Reflections on Advent-Love and Tragedy

We have entered into the second week of Advent.

Christmas is two weeks away. People are mapping out their game plans for Christmas Day.

This week. We focus on the love of Jesus. Christmas season tends to have us focus on nice, clean, handsome baby Jesus. Think about the Christmas musicals you have attended. Was Jesus dirty, crying, or worse yet…ugly? No. Never. That baby Jesus on that stage was SPOTLESS!

Ponder this: Jesus was both human and divine. As a baby, we was born in a stinky stable. He probably needed his diapers changed like everyone else. He was divine in that he would conquer sin, defeat Satan, and entrust His Kingdom to US

Jesus got dirty. In his love, he gets dirty.

During this week of Advent—with a focus on love, we must invite Jesus into our sins. We must invite Jesus into the places within us that need us the most.

Yesterday, our country experienced a horrible tragedy. Many innocent children were gunned down by a madman while simply going about their day at an elementary school.

I know people have a lot of questions about God in this tragedy. Allow me to provide you with some insight…..

WHERE WAS GOD? Friends, God was right there. God never leaves us despite the times we chose to ignore Him. God was there in that moment. Heroes (teaches and staff) shielded the children from danger. Casualties would have been higher if these heroes did not step up. God was there.

WELL, THIS IS ABOUT GUNS!! IF WE TAKE AWAY GUNS–PEOPLE WILL BE BETTER BEHAVED!—–This was not about guns. This about the daily battle of good and evil. Holy and unholy. This shooter who took innocent lives—he CHOSE to do evil. It is called free will. We have the ability to choose to do good or harm everyday. Some people choose to use words. Other people use weapons. Some people use their authority to bring pain and sorrow.

HOW WILL WE MOVE FORWARD? In love and in relationship with Jesus. Sounds like a Sunday school answer, yes. But where else will we find hope and love? The media? They have a job to do. Our possessions and jobs? These only bring temporary joy. Other people? They will give us peace but people will let us down. They are human! This is where Jesus comes in. He wants to walk with us daily. But we must first choose to love him AND allow him to love us.

Allow Jesus to love you today. Right now.

Reflections on Advent-Hope

Advent began this past Sunday. For those of you not familiar with Advent–Advent is a celebration of the four weeks (especially Sundays) leading up to Christmas Day. Each week has a different theme. Advent is celebrated because we celebrate the birth of Christ (Christmas) and we also anticipate the Second Coming of Jesus.

Hope is the first candle lit this year for Advent.

Hope. What a perfect topic to address.

We just witnessed a Presidential Election in November. People had hope in their respective candidates. People had hope that…..either man could make changes. Save issues with the economy, welfare, etc. People had hope.

Hope deflated.

Our hope in humans will be deflated. People will let us down. People will move away or change jobs and no longer work in the same office as us. People will die or they will forget your name when you run into them at the grocery store or mall.

Where do we place our hope these days?

Jesus.

Jesus is the Truth, the Life, Wonderful Counselor.

One thing that is very beautiful and disruptive during this Christmas season—-is to do some things different. I know people have traditions and while that is fine and dandy–we must ask why these traditions exist. Invite Jesus into these activities. Should I do this and why am I doing this? Some people do things just because it is expected of them.

Be different.

Look for hope.

However– looking for hope will make you vulnerable.

Being vulnerable is perfect because this is when we are most open to being changed by Jesus. We are exposed. Our weaknesses are known. We will reach out and need assistance from Jesus and fellow people on the journey.

Advent season—should be a time of renewal.

Where are you placing your hope these days?

How We View God

Our viewpoints shape how we go about the day.

Call them world views. Label them as “the lens we see the world through”.

What we believe about the world…..it shapes how we view God.

Allow me to give you some examples:

—You have been hurt by others. Whether this is abuse, a broken heart, or some painful words–we sometimes make agreements with what we have encountered and we chalk it up as “just suck it up and deal”. The problem with this is we do not address the problem. The problem lingers and Satan moves in.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”.

