Hello, Mr. Stranger-man

Hi neighbor! It's been about 20+ days since i've posted anything and the sad truth of that is because I kind of ran out of things to blog about. All the "deep" thoughts of my brain were about spent on what little topics I touched on and then finals took over all my brain space and then I went off to Africa. 

Good news, the trip was amazing and much needed. More good news, I had gained a lot of perspective on some things and now have new things to share with my friends (at least 3 blog post worth). 

I'll start with this one....

For some reason I had began meditating on 1 Corinthians chapter 3. In the first few verses Paul says that he has to break down the spiritual instruction for the Corinthians, because they couldn't get it straight Paul had to relate the word of God to them. "For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?" (verses 4+ 5) We as the body, fall into this pattern of behavior as well. We get so caught up with following trends and people that we get very sidetracked from the work God has set before us. No knock to guys like Piper or Platt or Giglio or any of the men and women of today who are strong public figures who strive for the mark and push other believers to do the same, but sometimes we deviate from searching out what God has to say to us from His own word, and we borrow and regurgitate someone else's theology. Again, I'm not saying anything against these people except what the Spirit of God moved Paul to write about them. Who are they, but ministers that received the same full measure as any other believer? There is no need for us to be carbon copies of others, and align ourselves with someone else's beliefs. We are to join hand in hand and learn from one another, but ultimately seeking the Lord to teach our hearts. 

But this verse has another twist. Just as there is nothing special about Paul, Apollos, Frances Chan or Driscoll there is also nothing special about us either. We the same are not to try and form our own brand of theology (and by that I mean heresy) just to have our own mind about the Scripture, or going out into the world trying to make carbon copies of ourselves. Instead we are to teach all people the HOW TO SEEK the Lord and hear from Him themselves. The call of every Follower of Christ is the command he gave to us before His ascension. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matt. 28:19-20) 

Maybe we have miss understood what it means to make disciples. We think it means make disciples of ourselves because of the success we've had in our walk. If making disciples is about making someone else think like us, the fruit of that is one of prideful corruption, one that is all about making the tree (us) look good. We are to make disciples of Christ, teaching people to follow Christ. If Christ is the tree and we abide in Him as the vine (John 15:5), the fruit will be of the same. "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit." (Matt. 12:33) 

I’ll leave you here because this all prefaces what the Lord began to show me on my Journey in Senegal, and transitions really well.

It’s good to be back! Grace and Peace.

Word to ya motha!

Mothers day is coming up, and I can't tell you how thankful I am for my Mama. There's some psychological theory that I can't remember the name of, and isn't really important enough to google, that says: Men look for qualities and character traits that their mothers have, in their ideal mate. It makes sense to me. My mom is the only woman that I know could stand me for 20+ years and not leave or kill me. Only one other woman in the world will be able to say that, in time. "Her children arise up, and call her blessed..." (Prov. 31:28) My mother is a VERY blessed woman, blessed with the Fear and Wisdom of the Lord, and I am so blessed to have her pass it on to me. Though, I'm sure she'll never read this because she doesn't have the best computer skills in the world, maybe she'll get to read this shout out to her.


One great thing about my mother is that I can come to her with absolutely anything. Our relationship over the years has turned into more of a friendship and we both challenge each other and discuss the scripture and seek our what God thinks to bring perspective to one another. And the Reason I am talking my mother up so much, is because of the most recent discussion we had, that has helped me view my place in the eyes of Christ has and given me so much peace.


Does the Lord want me to have victory in my life, to show His Power and Glory? OR Does the Lord want me to stand and endure, to put his Grace on Display? Now of course neither is better than the other, or is more important than the other which means the obvious answer is...both. BUT the problem is, putting so much emphasis on victory is far too easy to make an idol in our lives. I found myself in this place, frustrated because I somehow got to the point that it was all about getting the victory to show that Christ can do anything. And my beautiful, smart mother so loving told me, "Bubba, you're wrong! Thats not it at all!" I came back with other scripture to make my point and I really struggled to see it the other way. But after thinking and praying and reviewing scripture, I learned what she was talking about. I could stop putting so much pressure on myself, and stop taking on what Christ doesn't expect me to take responsibility for.  


1.) God does not need me to show his Victory. His power is on display, and we all have no excuse to dispute it (Romans 1). Also, the Victory is already won, there is nothing I can do that is going to keep Christ from being victorious. He died and was risen, conquering sin and the grave not only for Himself but for all who have received the Spirit.
2.) The only way for me to gain the Victory, is for me to die and finally reach perfection. Death is the only way to get there and In the mean time, I am to stand and endure until the victory is wrought out. "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22) 


Because His mercies are new, that means DAILY what I deserve is held back from me, so really the only thing I can do is stand against the enemy and make it through the day. In this life, we are to watch and pray for the Lord's returning and so as long as I'm alive and standing I'm winning, because Jesus allows me to be! Its when I fail and don't stand back up that I'm loosing. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Eph. 6:13)


Grace and Peace be upon you...especially if you made it through my longest post yet...

"If grace is an ocean, then we're all sinking"

While the "discussion" that happened on my Facebook status about my view on the news of Osama Bin Laden's death, got turned into semantics battle and my whole point was lost in translation, it honestly revealed a lot of things about religious people that really make me want to punch them in the throat. It's moments like this that I really hate that people can't see that the "God" under which our one nation stands is a cheap, man-made, prosperity-gospel imitation of the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

I'll keep it short, get off my soapbox and then move on with this:

Think very hard before the next time you say ANYTHING about the grace of God, and how much he loves you. Christ did what he did to extend the same, full measure of grace to EVERYONE and Bin Laden, or Hitler, or Mother Teresa didn't deserve death or Hell any more or less than YOU or I do.

So anyway, I've obviously been thinking a lot about eternity and why God would want us to stay here after being redeemed. It's so very evident that our lives are a message to the world. A message of repentance, rebirth and redemption. Frankly, I feel we as a the body of Christ really suck at sending that message because we do not strive for consistency in our lives with God's word. We have many times in which we seek our own heart's fleshly desires in the name of Jesus so that we get what we want with His power instead of our own. A quote from John Piper that is so simple, yet describes our distorted view of grace is, "The New Birth is not enjoying the same meal with a different butler!" The new birth implies that a drastic change has been made at the deepest level of our motivations for anything. Once, where our heart sat on the throne, Christ takes reign and becomes the basis we form opinions on and make decisions from. (At least thats the way its SUPPOSED to work...)

YET there are so many practical Christians out there who only indulge in the word of God when it talks about how much He loves them, or what His power can do for them, all the while they have lost the fear of the Lord (if they ever had it) and tread on Holy ground with their shoes still on so that they don't have to feel their toes getting stepped on by the truth of God. (hopefully you were able to follow the mixed metaphor)

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. - John 4:23

I say all of this not as a word of discouragement of "shape up, or ship out." I say this as an encouragement that God's people need to rise up and worship Him. If you have and are, remain steadfast! If you have but aren't anymore or never have, then rise up and stand because the more who do the less crazy we will all feel if we don't have to stand alone.

This message hits me so close to home, because I see in my own life areas that I fail often to give over to the Lord. What's crazy is that sometimes it not even intentional. Its so engrained in my nature to sin BUT that is not unconquerable! The perspective of God's grace and how he is so patient with us in allowing us to grow to know, love, and honor Him, is something I want to take to the people of Senegal, and everywhere I go so that the TRUE message of repentance, rebirth, and redemption will come out in my life in the purest form that my humaness will let me.

Grace and Peace