Hebrews 12:1-2 - A Tribute to Running

So last week, I was running with one of my running partners and discussing a video we had seen about prayer. The teacher was discussing a scripture on prayer and relating it to running the Boston Marathon.

This got us thinking about the different places that the Bible talks about running....and then I decided that one of my next posts would connect running and the Bible, so here it is. This one is for my friends that are runners and have ambitious running goals.

The first scripture that comes to mind when I think about running is in Hebrews, chapter 12, verses one and two:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

I can relate to this scripture and the picture of a race. When you think of a marathon, or any race really, there are those people who run and those people who stand on the sidelines encouraging and cheering on the runners. Having been in a couple of races, I know how it feels to have someone cheering and encouraging you, it gives that burst of energy and that feeling that you can go a little bit farther. it is particularly helpful when you are tired and starting to think about stopping.

Not only that, hearing the stories of runners who have completed marathons or other races, challenge and encourage. Their passion and drive are very inspirational. I have two friends that are runners that encourage me. My friend Lizzie, who is training to make a qualifying time for  the Boston marathon and my friend Maddie who takes running seriously, but also knows how to make it amazingly fun by doing races such as The Color Run, The Zombie Run, The Superheroes Run...They both remind me that running is a discipline and a passion.

This scripture takes that image and feeling and puts it in the context of pursuing our faith. At times staying strong in our faith can be really difficult. Maybe we are facing a lot of discouragement; Christians acting in ways that don't seem Christ-like, having to make unpopular choices, standing on beliefs when it would be easier to take another path. God never promised life would be easy. In fact the Bible tells us that as followers of Jesus, we will be persecuted and scorned.

Paul reminds us with this scripture of those of faith who have gone before us and have finished the race and are cheering us on to finish. We can be encouraged by their stories and their journey.Think of stories of faith. I find Jonathan in the Bible very inspiring. He balanced honoring his father (who was trying to kill God's anointed, David) with a loyal friendship to David, and constantly lived a righteous life. Just a few months ago I wrote a blog about some everyday Christians that show courage and have inspired me, called Four Stories of Courage.

Do you have people that inspire you. Past or current Christians?Who inspires you to keep going when you feel like giving up?

Don't stop! Following God is an audacious goal. Never easy and always a challenge, but hold fast; run the race; hear the encouragement of those who have gone before you and and cheering you to the finish line!

Luke 11:5-13 - Expect Results

If I haven't mentioned it before, the small group I am apart of is studying prayer. This week, the focus was on Luke 11:5-13:

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity^[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for^[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

One of the discussion points was praying audaciously with an expectation of results. At the end of the meeting, I challenged the group to pray audaciously as we shared our prayer requests and then live in a way that expects results...

A little background: One of the people in my group, Lizzie, has been my running partner for the past six months and I started running with, Chase, another of the group members last week. 

The next morning I was meeting with Lizzie and Chase. I arrived and Lizzie was there. When Chase didn't show up, we started running around the parking lot while waiting. After a few minutes, I sent a text to make sure Chase was still planning to come...no response. Eventually we decided to run part of our route.

When we arrived back to the parking lot, Chase was there. Even though time was tight, we decided to run a little bit more and called him over to join us. As soon as he joined us, he asked, "Do you have my phone?" He couldn't find his phone and he had been delayed looking for it and had finally come, hoping that I had found it (the small group meets at my house). I had not, so I called home to have Thomas look for it, but he didn't see it among the chaise or couch cushions. So as we completed our run, I prayed out loud, "God, help us find this phone! We really need it to show up."

So I headed home with Chase following me. He was hoping that the phone would be on the side of the road where he had parked the night before. I kept thinking about all the kids who walked down the road on their way to one of the two schools in the neighborhood...

When we arrived back to the house, Chase started looking along the road and I went to check inside again. He quickly came in...no phone! I decided to just remove all the cushions to check there again. Chase started to insist that was unnecessary...and then we saw it...his phone.

God answered our prayer and we celebrated! I loved the way God had brought us on this journey. We talked about praying audaciously and expecting an answer with the whole group and then God gave the three of us that were meeting together for a run the opportunity to practice it the next morning. God was faithful and the phone was found. The story was shared with the whole group, and now with you.

Have you ever talked about some section of scripture and then seen it applied almost immediately in your life? I feel like it happens all the time when I engage with God and others, how about you? I would love to hear your stories.

Romans 9:21 - What is Your Role?

Over the weekend, as I was listening to the message in church and my eyes wandered past the scripture being read and talked about, down a few verses and I came across Romans 9:21.

Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

 (yes, I confess, my mind wanders beyond the borders of the message during church)

 It started me thinking about different people's roles in sharing God's message and working for God's Kingdom. I myself have at times, thought, "OK, God, what is my role in your plan? What great thing do you have planned for me?"

This verse reminded me that sometimes the answer (from an earthly perspective) is none. God does not intend for each person to be a great evangelist or to be saintly in good works...we were not all formed to be Billy Graham, Martin Luther King Jr., or Mother Theresa. We will not all be known throughout the country or the world for our work and faith.

Some of us were intended to be known just as that person who smiled while passing out food, the person who listened when pain and frustration were being poured out, that person who wrote a letter to point out a community injustice. Some of us were intended to be the glue that holds people together and keeps them pointed in the right direction.

From an earthly perspective, that isn't great, but in God's Kingdom, those things are. Remember that Mark 10: 43 tells us,

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant...

The larger-than-life spiritual heroes are important. They motivate, inspire and bring people together. They spread a message to a vast number of people. The problem is, that it is the personal piece that keeps things going and makes the work deep and long-lasting. Those spiritual heroes can't have personal relationship with all those people who they motivate and inspire. That is when the common, or everyday Christian takes over. That person does the work, the lesser known work, the simple, everyday work; just living a life right with God.

There is not more value to one or the other, although sometimes it feels like that famous spiritual hero is more important than you or I. Each of us is a part of the tapestry of God's design. The song. Through Heaven's Eyes always reminds me that every contribution is important and sometimes we don't fully know how important.

So how can you see what your life is worth
Or where your value lies?
You can never see through the eyes of man
You must look at your life 

 What is your role? Do you value it?

God does!

