To love at all is to be vulnerable.  Love anything, and your heat will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.  If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.  Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.  But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change.  It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.  The alternative to tragedy, or at least the risk of tragedy is damnation.  The only place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is hell.

- Clive Lewis

To piggy back my last post from Rob Bell’s, Sex God, I remembered stumbling across this quote a few months back.  I think both posts speak truthfully, honestly, beautifully and open about love.  Just wanted to share this as well.

Rob Bell writes in “Sex God”:

Love is handing your heart to someone and taking the risk that they will hand it back because they don’t want it.  That’s why it’s such a crushing ache on the inside. We gave away a part of ourselves and it wasn’t wanted.

Love is a giving away of power.  When we love, we give the other person the power in the relationship. They can do what they choose.  They can do what they like with our love. They can reject it, they can accept it, they can step toward us in gratitude and appreciation.

Love is a giving away. When we love, we  put ourselves out there, we expose ourselves, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable.

Love is giving up control. It’s surrendering the desire to control the other person.  The two – love and controlling power over the person – are mutually exclusive.  If we are serious about loving someone, we have to surrender all of the desires within us to manipulate the relationship.

I don’t have much to say about this, its probably best I don’t…but reading this has resonated so much with me.  It’s something I’ve learned, am learning and will continue to learn.  This has been something in the forefront of my thoughts.  It’s something that I pray to God that He makes a new in my life each and every day, that as I interact with others, I demonstrate this.  However there is a risk, one that can and would potentially hurt. I’ve felt that sting, It’s a good chance it could happen again.

(ht: http://www.nakedpastor.com/archives/4420)

I hope that I will know the right things I need. That my selfishness just doesn’t get in the way.

I’ve been thinking about a lot of “What If” questions lately.  Today sitting in church I was listening to the pastor talk about how this particular church was trying to be different than others.  I got to thinking about this and asked myself the question… “What if the church stopped trying to be the church, what if the church stopped being something different than “other” churches out there, to appeal to a specific group of people? What IF…the church was the church in the sense that we worked as the body…reaching the lost as one body, changing and setting the tone for the culture.  Not letting the culture change us, or a need to appeal to the culture to make church appealing?”

I’ve thought about this a lot over the years and I wonder if we have lost “the plot” – are we more about entertaining and drawing a crowd, or are we desiring a deeper life with Christ, producing disciples, not just converts, are we influencing, perhaps changing the culture around us?  Just some thoughts I had today.

Note: I don’t believe we change this society or culture by expecting or thinking that placing key people in “high” positions, such as the government, will change things.  Sure that helps, but why should we take the lazy approach to expecting a few key people to make the difference.  Are we not all called to a higher road, a higher life? Changing and influencing those around us, showing God’s love and the values and convictions that we hold fast to.  Are we painting a picture of life that is different than those we live by? work with? or even go to church with?

Tags: authenticity, church, just thinking, life, makes ya think, random thoughts

Yes I know! Its been like 2+ months or something like that since I have last updated.  Lots of stuff has been going on!  Lots of good things.  Hoping in the next day or two I can write about this.  Thanks for your patience.

-Chris

Edit: Ok.  Make that like 3 months.

Was I worth the pain?
You had nothing left to gain
I know I’m the only one to blame
I’m broken on the floor
Staring at the door
Waiting on a Savior to walk in

For the life of me, why’d You bear my chains?
For the life of me why’d You walk to Calvary?
For the life of me I can’t explain
The reason You died and the reason You came was for the life of me

What do You see in me?
I’m a leper not a king
A mess that’s undeserving of Your name
I’ve disappointed You
Like a rose that never blooms
Failing to display my heart to You

Lord, let me be so bright
I escape every shadow using Your light
Are You waiting to see
That I will show
Your life in me?

-This Beautiful Republic : Perceptions  /For the Life of Me/

Tags: Good Friday, music, spiritual application, This Beautiful Republic

Naked Pastor

A result of salvation…calls us to face certain consequences.  Are we willing to accept that?

