it is possible that you may have heard what "assume"ing something can do. it has been something that i have heard throughout the years. but i do not want to assume that you have heard of it, so let me explain. if you assume something it might make an ass of u and me. i am not sure when i first heard this quote but it has always been a reoccurring statement that i hear on a regular basis.
assuming can be put in many categories, but the one i think of most is judging. by looking at someone and basing your first opinion on them just by how they look could be considered assuming. i remember that youtube video of the homeless guy that had a deep baritone speaking voice. by looking at him you would have never assumed that he had that voice. maybe you saw it. the video received national recognition, but maybe you didn't. i dont want to assume that you did.
the past few weeks i have been in a few different churches, i also listen to sermons on my ipod while working out. i have heard at least 4 different pastors say during the sermon usually while turning to a specific scripture, "i am sure you have all heard this story before" or this is "you all know this."
so i sit there and wonder
a. the pastors must know their people very, very well. all of them have been attending this church for a long time. no one new is sitting in the pew.
b. do pastor's think everyone who attends church has all of scripture memorized? or
c. how many people in the church right now are totally missing something because the pastor is assuming that everyone knows this scripture and does not want to do a little historical context or background on the scripture. are there people sitting in the dark on what could be a very enlightening message but instead feel lost and do not really understand what the pastor is saying.
just a thought. what do you think. i really am curious. i am sure there is no intentional thought by the pastor when they say this. i have sermons posted on this blog and i probably have said it myself. so i am not trying to point fingers at one pastor. i really just want peoples lives to be open to Word of God.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
needtobreathe, able
If you have not purchased the new album from needtobreathe the reckoning, you should. this is my favorite song from the album.
There's a host of hurts we come across
None of which alike
From the air inside the birthing room
To the darkness where we die
Though I feel I'm just as strong as any man I know
I'm not able on my own
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/n/needtobreathe/able.html ]
Carry round the secrets
Only heaven knows
Crawl into our darkened rooms where only victims go
Though I feel I'm strong enough to carry all this load
I'm not able on my own
All my actions, false or true
Selfish motives I will use
We were born with knives in hand
Trained to kill our fellow man
If we're not better than the rest
How will children do their best
Find your patience, find your truth
Love is all we have to lose
I'm not able on my own
There's a host of hurts we come across
None of which alike
From the air inside the birthing room
To the darkness where we die
Though I feel I'm just as strong as any man I know
I'm not able on my own
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/n/needtobreathe/able.html ]
Carry round the secrets
Only heaven knows
Crawl into our darkened rooms where only victims go
Though I feel I'm strong enough to carry all this load
I'm not able on my own
All my actions, false or true
Selfish motives I will use
We were born with knives in hand
Trained to kill our fellow man
If we're not better than the rest
How will children do their best
Find your patience, find your truth
Love is all we have to lose
I'm not able on my own
Monday, September 26, 2011
Jesus found in transition.
I never thought I would be on this road, but when I was fired on July 6th I really did not have a choice. I had to find a job. I applied to places in Cedar Rapids to fulfill the short time need of finances, as well as churches for longer term planning. I ended up taking a position with a company who works with people with mental illness. They are given housing (which many were on the street before), most of them live off of $200 of food stamps and $70, most of the $70 is spent on tobacco. Many of the residents have schizophrenia, bi-polar, or depression as well as battling with drug or alcohol addiction...
AND JESUS IS PRESENT. Do not get me wrong, this is not a "Christian organization." In fact many times I find myself questioning the motivation of the organization. This is why I am leaving the name of the organization of this blog.
My job in many ways feels like what I was doing when I was on duty as an RA. I go on rounds talking to the residents and encouraging them to clean up their apartment, or even themselves. We work goals, some of them might be as simple as to stay on their medication, or to attend AA, I remind them of the doctor's appointments or meetings that they might have and help them with the bus route (this is actually the hardest since I have never rode the bus myself.)
But among the goals of one of the residents is to be more Christ like, she wants to read the Bible on a regular basis. And of course it is my job to encourage her to reach this goal. Of course I am willing to help. In our conversations you can really see her heart of having, wanting, and continuing a relationship with Jesus Christ.
So I ask her about her journey, her travels along the road with mental illness. She talks about her depression and no matter how bad it becomes that she focuses on Christ. She is not expecting deliverance from this illness but she sees Christ working through it despite what she is going through.
This past Saturday I arrive at work and I notice her and a few other residents sitting on a blanket. I see a few others setting up chairs and another person with his walker going in the direction of the blanket. I ask what is going on as there are now 5-6 people there. She replies that they are going to have Bible study and asks if I would be able to attend and help lead the discussion since she knows I am a pastor. I said I would love to.
I come back to the group after checking into work and making sure everything is taken care of. The bible study is taken from the Daily Bread, the devotional that is used all over the world and one that is very simple devotion. The topic of the day was, When bad becomes worse...
AND JESUS IS PRESENT, during this Bible study. People are sharing things that they have gone through. The passage shared was from Exodus when the Israelites find themselves as slaves to the Egyptians. They make bricks with the provided straw, then the Egyptians decide they do not want to provide the straw any more and force the Israelites to make the same amount of bricks and have to gather the straw on their own.
For many of the residents they know what being a slave is like. Many have hit rock bottom. They could not imagine life getting any worse. But they know there is something to this guy named Jesus.
