Phil Robertson & WWJS

The reason that people have their panties in a wad over this Phil Robertson thing is simply because the majority of humanity can accept the idea of a heaven where good people go who have lived good lives, but also lean toward rejecting the thought of an "eternal torment" place called hell.  I happen to believe fully in both because the Bible teaches this truth.  But for those who do believe in a hell, the begging question is how to avoid it.

Because of our laws, our views on karma, our reward systems, and every other part of culture, the logical accepted way to get into heaven is to be a "good person."  If we've done enough right, and it outweighs our list of wrongs, then we must be going to heaven.  Only "bad people" go to hell.  But if THAT'S true, then the question begs, "How good is good ENOUGH?"  "Good" to one may not be "good" to another.  Hitler was someone's son. They may not have viewed him as evil, though the rest of us probably would.

So is it then a majority vote?  If so, who casts the ballots?  In the eyes of gay & lesbian groups, they have viewed Phil Robertson's quote as a "ballot" cast against them.  Many gays & lesbians believe in heaven, God, and a moral code and attend churches weekly.  So they are wondering how DARE someone cast that ballot against their ability to get into heaven?!?

But here's the truth that I know...that Phil Robertson knows, I believe.  There isn't ONE of us worthy to cast a ballot, nor make a determination on what must be right and wrong, or dub someone "good enough" for heaven.  THAT responsibility is God's and His alone!  So if we don't determine who is or isn't good, and God does, then how does this standard leave His mouth to reach our ears so that we're not just left guessing?  That would be the Bible. But the problem there is that NOBODY is good enough to live up to the standard set by this book!  God knew that too.  He didn't send a list of right and wrongs that He knew we couldn't uphold to simply laugh at us and scoff because of our failure at righteousness, tho.  There was a plan.  One that would pay the death sentence that is the ONLY payment for sin and satisfy the law that He, Himself, instituted.  And that's why He sent Jesus.  What we deserve, hell: eternal death and punishment, because of all the things HE listed as wrong in scripture (yes, homosexuality is one of those things along with lying, cheating, murder, adultery, coveting, putting anyone or anything as a priority in our lives over God, etc., etc.) was trumped by God's love for humanity in the death of Jesus Christ and is granted to ALL through an acceptance of this gift.  It goes against everything we trust in in our merit based sociological systems, I know.  But that's grace.

Phil didn't just come up with what he said. God did. Robertson may have stated it a little harshly, maybe. But it doesn't negate the truth of it. Nor the grace, love, and mercy God offers those who are caught up in ANY of the "sins" listed in scripture. I've not been a participant in that particular one (homosexuality), but there are certainly others that I have been.  And what I deserve is no different whatsoever from anyone else.  NONE of us are perfect!  We are all sinners saved only by God's grace.  We (including Phil) are ALL deserving of hell.  None "good enough" to make it into heaven on the merit of our own spiritual report cards. Those of us who are assured that heaven will be our eternal home are only confident of that hope because we have accepted the gift of Jesus' death on the cross.  We have no room for pointing fingers.  Grace just changed everything.

So, WWJ...um...S: What Would Jesus Say?  Let me be very clear, do NOT lump me in the crowd that looks at the Robertson issue with A&E and yells, "Christians need to stand up for what's right!"  If we talk double standards, yes, I believe there is one in this nation on free speech when it comes to Christian beliefs and morals. But I don't believe that it is a battle won in the media, Facebook, pulpits, or especially the White House! This may shock some of you, but I don't think that's what's needed here!!! I don't think that would be advised by our Savior either.

I can here the collective, "HUH?!?" What would Jesus say?  Well, let's see.  I believe He's already said it. Fellow believers, people who choose not to follow Christ will not act as though they are Bible thumping believers and neither should they be EXPECTED to!!!  Jesus said it on the cross, remember?  "Father, forgive them. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING!" (emphasis mine)  (Click here to read it for yourself.)  How dare we argue something with the very people to whom we are trying to extend hope?!? That makes NO sense! Phil was asked a question.  He answered it.  Do I think he's being treated fairly?  No.  But he is not the first and will not be the last.  So do we sit by and do nothing?!?  Absolutely not.  "Then what do we do?" you ask.  I'm so glad you did.  But let's start with what NOT to do from the words of scripture, the same source from which Phil drew his deductions shared with GQ.

Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. 2 Timothy 2:14 (NLT)

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. Proverbs 15:1 (NLT)

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19 (NLT)

Let's stop acting like spoiled brats and saying we gotta stand up for Jesus!  Jesus can handle His own!  He's waiting on us to stand up for the broken, the sick, the hurting, the needy, the hungry, the tired, the confused, the addicted, THAT'S who we need to stand up for!  THAT'S who Jesus gave His life for!!!  You can't make the change you want when you do it top down. Jesus knew that.  That's why He never instructed us to "love thy President, Mayor, Governor, Congressman, King, Pastor, Elder or otherwise."  He said, "love thy neighbor."  Right before Jesus' ascension, He gave the instructions to start with those closest to them geographically and work outward from there!  Click on this scripture reference and read Acts 1:8 (NLT).  This was God's plan all along!  Christians have been acting like we can save God time by forgetting our neighbor and trying for the big fish!  That's never worked!  So what can we do that WILL make a difference?

“The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31 (NLT)

You know that guy standing on the exit ramp begging for a dollar?  Stop, get out, and give him $5 and pray for him while you're there.  "But he might be running a scam!"  Click on the scripture reference and look back at Romans 12:19.  That's not your call or your problem.  You know the single Mom who checks you out at the grocery store or serves you in your favorite restaurant?  Cook her a meal to feed her family because when she gets home, she's probably too tired and would enjoy a night to concentrate on her kids.  You know the college students in your town that may be staying over Christmas because they can't afford to go home?  Buy one of them a gift and invite them to your home to spend it with your family.  Give your sales clerk a friendly smile and understand that they are just as stressed as you and that their day would be better if they could make yours better as well.  Pay for the person's coffee behind you at Starbucks just because.  Give toys to a family in your community who you know needs them.  Act like you're a child of God and that you believe what you claim!  Watch your attitude.  If you know Jesus, all of the fruit of the Spirit (click the underlined part to read the list) are in you and at your disposal.  LIVE IT!!!  Be hope.  Be grace.  Be mercy.  Be the Church.  Be Jesus.  Err on the side of grace.  Love the unloveable.  Forgive the unforgivable.  Don't think you can do that?  That's exactly what Jesus did for you!  Who do we blame for the mess the world is in?  Go look in the mirror!  No, you didn't do it alone.  Neither did I.  At some point the collective Church forgot her mission and her call to obedience.  We devised our own plan and thought we could do better.  We didn't.  We can't.  Get back to basics.  Love because your are loved.  Serve because you have been served.  Give because you have been given to.  And one by one by one by one, we will see the change we seek in our communities, our nation, and our world.

I welcome your comments!  PLEASE click on the words "No Comment" or "Comment" (whichever is listed just to the right of the posting time directly below this paragraph) and post a comment of your own.  You must also choose a profile from the drop down list, or just choose "anonymous" from the list and type your name at the end of your comment in the actual comment box.  Clicking the PUBLISH button posts your comment and you're good to go!  Use the social media links there to share to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts directly.  THANK YOU for stopping by!  Till next time...

Overcoming - A Lame Lesson

Click on the scripture reference and read Luke 5:17-26 (NLT).

If you're like me, you've read this passage or heard it used in sermons or Bible lessons many times.  If you're new to the story, this is probably a "wow" moment for you to read of how a paralyzed man suddenly got up and walked away!  With which ever group you find yourself aligned, the healing power of Jesus was on great display.

Healing is such a needed thing in our world today.  People find themselves in need of healing from many varieties of circumstances.  While physical healing may be the most common thought, emotions, attitudes, finances, marriages, relationships, anxieties, and worries could also be among the much longer list of life conditions in which healing is sought.  There are many lessons that we can take away from this story, but there are only a few that I want to discuss in this particular blog, just simply because these are the things that God has been teaching me in recent days, not because they are the most important.

