I am officially a fan of Keith Drury. Keith has been writing books for a long time. He has written dozens of books and Teaches Christian Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University.
I am currently reading his book “Holiness For Ordinary People” and I gotta say, It totally nails the dilemma in our church.
Much of this post contains Keith’s Thoughts…not mine….so it’s definitely worth the read!
Here goes:
Sanctification is a word that we all should know. “It begins the moment we become a Christian. Since sanctification is all of God’s inner work transforming us into Christ likeness it has already begun…it happened when we were born again… But we need more of Christ and Christ needs more of us…God continues to perform a gradual sanctification in us day by day, making us more like Jesus” (Drury, 17)
Actually I got that part already….you probably have too
Here is where I was ROCKED.
It is safe to say that for the most part we equate sanctification with the gradual elimination of sin in our lives…..right?
And that’s true....
And as a church I feel that those of us who embrace this teaching are moving in that general direction.
However it is also equally true that Sanctification results in greater service for the kingdom!!!! …..oh my goodness.
Pop the balloon of self righteousness and mop up the spill of excuse juice that I hear nearly every week from dear saints in our church.
“It doesn’t fit my personally”
“I’m too old”
“I’m too young”
“I’m too shy”
“I’m not qualified to do that”
Can we take all of those excuses and put them in a stretchy hefty bag along with all of our Stryper cassettes and with that other excuse that I used last week when I was watching something I shouldn’t have been on TV. Has anybody else every said…. “I was just flipping the channels!”?
And let’s burn them in a ceremonial “Excuse Cremation”
We need Sanctification power for 2 things:
Power over Sin
And
Power for Loving Service
Case and point.
Guy in our church. We’ll call him Raz. Felt what he called “a holy spirit ulcer” eating at him to join the worship team. Didn’t match his personality….GOD DIDN’T CARE!!
So he joins the worship team…now he is denying his shy-ness nearly every week… serving God..Fufilling his calling....
Oh and last week…he sang a one verse solo….. You rock Raz
"Oh God, Light the fire on all the Excuses and may it burn along with it all of our reluctance to serve you."
-Josh
Tuesday, April 13
Thursday, March 25
Learning Lessons from Little Lunch Ladies
I happen to work at a local Middle School. Love my Job! but sometimes, like the majority of humans, i get a little frustrated
Okay so was going through the salad bar line today for lunch. i usually don't eat here because its middle school cafeteria food. but today i figured, "It's salad. no one can screw with that too much." so i approached with my compartmentalized tray in hand.
…there were two rather large signs. One read “Choice of two meats” the other "Two meats only!!"
I thought to my self, "hmm. Be careful with the meat choices, Joshie. These people mean business."
So I look and notice only one meat—ham. No problem I like ham. Ham is delicious. All is well.
I also put some cheddar cheese and some eggs and some onion and broccoli and imitation bacon bits.(yummy…I know)
It's important to note:
I am the first one in the line and actually the lunch lady is still putting stuff out.
So I say to her, “I notice the sign said two meat choices and that you were still putting things out. Is there another meat choice that you will be putting out instead of just ham?" She looks at me and says smugly, “there are five meat choices out here already. The eggs the ham the shredded cheese, the cottage cheese, and the imitation bacon bits!!
Okay wait one cotton picking---( please see blog related to Christian cursing) minute!!!
Was she even for real????? I look around to see if I’m getting punked. Ashton Kutcher is no where to be found. This lady is offended that I only thought there was one meat in her line!
Are we officially eliminating the dairy food group??? Sure I understand that cheese comes from milk, which comes from cows.. (Or any number of other mammals.) And I can even see where one could make the argument that an egg is a meat because if you fertilized it, and then sat on it for 28 days in the right conditions it would eventually become a chicken which is, in fact, a meat.
I just immediately pictured a nervous 6th grader cramming for his first big FCS test on the major food groups and receiving the devastating news from our narcissistic lunch lady that cottage cheese is now a meat.
And for the record- If cottage cheese is a meat…. Wouldn’t plain milk be a meat as well? If that is the case…I owe our lunch ladies some more money because I apparently consumed way too much meat today.