And even though I am on this road that I never expected to find myself on, even though I have taken a dramatic cut in pay I am finding Jesus in transition. I still do not understand where this road is leading I know God will take care of us, because even though the last couple months have been new for us, God's love has been abundant in his followers. Many of you have been praying for us or even sending us some help financially. They are both greatly appreciated and we are so thankful for the friends we have. God bless you all.
AND JESUS IS PRESENT. Do not get me wrong, this is not a "Christian organization." In fact many times I find myself questioning the motivation of the organization. This is why I am leaving the name of the organization of this blog.
My job in many ways feels like what I was doing when I was on duty as an RA. I go on rounds talking to the residents and encouraging them to clean up their apartment, or even themselves. We work goals, some of them might be as simple as to stay on their medication, or to attend AA, I remind them of the doctor's appointments or meetings that they might have and help them with the bus route (this is actually the hardest since I have never rode the bus myself.)
But among the goals of one of the residents is to be more Christ like, she wants to read the Bible on a regular basis. And of course it is my job to encourage her to reach this goal. Of course I am willing to help. In our conversations you can really see her heart of having, wanting, and continuing a relationship with Jesus Christ.
So I ask her about her journey, her travels along the road with mental illness. She talks about her depression and no matter how bad it becomes that she focuses on Christ. She is not expecting deliverance from this illness but she sees Christ working through it despite what she is going through.
This past Saturday I arrive at work and I notice her and a few other residents sitting on a blanket. I see a few others setting up chairs and another person with his walker going in the direction of the blanket. I ask what is going on as there are now 5-6 people there. She replies that they are going to have Bible study and asks if I would be able to attend and help lead the discussion since she knows I am a pastor. I said I would love to.
I come back to the group after checking into work and making sure everything is taken care of. The bible study is taken from the Daily Bread, the devotional that is used all over the world and one that is very simple devotion. The topic of the day was, When bad becomes worse...
AND JESUS IS PRESENT, during this Bible study. People are sharing things that they have gone through. The passage shared was from Exodus when the Israelites find themselves as slaves to the Egyptians. They make bricks with the provided straw, then the Egyptians decide they do not want to provide the straw any more and force the Israelites to make the same amount of bricks and have to gather the straw on their own.
For many of the residents they know what being a slave is like. Many have hit rock bottom. They could not imagine life getting any worse. But they know there is something to this guy named Jesus.
And even though I am on this road that I never expected to find myself on, even though I have taken a dramatic cut in pay I am finding Jesus in transition. I still do not understand where this road is leading I know God will take care of us, because even though the last couple months have been new for us, God's love has been abundant in his followers. Many of you have been praying for us or even sending us some help financially. They are both greatly appreciated and we are so thankful for the friends we have. God bless you all.
Friday, August 12, 2011
dallas willard's view on porn.
i really never planned to have two posts in a row focusing on porn. but i came across this article on facebook so i thought i would share it with you here as well.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
on the road
no one ever said life is easy. or at best no one who has actually lived life has said life is easy. along the road we meet up with different obstacles. we could have never predicted these obstacles because we cannot and would not want to know about all the good and bad things that will happen. sure it would be nice to know what will happen around each of life's turns but it would take away the surprise. the surprise is what makes life worth living, even if it was not a good surprise.
throughout scripture many things have happened while on the road, and in the coming weeks i will be writing about them here. the first road is very familiar to a lot of us. the damascus road (acts 9) was a life changing moment in the life of paul. Christ revealed himself to paul in a life altering way. along the road for paul the traveling was not easy, in fact paul was blinded by his experience for three days. but paul was never the same again. he now knew the Christ. and when we meet Christ he will change us into the people that he needs us to be.
like i said, the journey on the road might be tough. it might have bumps, pot holes, we could break down or get in a wreck. but those possibilities of obstacles along the way are all worth it. the obstacles should not keep us away from the road. but only make us more aware of what could happen along the road, and keep us fighting to stay on the road.
before paul had this experience on the road to damascus, he was a pharisee. he knew the Word of God but did not let it change his heart. paul was a murderer of christians. a person full of hate and malice because people did not believe the same way he did. after this on the road experience his life was changed, he became a follower of Christ and he became if not the most, one of the most prolific christian leader/ missionary/ evangelist who ever lived. all because of the experience Christ gave him on the road.
throughout scripture many things have happened while on the road, and in the coming weeks i will be writing about them here. the first road is very familiar to a lot of us. the damascus road (acts 9) was a life changing moment in the life of paul. Christ revealed himself to paul in a life altering way. along the road for paul the traveling was not easy, in fact paul was blinded by his experience for three days. but paul was never the same again. he now knew the Christ. and when we meet Christ he will change us into the people that he needs us to be.
like i said, the journey on the road might be tough. it might have bumps, pot holes, we could break down or get in a wreck. but those possibilities of obstacles along the way are all worth it. the obstacles should not keep us away from the road. but only make us more aware of what could happen along the road, and keep us fighting to stay on the road.
before paul had this experience on the road to damascus, he was a pharisee. he knew the Word of God but did not let it change his heart. paul was a murderer of christians. a person full of hate and malice because people did not believe the same way he did. after this on the road experience his life was changed, he became a follower of Christ and he became if not the most, one of the most prolific christian leader/ missionary/ evangelist who ever lived. all because of the experience Christ gave him on the road.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
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