 Photo credit: Pixabay “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:11,12) Those words were written by a man named Paul who was imprisoned in Rome—living in a house but not allowed to leave, chained to a guard 24/7. Content whatever the circumstances? How is that even a category? What was his secret? “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) Imprisoned but free. Think about that. Paul was a man. A regular guy. If contentment and freedom like that were available to him, it’s available to us. I believe it’s not only through Christ’s Spirit that Paul was able to be free, but by Christ’s example. Who lived a life with more freedom than Jesus? He didn’t care what people thought of him, didn’t compare himself to anyone, wasn’t distracted by the massive number of people who came to him for healing, owned nothing and felt no need to. He took time off to rest even though he only had three years to train twelve guys to change the world. He succumbed to no pressure, and couldn’t be bought. No one could hold anything over him because he was free from everything that would trip the rest of us up. He focused only on the things that really mattered—his identity as the beloved son and being led by the Spirit, never taking his eyes off his mission. If you were free from, what would you be free to? You would be free to be the strongest, boldest, gentlest, kindest, most loving, present in the moment, most fearless, focused, truest version of yourself. Free to live with fearless liberty, free to pursue a life few ever find. Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting. If you’d like to receive these posts and updates in your inbox, please head to the Contact Page to subscribe.
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 Photo Credit: Pixabay What if you could live your life and not care what anyone thinks? What if you weren’t distracted and discouraged by the drama, fear-mongering, societal pressure, and financial burdens that are so much a part of our lives? What if there wasn’t anything anyone could do that could ruin your mood or your day? If you could live your life this way, that would be freedom. Freedom is not “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” You may know your inalienable rights but the rights to truly being free may be alien to you. It’s not defined by external circumstances. Freedom is an internal condition. It’s not only freedom to, as in, do whatever you want, wherever, whenever, and however. It’s also freedom from. Freedom from is deeper and more powerful. It’s something no one can take from you. Not until you are free from can you be free to. Let’s say you win millions and millions of dollars in the lottery. Your first thought might be, “WHOO-HOO! I can quit my awful job, and have and do all the things I’ve always wanted to!” It’s true, you do have the financial freedom now to make those kinds of choices. But then, you have friends and family expecting you to cough up money for them and the government expecting you to fill their coffers. Your employer and co-workers expect your resignation, and society expects you to be resigned to volunteer for everything because they think Louie Armstrong is running “all the time in the world” in your head on a loop. Expectations. Responsibilities, real or imagined. Societal pressure. What if you lose it all? What if you lose your friends? What about maintaining, storing and insuring all the stuff you buy? You may end up more imprisoned in your life than you were before you won the lottery. But if you also have the ability to say “no” to all those requests, you would be freer. If you have the capacity to shut out the “shoulds” from your friends and family, that would be freeing. If you could take that great trip you always wanted to and not be distracted by what everyone thinks about you, what you might be missing or fearing that it could all be gone tomorrow, then you could be freer. Freedom is a state of mind. Come with me and we’ll find the road to that state. Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting. If you’d like to receive these posts and updates in your inbox, please head to the Contact Page to subscribe.
 Photo credit: AnnaKovalchuk via Pixabay When our older son was learning Kung Fu San Soo we bought him the original 1984 Karate Kid movie. When the scene where all of Daniel’s “training” comes together came on, I pointed it out to him. We marveled at the revelation of the blocking movements he learned, but our son said there was a lesson in the scene far more important than those blocks. “Mr. Miyagi kepts saying, ’Look eye. Always look eye,’” he said. “One of the very first things they teach you is to look your opponent in the eye, never at his hands or feet. If you focus on his hands you’ll miss his feet, and vice versa. If you focus on his eyes, you will be able to see everything you need to in your peripheral vision.” That concept resonated with me. I struggle with focus. One theme, in this season of my life, is keeping all the plates spinning. Be sure everyone is where they need to be, when they need to be, with everything they need and are fed, clothed, clean, and as mentally and emotionally stable as possible. Distraction, or even choosing which plate to focus on, is a constant struggle. Imagine the number of plates Jesus had and how focused He had to be. Without money, power, status, a college degree, social media, and with no fixed address, He had three years to turn twelve knuckleheads (as John Eldredge fondly refers to the apostles) into world-changers. His focus had to be incredible. In John 5:19 He says, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. (NIV) Later in John 12:49 He says, I don't speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. (NLT) Oh to be so in the moment, the flow, that you know second by second the best thing to do and say. I can picture Him walking the road from Galilee, stopping to heal blind eyes while blocking and throwing off Pharisees, raising His hands and calmly but firmly parting the angry crowd without even a roundhouse kick or a “hi-YA!” I wonder if Grand Master Jesus wore His tenth-degree black belt under His robes. With focus like that we could deeply and effectively love on those in front of us while pummeling fear, doubt, and worry. It’s certainly something to wax on. #focus #heisnotwhatyouthink #jesusninjathisiknow Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting. If you’d like to receive these posts and updates in your inbox, please head to the Contact Page to subscribe.