1 John 4 - Walk in Love

When I read statements of condemnation and hatred from Christians in the news, I struggle with how to respond. Part of me wants to get angry and cry out against this, but I also don't want to be like the people I am upset with; I want to make sure my response is thought out, so what did I do? I went to the Bible...and came across this scripture in 1 John, chapter 4:

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Reading it definitely caused me to stop and think, in fact it raised a lot of thoughts and questions....so WARNING: Possible stream of consciousness coming.

Look at verse 7 and notice that is says that EVERYONE who loves is born of God and knows God. Anyone who loves, and I don't know anyone who has never loved, is from God and knows God. We all have something inside of us connected to God. For some, that may draw us to God and for some that may be an ignored or not understood part of our being. But consider, if everyone is born of God (or comes from God), that everyone should be treated and revered as God's creation. If you are trying to live as God asks and love, this verse does not allow for us to pick and choose which people we respect and treat with dignity, it tells us that all who love are of  God. So where does hatred and condemnation come in???

In verse 8 we see, "God is love". If God is love, than each act of love is God revealed. SO God is revealed through another person's loving actions. The person may not always be loving and we may not always agree with the person, but at least part of the time, that person is revealing God to us. If you separate yourself from that person, you are separating yourself from the opportunity to have God revealed to you by that person...and consequently receiving less revelation of God. Is that what you want? Less God? At least most Christians claim they want more of God. So how do you accomplish experiencing more of God if you are spouting hatred and condemnation?

I love what verse 10 tells us. It says, :This is love." It is getting ready to hear what love is, but it starts by telling us what it isn't. It isn't that we love God. Why isn't it? Well, our ability to love is flawed. Point in case, we say things which condemn and express hatred for others. Our love is tainted and impure. So what is love? Love is that God loves us. Here we are, impure and sinful, but God gives up Jesus to be sacrificed so that we may be seen as pure. Love is something pure and holy. What we express is a shadow of love because it is not fully pure. What God expresses is love, pure and holy, and the example of love we strive for.

Verse 11 encourages us to follow God's example of love. If we are receiving pure and holy love from God, we need to try to reflect that out to people. This is not done through hatred and condemnation but through encouragement, discipline, and acceptance of people. This does not mean you like or love everything about a person, sometimes they disappoint you, or reject you, or hurt you, but we need to respond in love. Sometimes people disappoint, reject and hurt God too. God so loved that god sent Jesus to die for us that we might be forgiven and seen as pure and holy. 

Judgement is for God, for God has full and complete understanding, only God is worthy to judge and we need to leave that to God. Instead of hatred we need to speak and act in love. Instead of condemning, we need to reach out and accept people and let God worry about the rest.

So my response? LOVE. In love if I have access to the people speaking out in hatred and condemnation I can point out that there words aren't loving.  I can make sure I am not passing on these statements, thereby growing the problem, and I can speak words of love and encouragement into these situations.

Will you join me in walking in love?

Galatians 6 - Do For One What You Wish You Could Do For Everyone

What can I do?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Child prostitution, fair trade wages, genocide...these issues can all feel so big, what can one person do?

So many times we see injustice around us and feel inadequate to make a difference. Just driving my car through the city, I will see a number of people who are struggling and begging for money. I can't afford to meet all their needs or even meet all their needs for just one meal. And if I gave them money, how do I know it would be used in life-giving ways?

I think we have all wrested with these questions at one time or another. Galatians 6:2 tells us to:

² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

We can not ignore the struggles and injustice around us. But how can I change the world?

Well recently, I heard someone say, "Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone." The truth is that I can't help everyone and if I were to try to spread around the money I had available to help those in financial need, each would get such a small amount that no one would really be helped. If we are to have an impact, we need to really invest in the right way. You need to go deep, rather than wide; go long-term, rather than short-term, go time, not just money.

The idea is that we need to find the issue and area that we feel God calling us to and then find the place to focus that attention. In Galatians 6: 9,10 we read:

⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

If we examine our life and circumstances, the right opportunity will present itself. But we need to be aware and ready to do good and invest. No one person can solve a problem, but if you pick one person...one situation and really invest, you can have a great impact.

Now it is possible that you are reading this and thinking, it isn't fair to not help everyone. It is true, it might not be fair to take one homeless person for a meal and not another, but the truth is, it is OK not to do for everyone what you would do for one. If you only did things for one that you would/could do for everyone, you would be overwhelmed and overextended and no good to anyone. It is OK to just do for some.

What is the injustice or issue that God is calling you to? Can you identify one person or one place where you can invest deeply, over the long-term, with your time? You might not be able to do for everyone, but you can do for one.

Isaiah 1:17 - Defend the Oppressed

This past week, at the small group meeting I attend, this scripture came up and it caught my attention. Enough so that I have been thinking about it for a couple of days.

¹⁷ Learn to do right; seek justice.
    Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
    plead the case of the widow.

The phrase that jumped out at me was " defend the oppressed". My first thought was to consider who are the oppressed?

 Maybe because it is also National Coming Out week, I started thinking about the LGBTQ community. Everywhere we turn, we hear about issues that relate to the LGBTQ community such as marriage equality which has become a talking point for political debate in this election year. And today, we are reminded of Matthew Shepherd, who was killed because he was gay on this day in 1988. I modified my question to, is this community oppressed?

I decided to look up the word oppressed and found the following definition at the top of my Google search: 1. To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority.

Looking at that, there is no question that in a number of countries, this community is oppressed. In 17 countries, you can be legally put to death for being gay. And in many more, you can be beaten and harassed with no consequences for those who perpetrate these acts. But what about here in the USA? Is this an oppressed community?

I look across the country and consider all the states that are trying to get legislation passed regarding marriage. Some to allow same-sex couples, and some to make a marriage outside of a man and a woman unconstitutional. I consider the inheritance rights of married couples and their ability to pass on property to their spouse, while unmarried, couples must pay huge inheritance taxes to do the same...

Were women oppressed when they were not allowed the right to vote? Shunned from the workforce?

Were African Americans oppressed when they were forced into slavery? Segregated?

Were American Indians oppressed when they had their land taken from them?

I think we would say yes!

Is the LGBTQ community oppressed? I would say yes. The real question is, what do we do about it? How do we defend this oppressed community? Or do we?

