we could be religious. The Shack is a book that depicts God as a friend and very available to each and every one of us. All we have to do is seek Him out. Life is too short here on earth to be messin' around with a bunch of religious stuff when we could be loved and supported in an on-going relationship with the real God and not our own imaginary God.
For God so Loved.......
You would think that God is all about religion and theology and very little about life. I am convinced after a lifetime of observation that we have created this image of God and because of that we cannot fully embrace this hollow false image of a God that we made. The real God though; What is He really like?
For example;
One of the greatest life changing experiences that we can receive occurs when we are touched in a personal way by God's Spirit. There is a defining moment when that occurs. Many times you are undeserving when it happens and so that rules out any thing that you had to do to earn it. You don't have to have a firm grasp of the Bible for that to happen.
The only necessary ingredient on our part is to make the decision to seek Him out. I have found myself over the years slowly relying on my own theological perceptions about God rather than seeking Him with all my heart, mind, and soul. When we substitute a relationship with God with our self imposed man-made religious activity then we are spiritually dry and still longing down deep inside.
I can't imagine our God creating us the way He did so that we could be religious. The Shack is a book that depicts God as a friend and very available to each and every one of us. All we have to do is seek Him out. Life is too short here on earth to be messin' around with a bunch of religious stuff when we could be loved and supported in an on-going relationship with the real God and not our own imaginary God.
For God so Loved.......
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