We could talk about the faith of the friends who brought this young man to Jesus.  We could also discuss the fact that the religious leaders were so busy judging the actions of the Son of God, that they became part of the problem of the friends being able to even get him to Jesus.  (How I could go expound on this point!!!  Religious people block the healing of others because of their pious attitudes all the time and it gives me a pain I can't locate!!!  We're so busy gossiping about the Pastor, talking about others, acting un-Christ-like, and ruining our testimonies among people who are seeking hope, that we contaminate the healing power of Christ in the eyes of those who desperately need Him!  But I digress.)

I want us first to pay attention to Jesus' first action regarding this young man.  Click here and read it again.  Jesus is the Son of God.  He is God in human form.  He knew the minds of the friends who brought this young man to Jesus.  He knew their intent.  He knew that the whole reason they went to all that trouble was to see their friend healed and their faith made sight.  So when the first words Jesus spoke to the young fella was that his sins were forgiven, I can imagine there were questions and feelings of disappointment among those friends.  But Jesus knew that the healing of which he was most in need was that of his sin condition, not his physical condition.  One way or the other, heaven or hell, his physical condition would be temporary.  But the healing of his sin condition would change his eternity.

I won't expound on the fact, but notice how when the religious leaders heard Jesus tell the young man that his sins were forgiven, they muttered among themselves calling Jesus blasphemous.  Scripture is clear that Jesus didn't audibly hear them, He "knew what they were thinking" and then addressed them.  God knows the heart of us all.  Even if we think we are being quiet enough, nonchalant enough, or secretive enough, He knows.

To be an overcomer, Jesus' next three things spoken to the young man become key lessons in our Christian walk.  First, Jesus said, "Stand up."  Please think his through with me for a moment.  Here is a young man who has NEVER used his legs!  His brain is not programmed to deliver the proper messages to his muscles to cause a response that would cause movement of any kind, much less, getting up!  This young man responded in faith to the command of God!  I can imagine that every inner voice within him was telling him "you can't do it," "this is an impossible command," "you'll be embarrassed and made a fool if you fail."  Any of those sound familiar?  But this is where many of us lose the battle and surrender to the enemy!  We are not created to be lame!  We are created to be overcomers!  Lesson #1: We must respond to the command of God in faith.

Jesus could have just told the young man to get up and go home.  For this young paralytic, that would have probably been quite enough.  But Jesus put another command in the middle.  He told him to, "pick up your mat."  See, when Jesus heals, He heals completely.  Jesus wanted this man to know that the very thing that used to mark his identity, was no longer even an issue!  The young man now carried the mat, not the other way around!  Jesus asked him to take it with him simply because Jesus wanted him to remember the place from which he came.  The mat became his testimony of a past that had been healed and changed by the power of God!  Lesson #2: We must accept that the thing that defined us is subservient to the definition God has given us through the blood of Christ - we are His kids!!!

And lastly, Jesus said to the young man, "go home."  Friends, this man not only got up and picked up his mat, he WALKED!!!  Do you get the power of this?!?  Babies have to learn to walk.  Accident victims have to be rehabilitated and once again learn to walk.  That is the natural order of things except breathing.  But not him!!!  Scripture uses the word "immediately" to describe how long it took for him to be able to put one foot in front of the other and get moving.  His muscles were probably about the size of a pencil.  He had never used them.  They had never responded to brain wave activity and command.  But they DID respond to the command of the Creator - the Great Physician!  Lesson #3: Simple obedience on our part brings about God's power to circumvent the natural so that we walk in the supernatural!

Let me say with authority that I have seen this very power in my life!  I could tell you stories that would blow your mind about God's favor and His move in my life!  Maybe I will soon.  But let's look at one more point, ok?  Other than the physical response to the command of Jesus, the young man did one more thing.  Read it by clicking here.

He praised.  He worshipped.  I can almost hear him shouting, "I'm HEALED!!!"  "I can walk!!!"  "I'm RUNNING!!!"  "Praise be to Jesus, He healed me!!!"  "All He did was speak the words and it HAPPENED!!!"  Lesson #4: Publicly give God the glory for the healing!  Oh how pride gets in the way with us nowadays.  We want to keep our mats under our cloaks hoping nobody will notice the small undeveloped muscles in our legs.  We want others to believe that we are strong with no weakness.  That we have the preverbal tiger by the tail - a demon slayer in our own right.  But that's just not the case.  We are what we are ONLY because of the healing power and forgiving, limitless grace of Christ.  How DARE we keep that silent!!!  When a world is begging, searching for hope under every rock they can find, when they only need the stone that the builder rejected - the Cornerstone - Jesus.  We are as the religious leaders in the house.  We become part of the blockade for those searching for Christ.  Stand aside.  Expose the mat.  Show some leg.  And then point to Christ.  We can overcome by this "lame" lesson.

Please leave comments below! Ask questions! Tell your friends by clicking on the social media links and posting on your Facebook or Twitter or Google + accounts. It helps to know that these are being read and even helping YOU! I never know if they are helping unless you're doing these things and ESPECIALLY leaving comments!!! Thanks for sharing a few moments with me!

Plans and A Purpose

Click on this scripture reference and read 1 Corinthians 2:9-12.

I've read these verses many times prior to a few nights ago.  But God revealed something to me that might not seem big to you, but it did to me.  I've joined with people all over the world, maybe you're even one of us, who have searched for God's purpose for your life.  I think that even the fact that Pastor Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, sold so many copies, gives evidence to the fact that people the world over are concerned with their life's purpose.  I was called to the ministry when I was 16 years old, but I've come to learn that sometimes your calling and your purpose are not always one and the same.  Many times, maybe even MOST of the time, your purpose lies within your calling.

Since moving to Nashville, I have made some new friends.  I'm thankful for all of them!  Some of them may even prove to be the rare life long friends.  But one of these friends, Jamie, challenged me back in July to do a 5 year plan for myself.  Having walked away from local church ministry a little over two years ago for a number of reasons, and having been in a wilderness experience almost ever since that event, I was really at a loss for where to even start!  I'd taught leadership on a state level to church leaders, led volunteer armies of 200-300 in my former role of Worship Pastor, but trying to come up with a vision for myself seemed to be a much more daunting task!

Jamie and I had met at 10:00a that morning, and he wanted it in his Inbox by 8:00p that night!!!  I remember sitting down right after lunch with my laptop and just staring at a white screen wondering where in the world to start.  There is NO DOUBT in my mind that God brought Michelle and I here to Nashville, TN!  None whatsoever!  The doors He kicked open for us to be here and the favor He has shown on us since arriving has been quite overwhelming, if I'm honest.  But how many of you reading this, who have experience with a relationship with God, know that just because God's unmistakable hand leads you somewhere, doesn't always mean He shows you WHY He led you there upon arrival?

So I prayed.  And as I prayed I started typing.  And as I typed, God revealed some things about me that I, with His help, needed to change.  He also renewed some dreams that He had given me long ago that I had let slide.  He renewed some passions within me and gave me new ones in the process.  I got a vision for what He could do in and through me and it EXCITED me!  When I got done a couple of hours later, I was amazed at what I'd written.  As a matter of fact, I thought it was a bit grandiose and even questioned God as to whether I'd written some of it out of greed or pride.  The details of my plan and the ways that God confirmed it to be from Him are not important for now.  Just know that there was a confirmation as to the details.  What IS important is what I saw that led me to even type the first word.  And that part of the story takes us back to scripture.

Click on this scripture reference and read Isaiah 55:8-9.  Think back.  You may even have to think back to your childhood.  What were your dreams?  I'm talking about the dreams you had when you were old enough to be passionate about something.  They've been there all along, and no matter how old you are right now, they've never gone away.  Resources, age, lack of experience, life circumstances may have gotten in the way and you laid your dreams and passions aside, but they've never gone completely out of your mind.  Yeah.  Those.  Think on those for a minute.

Now click on this reference and read Jeremiah 29:11-13.  Now when this reference is used, most people stop with verse 11.  GREAT!  We have a hope and a future!  But there is more to it than that.  If we are to KNOW that hope and future, we must pray and seek God!  It is when we seek that we find.  Remember the verse in Isaiah?  God's ways and thoughts for us are higher than our own.  You know those dreams you had?  Well God put them there.  And His purpose for them is even HIGHER than what you think could be done!!!  Getting excited yet?!?