 Shamefully, the church as a whole did not defend the other oppressed communities I mentioned. In fact, the church always seems to be divided when it comes to issues surrounding oppressed peoples. The Bible is often used to defend multiple positions of issues. That is as true today with issues surrounding the LGBTQ community as it has been with many other communities.

I guess the first question you have to ask yourself is whether you see the LGBTQ community as oppressed. Next, you have to consider if you believe that you are called to defend the oppressed, and finally, what that looks like.

Being national Coming Out week, maybe the first step is to listen to hear and understand the people of the LGBTQ community. next, consider what ways they are being oppressed and think about how you are called to defend the oppressed. It might be as simple and stopping a conversation that is negative, judgmental and offensive, it might be what candidate you vote for on election day, it might be praying about the situation and for the LGBTQ community, it might be talking to people around you about the issues, or making public declarations and gestures.

However you hear the call of this verse and understand the issues and what action you take is really between you and God, but I ask you...to consider this...Is the LGBTQ community oppressed and what do I do about it?

The Broken Road

Have you ever looked at the path of your road and felt like you really hadn't done enough? Do you ever feel regrets over things not done?

A few weeks ago I was at a conference and saw an interview with a young lady of about 23 who was talking about her missionary work in Africa. She spends her time there working with children and over the past four years, she has been called to adopt seven of them. It is really amazing all that she has accomplished!

But sometimes when I hear these things, I start comparing my accomplishments to those I am hearing or reading about. It can be very discouraging, but it is important to remember that we are products of our experiences. Those experiences prepare us to be the right instrument for God at the right time.

When I walk down this road of thought, I often think of the song, God Bless the Broken Road. Look at these lyrics to verse two.

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

While this is a song about finding love, I relate to this verse also in the sense of my life with God. There have been many times and years that I have just passed through. Many experiences, that if I had been more connected or faithful, I would not have experienced them, but the truth is that each of those moments shaped me and prepared me for the works that God has planned for me.

Let's not forget Paul. He came to his ministry late in life after being a persecutor of Christians. But Paul's life as Saul also made him a:

⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. (Philippians 3: 5,6)

Because Paul was all of these things, he had the respect and authority to bring the message of Jesus to the gentiles, both the commoners and those of the upper class. He had the right to be in from of government officials to plead his case, which allowed him to also preach the gospel in their courts.

Each experience in your life, has and is preparing you for the work that God has planned for you. You can not live in shame of mistakes or lost opportunities, instead use them as moments of growth and understanding that make you uniquely suited to do or say what God has purposed you for.

The young lady I started by talking about was purposed to be a mother and raise many children at a young age, this was a piece of what God prepared her for. But think about where God is leading you....starting a literacy program...changing the way church looks and feels...starting an online ministry...reaching out to those who are hurting from abuse or alcoholism. The past was the preparation and trust that God has given you the right lessons to succeed in God's calling on you.

Be Present (Luke 10:38-42)

The last couple of weeks has been very busy for me (mostly at work). In addition to work and social commitments, I am trying to keep up with friends and family, stay active on the Gay-Christian Bridges page and in the group, as well as stay up on various games I play with people over my phone. I find myself grabbing every moment I can, while riding the T...while helping my cousin's kids cook, to catch up with these things on my phone. I constantly feel behind and often find myself trying to catch minutes to do these things while I am with other people. Just think about that...I am spending time with a person in real life and trying to multitask to play Words with Friends or check Facebook...

When I recognize what I am doing, I can't help but think of the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

I, like Martha, am becoming distracted by other things, when what I need to be doing is focusing on relationship with the person in front of me.


When Martha becomes so focused on other things, Jesus says to her,

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus reminds her to focus on what is important.
 
My boyfriend and I have a reminder phrase we use to help ourselves to focus on relationship and the person in front of us: Be Present. It is the reminder that we use to point out to the other know that their focus is split and it isn't where it should be. It started as something one of us would say to the other, but now, both of us find ourselves commented on our own behavior when we are not being present.

Not only can I have issues being present with those around me, but with God as well. This past week, my small group started a study on Jesus' prayers. One of the main points of the first teaching was that Jesus had a practice of prayer. It wasn't just a talk to God sometimes. It was intentional time spent with God. Jesus often went away from people and spent all night in prayer. He was very present with God and his power came from this close relationship. I feel challenged by this because it can be very easy for me to let busyness distract me from my relationship with God as well. I need the reminder of Martha and Mary of a regular basis.

Do you find yourself multitasking and tapping into social media, texting, games, etc while you are with other people? DO you find other thoughts encroaching on your time with God? Do you need to BE PRESENT more?

Take a minute to do a little self evaluation. Are you like Martha? Are you like Mary? Maybe you too want to adopt the phrase Be Present into your life.

Matthew 7 - There's a lot Underneath the Surface that We Don't Know About

Last Saturday, a friend shared a story with me about her daughter's first dentist appointment. When the dentist office said they were going to take x-rays, she was a little worried about how that was going to work, but it worked out fine and she was explaining the awe of seeing adult teeth sitting underneath her daughter's baby teeth and all I could think was, there is a lot under the surface that we can't see.

I have been running that idea through my head this week as I think about people and things I see. I was drawn to a couple of ideas in Matthew 7. The first is the idea of not judging others which Jesus talks about in verses 1-5 of the chapter:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³ And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

As I thought about this, I was reminded of those teeth, sitting under the surface, that we can't see, and I think about people I know, with many things sitting under the surface too that I don't know about. Are they good? Are they bad? Is it mine to determine? 

I think the truth is that it is complicated. These verses remind me that I, too, can be judged and I know that I am not perfect. There are plenty of labels that I wear, that people could hear or learn and paint their own picture of who I am. They could also witness one soundbite  and determine my character. Would they be accurate? They could be, but probably not. There is a lot going on under my surface, in my mind and my heart. 

Let's look at two labels I wear, Christian and gay. Part of me doesn't know where to start with what ideas and images people might have of me given these two labels alone. These labels evoke many ideas and emotion in our current society, but here a few negative ideas or thoughts I have heard and run across:

• You can't be Christian and gay
• Gay...flouncing fairy
• Christian...judgmental holy roller

The interesting thing about these is that they just don't fit. First of all being gay is your sexual identity and being Christian is your set of beliefs. They can easily exist in the same person. Christian beliefs guide my actions as a man everyday. And I am pretty sure that people who know me would not say I am a flouncing fairy or a judgmental holy roller. 

