Lent: what's the big deal?

The big deal is preparation. Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ prepare their souls, through prayer, repentance, works indicating repentance, giving and self-denial for the celebration of Holy Week, the week marking the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ God's Son.

Lent is about moving from death to life. Ash Wednesday reminds us the Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. But man rebells against God. Responding to mans defiance the Lord states, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat food until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.”

Left in this state man is without hope. But the Lord God plants a seed of salvation. A way of deliverance from death. That deliverance is through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him.

Holy week recalls the events of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday, which then culminates in the celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

During Lent, many commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxury as a form of penitence. But is this really fasting or repentance? Maybe, but I hope to move beyond the superficial towards the transcendent.

The challenge of Lent is to seek, ask and knock. The challenge is to pray, repent and give.

I challenge you to participate in something different this year. Prepare your soul to celebrate Jesus Christ.

My sister is a Benedictine Nun so I have chosen to spend time in a book called "Pilgrim Road: A Benedictine Journey through Lent".

If you want something simple visit www.youversion.com and explore their reading plans at www.youversion.com/reading-plans/category/topical/lent_and_easter

What ever plans you have or are to make spend your time wisely. Jesus tells you to, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Enjoy the journey.

Sin Tachometer

A friend of my recently discovered a false belief (almost subliminal) that there's an internal "sin tachometer" in each of us and as long as we keep it below the red line, we are basically OK with God and others. He's not sure where he got this idea, but he says IT'S TOTALLY BOGUS! He's learning that God is far less concerned with the RPMs on our "sin tachometer" and way more focused on bringing 100% of what ever sin we have into the light in order that He might deal with it and become more intimate with us.

This got me thinking. What happens when we step into the light?

A guy named John once said, "if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."

What amazes me is how walking in the light effects our relationships. Walking in the light brings us closer to one-another. Our longing for deeper relationships will be fulfilled not when we have behave correctly but when we allow the radiance of the light to shine in our lives.

When we step into the light we find God waiting with His arms open wide to embrace our fractured souls. The sin barrier keeping us from Him being dismantled by the blood of His son Jesus.

Transitioning from sin management to openly walking in the light is difficult. The difficulty is believing we will find forgiveness, mercy and grace in the light. We believe we will find judgement, condemnation and shame. We believe this because our focus is on ourselves and not His Son. It's the lie that keeps us from the one who deeply loves us.

If I only clean up my act I will have a better chance with God. When I finally get past that issue that keeps tripping me up then God will accept me. When my baggage from my past no longer haunts me then I can really have good relationships. Oh how these lies have weighed down so many of us.

May we cast off the weighted chain of darkness and allow His light to shine into the deepest corners of our broken souls. The lure of the darkness seems to be safe. A guy named Adam said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

In my sin I get scared so I hide myself believing the darkness will hide me. I try to sow things back together as best I can. But fear is always moving me deeper into the darkness.

There was this guy named David who said, "Even the darkness is not dark to You God, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You." So he, "acknowledged his sin to God, And his iniquity he did not hide; he confessed his transgressions to the LORD”; And God forgave the guilt of his sin."

May we come to our senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will and step into the light by grace through faith and agree with God's assessment of us. A fractured and broken person who needs the cleansing and forgiveness found only in the light.

Red Flags in Discipleship

In art school we were taught creativity is not formed out of a vacuum. Most thoughts are not original but creative rewording of things we have heard before. Therefore, here are some good thoughts on discipleship.

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A Prayer About the Pure Joy of Trials – Heavenward by Scotty Smith

When it come to prayer do we really have a heart? My grandpa always wrote out his prayers and I will always remember his example. Here is a good prayer. I hope you take the time to ponder and pray. You can click the title below to be taken to the original post or read it below.

A Prayer About the Pure Joy of Trials – Heavenward by Scotty Smith

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-3

Dear Jesus, apart from the gospel of your grace, this admonition would appear to be the work of a madman. What sane person would ever associate pure joy with many trials? In fact, many of us have been schooled to believe that faith is the very means by which we can escape trials and hardships. And yet Jesus, it was because of the joy set before you that you persevered and endured the greatest trial of all for us… the cross (Hebrews 12:1-3).

