Picking up the pieces

Christmas is perhaps the most anticipated holiday of the year. Children and adults alike look forward to this one festive season all year. In modern American culture, a fat man in a red suit ostensibly breaks into people's houses and gives them stuff after their children have sat upon his lap and told him their deepest covetous thoughts. On Christmas morning, children and adults alike rip open packages containing those deeply coveted items, or not, in which case a temper-tantrum ensues. We get together for parties with people we tolerate once a year, usually consuming more alcohol than is strictly recommended and hope that nobody does anything too horribly embarrassing.

But of course, Christmas is about none of these things. It's not the gifts, it's not the parties, it's not the man in a red suit with a thyroid problem. It's about the baby, wrapped in rags, lying in a feeding box. It's about the man he grew into, the man who lived a life of love and humility. It's about that same man who died an unjust death at the hands of people who had no right to have him put to death. Above all other things, it's about the fact that this man did not stay dead, but rose from the dead, forever taking its power. It's about the peace we can find if we put our faith in Him.

See, this year has been a rough one for me and my family, as have the last few. It's one of the things that drove me to start this devotional blog. It's the reason I chose the name for this page. I feel broken. I feel like I have nothing left.

And that's why God sent His Son. He knows we are broken. He knows we are lost, and He allows us to be filled with Him, but because we are broken, it spills out and we need to be filled again, and again, and again.

There's joy to be had, real joy...and that's what Christmas is about, but first we need to let Jesus Christ pick up the pieces. 

Sometimes you just have to walk away.

“You can please some of the people some of the time all of the people some of the time some of the people all of the time but you can never please all of the people all of the time.”

- Abraham Lincoln 

Yeah, it's not a scripture passage, but don't worry, that's coming. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 8, the Apostle Paul talks about not offending others with our actions. Specifically, he writes about eating meat sacrificed to idols. 

Paul states that we should be aware so we don't cause a younger brother or sister in faith to stumble. So we do our best, and sometimes, even when we see another person making an error and try to bail them out, it turns on us anyway. It recently happened to me when I confronted someone about something they had posted on social media. One thing led to another and it became obvious that not only was the original poster not going to be reasonable, but one of his family members joined the fray, and I had to apply another scripture. In fact, it is one of my favorite, on the surface most confusing, scripture passages.  

Proverbs 26:4,5 (NLT)

4 Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
   or you will become as foolish as they are.

⁵ Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools,
    or they will become wise in their own estimation.

My understanding of these verses is this: Don't argue with someone who isn't willing to listen because you're not going to win and you'll just be frustrated in the long run. Correct someone when they're saying something silly, because if you don't they'll just keep on doing it. Simply put, state your piece, and if the other person isn't willing to roll with it, walk away. 

Proverbs 10:8 (NLT)   

The wise are glad to be instructed,
    but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.

All we can do is try to point the other person in the right direction and pray that they go the right way. Beyond that, they're responsible to God for their own actions. 

So, I walked away. I'll pray for the kid and his family, but it will do me no good to continue to bang my head against the wall, and it won't do either the kid, or his family member any good because they're convinced of their self-righteousness. 

It all comes back to balance. 

Proverbs 10:9 (NLT) 

People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.

Don't look now...

Isaiah 53:6 (NIV)
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

We've lost our way.

We've lost our way and persecution is building, and we whine and complain, but we don't really pay attention to what's happening because we have allowed distractions to lull us into a false sense of our own "rights."

In Egypt, Syria, Sudan, China, North Korea, Nigeria, and any number of other countries, disciples of Jesus Christ are tortured, beaten, bereft of their possessions, and/or killed. The very area of the world where the Apostles first spread the Good News of Jesus Christ is once again a place where that name cannot be spoken aloud without risking severe persecution.

But here we are, in the United States, upset because a very visible individual professing faith in Christ (whose faith I do not doubt based upon his charitable contributions and other considerations), has been suspended from filming a television show because he stated his beliefs. Yes, it's persecution, but this is a small can of beans compared to what the rest of the world suffers.

Know and understand that "...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12) The devil's been at this a long time, and he knows that the religious freedoms so dear to those of us in the United States are only there so long as a few pieces of velum, made and written upon by men, remain the law of the land. So long as enough people stand firm upon the principles in those founding documents, those freedoms will stand; however, those very same freedoms have made us soft and complacent. We have reveled for so long in our prosperity. Even the poorest American has more to his/her name than many in third world countries.