Instead, most people would say that I am pretty normal, although possibly quirky, with geeky tendencies. Also, people have remarked on how open to hearing and understanding others I am. I don't believe we have to agree to love and care for each other, but I do believe in respect and understanding. And there is a lot under the surface that you don't know about. God has me on a journey and even I don't know where it ends up or all the ways I will be shaped along the journey.

Matthew 7:1,2 is often associated with the idea of walking a mile in another person's shoes. I agree with that. I don't think you can truly understand the place a person is coming from without dialogue with them and you can't appreciate where their ideas come from without taking time. If a person is a part of your life, it is important to understand who that person is. Labels, which we use as a quick way to understand people are not really effective because there is a lot going on under the surface that we don't know about. 

But where does that leave us? I think the answer to that is to see what fruit the person bears.

¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Take the time to walk a mile in a person's shoes and observe the fruit of their life; following both of these ideas will help you evaluate a person and your response to them. 

It makes sense to us to do this for the people who are family, friends, co-workers...people who are engaged in our lives, but that is not where it ends. In this season, where we in the US are preparing to elect a president and soundbites and labels abound. Will you determine a person's worth based on soundbites and labels or will you walk a mile in their shoes and examine the fruit of their life?

There is a lot under the surface that we don't know about.
 

Ephesians 4 - An Attitude Check

So have you ever thought about a situation and realized that you need an attitude check? Boy, have I ever, and I am feeling it right now. Over the weekend I got one of those, I would like to talk face-to-face. Not the, hey, we need to catch up, but the heavy, personal subjects that we don't see eye-to-eye on. This would probably not be so bad if it didn't feel like we had been around the ring with these same topics before...but I guess the good news is that I recognized my need for an attitude check. 

Step one, recognize the the bad attitudes and their need to change.

So, recognize, that I have a bad attitude, one which has put up walls and makes me not want to have a face-to-face conversation. What are the problems...well, in the end, I fear that I will be hurt and two, because I am anticipating that, am concerned that I won't be able to hear the other person without hearing it through my lens of previous hurt and who knows what I will say through that same hurt. So to scripture I went, and found myself in Ephesians 4.

As I read this chapter, several places stood out to me. The first was those first 3 verses.

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

First, Paul reminds that at the time of this writing, he is a prisoner. The voice in my head is saying, "You think you got it bad, remember where Paul was...and he kept a good attitude." Paul reminds me to walk in love, patience and work toward a peaceful, spiritual unity. I surely can't do that and hold past hurts and disagreements in my mind. I need to release them. I need to be able to speak in love and hear in love, bitterness and resentment can have no place in this conversation.

Of course, inside, I am whining a little bit, "But, I don't want to. I have been hurt and I am tired of making myself vulnerable and being hurt again." Now if this was an abusive situation, I might give into that and say that God's best for me is not to allow myself to be abused, but this is in no way that kind of situation. It just is hard for a non-confrontational person to walk into discussions that are a source of conflict and uncomfortableness.

And then I read verses 31 and 32, a direct answer to my concern about what I might say.

³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Paul is pretty straightforward about saying that all those negative emotions and instincts need to be put away from you. They just can't be around if this conversation is to be one of love and peace and gentleness. And furthermore...all those past things I want to hold against that person...well verse 32 has got that covered. Drat, that forgiveness thing.

So I can't hold on to the past wrongs, I can't speak through anger and hurt and I need to have this conversation in love and patience. And now you see where the attitude adjustment is necessary.

Next step, give all the thoughts, hurts, fears, anxieties over to God.

This is the hard part for me, but the only way I know how to do this is to pray. To pray hard and to pray long!!! Possibly in my favor is that I live over two hours away from this person and my schedule is pretty tight for awhile, so I can't actually do a face-to-face right away. So there will be a lot of prayer for this. And I don'[t mean, procrastinate until it gets closer, I mean start today and pray, pray, pray! (and maybe you will pray for me too).

A change of attitude does not usually happen over night, but holding on to a bad attitude hurts us more than anyone else. Our joy is stolen and our focus is on negative things.

And while you are working on step two, bring in step three, replace the bad attitude with a positive one. 

As I pray, I also need to fill my head with reminders and scriptures that remind me to focus on what is pure and good, to know that I am loved, to remember to seek peace and healing for all those involved. Fill your head with so much good attitude that there is no room for a bad attitude. So while I am praying, I will be writing myself little scripture notes and reminders for a positive attitude. (feel free to share your positive attitude scriptures and reminders with me).

Do you need an attitude check?

Is so, remember:

• Indentify and acknowledge the bad attitude.
• Give it all up to God.
• Gird yourself with a positive attitude and thoughts.

Psalm 63 - Desparate Thirst

When I read this psalm, I can't help but stop at at the first verse:

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.

Such an image it presents, with the idea of thirsting for God like you thirst in a land with no water. I can only imagine what that feels like because I have never been that thirsty. But I know David and the nation of Judah understood that thirst. They knew what it was like to be without water and to struggle to get very little water. And they experienced finding water in little trickles,  so little that you can't help but get dirt mixed in with the water, but you drink anyway because of your great thirst.They did not have a faucet as we do, to provide water, or bottled water available that is pure and clean.

So, instead, I think of experiences that I can relate too, where my desire for something has been so great, that I would give and sacrifice everything to acquire it. That is the thirst David is talking about. What I come to that is the closest for me are the times when my heart cries out for another person, just their presence and a hug that let's me know that things will be OK and that I matter and am important. Those moments when life seems more than I can handle.

The beauty of it, is that in those moments, God is there. I cry out, scream and groan, and God's presence comes to me. I feel God, present, whispering that I am loved, I am strong, I will see the other side of this.

And in that whisper, I start to remember. I remember the blessings God has given me, family, friends, food, shelter, the ability to think and reason, the gift of giving to others and I feel grateful; grateful that I am a part of the world around me and that my life has impact on those around me. I remember that we are all connected and that I can find joy in your joy; that I share that joy and that you share my pain. And together, we will see the sun rise and a new day come.