Now let's go back to the first passage of scripture you read at the beginning.  Verse 9 talks about how no eye can see nor mind imagine the things that God has prepared for us.  That is SO exciting and great to know!  But how many are like me and you want to taste the dough even before the cookies are in the oven?!?  I'm glad that there are things being prepared for me one day in heaven when I see Him face to face!  But what about right now?  Jesus came to establish His kingdom on this earth.  Not that this earth is heaven, but that we might experience a portion of the eternal in the here and now!

Now look at verses 10-12.  Do you see it?  God has given us His Spirit which searches out and reveals to us God's "deep secrets."  We have a window into the very mind of God!!!  A window that He controls, mind you, but a window that reveals to us His higher ways and thoughts about us and His plan and purpose for our lives!!!  I believe with all my heart that when I sat down to write my 5 year plan, that it was this window through which I saw what God has planned for me and will do in and through me if I remain faithful!!!

I challenge you to do a 5 year plan for your life TODAY!  It's much like a prayer journal for your own life.  In a prayer journal, we see and record God's answers to our prayers as they happen and it strengthens our faith.  With a 5 year plan in place, you can see God working and bringing to fruition those things He gave you dreams and passions about.  You can watch His encouragement in your life as He opens doors and you pass through them.  It's a wonderful faith building tool!  Plus you get to see through His Spirit those things which He has in store for you, His faithful child.

Please leave comments below! Ask questions! Tell your friends by clicking on the social media links and posting on your Facebook or Twitter or Google + accounts. It helps to know that these are being read and even helping YOU! I never know that unless you're doing these things and ESPECIALLY leaving comments!!! Thanks for sharing a few moments with me!

"They will act religious..."

As we were closing tonight, I was talking with a coworker about today's church.  We were speaking about the authenticity of the average modern day Christian.  Understand, we weren't passing judgement and stating that anyone wouldn't deserve heaven or anything of the sort!  It was simply a discussion on whether most of today's church-going Christians "get it."

I can already hear someone from the back row stating piously in his best religious tone, "Son, we're not going to 'get it' till we get to heaven one day and see God for all that He is in all His glory."  You know, you're right.  We won't.  But see, Jesus didn't come to tell us what we had to wait for so much as He came to redeem us to Himself and bring His kingdom to us so and establish His kingdom NOW!  I don't mean the environment of the place called heaven that we will occupy for eternity, but I speak of the relationship with/to the God of heaven, Jehovah.  In relationship TO God, means to be children OF God and therefore be WITH God in His kingdom.

Take a moment to read John 14:9-14 (NLT) (click on the scripture reference to the left and you will be directed to the passage).  Jesus says that if we have seen and know Him, we have seen and know the Father.  He also says that we will do "greater works" that what HE did!!!  He even ends that paragraph by telling us that we can ask for things in His name, and it will be granted to us!  Now please note that I don't believe that means asking for a Mercedes, unless somehow that car would glorify God and not YOU!  The "yes" to these asks come with a expectation that the affirmative answers bring glory to the Father.  How do we know what brings glory to Him?  We know Him.  How do we know Him?  According to John14, we get to know His Son, Jesus.  We get to know Jesus by surrendering our lives to Him, believing in His work on the cross to take our place for our sin.  When we do that, we are adopted into the family (kingdom) now, and immediately become heirs to the throne of, and friends with God, and brothers and sisters to Jesus Christ.  Jesus said that all that His Father has given Him, He gives to us.  God's kingdom - here and now.

Let's read one more passage (you can click on this reference too to be taken directly to it) and then we will get straight to the point.  Read 2 Timothy 3:1-5.  Pay close attention to verse 5.  All through this passage, Paul is talking about church-going people!  He's not talking about the crowds that we're needing to tell about Jesus, he's talking about the ones who should know better!  Me and you!!!  Look around you.  Close your eyes and imagine you are where you normally sit on Sunday (yes, I know you have "your seat" in church).  See those people around you in your mind.  You think they "get it?" Do YOU?!?  Are we living lives of authenticity?

Let's look at some of the works that Jesus did: healed the sick, made the lame to walk, made the blind to see, brought back Lazarus from the dead, fed 5,000 men and their families from a few fish and a couple loaves of bread, calmed stormy seas, walked on water, and the list goes on.  Now Jesus said that we would do even greater works than HE!  What have you done?  Made the toast without burning it?  Got the kids to soccer only ten minutes late this time rather than the normal fifteen?  Fixed the broken windshield wiper on your own?  NOW go back and read 2 Timothy 3:5.  What if we were so busy with verses 2-4, that we ended up like verse 5?  The great toast, the lack of tardiness, the working wiper while all good, mean nothing to eternity!  God takes more care of us than just providing a close parking space at Walmart!!!  There is POWER given to us!!!

I don't believe that it will be long till Jesus returns.  And when He does, I think there are going to be many of us Christians who look at Him and say, "Whoa! Preacher wasn't kiddin'!"  We will be caught off guard at the fact that being godly is more than a good idea or a mantra by which to live.  The Bible, Jesus, our Heavenly Father - are all more than a good idea!!!  They are REAL!  Yet we treat it like we've joined a fraternity or a sorority, learned the secret handshake, the code words, the key gestures, and now we're part of the club!  All that religious hokey pokey stuff will work it's way out, we just want to go to heaven and be a part of something and this is an easy one to join!  We use the stuff we've learned when appropriate, but never tap into the full power that lives inside of us.  We are living 2 Timothy 3:5!!!

Then on top of all that, we spend so much effort every four years trying to push for the "right man" in the White House.  BTW, if you're just joining us, "right man" means Christian man.  It's Christianese.  But can I actually get someone out there to agree that the Christian one isn't always the best LEADER?!?  We need BOTH.  We need a Christian who is also a good leader.  Not one or the other!  Yet seemingly we need that person (President) to blame when things don't go as they should.  "Well, if the 'right man' had been elected, it wouldn't have been like this!"  Can I just throw the BS flag right there?!?  I firmly believe that Jesus isn't as concerned with having a Godly leader in the White House as he is having a Godly leader in YOUR house!!!  Let's stop blaming others for our lack of faith and courage!!!  If it's not the President, it's someBODY or someTHING else!  The real reason that things are the way they are looks back at you with a haunting stare every time you face a mirror.  The church hasn't been the Church for years now!

I believe God is looking for His children to RISE UP!  We wear HIS name!  We are HIS people!  We carry HIS power, HIS love, HIS salvation, HIS hope to a hopeless world.  Let's quit GOING to church and let's BE the church.  Let's no longer deny the power of the God whom we declare we believe in and worship.  Our enemy is playing for keeps!  It's real!!!  Let's get real ourselves.

I'm going to pray here.  Feel free to make this prayer your own.

Jesus, I'm sorry for making Christianity more of a good idea than a reality.  I'm sorry for not acting like the child you chose to make a part of Your eternity by sending your Son to die in my place.  Prompt me with the Holy Spirit to act when I should act, listen when I should listen, and fill me with wisdom for every decision I make every day I live, starting right now.  Empower me and help me to act in that power with FULL FAITH!!!  Knowing that Your promises are true and that whatever I ask in Your name, if I am in line with Your will, it will be given to me so that You alone may receive glory!  Thank you for Your forgiveness and Your promises.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Please leave comments below! Ask questions! Tell your friends by clicking on the social media links and posting on your Facebook or Twitter or Google + accounts. It helps to know that these are being read and even helping YOU! I never know that unless you're doing these things and ESPECIALLY leaving comments!!! Thanks for sharing a few moments with me!

Spiritual Neuropathy

There's a condition that I have called Neuropathy. It's in my feet and lower legs. See, I was diagnosed with Diabetes back in 2001, and the disease has resulted in this condition. The nerves received too much sugar in my blood and it killed them. There are no longer sensations of pain, heat, or cold. I could literally walk across scalding hot pavement and never feel any pain whatsoever. To me, it'd be no more painful than walking to my kitchen. I actually DID walk across hot pavement on June 6, 2009. Second degree burns on the bottom of both feet. My skin melted down to the very bottom layer. I never felt a thing. 

Now to some, this would seem a good thing! "YAY! NO PAIN!!! What could be wrong with that?" you might ask. Plenty. Pain is the body's way of letting you know there's a problem. If I could've felt the pavement was hot, I could've saved myself 7 months of healing, 2 foot surgeries, and 3 months of giving myself IV antibiotics every day. But I couldn't feel it and didn't know. 