A roaring lion? Enemy? What sticks out here is we need to be alert and of sober mind. So we must be careful and filter what other people say to us. Is this true and is this true of how God views me?

—Your view of love is distorted. Being hurt by others can mess up our view of God; however, a bigger issue on how we view God is our view on love. Many movies and books are made that sell distorted views of love. Maybe you have been sold the idea that our relationships should consist of no arguments and no disagreements because this is “unholy”. Quite the opposite. God wants us to address the things in our hearts that bother us. On the flip side, you may have been taught that your relationship(s) are supposed to be full of turmoil often. In life, we will all have disagreements but turmoil all the time is not healthy. Know this–abuse of ANY kind is not acceptable. If you are being abused, seek help. And if you are abused, that too will distort your view of God and His love.

Romans 8:39–Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us from God’s love. No person. No situation. NOTHING!
We must develop a healthy approach to how we view LIFE: events, situations, life changes, people.

What does healthy look like?

Healthy is making Jesus/God/Holy Spirit—our top priority. Our worldviews and how we approach life will align with God. We will view our relationships in a different light.

We will no longer view life as “what can we get out of it”. Instead, we will view life as “what can we contribute to better ourselves and society”.

Jesus is Bigger Than the Government

We are only a few days removed from the Presidential Election. Many are celebrating their candidate’s win; others are upset over the results. I will not lie–I am not happy with the results. But I have faith. I have faith because Jesus is bigger than the government.

When you take a look at Scripture, Jesus is consistently talking about the Kingdom of God. Jesus is not concerned with getting all political because Jesus knows that the Kingdom he speaks of it out of this world. Many people expecting the Messiah (Jesus) to come onto the scene and overthrow the government. Jesus mixed things up a bit. Sometimes Jesus would work behind the scenes and do God’s work. In other situations, Jesus would go right to leaders (political and religious) and give them the truth.

Jesus did what was needed–not what was popular. He did not worry about what people thought of him. Jesus could have played the political game and rode his way around Jerusalem like a king. But Jesus had other plans. He knew what was needed. He picked average people to carry out an extraordinary mission: restore humanity. Restoring humanity would take Jesus through the wilderness, ignoring Satan, getting sold out by his own followers, and getting nailed to the cross as a criminal.

Jesus was different.

And this is why Jesus is bigger than the government—regardless of whether our President is Republican or Democrat.

Jesus wants to restore people’s hearts. Jesus desires to give each of us a purpose in life. We are not here by accident and we should not spend the rest of our lives taking up space. We must move forward.

Jesus is bigger than the government because he brings authentic hope and change. The government deals with laws. Jesus deals with the heart, mind, and soul. The government promises provisions for all people. Jesus promises peace that no government, person, and society could deliver.

Jesus is bigger than the government.

Where do you put your hope these days?

A Season of Change

The weather is changing.

Leaves are turning colors of bright red, burnt orange, and loud yellow.

You wear your favorite hoodie to battle cold, autumn mornings.

Your coffee cup contains flavors of pumpkin,caramel, or apple mixed into your coffee or tea.

Autumn is upon us.

This is a season of change.

As the seasons change, our bodies change. We attempt to go to bed later in the evening due to darkness. We also do not desire to wake up in the morning due to total darkness! Mowing our lawns is less frequent but disposing of the avalanche of leaves has become our new priority. Our lawn furniture goes into hibernation and our Halloween/fall decorations are hung with care.

Now is a great time to evaluate our inner selves. When I am talking about the inner self, I am talking about our hidden agendas, our pride, our fears. So often, we approach Jesus with a half-hearted attempt. We are tired from our jobs. Stressed about relationships. Concerned about our finances. Don’t half-heart it with Jesus.

Some of us are recovering from spiritual abuse. We have seen many horrible things done “in the name of God” by pastors or churches. Whether these actions were on purpose or by accident, we look for some truth, some comfort, some PEACE.
NOW is the time for change.