Diced meat
Shredded meat
Cottage meat
Imitation bits of meat
Then I washed it all down with a carton of skim meat!
I think for the sake of learning correct information…we should make them at least change the sign to say “two meat, or animal related choices.”
Spiritual applications:
Patience
Long suffering
Praying for others
Fasting
I still haven’t fully figured out which category the imitation bacon bits go into.
Have great day!!!!
Josh
Okay so was going through the salad bar line today for lunch. i usually don't eat here because its middle school cafeteria food. but today i figured, "It's salad. no one can screw with that too much." so i approached with my compartmentalized tray in hand.
…there were two rather large signs. One read “Choice of two meats” the other "Two meats only!!"
I thought to my self, "hmm. Be careful with the meat choices, Joshie. These people mean business."
So I look and notice only one meat—ham. No problem I like ham. Ham is delicious. All is well.
I also put some cheddar cheese and some eggs and some onion and broccoli and imitation bacon bits.(yummy…I know)
It's important to note:
I am the first one in the line and actually the lunch lady is still putting stuff out.
So I say to her, “I notice the sign said two meat choices and that you were still putting things out. Is there another meat choice that you will be putting out instead of just ham?" She looks at me and says smugly, “there are five meat choices out here already. The eggs the ham the shredded cheese, the cottage cheese, and the imitation bacon bits!!
Okay wait one cotton picking---( please see blog related to Christian cursing) minute!!!
Was she even for real????? I look around to see if I’m getting punked. Ashton Kutcher is no where to be found. This lady is offended that I only thought there was one meat in her line!
Are we officially eliminating the dairy food group??? Sure I understand that cheese comes from milk, which comes from cows.. (Or any number of other mammals.) And I can even see where one could make the argument that an egg is a meat because if you fertilized it, and then sat on it for 28 days in the right conditions it would eventually become a chicken which is, in fact, a meat.
I just immediately pictured a nervous 6th grader cramming for his first big FCS test on the major food groups and receiving the devastating news from our narcissistic lunch lady that cottage cheese is now a meat.
And for the record- If cottage cheese is a meat…. Wouldn’t plain milk be a meat as well? If that is the case…I owe our lunch ladies some more money because I apparently consumed way too much meat today.
Diced meat
Shredded meat
Cottage meat
Imitation bits of meat
Then I washed it all down with a carton of skim meat!
I think for the sake of learning correct information…we should make them at least change the sign to say “two meat, or animal related choices.”
Spiritual applications:
Patience
Long suffering
Praying for others
Fasting
I still haven’t fully figured out which category the imitation bacon bits go into.
Have great day!!!!
Josh
Wednesday, March 24
Shaken......
A few weeks ago I posted a quick blog requesting everyone to pray for Austin Kirby and to go visit the website and sign the guest book. Essentially, what I did was ask you to "put yourself into someone else trial". Let me be the first to say….. That is so hard to do- even if we have a sincere heart and good intentions- even if we do mention Someone’s name during our prayers for weeks- even if we sign the guest book….. It is nearly impossible to feel what that person or that family is feeling on the “inside” during those times where the world is falling apart.
I believe That is why at different times in our lives….we have to go there for ourselves.
My son, Isaiah, starting having seizures a couple of weeks ago. He had been running a mild temperature that day and had been given a TDAP shot a few days earlier. (can’t totally point the finger at the TDAP shot….but let’s just say I’ve got plenty of reasons to scratch my chin…..)
Anyway…. when a child or close familiy member, Specifically, YOUR CHILD starts experiencing something that is beyond your control it instantly breaks you open and crashes you and your securities all over the floor. There is no worse experience than being totally helpless and having to watch your son or daughter, suffer. In that moment, I would have done anything to make the shaking stop. I would have given my life…
The next part is the Key….after the helplessness had sunk in a little bit and I realized that there is NOTHING I could do….I had a choice.
Run to Jesus....
or
walk away completely.
This is "The Crossroad of tragedy."