I didn't write this blog to give you a medical lesson , though. Bear with me a moment. Neuropathy is caused from too much of a good thing. Sugar is absolutely ESSENTIAL to life! Let the brain run low on sugar, and bad things start to happen. Yet too much, and nerves die. The ability to feel dies with them. 

And isn't that what the enemy tries to do as well? Sure it is. Have one more drink. One more look. One more taste. One more dollar. One more purchase. One more _________ (you fill in the blank). Soon enough, the "one more's" become an obsession. Then a habit. And then they define your character. They change the way you act, respond, think, ...feel. And when you can't feel the things that used to give warning or bring you pause, you no longer have the ability to know something is wrong. You've pushed the Holy Spirit aside so much that's it's now just second nature. You've developed Spiritual Neuropathy. 

Have you ever found yourself doing something that years, months, weeks, days, even minutes ago, you would've sworn you would've never done? Search back in the recent time periods. Look at the decisions you've made. The compromised choices. The "this one time won't hurt's." The indulgences. The "one more's." You will find stop signs that you blew through that have landed you where you are today. 

So. Ok. I've messed up. Am I hopeless? Lost? What now? None of the above. But you DO need a time of reprogramming. You've programmed your Spiritual nerves to not work. But that's reversible!!! You just need to DAILY remind yourself who you are in Christ.

I've put some statements in a blog that are confessions of who you are in Christ. Look back about a month or so in the archives. You'll find them. Say them OUT LOUD DAILY!!! Yes!!! It makes a difference!!! OUT LOUD, please. Set up some accountability for yourself to ask the hard questions about your private life and to give you an objective point of view. This person needs to be a trusted mentor and Christian leader. And be in God's word daily!!! Let the Holy Spirit nourish your heart and liven the dead places again!

Please leave comments below! Ask questions! Tell your friends by clicking on the social media links and posting on your Facebook or Twitter or Google + accounts. It helps to know that these are being read and even helping YOU! I never know that unless you're doing these things and ESPECIALLY leaving comments!!! Thanks for sharing a few moments with me!

Who's the Leader?

The loudest voice, or even the one with the title, isn't always the leader in the room. But look around. The one around whom everyone else is gathered IS!!!

See, leaders are influencers. REAL ones!!! Some SAY they are an influencer, but unless there are those who have been influenced by them, they are disillusioned. John Maxwell says, "Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less."

People are drawn to influencers. They are magnetic in some way. Most of them make you feel better about yourself. They have a way of motivating you to do better, be better, perform better.

People are drawn to them because morale is raised when the influencer walks in the room. There is a sense of "everything is going to be ok now that he/she is here." Situations seem more in control. And when things seem to be spinning out of control, the influencer is the one that others go to for advice.

Now that we have a picture of an influencer, what do teams look to their leaders to provide? Vision? Solutions? Control? Motivation? Instruction? Encouragement? What if the one with the leadership title isn't the influencer? Who do you think the team will turn to for guidance? The "leader," or the influencer?

There's an old proverb that says, "He who thinks he is leading when nobody is following is but taking a long walk!" If the "leader" and the influencer are not the same person, the "leader" falls into the category of this proverb! They are merely fooling themselves. Just as water seeks it's own level, your team will seek the influencer. And if you have the title, but not the influence, you've just lost your job whether or not you admit it. You will need other influencers on your team, but YOU had better be the influencer that your influencers seek. If this is true about you, you are the leader.

Through

"The best way out is always through."

                                 - Robert Frost

Ever felt stuck? It may be that you're stuck in a job you don't want or like; maybe you're a teenager and you feel stuck because you're ready to test your wings a little, but it's not yet time; maybe you feel stuck in a relationship or marriage; maybe it rained yesterday and you decided to drive in the yard and now you're LITERALLY stuck!!! Wherever you find yourself, whatever you're stuck in, try as you might to find another way, you can't find another way... except... through. 

Let's take just a moment to read some scripture:

But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:1, 2 NIV)

These verses let us know that being stuck is not an if, it's a when! Note what the scripture says again: "When you pass through the waters," "when you pass through the rivers," "when you walk through the fire." This passage also gives you the way out in each one: "When you pass through the waters," "when pass through the rivers," "when you walk through the fire." Scripture says much more about what we go through or find ourselves in, that what we go around. And even then, most of the time, an around journey often involved wandering, indecision, and disobedience. God's not in to wasting our time or His. The shortest distance between two points is still a straight line! And, for us, that means... through. 

So, yes. Hard times will certainly come. Uncertainty will mark days and even seasons of our lives. We will question. We will seek. We will dream of easier times when moments of rest will fuel our toil more efficiently.

But, just as certain as the water, the river, and the fire, so is through. The water, river, and fire are not destinations, they are but passing moments. And what awaits us on the other side is what God, our Heavenly Father, is dreaming up for us! And His ways and thoughts for us are SO much higher than our own for ourselves. And He has promised that even in times of trouble, He will never leave nor forsake us. He walks beside us. He holds our hand. And soon, relief will come. But first we must go through.

Please leave comments below! Ask questions! Tell your friends by clicking on the social media links and posting on your Facebook or Twitter or Google + accounts. It helps to know that these are being read and even helping YOU! I never know that unless you're doing these things and ESPECIALLY leaving comments!!! Thanks for sharing a few moments with me!

PS - Join me at OASIS CHURCH OF NASHVILLE this coming Sunday as we start a new series on getting your Breakthrough! This week, we will be giving away copies of the new book BREAKTHROUGH by Joel Osteen  to all our first time guests. Services are at 8:30a, 10:15a, & 12:15p. They are also online at www.oasischurch.tv. For iPhone and iPad users, they have a FREE app in the Apple App Store where you can watch services LIVE and streamed throughout the week! CHECK IT OUT!!!

Discouragement

One of my pastors at Oasis Church of Nashville, Adonis Lenzy, spoke this past Sunday on being stretched in times of discouragement. I, myself, have found that I have been on polar ends of the courage spectrum in recent days, and all depending on the day. 

God has taken me to this verse. "So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!" (Psalms 31:24 NLT) This verse lets me know that my God is a God of courage!!! He is a God that WANTS me FILLED with courage!!!

I've come to recognize the power of discouragement. I've faced it's power over a recent season of my life. I've made choices I've wished I had not made. I've been rejected, abandoned, and had my "wilderness" (for those of you Bible peeps who know what I'm talking about!). I can't measure what I've been through, neither do I want to! I'll only say that I've faced enough to know I don't want to face it at a deeper level. 

Look here: "Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love." (1 Corinthians 16:13, 14 NLT) These verses are not exhaustive in scripture. They are just a couple of examples. But how many of you know that God will not ask of you that which He will not empower you to do?!? So when you face a moment or a season which causes your head to bow, your shoulders to slump, your eyes to droop, your pace to slow, or your morale to dip, KNOW that it is NOT of God!!!

Will God allow moments or seasons that are hard to go through? Absolutely. Sometimes discipline is necessary. So is "stretching," to use a term from Pastor Adonis. Our faith, our resolve, our TESTIMONY can not strengthen without first being tested. "Testing" means it is being exercised, worked out. Ever lift weights? When you do it the first time, or the first time in a long time, what happens the next day? You're SORE!!! It hurts to wash your hair!!! You try to think of more than one reason to put one foot in front of the other because it hurts to even IMAGINE it!!! But, what happens when we work out on a regular regimen?the resistance is still there, but not the every moment soreness. So it is with our lives in Christ. 

Our faith must be exercised. God knows this. He is our "coach," if you will. A good coach not only sees your talent, but your potential. And he or she will push you to help you see it in yourself! God does this in our Spiritual lives. And when He does have to discipline us, as mentioned earlier, He has even given us encouragement through those times as well!!! "For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” (Hebrews 12:6 NLT) You are LOVED!!! You are HIS CHILD!!! Be ENCOURAGED!!! What a coach!!!

Have an awesome day today!!!

BIBLE: Love Is A Choice

First, read Luke 10:25-37.