Grant us your joy, Jesus… grant us your perspective… grant us your love for the glory of God above comfort… and grant us a greater love for your cross.

It’s only because of your cross, Jesus, that we can be certain that trials don’t come to us as punishment for our sins, but for the purification of our faith. We praise you for exhausting God’s judgment against our sins. We praise you that your cross was our Judgment Day. The perfect love of the cross drives away all fear of judgment and punishment (1 John 4:18). What peace this give us… what hope… what freedom!

Jesus, what dross would you burn from our faith through trials? What needs to be purified? Since faith is both the content of what we believe and the act of believing… please free us from all false gospels and from a lack of trust. Burn away everything we believe about you that contradicts the truth of the gospel, Jesus. What bad teachings have robbed us from the riches of the gospel? What bad teachings have made it easy for us to distort and misapply the gospel? Burn up these impurities, Jesus. We want the pure gold of the gospel to shine forth.

And burn away our double-mindedness and our lack of love for you, Jesus. We’re predestined to be like you. None of us likes to see our immaturity, and yet since maturity is Christlikeness, Jesus, reveal our immaturity… our incompleteness… our lack. In what ways do our attitudes and actions contradict your beauty? You’ll never condemn us, because you took the condemnation we deserve. But you will convict us. Grant us pure joy and godly sorrow which lead to repentance, salvation and no regrets (2 Corinthians 7:10). So very Amen, we pray, in your most loving and patient name.

Going vs. Being

A student recently wrote on facebook, "Are you more concerned about going to church, or being the church?" Another student replied, "I don't say this with any pretenses, simply, and ironically, as the devil's advocate: aren't lines such as "Are you more concerned about going to church, or being the church?" more of what you described as doing things the stereotypical "Christian" way?" So I thought I would respond.

One of the problems with the " stereotypical Christian way" is that we have defined it and regulated it and I do not think it is the way of Jesus. I think what Rachel is getting at is not an action (doing something) as much as an attitude that leads to action. "Going to church" is about something we do. "Being the church" is about who we are.

But it is by our actions that we identify who we really are or what we value. Being the church has more to do with being the true expression of Jesus Christ regardless to what the "stereotypical Christians" say is ok or not. Jesus definitely did not follow the "stereotypical" jewish way. Being the church has more to do with submission to the Spirit of God, dying to ourselves so that Christ may live and valuing all humans as Gods creation. I am convinced that Jesus would not fit into most of our churches.

There are many people that believe that by going to church they are the church. That simply is not true. What we need to realize is that on any given Sunday the buildings people call "churches" are filled with people who either follow Christ and those who do not. Those who follow Christ are the church.

More importantly, Jesus clearly called people to be His disciple not to attend a service in a building. Either were are a disciple of Jesus or not. Those who are His disciples make up His church. So what we really need to ask ourselves is are we a disciple of Jesus. What this means is do we allow Jesus to empower and direct every area of our lives. It is about allowing Jesus to speak into and direct everything about ourselves. It's about obedience to Him in everything regardless to what common opinion thinks.

With that said, "Being the church" means we are a group of people who place ourselves under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and worship Him as Savior, Creator, Provider and King. We worship Him and Him alone. We place all our worth in Him for His sake and allow Him to direct everything we are and do. And that doesn't just happen on the one day each week we attend a service in a building we wrongfully call a church.

John Quincy Adams said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." I hope I have inspired you to at least think.

What should I be doing?

What should I be doing?  Really!  With my time, my money, my energy, my thoughts, abilities and so forth.  It is how we answer that question that determines our actions.  OR another way to view it is to assess what you are doing and allow that to show you what you value.

I see many people trying to figure out what it is they need to be about and allow prescribed answers to guide them.  Is that OK?

What does it really look like to follow your heart?

These thoughts are in their infant stage and I hope to develop this further...

Getting the Mentoring You Need

Click here to read an article about Mentoring from our friends at Fuller Youth Institute.

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