Fish Stories, Weblogs, and the Man
After five years of blogging on the same template, I've changed to a new style. It's kind of hard to get used to. Especially since I've never had the profile turned on so I have 19 brand new hits to the profile in the past 20 minutes. Looks like nobody's even looked at the site in seven years. I mean, after a decade of writing you would think I would have millions of hits but here we're twelve years into this and less than two dozen profile views which is only a couple of years longer than I've been writing on this thing.
Actually, I was forced by the "man" to make the change. See, they messed with my old template and took away the archives so I had to move to a new template so the archives would appear again. Now you can go back all the way to the good ol days of 2002, track my writings between then and now, and ponder what went wrong. On another note, I'm thoroughly honored that the folks at REP (Republicans for Environmental Protection) have requested to use the blog below this on the front page of their newsletter. They're good people with a sensible agenda that declares that progress and conservation can co-exist to the betterment of us all. To that I say, Amen.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
When the opportunity arises for a free dinner at a country club on Maui, one would be unwise not to take advantage of such an event. So it was when I was invited to the Maui county Republican convention where my good friend was vying for the voting affections of a few dozen retirees with sun soaked faces and strangely dyed hair. It's amazing that such a small crowd decides the political leadership for the whole party, but I guess everyone else had to work or surf. I was seated at a round table with eight people including a brilliant man, we'll call him Lewis. He was busy telling the man next to him of the scientific reasons why Al Gore is an academic jellyfish and that global warming is a hoax and saying enough things about carbon dioxide to make me realize that this man was an expert in gas. I'm an expert in gas, after all I have a thirteen year old son. But the thing that made me put my trembling fork down was when he said that man has no affect on the environment. Now I'm no scientist but here was my take. "Excuse me," I say. "You mean to tell me that you believe that man has no effect on the environment?" He responded by saying, "None whatsoever." A heated exchange ensues. I mean has he never driven in Los Angeles?
Now here's where many of my fellow Republicans have become complete dunderheads. Let's pretend that I say to my son, "You're not taking care of your room. It's a disaster area. Now clean it up." What if he comes back to me with this response? "This mess has no affect on the structural integrity of this house and I can prove that scientifically." While he may be completely correct, his attitude demonstrates a great deal about his character. Whether or not the structural integrity of the house is in question is not the issue. The issue is that he has a responsibility to be a good steward of that which he has been entrusted with. If he fails to do that, he demonstrates a significant lack of character though the house continues to stand.
The Republican platform is built upon a base of people to whom character is a big deal. Many of them also read the scriptures on a regular basis which contains a great deal of instruction regarding man's care and stewardship of this planet. In order for the Republicans to capture the hearts of my generation, they're going to have to care less about proving Al Gore wrong and care more about the earth than Al claims to. If they can't do that, and the room remains a disaster area, they demonstrate a serious character flaw, though the house continues to stand.
Now here's where many of my fellow Republicans have become complete dunderheads. Let's pretend that I say to my son, "You're not taking care of your room. It's a disaster area. Now clean it up." What if he comes back to me with this response? "This mess has no affect on the structural integrity of this house and I can prove that scientifically." While he may be completely correct, his attitude demonstrates a great deal about his character. Whether or not the structural integrity of the house is in question is not the issue. The issue is that he has a responsibility to be a good steward of that which he has been entrusted with. If he fails to do that, he demonstrates a significant lack of character though the house continues to stand.