 Photo credit: Pixabay A carpenter built a grand and glorious house. Every element, from concrete and shingles, fixture and faucet, tongue and groove, was specifically chosen and masterfully worked.
He invited people to live in it with him. Some welcomed the carpenter and enjoyed their lives together while others completely ignored his existence. In some ways, the people took care of the house. In many other ways they did not, nor did they take care of each other. Trouble continued to escalate until, finally, someone took a match to one of the curtains. It smoldered at first, but quickly the fire spread until the couch, rug, the whole room was engulfed in flames. The fire began to march through the house, room by room. The people avoided the burning rooms but still remained inside the house. They felt protected in the other rooms, convinced the fire would never reach them. Until it did. Some believed there was nothing beyond the house and awaited their fate. Others argued that there had to be more than one way out. How could a loving carpenter design only one way out of the house? Amidst the molten metal and cracking beams the carpenter shouted, “I built this house with my own hands. I know every nail, screw, and sanded place. I designed it so we could live together. I am here in the house with you. I always have been. But now it’s burning down and you will only get out if you come with me. I am the way. All you have to do is acknowledge you need me and ask me to help you. I don’t want anyone lost in the flames, but I can’t lead those who won’t follow.” ---------- Did you catch it, my favorite word? It’s WITH. As in, accompanied by. The carpenter has a name – Emmanuel, which means God WITH Us. Always together. Never alone. Not God Far Off and Directing. Not God Standing Over and Barking Orders. But God In the Midst of Hell WITH YOU. God Who Will Never Abandon You. God As Close As You Will Let Him Be. God wants to be WITH us. It’s what The Father planned in the Garden of Eden. It’s what the New Heaven and New Earth are all about. It’s Jesus, God with skin, God with us, the perfect example, The Way. It’s the Holy Spirit INSIDE us. You can’t get any more WITH than that. Those who want more than one way out are missing the point. It’s not about how to get out of the house, it’s about how to get with the carpenter. Why? Because he loves you. He loves us all. #heisnotwhatyouthink #thepowerofwith #bethelove ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting. If you’d like to receive these posts and updates in your inbox, please head to the Contact Page to subscribe.  Photo credit: Pixabay Lord, I’ve been banging my head here for hours. I have nothing to say.
Talk about My love. My love for you. Ummm…can You be more specific? Talk about… How I’m always here for you even when you can’t hear me. Even when you can’t see or sense. Like right now. You may be blinded, unable to sense anything, but that doesn’t mean I’m not here. Bad things happen to you that if you could vote you’d have voted differently. You vote by the choices you make, but even if you choose perfectly, bad things do happen. Every person on the planet experiences this. Everyone has bad things. I’m with them in it all. And that’s the key word here: WITH. I’m not far away, yelling directions at you like a drill sergeant. I’m in the fray, the rat race, even the darkness, WITH you. You can’t perceive the air you breathe, the oxygen that fills your lungs, and it’s the same with Me. I’m as close as you want Me to be, as close as you will let Me be. I can fill your heart, mind, spirit. The oxygen of My Spirit flows and encompasses every cell you have. Tell them I love them. Tell them I’m not what they’ve been told. They believe lies about Me. I created everything good, and everything to be good. I gave My life to save them. My Spirit goes throughout the earth to encourage and communicate. Tell them I am Love. I am Truth. I am Comfort, Peace, Joy. I am the source of every good thing in their lives. I am the most solid and stable thing in the universe. If they would return to Me I would heal them. Tell them all of this. I’m going to lose at least part of my audience…and I know that sounds selfish and wimpy but I’m being honest and it’s what I’m thinking. They have the choice whether to listen or not. But you have to tell them in order for them to make the choice. Free will is the riskiest decision I made when I created mankind. But it’s not love if it’s not a choice. I want their love. But they have to choose Me. I’ve made it as obvious as possible. I made Nature beautiful and balanced. All of Nature reveals Me. I made salvation as easy as possible: Repent, be baptized, confess with your mouths Jesus is Lord and believe in your hearts I raised Him from the dead and you’ll be saved. That’s it. Open the door and I’ll come in. Life won’t be easier. It may even get harder, but it will be worth it. They need to know. They need to hear it from you. Because you know, better than many, how deep and wide and long and high My love is. Some will listen to you because you have demonstrated it. Some will not listen no matter what you do. But tell them anyway. It looks like You just did. #bethelove #heisnotwhatyouthink #Godlovesyou ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting. If you’d like to receive these posts and updates in your inbox, please head to the Contact Page to subscribe.  Photo Credit: Freeimages.com He could feel them following him.