(ht: Naked Pastor)

I’ve Bren reading through Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller….I know finally, right? I’m reading his chapter of belief. These few sentences stood out to me, I wanted to share them.

“Even our beliefs have become trend statments. We don’t even believe things because we believe them anymore. We only believe things because they are cool things to believe.”

He also talks earlier about how some guys don’t believe in God and can prove it and some guys that DO believe in God and prove it. That the argument stopped being about God along time ago, and is now about who is smarter. Humm. This resonates with me and I’m not totally sure why. Just wanted to share that. Not really for any purpose other than it pricked my interest.

Tags: Blue Like Jazz, books, Donald Miller

It’s 12:30 at night. I’m laying in bed just thinking about life. Not sure why I’m wide awake, but I am. Perhaps it’s the frappacino I had tonight at starbucks. Anyway. I guess what is on my mind is how God has brought me to where I am over the past 6 months or so. Moving to CO, forming new friendships, life changes I’ve needed to make and how He has carried me so far. Even to the point of providing me a job in which I feel completely blessed to have. I believe it was a miracle and act of blessing.
However because of economic hardships, my place of employment is having to face some hard realities. I am not sure what this means specifically for me, but my heart yearns and cries out for all within this organization. It’s honestly going to be a hard week for all as some changes will happen. Things will be different. I might not have a job come tomorrow.
I know God is in control. I seem to find no sense in praying for His will to be done, because it’s going to be done regardless of me. I just pray that I give Him the glory. I pray that as he takes care of the sparrow, He will take care of me.
These are difficult days for a lot of people. It’s been amazing the faith we have demonstarted in money, in jobs, in our president. It’s a false faith.
Matthew 6 reminds us that God will take care of us, that we should not worry about tomorrow as today had enough trouble. One can only move ahead knowing that God is faithful in meeting outlr needs. Not out wants and selfish desires.
Please pray for me, my place of work, the leadership and the decisions they must make. It going to be a hard and stressful week. Uplift this ministry and the impact it has on this nation, this world.

Love what Brenning Manning writes today in “Faltering Steps”.

I find comfort (perhaps perverse pleasure) in knowing that the rock(Peter) on which Jesus would build the Church sank like a stone.

Despite who I am, He still uses me.

Tags: Brennan Manning, Devotional, Ragamufffin

When I get honest, I admit I am a bundle of paradoxes.  I believe and I doubt, I hope and I get discouraged, I love and I hate, I feel bad about feeling good, I feel guilty about not feeling guilty.  I am trusting and suspicious.  I am honest and I still play games. Aristotle said I am a rational animal; I say I am an angel with an incredible capacity for beer.

To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life’s story, the light side and the dar.  In admitting my shadow side, I learn who I am and what God’s grace means.  As Thomas Merton put it, “A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God.“

- Brennan Manning – Jan 29

Love that last line.

Tags: Brennan Manning, Devotional, Ragamufffin

Since the day that Jesus first appeared on the scene, we have developed vast theological systems, organized worldwide churches, filled libraries with brilliant christological scholarship, engaged in earthshaking controversies, and embarked on crusades, reforms and renewals.  Yet there are still precious few of us with sufficient folly to make the mad exchange of everything for Christ; only a remnant with the confidence to risk everything on the gospel of grace; only a minority who stagger about with the delirious joy of the man who found the buried treasure.

I’ve started reading through “Reflections for Ragamuffins” by Brennan Manning in the mornings for my quiet times.  I will be sharing things that stick out to me and challenge me.  Hope you enjoy.

Tags: Brennan Manning, Devotional, Ragamufffin

The past couple of weeks I’ve been reading a book by Mike Erre called Death by Church.  The book purposes a case for what the church should be, how it relates to the world and furthers the kingdom.  Erre makes a bold and truthful statement of the Christian’s concept of salvation.  I think this rings true more than we care to admit, or even do anything about.  Here is what he has to say:

Our traditional conceptions of salvation are blatantly more individualistic, focusing on one’s individual reconciliation with God through a personal relationship with Jesus.  The emphasis seems to be only on giving Jesus our sins and not on every area and aspect of our human life.  It is more concerted with getting souls to heaven that with bringing heaven to earth.  This narrow gospel focuses only on the salvation of the human soul, but the gospel of the kingdom includes the salvation of human beings within the context of the larger story of God restoring all of creation.