This is what that thirst feels like and why I thirst for God, because God fills a place in my heart. God knows every crevice of who I am and God loves me.

Do you thirst for God? Do you crave to feel in unity with God  and the world around you? How do you experience that thirst? What in your life helps you to understand what it means to truly thirst as the psalm describes?

Holy One is a song by Casting Crowns that speaks to that psalm.

1 John 4:18 - 4 Stories of Courage

A bunch of things that have been going on in my world have caused me to think a lot about courage. I have realized that courage wears many faces and sometimes doesn't feel like courage to the person who is doing it.

I have four stories I want to share that deal with courage. They all share a common thread but all the people don't share the same views, but each one is motivated by love and probably some of the people involved do not see what they are doing as courage, but I have come to see each one as courage, and each one drew me back to 1 John 4:18:

 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

The first is my story, about a week ago, my boyfriend and I were walking to meet some friends, holding hands (a normal thing for us) and a guy stopped us to ask about how long we have been together and if we were married...by this point, his husband had walked back to join him. They were going out to celebrate their third anniversary but the guy explained he had to stop us to comment on us holding hands, wishing that they had the courage to do that. What was a normal, every day activity for us, wasa sign of courage to them.

The second story is about a missionary from South America who happened upon my boyfriend and I about 10 PM one evening, walking down the street, holding hands. She greeted us in her broken English and began to politely, kindly, and with love tell us about Jesus. She explained that love between two men was wrong and urged us to seek Jesus. She was gentle, she was kind, and she spent perhaps 15 minutes talking to us, urging us to seek Jesus and at the end of conversation, parted with, God bless you. Now, I admit, I struggled with this one because when I said that I knew Jesus, she insisted I did not, but I was reminded to see her love in what she said and the time she spent by my boyfriend, and he was right. It was late at night, she was all alone, and there were not many people around, but she spoke in love, not fear. She displayed courage.

The next story is about a mother. Her son is gay and she loves him dearly. All her life she was told that being gay was wrong, but now she is forced to confront feelings and understandings within herself. She chooses to examine those feelings and wrestle with them to understand, all the while maintaining the friendship she has with her son. In addition to wrestling with the feelings within herself. she finds herself advocating for understanding from her husband, not for their son, for he too loves their son, but for her son's boyfriend to be welcome in their home for holidays. Her courage in facing what she has been taught all her life and creating uncomfortableness in her home, is motivated by love. While it can be scary, she walks a path of love.

The last story is about a pastor. She has a church that is only a couple of years old. She has built the congregation from the beginning, moving from a house church to a church with a permanent location. She has a gay man who has offered to start a small group in the church. In conversations with the pastor that mentors her and the small group coordinator of the church she started from, she gets a mixed reaction to having a gay man in a leadership role. She knows that she might face conflict, questions, and uncomfortableness, but she weighs all the factors to look at the person as a Christian man with leadership skills and evaluates his walk and what he has to offer over the label of gay that society places on him. She has courage to stand on the side of love and risk the criticism of Christians.

Each of these people is operating in love, love for another person or love for people in general. It is unclear whether they think of what they are doing as showing courage, but it has become clear to me that each one is walking in courage and not in fear.

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Do you have a story of courage? I would love to hear about it.

Psalm 62 - The Unshakable Cornerstone

Do you have an event in your life that you stand on and gives you perfect certainty about something. Possibly it is a moment in time that you stand on and makes you sure of some one's love for you. Possibly it is an moment in time that made your career path a certainty. Do you have an event in your spiritual life that is the cornerstone of your faith? Maybe it is something that leads you to know something as truth or maybe it is something that leads you to know something is not truth. (Take a few minutes and reflect on that).

As I read through Psalm 62, I couldn't help but notice a section that repeats itself:

¹ Truly my soul finds rest in God;
    my salvation comes from him.
² Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. 

 ⁵ Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
⁶ Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

Right from the beginning, the author makes a statement, and then a few verses later affirms it, with the one difference of saying, "my salvation comes from him" in verse 1 and, "my hope comes from him" in verse 5. 

As I read these verses, it is clear that  God is the writer's fortress and the  writer holds a truth that can not be shaken; that God is the writer's rock and salvation. I wish I knew the story behind the writer coming to that truth and place.

It is a beautiful thing to know something absolutely and completely. For me, it helps to have that experience that I hold in my mind that is the cornerstone of that knowledge. For me, my faith cornerstone  is an experience that happened when I was 13. The circumstances are a story of their own, but I was in the house alone and I heard a distinct and audible voice. God said to me, "I love you and this is not what I want for you." This had a profound impact on me. First and foremost, it was the beginning of developing a faith that was my own, not the faith of my parents or of the church that I attended. Secondly, I knew that God existed, was active, and desired relationship with me. That was profound for me and changed everything. Now, I admit that I can not provide you with scientific evidence of my experience or of the existence of God, and I can't even begin to fully understand or attempt to describe all that God is, but I know that God loves me, God exists, and God wants relationship with me. I have other beliefs about God, but I also know they are based on experiences of mine as seen through the lens of my understanding and environment. I do not classify them as a part of my cornerstone which can not be shaken.

Today, I invite you to consider what is the cornerstone of your faith and where it comes from. Is it unshakable and it is something you own? Can you turn to it when doubts and confusion present themselves to you?

I would love to hear your story, if you care to share it and maybe in the sharing of our stories we will both be changed.

 

John 14:6 - Black and White or Shades of Grey

So the last couple of days I have been thinking a lot about John 14:6:

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Often I hear people quote this as a verse that  speaks to Christianity being the only way to heaven. And here is where I shock, possibly disappoint, or offend some of my Christian friends and audience...but I am just not sure about that. I have been considering this verse as a part of my search to better understand and possibly come to a more definitive answer on this. I want to share some of my journey on this.

I started by considering the language of the verse, particularly the word father. I had a suspicion that the word Jesus used for father was not the same as what was used in the Old Testament. In looking at a concordance to better understand this, I discovered that Father is only used 10 times in the Old Testament as a reference to God and Jesus introduces a term for Father that includes intimacy. The references in the Old Testament are along the lines of Father in the creative or in the protector sense. So this had me rolling around in my mind the following question: Is this verse saying that Jesus is the way to intimacy with God? And is this different than being able to go to heaven?