He stopped walking and bent over to tie his sandal. Out of the corner of his eye he saw them pause, whistling and looking around at the sky. He chuckled softly to himself. They’d never be good private investigators. He walked on, stopping to take in the view, check the position of the sun, clearly enjoying playing with them. Finally he decided to put them out of their misery. He turned directly to face them. Cocking his head to the side and smiling, he asked, “What do you want?” The two were gobsmacked. One’s face grew red and the other stammered a bit before spitting out, “Teacher, where are you staying?” The red-faced one smacked his companion’s arm. “Where are you staying? Seriously? THAT’S what you open with?” “Well, YOU weren’t saying anything. You left me there to…” “Fellas,” the teacher interrupted, laughing. “Come and see.” Honestly, if I were following someone and they caught me, I can’t say I’d have come up with any better response than they did. When I’m in awe of or intimidated by someone and get to speak to them face to face, I can barely remember my own name. And it’s really nice when that someone is gracious and kind to me, as Jesus was with these two. Even if they are the most gracious and most kind of all someones, I can’t imagine they would EVER up and invite me to come along. Can you think of anything more unwise, or unsafe, than telling someone you don’t know AT ALL, who is really kind of stalking you, who could potentially be a crazed axe-wielding groupie, to COME WITH YOU AND SEE WHERE YOU ARE STAYING? Wiser and safer responses could include, “Nope, that’s top secret info,” and “I’ll have my people email your people.” Another option would be to give them an address, part ways, then follow them for a while to see if one of them had an axe in his robe. But Jesus? He invited them to come with him directly to where he was staying. Jesus is fearless. He laughs in the face of danger. He is love in action. He knows that if he is going to be God With Us, then arm’s length isn’t going to cut it. He’s about people. He’s about connection. He’s about turning hearts back to the Father. He came to gather up everyone he can, lead them to his Dad, and rejoice as they are adopted as his brothers and sisters. “Come and see,” he says. And the guys do. They spend the rest of the day with him. One of those two was Andrew. Do you know what Andrew did first thing after leaving Jesus? He went and found his brother, Simon Peter, and brought him to God With Us. Except this time, instead of hanging back, Andrew ran back. I’ll bet Peter’s arm was sore from being dragged. Meeting Jesus can make you want to run back, too. Not sure? Come and see. #bethelove #heisnotwhatyouthink #loveinaction #stalkersurprise ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting. If you’d like to receive these posts and updates in your inbox, please subscribe.  Photo credit: Richard Revel via pexels.com I need to warn you, we use a lot of ’blue language’ on set.”
I shrugged. “I won’t judge you for using it if you won’t judge me for not.” The director smiled. Thus was the acknowledgment of mutual respect and freedom that launched me into the world of independent film. For my Christian friends, I feel I must clarify, this was a “secular” independent film. There are Christian films being made in the area, that’s just not the plot God dropped me in. It’s been a fun, life-giving, mind-expanding few years, and I’ve loved every minute. It’s put me in touch with a wide variety of fun, interesting, intelligent, passionate, hard-working, gifted people…the majority of which do not share my faith. It’s a fine line to walk and one that, sadly, I’ve had far too little practice in and haven’t always done well. My guiding principle has been that I’m here to love the people God puts in front of me, and let God do the rest. Have I loved these new friends well? Could I love better? And most importantly, are they seeing Jesus in me or just seeing me? Which got me to wondering, if Jesus worked on a small, independent film, how would He love people? What would He do? And what would He not do? Here’s my storyboard: He would arrive early. He would do what he was asked to do, without complaining or arguing or even so much as an eye-roll. He would smile and laugh. A lot. And they wouldn’t be patronizing smirks, but would reach clear into his eyes. He would be sure everyone else got lunch before he did. He might even bring lunch to a few who couldn’t get a break to eat. He would go out of his way to help anyone who needed it, even looking for ways to help. He would make a meaningful connection, however brief, with each person he came across. Most would then want to have him over for a fish fry (he might even bring two fish or some bread…). He would answer any religious questions he was asked in a gentle, honest way. He would not spark religious debate by turning every conversation into a religious one out of nowhere. He would not cower, but when yelled at, ignored, dismissed, even abused, he would continue to work hard, forgive, and move on. And I’m pretty sure “blue language” wouldn’t bother him one little bit. #loveinaction #heisnotwhatyouthink #bethelove --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting. If you’d like to receive these posts and updates in your inbox, please subscribe. |
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