Sure, we wring our hands and say the necessary platitudes, and put a few pennies in the jar when the missionary stops in for a visit every several years. When we hear about the atrocities in other parts of the world, we may shed a tear, but then we go back to business as usual. As soon as we leave the church building (or even as soon as the final hymn is sung), our smart phones come out and we're discussing the current gossip. We get home and the TV goes on, filling our minds with more of the insidious brainwashing we've become addicted to.

 

We have become the church of Laodicea who were rich and pampered, but inside were sick and dying. They'd become lazy about their faith. They said they believed, but there was no feeling. The things they clung to, thinking they would be happy, turned on them and became a bloated monster of apathy and indolence.

We're in trouble folks.

But there is good news!

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV)

Father God, forgive us our apathy. Open our hearts to be a true people after yours. Turn us away from our laziness toward our faith. Make us a fire that will burn away the dust and tarnish that have lain too long upon those of us who claim to be the Body of Christ. In the name of your blessed Son, Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Listen up!

Matthew 13:13

"This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.'"

I know this may ruffle some feathers,  but hear me out.

I'm not a Roman Catholic,  and I don't agree with him on all doctrinal points, but the more I read what he has to say (and don't just take the spin from the left or roght at face value), the more I like Pope Francis.

See, the guy is getting a bit of hard press from the right because he's supposed to be anti-capitalist, while he's receiving accolades from progressives because he's supposedly for same-sex marriage, or any number of other things.

Read carefully the transcripts of what he has to say and, well, he's not saying that at all. Everything I've read of what he has said or written points instead to somethig that is close to my own heart: the true mission of Christ.

Jesus was hated by the religious leaders of His day because He healed the sick, loved the unlovely, touvhed the lepers,  cast out demons, raised the dead, preached and lived love and forgiveness.

Ok, the pope says consumerism is bad. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and give the money to the poor. The Apostle Paul told Timothy that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. The Apostle James wrote that we should not favor the rich over the poor and the purest practice of religion is caring for widows and orphans. Seems to me, the Bible says consumerism, or materialism if you'd rather, is bad.

This is an unpopular stance in Christian America, but being rich is not the core teaching of Jesus. Yes, we should earn our keep. The Apostle Paul, in the second letter to the Thessalonians wrote (in so many words) "Stop sitting on your butts expecting others to take care of you while you wait for Jesus to come back. Go to work, earn your keep, or don't expect to eat." So, yes we should continue to work, and earn our keep, but this doesn't mean we should stockpile stuff and pile up "treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupt."

Furthermore,  if God should bless us with wealth,  we should bless others with it. Along with this, we need to love people and show them Christ, and let Him do the work of healing and change in their hearts.

This is exactly what the Pope is saying.  It's perfectly in line with what Jesus taught and lived.

Then there is the claim that he said Atheists can get into heaven. Strictly speaking, he did, with the caveat that the atheist must accept Christ first. Yes, I read the statement in question in it's entirety, and Pope Francis said nothing new. He said exactly what has been said all along.

Let us not be those who look but do not see, nor those who hear, but  do not listen. We must read the scriptures, know them, and follow them.

Enjoying the moment

Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


About a week ago I referred to the writings of Solomon in Ecclesiastes. Thinking of that passage and the wisdom Solomon shared, I'm struck by the joy we can find in the moments of life that God gives us.

As recorded in Matthew's gospel, Jesus taught the disciples and others on the mountain with him, to set worry aside. God's provision is such that we need not worry.

It's so easy to worry. It's certainly something with which I struggle. There are so many things that creep in to our lives. Money, relationships, work, any number of things can grab our attention. This time of the year it gets worse, for me at least. 

Then I come across a family in worse straights than mine, and I stop and think, "wow, look at that. They have nothing, but they are so joyful just the same." And I suddenly feel like a heel.

I grew up in poverty. I didn't know it at the time. It wasn't until I was in my twenties that my dad told me how bad it really was. He worked three jobs, and my mom, despite her college degree,  worked as a waitress when I was very young, and later as a Christian school teacher. By the time I was ten, we pulled just over the top of the poverty line,  but it didn't matter. We were happy, healthy, clothed and fed. 