I then noticed something interesting about this verse, the phrase, Jesus told him. Looking at other versions, it says Jesus answered. I decided I needed to better understand what the question was and who asked the question. I believe that context is crucial to understanding the message of the Bible, and yet it can be often ignored. So I went back to look at the verses proceeding this one. In it Jesus is talking about preparing a place for the disciples where he is going (Jesus has just told them he would be betrayed and would be leaving them) and in verse 5 Thomas, one of the disciples asks a question:

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

So there is the answer to my questions. The person asking the question is Thomas and the question is how can we (the followers of Jesus or the disciples) know the way? Is this an answer then that applies to all people or is is an answer that applies to Thomas and the other disciples?

As I considered that, I can't help notice the phrase, no one. Now, of course this can be understood as no one period, or not one of the listeners (those the answer was given to), but I decided that it was time to be back to the concordance. Interestingly, I see reference to no one and not one, but I couldn't find an indication as to whether it was global or specific from a straight language perspective, commentaries vary in interpretation.

So what I find myself left with, and what I leave you with is a question of how to see this verse in the light of its context. I suspect that people will choose to see it in the way that supports their current belief, but maybe, this question will lead you to further study and to look at other verses to gain more understanding.


I find this to be a grey area. For me, I know that I can only understand God in very limited way, as human understanding is limited. I am reminded of the story of the elephant and the blind men. Each of these blind men experience a different part of the elephant and describe it through the lens of their experience. I often wonder if our experience and talk of God is the same, each one of us describing God as we experience God and through the lens of our experience and environment.

I believe in God and that Jesus is God and that He can and was a sacrifice that cleanses me from sin if I accept that gift. I believe that God wants us to be in relationship[ with God, and I live my life within that relationship. Can I stand here and say that what you describe as God is wrong and what I describe is right? No, I cannot. Even if I was in a conversation of only Christians, I would find we have different understandings, many areas are grey. I can not point to any definitive evidence that I am 100% right and anyone else is 100% wrong. All I can do is share my journey and invite others to experience the relationship with God that I experience (although theirs will be different because it is theirs).

Walk with me, and I will share my story. Share with me, and I will listen, and hopefully we will both come to greater understanding and love.

Bridge Building

One of the things that has been on my mind this week is the Matthew 28:19 commission of making disciples. I hear and read about  this command, and then I read about things like walking up to people on the street and asking them, "If you were to die tonight, do you know where you would go?" and all I can do is cringe. Have you ever been a part of this kind of evangelism? I have. Not that it was ever something I wanted to do, but I was part of a group that was going out and doing this. 

Recently, I have been thinking about that commission a lot. The more I think about it, the more I feel like some people have understood it wrong. They see it as a command to go to other people and tell them about Jesus. Now you may be saying, that sounds right to me, but please wait, while I talk a little more about this, because I believe that this commission was given for us to do, "Jesus style". I think it is important for us to understand this commission, using Jesus as the ultimate example.

So let's look at what Jesus did. Jesus traveled to different places to teach. While he taught in the synagogue or homes when invited, most often Jesus taught places that were informal, often in the countryside (Matthew 5:1, Matthew 14:13,14). When Jesus taught, he went to a place and taught. He went to a place, but the people came to him. I think that is a key point. Jesus made himself available to people. he didn't accost them on the street and force anything on them. He went to a place and then let people come to him if they wanted to hear him teach. Now some of those people heard his message and didn't understand at all, some heard and thought they understood and some heard and stayed to ask more questions. Now, you may point out some exceptions, but I think it is important for us to examine the whole of Jesus' ministry.

Ultimately, I think it is profound to note how Jesus operated. He went to a place and healed and taught. Those who wanted to see or hear him, came to Jesus (even in times when he would have rather have a time of rest). Many came, many heard, some understood.

Partway through his time of ministry, Jesus sent out his followers to minister (Matthew 10:1-15). In verse 14, He gives them this instruction, "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet." Jesus tells them, not to force themselves on anyway. If they aren't interested, leave and move on.

I think Jesus' model is important to remember when sharing teachings and understandings, not just in sharing the religious teachings, but in sharing all views. Imagine how you respond when some one comes at you with an opinion or idea and forcefully explains it to you until you either walk away or agree with them. Maybe it was a situation where you asked for their thoughts and it just went beyond sharing for understanding, or maybe their thoughts were unsolicited. How did you respond internally to this? If you are like me, it left a sour taste in your mouth, and either the desire to avoid this person, or to start hearing their ideas with a chip on your shoulder. (Well, maybe not the first time, but likely the more it happened the more distasteful it became.) 

I beleive that we are called to be bridge builders. We are called to share what we understand, but share it in the way that Jesus did. Let the people come to us. I don't think this is always easy to judge...but I think it is important to consider how you are sharing your message. Are you doing it in a way that offends people who have not chosen to to come hear you (the offensive sign you are carrying in public that a person did not come to see)? Or have you found a place to share your message where people can come to you if they want to hear it and not have to hear it if they have not chosen to come? 

If we consider how we are choosing to share our message and we work to share our message in love, we can be bridge builders. I choose to strive to be a bridge builder. Do you?

Psalm 61 - Sacred Vows

This psalm splits into two parts, the first part where David is crying out to God for help and the second section where David speaks words of faith and praise while asking for blessing. It is verse 5, the first verse in the second section that caught my thoughts today.

For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.

 What I notice first off is that David has made vows to God. Consider what it means that David has made vows to God. David has made a solemn promise to God. From reading other psalms and writings we can guess that this involves serving God, telling others about God, being committed to living a life that he believes God has laid out for him. This is not done lightly or something that David takes seriously. we can see from other writings that David is committed to obedience to God and in that obedience refuses to harm the anointed king Saul, in spite of Saul's attempts to kill him. He doesn't make this vow because God makes vows to him in return. He makes vows because David finds God worthy of his devotion, and worthy of making vows to. David values God.

What do you value to that level? To what or whom, would you make sacred vows and how far would you take them? I think Davids example calls us to consider these questions.