This rings loud and clear with what I grew up with.  With my own life.  Salvation, accepting Jesus was just a way to get into heaven.  But it’s so much more than that. There is such a higher calling, a higher risk, a higher cost.  I believe its something to be considered weightily.  Are you willing to sacrifice choosing the kingdom of God or the kingdom of this world?

Tags: Bible, church, Death, Mike Erre, random thoughts, RockHarbor, thought provoking

Happy New Years to you. I pray that Gods blessing and provision for what you need is made known to you this new year and that you will draw closer to Him.

Tonight after I got home I was talking with a family member about resolutions that we had made for this new year. I shared with her that I didn’t really make them cause I either never keep them or remember them. Tonight I was reading Psalm 9 before heading to bed. Verse 1 and 2 stuck out to me as a great resolution to live for this year. Here is the verse:

Psalm 9:1-2
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of Your wonders. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

That’s all I can simply think of doing. That’s all I should be doing.

Tags: authenticity, transparent

In the gospel of Luke, the most familiar account of the Christmas story—the one most commonly read in churches and homes—is firmly rooted in history.  The narrative begins, “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken” (Luke 2:1).  Luke’s mention of Augustus isn’t incidental or minor.  It sets the whole backdrop for the Christmas story.

Augustus was known as the “Savior” of the Roman Empire, bringing “peace” and “salvation” to his subjects.  He was called the “Lord” and came to be worshiped as god on earth.  Roman citizens were commanded to pray to him and offer sacrifices.  Temples and shrines were built in his name.  The census ordered by Augustus was one of the ways he controlled the empire.  By demanding taxes (or tribute, more specifically), Caesar could provide for his far-flung armies as well as humiliate the peoples under Roman “peace” by reminding them they lived at the will of Rome. 

Against this political backdrop, the announcement in Luke’s gospel is the announcement of a king born in direct opposition to the rule and reign of Caesar.  It is almost as if all the titles applied to Caesar were applied to Jesus in order to force people to choose between them.  If Jesus had been called one thing and Caesar another, people would have been tempted to believe they could worship both.  But when Savior, Lord, King, gospel, peace and salvation are specific descriptions applied to both rulers, the Christmas story forces us to choose:  Who is our Lord?  Who is our Savior?

The differences between these two saviors could not be overstated.  Augustus’s rule was defined by the sword, the shield, and the banners of his legions.  The kingdom of Jesus of Nazareth was marked by a manger, a cross, and a tomb.  No greater contrast could be imagined.  The birth of Jesus Christ was simply revolution: the birth of a different king, ushering in a differing kingdom, and threatening the kingdoms of this world.

Two different empires were established on the day of Jesus’s birth.  One built on power, the other on love.  One built on control, the other on freedom.  One built on oppression and bondage, the other on liberation.  Augustus was the embodiment of the best the world in all its ambition and lust can offer, a ruler who sat at the apex of a world-wide system of worship and domination.  Jesus, on the other hand, was destined to humble himself on a tree, sacrificing himself out of love.  

Jesus represents the dangerous alternative to the power of this world:  a different power, a different glory, a different peace, a different salvation.  The Christmas story ceases to be an idyllic myth:  it becomes clear these two empires are destined to collide.  The birth of Jesus is divine insurrection and outright revolution.

The Christmas story forces us to choose between these two kingdoms.  Do we bow before the Caesars of our time, or dare we embrace the kingdom of Jesus?

From The Jesus of Suburbia by Mike Erre (W Publishing Group)

{This is a repost from Mike Erre’s blog - Wishing you a Merry Christmas, praying that you chose Christ this season if you don’t know him, and not the temporary “rulers” of this world.}

Tags: Choose, Christmas, Jesus, Jesus of Suburbia, Mike Erre