As a Worship Pastor, I have sat down with many of the artists I've had the privilege of pastoring, and I've heard them say something like this, "You can't help who you love."  Or, "It just happened!  I didn't WANT to love that person!"  If you're like me, you've probably even said something like that YOURSELF!  It's on television, in the movies, printed in books and magazines, and all across social media.  We're told that we need to find our own truth.  That our purpose depends on what is best for us.

I will agree that each of us are made as individuals.  We are made uniquely with diversity in mind.  That was always the intent.  We are "fearfully and wonderfully made" according to Luke 139:13-14.  We have a purpose and a calling that we are each supposed to fulfill.  BUT!  There is a commonality that binds us all.  There is a foundation on which our diversity and uniqueness is to be built.  Isaiah 64:6 tells us that any purpose, and calling, any "righteousness" is like a filthy rag without Christ.  So in order for anything we do, our works, to make any difference at all to God, there must first be the common foundation of a relationship with Christ.

In the scripture I asked you to read, the expert in religious law asked Jesus what he must do to have eternal life.  Look again here at verse 27 as the expert recounts what we now call the Old Testament law.  And he was right, according to Jesus!  In order for everything to make sense, for all our works to be counted, we must FIRST love God, then love others!!!

But now let's stop right there!  How is that possible?  If we are to find our own truth, according to the media and what's popular, and if we can't help who we love, then how can we CHOOSE to love God and love others?!?  AND, that last part actually says to love neighbors as MYSELF, so I have to love ME too!!!

Michelle and I were watching a Podcast of Bishop TD Jakes tonight on TV.  He said something that just HIT me!!!  He said, "Love is controllable.  God could not be considered to be a just God were He to command us to do something we can not do."  Oh WOW!!!  Bishop Jakes woke up a whole new thing within me as God used him to speak into my own heart.  Do you understand what God is implying here by His command to us to love?!?  He is saying that we CHOOSE who we love!!!  If we choose to love Him, we choose to love others.  We choose who our mates will be.  We choose our friends.  Love is a CHOICE!!!

And did you see how cool Jesus answers the question in our main scripture passage?  When the expert recounted to love God and love our neighbor, the lawyer wanted to know who was classified as our "neighbor?"  That's when Jesus delivers the story of the Good Samaritan.  Samaritans and Jews didn't talk to each other!  Ancestors of the Hatfields and McCoy's, these two nations!!!  Yet Jesus showed a CHOICE by the Samaritan to have compassion on this hurt Jew and care for him.  This was the kind of choice on whose shoulders could ride the reconciliation of two peoples.  Remember at the end of ROCKY IV when Rocky was being interviewed by the Russian announcer after just knocking out Ivan Drago?  He said, "If I can change, and you can change, then maybe we ALL can change!"  It's a choice.

And the part that I only touched on earlier isn't by any means the lesser of the lessons here.  We are to choose to love ourselves.  According to this scripture, we can't love others until we love ourselves first! Otherwise, who are we going to love our neighbors AS?  Just to get you thinking.

I'm reminded of ol' Joshua in the Old Testament telling his people to choose that day who they would serve, but, he said, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."  So who you gonna love today?  Choose now.  :-)

BIBLE: Confessions - Who I Am in Christ

I posted these a while back on Facebook. I was asked to post them again. I decided to do it here in my blog so that they are archived and can be accessed any time. I encourage you to copy these! Print them out! Put them on your mirror, as I do. I say them EVERY DAY as part of my daily routine. God knows my every thought, but the devil does not! He can place a thought, but the devil can't read your mind! When you say these, say them OUT LOUD! Make it a proclamation!!! Let the devil know that YOU know who you are and WHOSE you are!!! And you know the POWER of He who holds you in the palm of His hand. 

CONFESS WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST!

 

I am strong in the Lord and in His great power!  I draw my strength from His boundless wealth of strength. (Ephesians 6:10)

 

I am strengthened with His glorious power so that I have all the endurance and patience I need. For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Colossians 1:11, Philippians 4:13)

 

The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead now lives in me and gives life to my mortal body. (Romans 8:11)

My mind is daily being transformed by God's word and is not in bondage to depression, anxiety, worry, and other weapons against my thought processes. On the authority of God's word, I bring my every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 10:5)

 

The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

 

I am complete in Christ and the fullness of God dwells in me. And all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge dwell in me through Christ Jesus. (Colossians 2:3, 9-10)

 

Wisdom in my heart is like water in a deep well. I am a person of understanding and I draw it out. (Proverbs 20:5)

The stripes Jesus took were for my HEALING! I command every cell of my being, down to its smallest part, to come in line with what Jesus has done for me and rid my body of disease, addiction, sickness, infection, or wound. (Isaiah 53:5)

I have perfect knowledge of every circumstance and situation in life for the Spirit of Truth dwells in me. (John 16:13)

 

I am delivered from the power of darkness. I know the truth and the truth has set me free. Because Jesus has set me free, I am free completely! (John 8:32, 36)

 

Jesus said that whatever I bind on earth is bound in heaven and whatever I loose on earth is loosed in heaven. I now loose the blessings of God to flow into my life. I expect to be overtaken by goodness. (Matthew 18:18)

 

The Holy Spirit teaches me all things and brings all things to my memory. I know and remember who I am. I now use my words and my faith to manifest God's highest and best for me! (John 14:6)

LIFE: Funny Things About Airline Safety Videos

I love my visits to The Villages, FL!!!  If you've never been there, you ought to go at some point.  The Villages is a retirement area about an hour north of Orlando, FL.  You think "retirement," your mind does not go to "super active!"  But these people are VERY active!!!  More so than most teenagers these days!  My Dad, Ron Pledger, is a Pastor there and his church people are among the finest people anywhere.  I love them and love being with them.

This last week, I flew down to The Villages, not for a fun trip, but to be with my Mom, Linda, as she underwent a heart cath.  The news was great following the cath, thank you for asking.  :-)  She will do some minor treatments, and with diet and exercise, all should be well.  I flew Delta Airlines and had a wonderful experience on the airline.  They took great care of me and my fellow passengers.  But the safety videos they use contain information that just isn't practical.  Let me explain.

First of all, as the video started, it got about a minute or so into it, just past the part explaining the wonder of the fine aircraft we are about to embark our journey aboard, when the video goes BLACK!  Gone.  Nothing.  Nada.  Ka-put.  The captain comes on the speaker, "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the interruption of the video, but engine #2 has had a power fluctuation and it killed the video feed.  It will resume momentarily."  I'm sorry, but the VIDEO is NOT what I'm concerned about at the moment!!!!  Can we just make sure ol' trusty #2 there doesn't fluctuate anymore?!?  ESPECIALLY after takeoff!!!  I'm happy that you want to tell me how to fasten my already fastened seat belt, but can you just concentrate on keeping the engine going, maybe?!?  Call me crazy, but THAT seems a WHOLE lot more important than me knowing how to "lift and release!"

Well sure enough, in just a moment or two, ol' #2 started again and the video picked up where it left off.  After the seat belt demonstration came the "little yellow cup."  I know.  We've all seen it many times if we've flown.  "In the unexpected loss of cabin pressure, a cup will drop down from the compartment above you releasing an oxygen mask.  Pull on the tube to start the flow of oxygen.  Place the mask over your nose and mouth.  Extend the elastic band around your head, adjusting the tightness by pulling the straps on the side, and BREATHE NORMALLY.  Know that oxygen is flowing even if the bag doesn't inflate."  Excuse me, but if we lose cabin pressure, there's going to be things flying around all over the cabin, the plane will tilt downward in a nose dive while the captain tries to get us all at an altitude where we can breathe oxygen, people will be screaming, and you're wanting me to put a little yellow cup over my face, go to my happy place, and breathe normally?!?  NOT GONNA HAPPEN, LADY!!!!  First, that thing will probably be swinging all over the place in that nose dive and air swirling that I'll probably never even catch it!  Second, if I do get lucky enough to grab the thing, I'll probably go to pull the tube to start the air and pull so hard with the adrenaline that will be pumping that I'll yank the thing right out of the ceiling.  If I'm fortunate enough to complete steps one and two, I will not be worried about an inflated bag!  I will be scrambling for the little paper bag in front of me to put over my mouth and do some "inflating" of my own since I would have left my stomach somewhere up around 30,000 feet or so!  And if I do ALL of that and I actually get to the point where I CAN breathe, there will be nothing NORMAL about it!!!