For some of us, vows with God make sense. When I was 13, God touched my life in a powerful way and saved me. While at the time, I believed that God saved me physically, with full understanding of the situation, I know God saved me spiritually. At the time, I was feeling the burdens of life and felt alone and without support and tried to take my life (in a naive way that would not have worked) God told me, "I love you and this is not what I want for you." That made all the difference and I vowed to God that I would never try to take my life again or allow those thoughts to have power over me. Besides the obvious result of being alive, I am secure emotionally knowing that I am loved, regardless of what people, or circumstances may try to communicate to me.

Additionally, I anticipate taking marriage vows, at the right time, with some one. He has shown he is worthy of sacred promises by who he is as a person and how we take care of each other. In him, I see God's love and feel safe and secure.

So again, ask yourself, What do you value to that level? To what or whom, would you make sacred vows and how far would you take them?

Psalm 60 - God's Help vs Mans' Help

So here it is, the second time I am creating this post. I had a fairly complete post on Friday, but felt like the post was not really connecting with the scripture, and was me trying to paste the scripture onto what I wanted to say, and in the end, I have decided to scrap it and start all over. So here I am with psalm 60, having come back to it repeatedly over the weekend and finally ready to write about it.

After much reading and pondering, I find that I want to focus on verse 11 of the psalm;

¹¹ Give us help from trouble,
For the help of man is useless.

It brings up an interesting ideas that I have been thinking about over the weekend, how is the help of man different from the help of God and is mans' help really useless?

I can certainly think of times that I have been helped by other people and it certainly hasn't felt useless and I have appreciated it greatly, so how can it be considered useless? Well, first of all, it is important to remind myself that this is a psalm, a piece of poetic writing, given to the overly dramatic and imagery, not given to specific, concrete spiritual truths. In that context, I see that the question of mans' help is not the question to ask, but the idea to understand is the difference between God's help and mans' help. 

Considering this, it is important to understand the ability of God's help and the ability of mans' help. It is more difficult to understand the ability of God's help for me, because my understanding of God is limited by my human abilities to perceive and conceive of things, so let's start with understanding mans' help. 

People, can (not always will) help to the extent of their abilities, meaning gifts, skills, physical strength, etc, to the extent of their resources, time, money, etc, and their understanding, ability to see and understand the need, circumstances, the request, etc. In many ways this is quite broad and allows for a great deal of help from people. And perhaps it is better to talk about how people can't help. Here are some things that I find others' can't help me with: fully defining the nature of God, perfect truth, the environment around us, in other words, there are many mysteries around me that are not satisfactorily understood within the limits of human understanding.

Enter God. God is not limited by human understanding and therefore can understand these things. And it is through my relationship with God that understanding is revealed to me. Now, do I (or will I) perfectly understand these things, of course not, I am still limited, but I do find myself knowing or understand things for which I can't explain because my source is not my ability (or someone else's) ability to logic out the information, but through revelation. 

The other thing that comes to my mind when I consider this idea of God's help vs. mans' is the idea of things that when added together are greater than the sum of their parts. In nature we find things that when combined create something more that the elements that have gone into it. We can also see this with actions taken, when people combine their actions, at times, they become greater than the sum of those actions or labor. Consider a project that would take you two hours to complete, but when you get two other people to help you, it is completed within a half hour. (because this is experiential, I can't provide you with a concrete example because it would be my experience but not yours, but I have certainly known enough people to experience this that I hope you have a point of reference).

Enter God. God is in the midst of the task, bringing us beyond our abilities to accomplish something greater than we have the ability for, In many circumstances this occurs when we work in community but occasionally when we are working solo.

Does these ideas resonate with you? Have you experienced the help of God? I believe that David did understand the help of God and saw how it went beyond the help of man and therefore sought God's help in the midst of circumstances that were beyond his control. 

What about you. What help do you seek in situations outside of your control? 

Psalm 59 - Powerful Love

^{Hmmm...so here we have another Psalm that speaks of judgement of the wicked..another psalm written by David while he was running from Saul and his followers. There seems to be a lot of this in my readings this week. The interesting thing is that in seasons of my life, I have needed just that. I have needed to be reminded that others felt persecuted, that others got angry and just wanted God to take care of the people around them who were choosing to be wicked. In this season, I find myself wanting to slide over these passages because they don't connect with how I feel in this season of my life. Instead, I want to read verses that encourage me to grow in love, to grow in service, and to grow as an influencer of my environment. Of course I could jump to another portion of the Bible, and I may do that in the future, but today I want to wrestle some more with these psalms.}

^{David's words tell about the injustice of the situation he is in.} 

³ For look, they lie in wait for my life;
The mighty gather against me,
Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord.
⁴ They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.

I am reminded of a letter I read in an article in the Huffington Post called, Dear Hypothetically Gay Son. In it, he writes the letter he would hope to write to his future son if that son were to tell him that he was gay. The phrase that I was reminded of while I read the above words in the psalm were,

Our home is a place of safety and love. The world has dealt you a difficult card. While LGBT people are becoming more accepted, it is still a difficult path to walk. You're going to experience hate and anger and misunderstandings about who you are out in the world. That will not happen here. You need to know with every fiber of who you are that when you walk in the front door of your home, you are safe, and you are loved.

^{This father is acknowledging that his son is on a road that will lead to misunderstanding and persecution, but promises that his home will be a place of safety. The father goes on to say that he will be the son's defender, for he loves every part of who his son is and would go to war for him.}

^{David also finds himself  in a place of persecution, calling on God for help.}

⁹ I will wait for You, O You his Strength;
For God is my defense.
¹⁰ My God of mercy shall come to meet me;
God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.

 Just as the father in the letter promises to be his son's defender, David knows that God will be his defender and responds with trust and later with honor for God.

¹⁶ But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
¹⁷ To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.

So, in making this connection between the letter and the psalm, I am reminded of several things:

•  Reading about persecution and judgement reminds me that even though I may not relate it in my life, it is important for me to be creating a safe place for those who are feeling persecuted. I am called to compassion and love.
• I am also reminded of the beauty of love, the father for his son and God for David. The love that fully accepts and stands ready to defend others. A love that I strive for.
• I am also reminded to be grateful for the people in my life who operate in this love. Those who have stood by me, created a safe place for me, and have stood as my defenders.