When we seek change in Jesus, we ask for him to come into the dark place in our hearts and souls. The dark place that shapes our hidden agendas and our arrogant moments. The dark place that applauds us for being more concerned about looking Christian THAN being a Christian. It is in the dark place that we stuff down EVERYTHING……our dreams and our desires. We wander through life, through the motions, not really concerned about what we may produce. We are living…just to get by.
Friends, Jesus does not want you to JUST GET BY. He wants you to experience freedom from the things that hold you captive. Jesus wants you to succeed at work, in your marriage and parenting, and in living out God’s plan for your life. Who wants to be bored and just live each day for a paycheck and lose their dreams in the process? This is not a wealth and prosperity gospel that I am bringing to you. That gospel is weak–it just teaches that you pray quick, get rich quick, and that’s it! BAM! No, no, no. The gospel I am telling you about is far bigger than that. You will encounter trials and tribulations when you follow Jesus. You will walk through darkness to get to the light. But Jesus grants you…..peace.

Peace is not easily obtained. We live in a fast-paced world. Just go post on Facebook and see how fast “news” flies around. We work more work hours now (paid or unpaid) than previous generations have. We have much going on and it seems like time is flying us by.

Desire some change and some peace?

Pray–Ask Jesus to enter into the dark places and show you where you need to change. When praying, also ask him if you are putting off any dreams or desires that you have smothered years ago. Remember that healing takes time. Invite some people you trust to journey with you.

Look at your calendar–Look at where you are spending your time, energy, and finances. If you volunteer, remember there is a difference between service and slavery. Doing good things does not always fair well if you are doing them for the wrong reasons.

Mix it up–Maybe your routines need adjusted. Try a new ministry at your church. Read a new book or stop reading…..and attempt art or writing. Allow your creativity to speak through you as you seek NEW.

How and Why to Vote…….

Many of you reading this blog are watching the debate tonight between our current president (Obama) and Mitt Romney (possible future President).

I am writing this blog because I want to give you a fresh perspective on the Election. FRESH. This is not a campaign ad and I am not even putting whom I am voting for on this blog. Not necessary at this time.

Here’s some ideas on HOW to vote:

Research the candidates. Find out what policies they have passed and where they are headed in the future.
Chat with a few people you trust. By people you trust, I am not referring to popular talk radio hosts.
Take a look at your own beliefs, dreams, and values. Do your morals line up with a particular candidate? Are there certain dreams that you have that may happen (or be hindered) if a particular President takes office?
Pray. It sounds simple enough but hear me out. We live in a very tough economy. People are desperate and desperate times call for desperate measures. People are desperate and they will make dumb decisions. Make a smart decision and pray.

Ideas on WHY to vote:

It is your duty. As an American citizen you need to vote. If you do not vote, then you really do not have a say in the direction of our country. I know some will say “but I pay taxes”. While this is true, voting is ESSENTIAL because the President has a say in where your hard earned money goes!
You are blessed. In some countries, they are ruled by dictators. They would love to be able to pick their ruler. Exercise your right to who runs our country.

Now What?

Welcome to my blog! Many of you whom are reading this used to follow the writings and podcasts we produced as part of 4-C Ministries. You may wonder why 4-C Ministries is no more and I have started this blog.

Simplify-By maintaining just this blog, I am able to write more often which is what I enjoy doing the most. I did enjoy co-hosting podcasts with other guests on our podcast site; however, constantly recording and editing podcasts is a time drainer. Less is more, friends!
Focus-I have contemplated doing more writing and possibly piecing together a book. This blog will serve as a way for me to continue to write to encourage and empower you as you seek to be more like Jesus.
Accessibility-It is easier for people to follow a blog than a whole website. Enough said!

My prayer is this: When you stumble across this blog either accidentally or on purpose; I pray that you leave here changed. I pray that you wrestle with Jesus and that he reveals things to you that maybe you have not examined (your desires, interests, shortcomings).

– J –