I look at my life now. My wife and son and I have a house (sure it's a townhouse but it's warm and dry), two cars (both are actually quite nice, if a bit on the high mileage side of things), a scooter each for my son and I, a tv (its tiny by today's standards, but it works), internet, a computer, tablets, phones, and so on. We have so many blessings, including a job that I love.

But I forget to see the joy in those blessings. I forget to look back and see what God has done and thank Him for the way He has provided. 

He has provided so much, yet I still worry for the future. Ok, so I'm not a millionaire.  I'm not working at the top tier of a fortune 500 company. I don't have a house with a five car garage and a Jaguar in the drive (scratch that, I do have the Jag, but I got it on the cheap). I don't wear Armani, my wife doesn't wear Prada, and my son doesn't have the pair of Jordans that came out next month. We don't have a 500 inch television,  or a pool, or a helipad on the roof.

But...

we have family, we have love, and we have faith.

It's enough.

Feel the love

Read 1 John 4:7-21

We say "I love you," an awful lot. We use the same word in reference to things we may own or want, or see or hear.

For instance, I recently said to my son, "I really love my car," and of course, being British,  it is quite lovely. Just the same, if I tell my wife or son, "I love you," it should mean something much deeper.

Love describes not just a phrase we say to make someone feel better or get something from them. Love is far more than a passing emotion that comes and goes as the situation changes. As the Apostle John illustrates, love is self sacrifice.

John tells us that a person who says he loves God, yet hates his brother is a liar. That is a pretty tough standard to meet, but it's accurate. Think about it. If God is love, and we are trying to live like Him, showing hatred to others is the exact opposite of what God is.

Recent events in my life have brought this to the forefront of my thinking. If others try to hurt me or those I care about, it's natural for me to be angry, but Jesus said "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." This from the man who died for the very people who hated Him. Seems legit.

So, I'm refusing to be bitter. Every time the situation comes to mind I pray for all those involved by name. I may never know if my prayers have an effect on anyone else, but I know they're having one on me. My anxiety is fading, and I have no more anger, just a profound sadness for those still holding on to their anger.

God is love. Love is more than just a word, it is a way of life.

Stretched faith

Matthew 17:20 And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. 

Ahh the mustard seed illustration. As I've mentioned before, sometimes I see connections after thinking about things for a long time. I know the principle of brokenness applies to faith, and people of faith will struggle, but I never really understood the depth of the simile.

If one watches the process of a seed growing into a plant, one can imagine that if a seed had a nervous system, there would be a fair amount of pain involved. It struck me that this is indeed a vivid picture of faith. As a seed germinates and grows, the shell breaks open, the little shoot has to push up through the soil and it will die if it isn't watered or if the soil is too dry, or any number of other factors aren't in place.

Similarly in the growth of a child, there can be a lot of pain involved. It isn't constant, of course, but it is sometimes difficult to get through when it happens. I remember when I was young, I would wake at night with excruciating pain in my joints. My mom or dad would let me sit on their lap and would try to comfort me. It was horrible.

There are painful moments in our faith journey. Some more painful than others. In these times we need to seek the comfort of our Father. Not any earthly father, but the Heavenly Father. We need to be willing to let the Father help us through the tough times.

One way we can do this is to fall into the earthly arms of brothers and sisters in the faith. Fellowship is so important for dealing with the pain involved in the growth of faith. If we have no one to lean on, we will struggle all the more.

Faith is not a journey we can make alone. We need others to lend us their strength and comfort. Just like a rubberband, faith can only stretch so far before it breaks.

It's Immaterial

Read and consider Ecclesiastes 1 and 2

In the United States, we just celebrated a holiday set aside to give thanksgiving to God for His provision and bounty. The very next day, at least one person was killed and several people were injured as greedy shoppers trampled each other in their haste to get the best deals.

There is nothing wrong with having a few things. In fact, there are some things that are needful in our daily lives; a place to live, transportation, food, and clothing. Amenities that make life easier and more pleasurable are not necessarily bad things either, to a point.

The problem comes when we become so obsessed with things that it distracts us from what is truly important in life. A rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked him what was necessary to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor.

Now, let's be clear and fair, Jesus wasn't suggesting that there's anything wrong with having some possessions. He was asking the young man what was most important to him.