Why might God have you reading these messages...this blog...what's message is in it for you? 

Obadiah - Desctruction and Restoration

I decided to take a quick break from the Psalms. We have been having a series at church on the minor prophets and last week was Amos. Since I won't be in town this Sunday, I decided to read Obadiah (which I am assuming this week's message is on) and share my thoughts.

One of the interesting things about Obadiah is that it is just one chapter. Like many of the messages by the minor prophets, it speaks about God's wrath toward the wicked and  the loving discipline that will be laid on them, as well as providing a message of hope for the faithful. Since Obadiah is a single chapter, you see all of these in a short amount of writing.

In Obadiah, the people who have turned away from God are the Edomites. The early verses talk about the pride of the nation.

³ The pride of your heart has deceived you,
    you who live in the clefts of the rocks
    and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
    ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’

Subsequent verses mention the things that God will take from Edom as as a part of their destrution, that are prized by the nation. These include, hidden treasures, her allies, her wise men, and her warriors. All things that Edom relies on, instead of God.

Obadiah goes on further to describe the things Edom has done to the nation of Judah. 

¹⁰ Because of the violence against your brother Jacob,
    you will be covered with shame;
    you will be destroyed forever.
¹¹ On the day you stood aloof
    while strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
    and cast lots for Jerusalem,
    you were like one of them.
¹² You should not gloat over your brother
    in the day of his misfortune,
nor rejoice over the people of Judah
    in the day of their destruction,
nor boast so much
    in the day of their trouble.
¹³ You should not march through the gates of my people
    in the day of their disaster,
nor gloat over them in their calamity
    in the day of their disaster,
nor seize their wealth
    in the day of their disaster.
¹⁴ You should not wait at the crossroads
    to cut down their fugitives,
nor hand over their survivors
    in the day of their trouble.

Edom and Judah have a history, for sure. They are nations descedent from Jacob and Esau, two brothers. Jacob manipulated Esau out of his birthright and, while the two brother's reconciled, their descendants have held onto bitterness.

(The last verses tell that God's people will once again rule and possess these lands and the message of hope for the faithful is included in this chapter.)

But I want to draw you attention to the last part of verse 18,

There will be no survivors
    from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken

As a human and a Christian, I want to cry out, where is the opportunity for repentance and forgiveness for the Edomites? Don't they get a chance to change and find restoration?

A part of this is because I can recognize times when the sin of pride crops up in my life and I certainly don't want to read the message as, I am doomed to complete destruction.

So let me instead offer up some thoughts I have on this. First, as I mentioned, the nation of Edom had a long-time pattern of enmity towards the nation of Israel.  And Obadiah tells us they were filled with pride and had turned their back on God,. The essence of their identity seems to be wrapped up in their pride and their belief in their ability to make it on their own without God, or a need to show love and mercy to all those around them, specifically the Israelites.

For a moment, let's just jump for a moment to Saul of the New Testament. He had his identity wrapped up in pride.

If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.(Philippians 3:4b-6)

And he did not show love and mercy toward the followers of Jesus. Saul was stripped of his pride, repented and reconciled with the followers of Jesus...and became Paul. The essence of who Saul was, was utterly destroyed and Paul was born out of the ashes, a phoenix-type experience. In his own way, Saul was an Edomite and was destroyed utterly and reborn as a new person, Paul, one of the faithful who was restored.

Now back to the Edomites and the question of an opportunity for change and restoration, I believe they too had and have the opportunity to be reborn as a new people, ones in relationship with God, filled with love and mercy for others.

If you haven't already traveled there with your thoughts, let me pose the idea that Edomites are all people who, filled with pride,  believe that they are independent of the need for God, the Divine presence that calls us into relationship and speaks to us of love and mercy towards others.

Certainly I am on a journey to utterly destroy my pride that leads me to operate outside of a relationship of love and mercy with others and relationship with God. How about you?

Psalm 58 - The Importance of Injustice to Motivating Justice

This morning I read this psalm in the New Living Translation on my phone, and then started pondering it and considering the role of injustice in our world. As I sat down to write about it, I opened up the New King James Version and started to skim through it, but got no further than verse 1.

Justice- do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge people fairly? (NLT)

Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men? (NKJV)

What immediately struck me was the term silent ones in the NKJV. While I had originally considered this psalm in the light of people making choices that were actively unjust, that new term caused me to consider those who don't actively see justice.

Does this change anything for you? For me, it causes pause because it means I suddenly need to consider whether I have been silent while an injustice has gone on. I have to consider whether I am in the number that this psalm is speaking about. 

The other thing this highlights, is translational differences. In fact, before I looked at the second translation and started typing this, a conversation ensued this morning about translations, which was started with the comment made by a Biblical scholar who referenced the New English Version version of a scripture in his writings but then in a side note mentioned that that particular writer didn't see it as a accurate version, presumably because it is a translation that is based on ideas not a word by word translation. This progressed into a conversation as to whether adjustments that were made by scribes and scholars who were writing down oral records and transcribing religious writings that are included in the Bible were divinely managed...which led to a discussion of whether a sentient God could make the translations or adjustments that were not divinely inspired fade away...which led to talk about free will...and on iy went, but I digress from where we started. All this is to say that my morning prepared me to notice and be sensitive to the differences in translation.

So let's go back to this psalm, while the psalm starts with this question, it very quickly answers it with no and goes on to tell of the wickedness of the men this psalm is directed towards. But as I pondered all of this, I started to think of the role of wickedness and injustice. Some of the thoughts I had were:

• If there wasn't injustice, would we appreciate and understand the importance of justice?
• Because we have injustice, we have opportunities to speak out for and practice justice, how important is that is develop into the people we were created to be? Without injustice, could we reach and become all that God ordained us to be?
• If the world was just (which would alleviate many struggles that exist in the world), would we appreciate that state of affairs, or would we not realize the beauty of that state and just see wickedness in a different form?

I don't know about you, but if I look at my decisions, I can see times when I stood up for justice and times that I failed to. I believe that it is more the former than the latter, but I guess that I am not the best judge of that. What about you? What do you think about some of the questions above and what questions are you left with?