All or Nothing

I'm on a roll today!!!

I haven't had much opportunity these past few months to document my thoughts. And lately, it seems like all I've done is to react to everything, everyone and the world in general. So to be able to have two articles in one day - that's something!

First off, and this is somewhat of a delayed reaction to what's happening in the Persian Gulf, but doesn't it feel like 1979 all over again? Except now we're looking at 15 British sailors instead of American Embassy employees. Isn't this proof that given the right circumstances and a dictator from Hades history will repeat itself. As Qoheleth said, 2,500 years from now, some filmmaker will come upon the idea of making a movie about “15” (instead of “300”) featuring another 20,000 dead Persians.

One can only hope, and for all those who has made the term "moral-equivalency" their outcry, let me say this: This is not an issue of moral-equivalency! Those Brits, were not special ops or black ops or delta force or whatever else you can come up with. They were performing a ROUTINE inspection and they were taken against their will in violation of a few hundred maritime and international laws.

In the meantime, “Ahm-a-dinner-jacket” is trying to flex girly muscles and America is too PC to call his skanky, lopsided behind to task. Oh but wait - we have sanctions! And that is a testament to the world we live in today.

And why is this world is in such a sorry state? Because, Christians - yup, that's right – my brothers and sisters in Christ seem to have forgotten how to be the salt and light of the earth. We, yes, me included, cower at the mere thought of being labeled “Christians”; we sugar-coat our beliefs in order to “win people over”; we compromise the truth of the gospel to generate conversation in the hopes of maybe one day sharing our faith. I am tired of people, believers and non-believers alike, asking me what I think! No one should give a damn about what I think, because what I think is flawed. I would rather be asked what I know. Because what I know, with a degree of certainty and divine revelation, may just save someone from eternal damnation. But no – we are so pre-occupied with what everyone thinks about everything, especially about God, that we have a become a society that doesn't even live what we think because we don't even know what we should think!

I heard a great sermon on the radio about two weeks ago from one of the more prolific pastors of our day and age. He was talking about our society's lack of spiritual hunger for God's and how the church is adapting to fix that situation. He gave out three different examples.

The first is spiritual infancy as opposed to spiritual maturity. Ever seen an infant get fed baby food? Unless the infant is hungry and in need of sustenance, feeding time is a spectacle of make-believe airplanes and choo-choo trains all designed to distract said infant from the actual task at hand – that of getting nourishment so they can grow and be healthy, strapping adults capable of nourishing and sustaining future generations.

Equate that with a church body that is not interested in getting past the “God is Love” and the “I love you, you love me” routine. In order to "feed" a disinterested and/or disilluisioned group of people, the Church has developed a series of experiments designed to entertain and make God's word more palatable to us sinners who desperately needs to grow in our Christian walk.

Instead of getting the conviction and rebuke for our sinful ways and the motivation to mature in our Christian walk, we wallow in group hugs, and “I'm okay, you're okay” and "What do you think God is trying to tell you?" sessions intended to pat us on the back and make us feel good about being in church an hour every Sunday, if that.

Then you have the professional listeners. Those who would show up, sometimes just for the sermon, plug in by the umbilical cord to the Pastor or speaker and go their merry way for the remainder of the week, oblivious to whatever they just heard. For a lot of these professional listeners, there is an excuse of some kind or another as to why they can only afford a portion of their time to the Lord. And in the last few years, I've heard of some real good ones. “I arrive late because I'm just here for the sermon. I really don't think singing songs of praise and worship is part of the God experience.” “I need to leave before service ends cause I need to be at this other church and their service starts in fifteen minutes.” And one of the worst ones I've heard: “I don't need to go to church cause I have God in my heart and you know, wherever I am, that's where I worship.” Excuses, excuses, excuses!