We can ask the same. Do we own the things we have, or do they own us? Do we really believe Jesus Christ is all we need, or do we value other things?

If we are truly broken, and want Jesus Christ to use us, material distractions just make it more difficult for us.

Keeping up Appearances

1 Samuel 16:7; Romans 14:13-18

As mentioned in this space a few days back, Jesus charged His disciples to not judge others, especially if those being judged don't embrace the same faith. Unfortunately, other people are still going to judge us every day. 

People judge us by how we dress, what we say and how we say it, what we drive, where we live,  whether we have tattoos or earrings, and the list goes on. God sees what is inside, but everyone else sees only the outer shell.

The apostle Paul wrote about a practice that was distressing to those in the early church. Many were concerned that eating meat that had been sacrificed to an idol was a sin. Paul applied the idea of loving one's neighbor, he didn't use that term, but the principle is there. If we really love others, we will watch out for them.

How we self-identify can affect others. While we may not find something offensive,  another person might. There's also the reality that others,  especially younger men and women who look up to us, may see waht we do, or how we dress and try to one-up us.

My son, for instance,  was with me when I popped my car up to 100 on the highway briefly,  just to test it out. When one has recently purchased a Jaguar (older model as it may be), it is quite the temptation. Later that week, my son posted on Facebook that he wanted his license so he could "cruise at 100" on the highway,  taking what I had done and figuring if that was ok, then constantly maintaining a higher-than-posted speed must be ok too. We had a little talk about that.

We're being watched.  What we say, how we behave, the people we routinely associate,  all of it has a direct connection to the effectiveness of our representation of Jesus Christ.

Think thanks.

The Bible's pretty clear about giving God thanks and glory. There's no room for argument on that.  In fact, there were several feasts of thanksgiving set aside in the laws of Moses. 

Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. is a similar idea, and was set aside by President Lincoln as a day to thank God. Just the same, we use the day less as a day of thanksgiving and more as a day of gluttony and indolence.

I've fallen prey to that myself. I made myself so sick one Thanksgiving several years ago that I decided I'd rather not relive the experience. Since then I've been careful with my portion sizes and haven't been as likely to take seconds.

In the celebratory spirit of the day, may we thank God with our words, as well as our actions.

All or nothing

Read Malachi 1:2,3; Genesis 2:1-16

How much are we willing to give? How much do we treasure our faith? What are the things we most cherish?

The first murder recorded in the Bible is that of Abel by Cain. It all started when the brothers each brought an offering to God, but God only accepted the offering of Abel. Was it Cain's offering itself God rejected? It doesn't seem so. God talks to Cain and asks why he's angry. God tells Cain that he will only be accepted if he does what is right. It is apparent that Cain didn't bring his offering for the right reason, or there was some sin in his life that he was trying to hide. 

The story of Jacob and Esau carries a similar theme. Esau sold his birthright for a meal. He didn't value what God had given him. The promise given to his grandfather Abraham didn't mean as much to him as his immediate need, so God rejected him. God gave Esau's birthright to his younger brother.

If we study the history of Israel, we see the same story of rejection played out. It went so far that when the long awaited Messiah,  the promised Savior arrived, the descendants of Jacob rejected Him. Jesus was killed, rose from the dead, and a new fellowship of believers began. The scriptures are clear; however, that because of God's promise to Abraham, He has not forgotten the chosen house of Jacob.

But the pattern of rejection doesn't stop there. In the early days of the Church, a couple named Ananias and Saphira sold some property, then pretended to give the whole amount to the Apostles. God saw their sin and rejected them both.

The pattern continues today. We persist in valuing other things than what God values. We get distracted by things that don't really matter. Here in the United States, we have a relatively easy life. That's part of the problem. We don't give God all that He asks for, our hearts aren't really in it, our sacrifices aren't given from a heart of praise, and we gladly trade our birthright for passing pleasure.

The apostle John recorded God's charge to the church in Laodicea. This church had become apathetic. they started to value things that don't matter at all. They became obsessed with earthly wealth and didn't really feel they needed God, but they still went to Church on Sundays, just in case. Sound familiar?

What we own doesn't matter, it's what owns us that matters. If we give everything we have in the service of Christ, we gain everything that there is of value. If we chase after what this world has to offer, we end up with nothing.