Then finally in the video, we reach the part about the floatation devices.  You know, in case of a water landing.  "In the event of a water landing," (let's just stop right there.  I saw no boat parts on this plane outside.  No big skis like on them water planes you see in Alaska.  We shouldn't be in the water!), "this aircraft is equipped with floatation devices for your safety.  In the economy cabin, they are located under your seats.  In the executive cabin, they are either under your seat, between your seats, or in the armrest of your seat."  I'm thinking, "WHEW!  Glad I'm in the economy cabin!!!  I'd die just trying to FIND my floatation device!"  No wonder the statistics say that doctors, lawyers, investors, and the like all have stressful jobs.  It's because they know that they're the only ones who can afford to fly first class and nobody is telling them where the floatation devices are!!!  It's a rough life being rich!!!  I can see their tombstone now...  "Thanks to the video, they knew how to use it, they just couldn't find it!"  :-)

I'm outta here!

BIBLE: How To Win Back A "Fallen" Christian

BEFORE READING THIS BLOG, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU READ MY BLOG FROM A FEW DAYS AGO, LEAVE 99 AND GO FOR 1.  IT SETS UP THE ATTITUDE AND SOME OF THE LANGUAGE I WILL BE USING HERE IN THIS BLOG.

I'm not speaking to this question having gone through some kind of seminary class on the theology of rescuing wayward Christians.  Neither have I been to some psychology classes that gives me some kind of degree to hang out a shingle and start a counseling firm.  I have a Spiritual Gift of counseling, but no degree.

So what are my credentials?  I have only one.  I'm one of the wayward Christians who have been rescued...on more than one occasion.  A "success story" type description would be a bit of a stretch.  I made it through once, only to do again what I swore would NEVER happen again!  But I'm also one of the fortunate ones.  I'm in love with Jesus today and I'm learning more and more about Him every day.  There's hope for those like me.  Maybe you know someone like me and you want more than anything to see them in a better place.  Read on. There's no formula, but here, you'll get a little advice, a few guidelines, and, I pray, a lot of hope!!!

First and foremost, YOU need to realize that you're no different.  Name the sin.  Whatever it is that someone else has done, it's no worse than anything you've done!  The moment you think yourself better, in any way, than the person you want to help, you give the enemy a foothold in the outcome.  The devil will consistently spin the conversations with that attitude unless you first surrender that spirit of superiority to Christ, repent of it, and be a conduit of grace because you fully understand that it took the same Spotless Lamb's blood to save YOUR sin as it will theirs.  If you can't reach this place, let someone else handle it.  But this is important for ALL Christians to realize, not just a few.  It's the recognition of the power of the grace and forgiveness in our own lives that supercharges the effectiveness of our testimonies and counsel to others.  It's "Being A Christian 101!"

Second, you need to realize that tough love and scare tactics rarely work.  It's not something you see in scripture either.  Giving your life for someone else's is one thing, if you want to call that a form of tough love.  But there's no greater love than that.  THAT kind of love is not only in scripture, it is what Jesus did for us all!!!  Discipline is in scripture.  It even says that God chastises those whom He loves.  So I'm not saying there should not be discipline.  But Jesus never exercised, endorsed, or encouraged any form of tough love!  It causes resentment in the one you're trying to help.  Resentment causes a desire for separation.  The moment you further separate the person any more than what they already are, that is the moment you turn them over to that "roaring lion seeking whom he may devour."  The devil WANTS them alone!  Without protection, they're easy prey.  It's the 1 who has left the 99.  Yet this seems to be the FIRST thing that many Christians do!  We feel like we can't handle it or don't want to, so we take a hands off approach.  We look at them and say, "I'm not sure you're even a sheep.  And if you ARE one, you're not like us and we don't want you or to be associated with you."  But in doing this, we remove the protection of the influence of other Christians in their lives.  We paint a target on the back of the sheep and say, "Here you go, devil.  You can have this one.  He's not worthy to be in our group!"

I can hear your thoughts, "So then are you saying to CONDONE the sin and act like nothing is wrong?"  ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!  Scripture doesn't do that either!!!  Sin is sin and it cost Jesus His life!!!  We need to, again, FULLY understand of what Jesus has forgiven us, before we EVER start trying to point out the ins of others!  We're quick to go to Matthew 18 and say that we should consider them o be like tax collectors and other sinners.  But did we do what Matthew 18 pointed out before it ever got to that point?!?  It lists a step by step process!  But read what happens we choose not to forgive someone who asks for it in Matthew 18:21-35.  It doesn't do well to withhold forgiveness.

So then, WHAT IS THE ANSWER?!?  It's simple.  Love.  That's it.  A simple four letter word.  Love in SPITE of the sin, not because of it.  Love the SINNER, not the sin.  Remember the shepherd going out to find the 1 and leaving the 99?  Remember what his staff is for?  NEVER use the pointy end on the sheep!!!  That is for the enemy, the devourer, not the one you wish to protect.  Guard your words carefully.  Be transparent about your own failures.  Take responsibility for any part you played, even if you don't think you did!!!  This can't be about you.  It's about them.  It is reducing yourself below your rights and what or who you believe you are to reach out to someone who doesn't DESERVE your rescue attempt, but you love them or Jesus or both enough to try.

Now let me say a word about counseling.  I've been through counseling.  I went through about 3 years of it a number of years ago.  It worked some wonders in my life at the time.  I identified a lot of things that helped me to watch out for pitfalls in the future.  But it did not keep me from making the same mistake again!  There are all kinds of great programs out there for all kinds of different problems.  But an alcoholic will always be tempted by alcohol.  A drug addict by drugs.  A porn addict by porn.  These things are readily accessible by anyone who wants to try hard enough.  But NOTHING out there works as well as the move of God in a person's life!  I don't care how many programs you send someone to, Jesus is still better than any doctor or counselor.  I believe in the work of doctors and counselors!  I DO!!!  But Jesus is making the lasting difference!!!

Read Romans 6:23.  Notice the use of the words "is death."  Friends, when Christians sin, there is still DEATH!!!  Hear me?  Let me repeat that.  When Christians sin, there is STILL DEATH!!!  When I sinned, I had all kinds of friends - CHRISTIAN friends - dessert me!  They all told me, "That's the consequences of your sin."  WHAT?!?  No.  See, we don't get to sentence our brothers and sisters to any kind of consequence.  They're dying inside!!!  If they truly know Jesus, there is conviction, there is grief, there is mourning, and yes, there is a part of them that has died.  It is the part called "a right relationship with God."  And that part is the very heartbeat and breath - the LIFE - of a believer in Jesus.  There is NOTHING you or anyone else on this earth can say or do that will cause more death in a person's life that being outside that right relationship!  They may not realize it.  They may deny it.  They may reject a belief in it.  But that's not THEIR choice either!!!  That's Bible.  Death is the payment - the wages - of sin.  God said that would happen.  And our belief as far as what treatment sinners need doesn't mean a hill of beans to God!  He's got this.  He doesn't need our help.  GOD is the Judge.  God is the Jury.  And HE will pronounce sentence.  He has given us two commands, basically.  They are NOT, "watch and see how many tears they cry at the altar, I need to know if they are REALLY sorry!  I can't tell from up here."  He's never deferred and said, "Pastor, how many years of counseling do you think he needs before I let him serve Me again?  Now I know I can't let him back in the capacity he was because you people won't accept him that way."  Sounds ridiculous, almost blasphemous, doesn't it?  But that is the attitude we take.  That's the way we expect God to act.  When He has told us our two responsibilities: love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves.  Period.  We love them.  We ache with them when we see the sentence (if He chooses to pronounce one) on their lives.  Because we know that but for the grace of God, there go I!

People have looked at Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Ted Haggard, Michael English, and the like, and have shamed them and shunned them and refused to listen to them because they have sin in their past.  Well SO DO YOU!!!  The ONLY difference between them and you is that everybody knows what THEY did!!!  What would happen if someone were to read your most private sins that you hope nobody ever finds out about in a public arena?  THEN how would you feel about grace?!?  You'd want a little, wouldn't you?  But we need PROOF that they've repented!!!  NO YOU DON'T!!!  God's a big boy.  He said He would handle that part.  LET HIM!!!  Personally, I think that is a total blatant display of a lack of faith in God!  When Christians do that, it is a window into their own relationship with God that says, "I really don't believe it when I say that God can handle anything, even that which He has promised to handle."  In that situation, YOU are the problem, not the one who is wayward and crying out on the inside for someone to help and listen.