The last was spiritual anorexia. This term struck me the most and the more I reflected on it, the more it pained me to realize that there are brothers and sisters in this world who constantly suffer from this malaise. God's word is a feast for our eyes, mind and hearts. It's free, and at least in this part of the world, it's available to anyone who choose to partake in it. And yet, here we are, picking at God's feast. We chew on this morsel and as soon as we have a taste, we spit it out. We nibble at this tidbit in the hopes that it will lead to grander things. We come to the table hungry and without hesitation or forethought, we leave the banquet not realizing we are hungrier now than we first came to the feast. And the most painful part of it all is it's all about appearances. We've placed so much stock on how we appear on the outside that our spirit has withered away to nothingness. And then we turn around and blame everyone but ourselves.

Heads up, boys and girls, Christian living starts from within. It doesn't take a village. Yes, God gave us pastors and teachers and prophets and discerners and laymen and whatever else we need. God even gave us The Bible as our instruction to daily Christian living – but – if and when we refuse to – here I go again – submit fully to the Lordship of Christ in our lives, all these tools are wasted. Life in submission to Christ is not about picking and choosing what is convenient or desirable. It's about total submission. It really is the ultimate all or nothing kind scenario.

In Praise of Pastors

(Hat tip to Qoheleth for the title)

Let me start by praising and thanking God for Pastors. They are truly in a league all their own. Having said that I’d like to recognize one of the best that I have been truly blessed to have known and be taught by.

Pastor Jose, I thank God that He’s allowed us to cross paths. I admire the transparency of your faith and your steadfast and unquestionable love for the Lord. Even as you take this sabbatical, your words echo in my heart. “Above all else, do it for the glory of God.”

You are a hero, not just because of your conviction but because above all else, you do it for His glory. Thank you for everything that you’ve done for our church. Thank you for taking the time to share your passion for saving the lost. You, your lovely wife and your adorable kids are always going to be in our prayers. And know that wherever this new endeavor leads you, you have our full support and our love as brothers and sisters in our Almighty God.

Pastor Jose, thank you for being an example to us all!

On Turning 40

I turned 40 last week and I now have come to the mid-point (on average) of my life here on earth. Eternal perspective aside, I allowed myself to succumb to the worldly neuroses that accompany this event. Two years ago, I convinced myself that my mid-life crisis would center around something loud and shiny preferably with a name like "Fat Boy" or "Big Dog". Now I'm not so sure. After all, I can ride a Harley anytime, provided I learn the necessary skills to stay on one for more than 8 seconds.

In the last week, I found myself introspectively going over the last 40 years. Without question, the last 9 1/2 are the best! I married the most wonderful man on earth (yes, once again, I am biased) and God used him to make me realize I am one of the chosen and I am loved so deeply and so thoroughly that I'm granted eternal life. But wait, there's more. I've got the greatest family anyone could ask for. No, my Mom and Dad aren't Ozzie and Harriet. As a matter of fact, they're more like Morticia and Gomez, but even as morbid as Morticia and Gomez are, there are two things they couldn't hide from the world; (1) their love for each other and (2) their love for their kids. It took a couple of tumultuous years before I realized just how much I love my folks.

It also took a few hard knocks and a long stubborn streak to understand just how good life can be. For all intents and purposes I should be dead and roasting in hell. I was once married to a man who was unfaithful and indiscriminate with his sexual partners. By the time we divorced, he had publicly admitted to having 8 affairs, mostly with gay men, during the two and a half years of our so-called marriage. To this day I cannot comprehend why I am not, at the very least, HIV-positive or suffering from some kind of sexually transmitted disease. I also, at one point, faced the business end of a .22 special, at point blank range. Talk about staring death in the face. For whatever reason, the young kid couldn't pull the trigger and I ended up with a shiner instead of my face being blown off.

In retrospect, I choose to believe that God, in both instances and many more just like it, has chosen to preserve me. And as I enter my 41st year here on earth, I find new resolve. Instead of giving in to the maudlin prospect of getting old and decrepit and wallowing in mid-life crises that are yet to occur, I find myself being grateful for all that I have and all that've experienced. Because of God's love I am experiencing another year of life. And yes despite the busyness of it and all the tasks that "need to be done", it is a good life full of joy and love. Praise God!