Troubled hearts

^{Galatians 5:13-26
13} You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^{[b] 15} If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

---

It's early morning before Church on a Sunday. I'm sitting in my recliner, just thinking and praying. The dog's been for a walk, a short one since she wasn't all that fond of the cold. I can hear a cat crunching kibble in the kitchen. It's peaceful.

Yet my heart is troubled. Life is complicated. While I try to live by the standards of integrity my father taught me, it's not a value that seems to be shared by a lot of people. I'm troubled because I see my son growing up in a world that values nothing but self gratification.

I know God has me in His hands and His grace is more than sufficient, but still those worries sneak in. Values that seemed so common when I was young are increasingly pushed aside by entertainers, politicians, and other influential people in society. All of the acts of the flesh can be seen in a single half hour television program.

Living by the fruits of the spirit gains one mockery and contempt. But, isn't that what Jesus said would happen? "As they hate me, so they will hate you." Looking at other countries, there are others who have it much worse. We are headed in that direction as western society continues to implode.

Let's not confuse this with the false martyrdom some are prone to. Those who act in a deliberately offensive manner, publicly condemning those they feel do not measure up. There's a difference between being hated because we are living Christ, and being hated because we're acting like jerks.

Let us be filled with joy. Let us act embrace peace. Let us be patient. Let us show kindness. Let us do good for our neighbor. Let us never forsake those we have committed ourselves to. Let us be gentle. Let us show that we don't have to satisfy every passing desire, just because we can. Let's love so strongly that people will be amazed and see, not us, but Christ living and loving through us.

Broken vessels.

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

Nobody's perfect.

We often seek to strive for an ideal. Fame, money, beauty,  world peace. It's like a Miss America pageant. 

The scriptures tell us something different.  We're all broken.

We try to fill ourselves up with those ideals we think will give our lives meaning, but because we are broken, it all leaks out and leaves a big mess all over the place.

But God's grace, when we choose to believe in Him, changes the contents. No longer must we be filled with selfish pride or other vanities.  Now we can be filled with His grace and His love.

We're still broken, so we will still leak, but the beauty of it is, now we're filled with something wonderful.  Now we are filled with the ability to do good things. Like the container of perfume the woman broke on Jesus' feet those few days before his death, what God fills us with is wonderful and glorious. Even more miraculous is, if we let Him, he will keep filling us up so we never run out.

So, let's be broken. Let's allow the love of God and His goodness to leak out of us and make a beautiful mess all over the place.

Stop hatin'

This is one phrase I can't begin to understand.  

Over the years words seem to be given different meanings. It seems western society has allowed the terminology of the uneducated,  or as the Romans would have said; "the vulgar masses," to direct the use of the English language into a downward spiral.

Sounding uneducated is currently fashionable.  Perhaps uneducated is the wrong word. Some of the most eloquent speakers I have heard barely have a high school diploma.  Perhaps a better word is just plain stupid.

Getting back to the original premise here, what is hate, really? A pure dictionary definition places it as "an intense dislike or distaste for someone or something." Currently, one can't even disagree with someone else without being accused of hatred, or prejudice.  Disagreement isn't hatred.

Hatred is groups of youths gathering on city streets to play a game with the object of knocking out another person of a perceived "racial" heritage.  

Hatred is churches burned because they don't fit in with the predominant faith in a given country. 

Hatred is singling out an ethnic, religious,  or socioeconomic group and targeting them for violence and oppression.

The key teaching of Jesus Christ is love (see prior blog post). Love rejoices in the truth (1 Cor 13:6). Love speaks truth in ways that will be profitable to another (Eph 4:15,29).  Love doesn't fear (1 John 4:18).

We aren't perfect. Just the same, we need to wake up and see that people are confused on what hate is, but maybe they've forgotten Who Love is. Maybe the people who say we love God have forgotten the other half of that command.

So, don't be hatin'.

Judge me, judge me not

Actions speak louder than words.

Growing up in a rural area in the late 70s and early 80s as the son of a Baptist pastor was a great way to observe people. Between the church we went to on Sundays and the church that ran the small Christian school we attended until 1985, it was possible to see two opposite sides of how Christian behavior could be.