Understand, I'm not trying to get any kind of sympathy or "preach" to friends who turned their backs on me.  I left that to Jesus.  All but 1 has allowed me to restore my relationships with them through Christ.  Thank You, Lord, for that!!!  And I have left the 1 in the hands of Jesus and have accepted his decision not to have any further contact with me.  He has that right.  As far as I know, he will never see this blog.

Truth be told, people who have experienced public sin, people such as those listed above, probably have a closer walk with Jesus than any of you!  WHY?!?  Because HE is the "Great Shepherd" who left the 99 and went after them and now holds them close to His chest!  HE is the "Great Physician."  HE is the "Wonderful Counselor."  Not YOU!  Not Dr. Phil!!!  No Dr. Drew!!!  JESUS!!!!

Let me tell you, friends, I have learned more about the power of God in my life (thus the lives of others since He loves us all) after my "fall" than I ever did before!!!  I'm closer to God now.  I have a renewed sense of purpose.  I have a renewed calling, even though His first call on my life has never been revoked according to Romans 11:29.

I also believe that the closer a person is to a wayward Christian, the more responsibility they have.  Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, best friends, spouses, children, whatever - we have the responsibility of getting our hands dirty.  Scripture makes it VERY clear what our responsibilities are in Galatians 6:1-3.  Pay strong and close attention to the words "GENTLY" and "HUMBLY."  Plus God says in James 5:19-20 that those who bring them back - those who embark on a rescue mission - end up saving a life and a multitude of sins!  The question to you is, "Do you mean what you say?"  Do you really LOVE that person?

There are many out there who have children, parents, friends, etc who have "gone off the deep end."  I'm no pro.  I have no shingle and no degree.  There are no formulas.  But if you need to ask a question, I would love to help if I can.  Feel free to write me.  You can use the link on the right of this blog under the ABOUT ME section.  I will write you back.  And PLEASE take time to comment below!!!  Share this blog on YOUR Facebook page so that your friends can read what's here.  I believe this information to be so very important.  Just click on the Facebook and Twitter links that are somewhat grayed out below this blog near the "Comments" section and you can share to either one you wish.

Thanks for taking time with me.  I hope and pray this helps you and many others.  Till next time...

SONGWRITING: Which came first, the lyric or the tune?

I write songs.  I've had some success at this, but not near what I would like to have!  My goal is for my entire living to be earned from songwriting and photography.  I'm not there yet.  I say this because I don't want to mislead you into thinking I am industry leader in songwriting or that I am a master of the craft.  I'm NOT!  I'm just someone not unlike yourself who wants to learn from other songwriters to try and gather as much information as possible in order to be better at my craft.

That being said, I can't tell you HOW many times I have been asked, "Do you write lyrics or melodies first?"  My answer is always, "YES!"  People want to know formulas.  We want a sure thing.  We want a guaranteed way to secure the outcome we seek.  But in art, as in MANY other forms of life and leadership, there are no formulas in uncharted territory.  I can tell you how I wrote my song, ONE.  I can go back retrace the things that surrounded me writing ON THE BOULEVARD.  But neither of those equations or circumstances were good enough for any of the other songs I've ever written!

A song isn't a formula.  It's a conversation.  It's 3-5 minutes that your listeners have afforded you to speak something into their lives that when combined with melody, evokes emotion and response.  This time that is given to you is earned based on your past track record.

In the songwriting world, part of our lingo involves the word "hook."  It is used to describe that part of a song that "hooks" the listener and makes them want to engage with the song either lyrically, melodically, or both.  Therefore there are two different "hooks" in every song.  There is a lyrical hook, which more often than not is the title of the song.  It is the lyric that you can't forget.  Then there is a melodic hook.  It may be the part you hum or whistle even though you've only heard the song once.  If you combine a lyrical hook with a melodic hook, then you really have something

The key to songwriting is to always be receptive.  ALWAYS have your antennae up!  Have something you can write on or sing into to record your hooks that are going to come to you.  And no, you're not good enough to remember that hook that was just "too good to forget."  It'll be forgotten in 10 minutes and your hit is history!  I use my iPhone for these purposes.  The Voice Recorder app and Notes app are both full of simple hooks that I have put down while driving, working, eating, using the bathroom (I know, TMI, but true), etc.  I revisit these hooks often to see if there's anything from which to build a new song.

In summary, throw formulas out the window!  Just be ready for whatever, whenever you get it!

LIFE: Can Racism be Eradicated?

My church, Oasis Church of Nashville, has been led through an exciting sermon series called AT THE MOVIES.  Today's message was based on the movie "42."  It's the story of the baseball player, Jackie Robinson (who wore the number 42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers), and broke the color barrier in professional baseball.  The theme given was unity/disunity and was based around prejudices and racism.  So I've decided to write some on the subject.  If you're a Facebook Friend of mine, I wrote a post not long ago about equality in America, and some of these thoughts may be the same...but...anyway.  :-)

I've been around racism all my life.  Not because I came from racist parents, I didn't.  It was because of an environment and peer pressure.  I grew up predominantly in the south, in Georgia and Mississippi, where even in the 80's, tensions still would rare up from time to time.  I remember the KKK having rallies in Commerce, GA, the town where I went to high school, and the city having to cancel the Christmas parade because the Klan wanted to take part in it.  I remember saying things back then that I'm now ashamed of, as well as having things said about me.  But time, maturity, and Jesus changed me - not necessarily in that order.

In a post I made on Facebook recently, I said that I didn't really believe that true equality could exist in America today.  And it can't in our current mindset.  I could have gone on for some time about he whole issue, but I made a reference to my church, Oasis, and how it is a diverse church and how inside those walls, racism seems to fade away.  My point to the post on Facebook surrounded the "unknowns."  How, if presented with two unknowns from which to choose, most people will choose that which they are most like.  This could be true with race, culture, religion, sports teams, careers, whatever.  Familiarity brings a sense of safety to us.  It makes us feel welcome, at ease, and comfortable.  So by nature, diversity brings a certain amount of division.  It is within the definition of the word.

Yet, as Pastor Danny Chambers pointed out in scripture this morning, division isn't a good thing.  We've heard the famous words delivered by Abraham Lincoln in his speech to Congress,

"A house divided against itself cannot stand."

Now take a moment and read that scripture which Pastor Danny brought to our attention this morning, Galatians 3:28-29 (MSG).  Scripture says that we are "all equal."  So if we're equal, how can we also be DIVERSE?  Good question.  One that Paul, the author of Galatians, answers immediately following the declaration of our global equality.  He says,

"That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ."

Now some of you who may be reading this may not be of any faith whatsoever.  So the references to scripture may not be relevant to your current way of thinking.  While I believe that a belief in Jesus would TOTALLY revolutionize your life for the better, I will just say for now that belief in the truth of scripture or not, the answer to equality and racism and prejudice worldwide can be summed up in one word:  RELATIONSHIP.

In the movie, 42, Mr. Ricky (Harrison Ford) said something that has stuck with me.  Jackie Robinson was known to have a bad temper.  Mr. Ricky knew that he couldn't be throwing his temper around if he fight was going to be won.  Jackie asks him,

"So do you want somebody who doesn't have the guts to fight back?"

To which Mr. Ricky replied,

"NO!  I want someone who'll have the guts to NOT fight back!  The way that we'll win this fight is if we show them that you're a good gentleman and a great baseball player!" 

I didn't write it down at the time, that quote is a bit of a paraphrase, but most is really close to being correct.  Did Jackie have a right to be mad?  ABSOLUTELY!!!!  Anyone would've been that had to face that kind of crap!  But Mr. Ricky knew that if Jackie was going to win over a nation who was already against him, he had to present to them that which he had in common with them.  There would need to be a relationship built from the field, even though he would never shake the majority's hand.  He was going to have to leave what he knew to be his RIGHTS aside, only for a time, until trust could be built.