The Republican platform is built upon a base of people to whom character is a big deal. Many of them also read the scriptures on a regular basis which contains a great deal of instruction regarding man's care and stewardship of this planet. In order for the Republicans to capture the hearts of my generation, they're going to have to care less about proving Al Gore wrong and care more about the earth than Al claims to. If they can't do that, and the room remains a disaster area, they demonstrate a serious character flaw, though the house continues to stand.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Healing
This week I've seen some cool things. A 20 year asthma condition healed. That was one of the church's secretaries who, during a service, had a vision of herself healed. That day, she was. That was really cool. Then there was an amazing lady who, in spite of the torment of depression and a constant well of rage inside of her, pressed through week after week to offer a sacrifice of worship to God though her countenance was distant from her actions. Last week she was flooded with joy and the depression lifted for the first time in a year and a half and the joy has remained. Again, very cool. I don't fully comprehend why some are healed and some aren't. Certainly the ratio is not near 100%. I have my theories but that's for another time. What I can do is to look at those who have been healed and find some common characteristics. In both of these cases (as well as the other miracles I've seen here) those who have seen a breakthrough manifest in their physical bodies were people who, without offense, pressed through a season of lack by offering to God the most precious of gifts, worship in the midst of suffering. They also seem to avoid the two most common responses to suffering. Guilt/shame, and blaming God. Neither of these things I could find in any of those who have been healed. Proverbs 13:12 reads like this. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when desire comes, it is a tree of life. Whoever despises the word shall be destroyed, but he that fears the commandments shall be rewarded."
Redeeming Trauma and Tragedy
There's a need to look at this with eyes not clouded by bitterness and see that herein lies a powerful hope. That is the revelation of how to redeem trauma. As a believer you have access to blessing in every area of your life. I believe this with all of my being. Forgiven of sin, free from sickness, and delivered from torment. What would it be like if any event of your past could be brought up and you feel no need to defend yourself? Salvation through Jesus Christ gave you permission to live as though you had never sinned. I'll take it a step further. Anytime you revisit your past sins (apart from the blood of Jesus) you open yourself up to a spirit of deception. Why? Because it doesn't exist any longer for the blood of Jesus didn't just cover it. It removed the sin. When you revisit past sins you recreate the event to the point where you begin to feel the emotion of guilt or shame associated with that event that doesn't exist. What's happened? You're subjecting yourself to events and emotions that Jesus Christ died to redeem. Hope is the immune system of the believer and it's at this point that you trade the hope in your heart for shame. Any place in your life where there is no hope is a place where a stronghold exists that is built upon a foundation of a lie of the enemy that you have believed. When you believe the truth of the Word of God, you are taken to a supernatural level of freedom. When you believe a lie of the enemy you are taken to a supernatural level of bondage.
At the end of every disappointment we are at an extreme state of vulnerability where we are drawn into questioning the goodness of God for us. When someone said to you, "God is good." you might have responded with, "He's good to some." You then begin to devalue what you have believed and start sacrificing what God has given you to embrace disappointment. I have piles of questions based upon what I don't understand, but if I sacrifice what I do understand for those things that I don't, I am trading the truth for a lie.
What's the cure?
First, be honest to God, not religious. Spend time weeping before God in honesty, not accusation. Take time in this. You'll take it now or later, for bitterness will take you to a place of disease. That is dis-ease. When you don't take care of the issues of the heart you remove yourself from the umbrella of divine protection and make yourself a candidate for affliction. The affliction is not from God nor is it Him saying, "This is ok with Me." It's you unwilling to work with God to deal with the issue. Continue to go before Him and pour out your heart. If you will not allow the peace that passes understanding to come you'll probably never find the understanding you're looking for.
Second, find your voice in the Psalms. Look for your heart's cry. The Psalms contain every possible emotion and is well representative of every conflict and tragedy there is in life. When you find your heart's cry read it as if it were your own voice. Most of the time, the answer is there as well.
Third, rightly discern the Lord's body. 1 Corinthians 11:23 talks about this in communion and says some huge things about why many believers are sick and dying. The cup is the shed blood of Jesus that dealt with sin. What's the broken body for? Discerning the body of Christ is taking the time to realize the price that was paid for your healing. This is more than a remembrance of former things. It's a reminder that Jesus paid for something. Why do I pray for the sick and contend for healing and count disease as an enemy? Because I want Jesus to get what He paid for. I don't know who all will read this article, but please know this. Jesus paid for your miracle in blood. The same faith you have for your salvation is the same faith that will raise you up to complete newness of life. Spirit, soul, AND body.