The folks from the church in Otis (Dad's church) were laid back and accepted people, pretty much without judgment. If memory serves, one of the deacons even smoked a pipe. The church in Northampton, well, they measured sideburns.  That is to say, if you didn't fit in with what they believed a Christian should be, you weren't welcome. 

The latter flies in the face of what the apostle James had to say and even in the face of the teachings of Paul. Even more so, it goes against the great commission, but still, on any given Sunday people are made to feel unwelcome and unworthy in churches all across the United States based on how they are perceived by those already there. 

In the book of The Acts, the second chapter, the final several verses, we see an example of how we should be as people of faith. No judgment, no condescension, just love and support. 

Does this mean we just give sin a pass? Of course not. It means that we love and accept people. We pray for them and help them with their struggles. 

Things have changed a lot since the 70s and 80s. For one thing, gas for $1 a gallon would be fantastic. The culture has changed too. We live in a world of permissivism. In the eyes of secular society, everything is alright so long as no one gets hurt.  

Strangely, in all this acceptance, so many people feel like they don't belong. The very place where they, as people should feel love, has earned the reputation of an exclusive club. 

People love to throw around Matthew 7:1, but they lose the context of it. read through to verse 6 and it suddenly becomes clear. Jesus says we aren't to throw pearls to pigs. Judging someone based on scripture, when they are completely ignorant of what it says, isn't going to work. They won't get any value out of it. 

So, our approach needs to change.  We need to love all people, as flawed as they may be, just as Jesus Christ accepts us, as flawed as we may be. In time, when they find Him, He will deal with the flaws. 

Live as Jesus lived and He'll take care of the rest.

The pain of loss

Several years ago, I was between jobs. The unemployment checks had run out and I didn't know what I was going to do. I was mowing my lawn one sunny June day, after having lost two part time jobs in the space of a week. My son came out to tell me a friend had stopped by.

Jason, a buddy from college, had stopped in to see how I was faring. After we chatted for a while, he suggested I should apply for work at Friendship Community. Friendship is an organization that operates services for people with developmental disabilities. I told him I wasn't sure, but I'd apply anyway since at the time, I was desperate for any work I could get.

I didn't know what to expect. Working with people with disabilities scared me. I thought, "what if they do weird things, like wipe snot on me or something." Despite my misgivings, I was soon hired, and started work on July 21, 2006.

The day I met Bob.

Bob can't have been more than four and a half feet tall. He had a little bald head and a mischievous sparkle in his eye. The first time Bob saw me, he took one look at me, twirled his finger around his ear, pointed at me, then walked away down the hall. We were going to get along just fine.

Bob and I developed a very close bond. At one point, I couldn't get any work done if I was at his house when he got home from his daytime workshop. If he knew I was there, He'd come hunt me down. It got to the point where if I was doing the days shopping and not helping out with the direct care for the evening, I would sometimes park my car up the street so he would not know I was there. 

I loved to hear him laugh. I loved to see him smile. He and I would play games, paint, or just sit and enjoy each others' company, just like normal people.

Bob was my friend.

Bob passed away on Sunday, November 17, 2013. I was there with his family when he died. Standing by his bedside with my guitar, I played "Sunshine on my Shoulders" as he quietly stopped breathing. It was so peaceful. I'm not one for idle fancy, but after he passed, I am certain I saw the shadowy, indistinct figure of a man standing at the head of Bob's bed with open arms.

Bob, I loved you as a brother and I will miss you, but I know that the Father in Heaven has you in His arms now.

The state of the faith

I'm a simple man. 

I love my wife and my son. I have a few friends and only one or two whom I would call close. I'm not terribly complicated.  I suppose that helps when life becomes complicated.

It helps to have a simple faith.

Through the years, puzzles have held me in thrall. I don't mean the cardboard puzzles or the strange blacksmith's puzzles. I mean the puzzles of life and faith. Perhaps it's a spiritual gift, or it may just be a talent I possess,  but I can see connections that other people seem to miss. It took several years, but the whole of the scriptures has finally become clear: love God, love others. (See Mark's gospel, chapter 12, vv30,31). It's not complicated.

Yes, sin exists.  We all struggle with something.  Some people refuse to acknowledge sin for what it is. Some people overthink and see sin where it isn't. 

Let's start at the simplest point, then move on from there.