Can we do that, America?  Can we, no matter what race because ALL are guilty, can we not pursue our RIGHTS long enough to establish RELATIONSHIP?  Paul knew that he was speaking to a diverse crowd when he wrote Galatians, so he quickly pointed out that which was common among them, the relationship with Jesus Christ.  That relationship gave them a foundation on which to build.  If we're going to be equal, if racism is to die, if prejudice is to be replaced by peace, there must first be relationship.  YOU can be the first!!!  Find someone different than you and shake his/her hand.  Start the revolution!

I leave you with this final thought from scripture.  Just in case there is still a deep seeded root in your thoughts about others who may be different in some way than you.  Here is what the Bible says about that: Matthew 7:1-2 (GWT).  Later, everybody.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Shadows or No?

I feel quite unworthy to be teaching things that I'm still learning about myself.  But I've had others who have taken time to share some things that they've learned with me, no matter how simple, and sometimes even the simple things mean the world!!!  So with that in mind, here goes.

Shadows have been demonized in some circles in the world of photography.  Many photographers and many MORE clients just don't feel that shadows are ever a good idea...until they see them.  I use shadows a lot.  I happen to think they're cool.  I will intentionally use shadows to create a look, hide a blemish, give a sense of mystery, and other things.  B&W images are often the BEST looking when using shadows.  Here, I'll show you.  This is one of my favorite images I've ever taken...

Notice how the blackness and shadows surrounding Erin make her face POP!  I did much of this before ever snapping the photo.  This photo was made in an abandoned old building at about 3:00pm.  It was pretty dark on the inside.  So I stood inside with Erin while her Mom stood outside with a standard 5-in-1 reflector.  Using the bright silver foil side, I had her bounce the sunlight from behind the building through the front door and hit Erin's face with it.  At post edit, I increased the contrast, used Photoshop to blacken out a couple of things that were still visible, and the rest is pretty much history!

But B&W's are not the only time shadows can be cool.  I recently shot Jillian's press kit images.  We were in the lobby her apartment building where there was a fireplace with some dark wood facing away from the big window behind it.  So for kicks, I placed Jillian against the edge of the fireplace where the outside light would highlight the edge of her hair, lowered my shutter speed just a touch, adjusted the ISO and fired away.  The result gave a softness to the photo that we both really liked and the image made it to her final cut.  Here.  See for yourself...

There's a reason we are called artists.  We create ART!  We're not copyists.  Art is always imitated, but find your way of doing something that someone else would say is wrong in your art.  Push your own limits a little and do stuff just to say you tried it.  Sometimes you get the winning outcome and sometimes you learn what NOT to do.  But either way, you had fun and let out the artist within you.  And that will make you BETTER!!!  That's all for now.  Later.

BIBLE: Leave 99 and Go for 1

Matthew 18:12-14 (MSG)

I'm one of those sinners.  I'm one of the ones who claims to have a relationship with Jesus, yet I've got a past that would lead some to question.  I'm not proud of my past at all!  I'm reminded of it every day because the devil makes it his business to do so.  But in the middle of one of my "past" seasons, I read the above referenced verse and it changed my life!  But first, just a little bit of background.

I'm not going to go into what all I've done.  It's really not important at all.  Suffice it to say that it was something that I shouldn't have been doing as a believer in Jesus, much less as a Worship Pastor in a church!  But I validated my poor choices because life, at the time, was hard for me.  I, and other staff members at the church where I served, were being abused by the Pastor.  There were many more before us (and some since), but I chose to ignore some red flags when interviewing for the job and went anyway.  So as a result, my experience was no different than that of my predecessors.  This hardship led me to believe I deserved something to make me "feel better."  How many of you have learned that life isn't based on how you FEEL?

What I thought was a hardship at the time was made to look like a cakewalk to the season that followed!  My wife and I lost EVERY friend we had (for two separate reasons) and for the first time in 20 years of marriage, we found ourselves alone with only each other.  For over a YEAR, we had ONE common friend that would get together with us when she could (which due to busy schedules only equaled to about 4-5 times throughout the whole time).  I was isolated.  My wife was there, but because of my mistakes, I was experiencing guilt, anger, bitterness, and brokenness.  I wasn't the model husband at that moment!

It took almost half of that year for God to get my attention and begin the healing process, a process which continues today.  I've come a long way, too!!!  But along the way, God took me to these verses listed at the top.  I had always thought that the 1 that the shepherd left the 99 for was in the category that the church world calls "lost."  (meaning someone who does not trust in Jesus as their Savior)  But that's not what Jesus is saying here at all!!!

The "1" was once a part of the 100!  He was a full fledged part already.  Initiation completed.  Name on the dotted line.  Wool imparted.  Black socks doled out.  This was a SHEEP!  And it was part of the flock!  It just wandered off.

Now, the majority of church folk will tell you that hey don't believe in a God that carries a lightning bolt waiting to strike down that heathen sinner who slides his toe across the Spiritual out-of-bounds line.  BUT, let one of their own mess up...DIFFERENT STORY!!!!  Suddenly it's almost like the whole bunch is pointing not only to the mess, but the mess-er!  We can't believe that one of our own would act like that!  "Why, scripture tells us we're to have no part of someone who does stuff like that!"  Oh no it doesn't!!!  That Matthew chapter 18 (from which the above passage is taken) we often refer to as being on "church discipline" isn't focused on that at all!  It's a chapter on how to be REDEMPTIVE with someone!  Here.  Read the whole thing for yourself and make your own opinion.

When shepherds watched over sheep, they carried a staff.  It was pointy on one end and had a crooked hook on the other.  The staff had three purposes.  First, it was a way for the sheep to see the shepherd.  It stuck high in the air and was taller than the shepherd, so it was easier for them to see.  Second, it was a weapon.  Wolves would be out trying to kill he sheep for a tasty meal.  And the shepherd, who genuinely loved his sheep much like we would a pet in today's society, would use the pointy end of the staff as a weapon against impending predators.  And third, it was a tool of rescue.  Sometimes the sheep would be about to get into danger, or would be in water and couldn't swim.  The hook on the other end would be used to reach out and hook the endangered sheep and pull him to safety.  Jesus was talking to shepherds here.  They knew EXACTLY what he was saying and telling them about the character of God!

When we stray, God doesn't leave the 99 to come and execute His wrath on us for wandering off!  NO!  The wages of our sin are still death!  The eternal part is handled if you're a believer, but not the earthly temporal!  He knows the wolf, the devil, is out there and that we're in danger!  That's right.  His leaving is a RESCUE MISSION!!!  He comes running, calling our names, and seeking us out.  And when He finds us, He doesn't rush over to us.  He knows that would startle us into thinking He is going to be angry.  Instead, He lovingly calls us back to Him.  And if and when we go, He scoops us into His arms and hightails it back to the 99 so that the family is under his safe watch again.

Now here's the hard part, yet it's beautiful at the same time.  The shepherd then breaks the leg of the sheep.  WHAT?!?  I can hear your gasps from here!!!  That's right.  Why?  He does it because though sheep are extremely dumb animals, they have remarkable hearing.  So He takes away their ability to run away by breaking their leg, but then He holds them and nurses them lovingly back to health.  AND as He does this, He always carries the sheep in His arms with the sheep's ears over the left side of His chest...because that's where His heart is.  See, a sheep, when used to hearing the shepherd's heartbeat, won't stray outside earshot of that heartbeat when it's once again released on it's own.  There may come a time when it starts to make a wandering move (it's a dumb breed of animal, remember?), but it will be a long while.

That's the way you truly redeem and treat a Christian who's messed up.  You bring them back in as fast as you can by gently calling them.  Don't bash them or panic and scare them away for good by displaying anger!  But doing everything in love, rescue them from certain danger.  Bring them in.  Hold them accountable by talking away some freedom, maybe.  But constantly surround them and cheer them on letting them know that you are there for them and want nothing more than to see them restored.  Then understand that it is the Shepherd who makes the decision when healing is done and releases them back among us.  That decision is not ours!  No matter how many "Christian counselors" we've been to, know, and have in our Rolodex.

This isn't what was done for me.  But it's what I'll do for someone!  My wife, my parents, and some people I didn't even know prayed for me while Jesus came after me.  I'm walking on my leg again.  It still smarts a little!  But I'm getting there.  :-)