This week I've seen some cool things. A 20 year asthma condition healed. That was one of the church's secretaries who, during a service, had a vision of herself healed. That day, she was. That was really cool. Then there was an amazing lady who, in spite of the torment of depression and a constant well of rage inside of her, pressed through week after week to offer a sacrifice of worship to God though her countenance was distant from her actions. Last week she was flooded with joy and the depression lifted for the first time in a year and a half and the joy has remained. Again, very cool. I don't fully comprehend why some are healed and some aren't. Certainly the ratio is not near 100%. I have my theories but that's for another time. What I can do is to look at those who have been healed and find some common characteristics. In both of these cases (as well as the other miracles I've seen here) those who have seen a breakthrough manifest in their physical bodies were people who, without offense, pressed through a season of lack by offering to God the most precious of gifts, worship in the midst of suffering. They also seem to avoid the two most common responses to suffering. Guilt/shame, and blaming God. Neither of these things I could find in any of those who have been healed. Proverbs 13:12 reads like this. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when desire comes, it is a tree of life. Whoever despises the word shall be destroyed, but he that fears the commandments shall be rewarded."
Redeeming Trauma and Tragedy
There's a need to look at this with eyes not clouded by bitterness and see that herein lies a powerful hope. That is the revelation of how to redeem trauma. As a believer you have access to blessing in every area of your life. I believe this with all of my being. Forgiven of sin, free from sickness, and delivered from torment. What would it be like if any event of your past could be brought up and you feel no need to defend yourself? Salvation through Jesus Christ gave you permission to live as though you had never sinned. I'll take it a step further. Anytime you revisit your past sins (apart from the blood of Jesus) you open yourself up to a spirit of deception. Why? Because it doesn't exist any longer for the blood of Jesus didn't just cover it. It removed the sin. When you revisit past sins you recreate the event to the point where you begin to feel the emotion of guilt or shame associated with that event that doesn't exist. What's happened? You're subjecting yourself to events and emotions that Jesus Christ died to redeem. Hope is the immune system of the believer and it's at this point that you trade the hope in your heart for shame. Any place in your life where there is no hope is a place where a stronghold exists that is built upon a foundation of a lie of the enemy that you have believed. When you believe the truth of the Word of God, you are taken to a supernatural level of freedom. When you believe a lie of the enemy you are taken to a supernatural level of bondage.
At the end of every disappointment we are at an extreme state of vulnerability where we are drawn into questioning the goodness of God for us. When someone said to you, "God is good." you might have responded with, "He's good to some." You then begin to devalue what you have believed and start sacrificing what God has given you to embrace disappointment. I have piles of questions based upon what I don't understand, but if I sacrifice what I do understand for those things that I don't, I am trading the truth for a lie.
What's the cure?
First, be honest to God, not religious. Spend time weeping before God in honesty, not accusation. Take time in this. You'll take it now or later, for bitterness will take you to a place of disease. That is dis-ease. When you don't take care of the issues of the heart you remove yourself from the umbrella of divine protection and make yourself a candidate for affliction. The affliction is not from God nor is it Him saying, "This is ok with Me." It's you unwilling to work with God to deal with the issue. Continue to go before Him and pour out your heart. If you will not allow the peace that passes understanding to come you'll probably never find the understanding you're looking for.
Second, find your voice in the Psalms. Look for your heart's cry. The Psalms contain every possible emotion and is well representative of every conflict and tragedy there is in life. When you find your heart's cry read it as if it were your own voice. Most of the time, the answer is there as well.
Third, rightly discern the Lord's body. 1 Corinthians 11:23 talks about this in communion and says some huge things about why many believers are sick and dying. The cup is the shed blood of Jesus that dealt with sin. What's the broken body for? Discerning the body of Christ is taking the time to realize the price that was paid for your healing. This is more than a remembrance of former things. It's a reminder that Jesus paid for something. Why do I pray for the sick and contend for healing and count disease as an enemy? Because I want Jesus to get what He paid for. I don't know who all will read this article, but please know this. Jesus paid for your miracle in blood. The same faith you have for your salvation is the same faith that will raise you up to complete newness of life. Spirit, soul, AND body.
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