“Jesus, I fully trust you to take care of my son.”
Or
“Jesus, you don’t care about my son. I am through with you.”
I was at that crossroad for the first time in my life. Let me just say…Although the circumstances leading up to that moment are ALWAYS less than appealing… I pray that one day you stand at that same fork in the road. Why? Because when you let go of everything that you have ever trusted in, (i.e. your strength, your money, your friends and family, doctors, lawyers, books, ect….) and you lay every single ounce of your broken mess at the feet of Jesus. Something inside you releases.
Your spirit is set free.
Peace washes over you.
Love overflows
Every Burden....Gone
You have no doubt whatsoever that you and your family are in the arms of the One you were destined to be in since the beginning of time.
The only sad part.....
It was all because... there was absolutely no where else to go.
The irony is…as soon as I got there… I realized there is no where else I’d rather be.
Father, at the risk of sounding like a completely insensitive father myself, I say thank you for Isaiah’s seizures. They shook MY entire perspective of who You are and just how much you love your children. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you….
Have you been there?
What did it change about your life?
Has it worn off?
Do you need a new "Shaking"?
I believe That is why at different times in our lives….we have to go there for ourselves.
My son, Isaiah, starting having seizures a couple of weeks ago. He had been running a mild temperature that day and had been given a TDAP shot a few days earlier. (can’t totally point the finger at the TDAP shot….but let’s just say I’ve got plenty of reasons to scratch my chin…..)
Anyway…. when a child or close familiy member, Specifically, YOUR CHILD starts experiencing something that is beyond your control it instantly breaks you open and crashes you and your securities all over the floor. There is no worse experience than being totally helpless and having to watch your son or daughter, suffer. In that moment, I would have done anything to make the shaking stop. I would have given my life…
The next part is the Key….after the helplessness had sunk in a little bit and I realized that there is NOTHING I could do….I had a choice.
Run to Jesus....
or
walk away completely.
This is "The Crossroad of tragedy."
“Jesus, I fully trust you to take care of my son.”
Or
“Jesus, you don’t care about my son. I am through with you.”
I was at that crossroad for the first time in my life. Let me just say…Although the circumstances leading up to that moment are ALWAYS less than appealing… I pray that one day you stand at that same fork in the road. Why? Because when you let go of everything that you have ever trusted in, (i.e. your strength, your money, your friends and family, doctors, lawyers, books, ect….) and you lay every single ounce of your broken mess at the feet of Jesus. Something inside you releases.
Your spirit is set free.
Peace washes over you.
Love overflows
Every Burden....Gone
You have no doubt whatsoever that you and your family are in the arms of the One you were destined to be in since the beginning of time.
The only sad part.....
It was all because... there was absolutely no where else to go.
The irony is…as soon as I got there… I realized there is no where else I’d rather be.
Father, at the risk of sounding like a completely insensitive father myself, I say thank you for Isaiah’s seizures. They shook MY entire perspective of who You are and just how much you love your children. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you….
Have you been there?
What did it change about your life?
Has it worn off?
Do you need a new "Shaking"?
Tuesday, February 23
Yuck
If I could add to my Previous Post I would add one additional “Least favorite thing”......I promise this gets Spiritual…just read.
11. I really dislike it when people throw up around me. I mean one minute I’m sitting at work minding my own business, typing up a report for my boss, then, all of a sudden… out of the corner of the classroom there comes this…..**open mouth gag** ….followed by another **open mouth gag** and I just close my eyes and think to myself, “I have one of the smallest classrooms in this school. There are enough smells already lingering in this tiny, storage closet of a room… if this kid throws up in here, on my floor, I am going to seriously consider renting a ninja to take this kid, his Air Jordan backpack, and his vomit, to a secluded area in the jungle to dispose of all three of them.” Luckily there was a trash can within my reach. I instinctively jumped to my feet, grabbed the can and hurled it towards the heaving individual. And on the third **open mouth gag**….it all came tumbling down…I was just in the nick of time!!!....I of course thought to myself, “wow…I don’t need to rent a ninja….I am a ninja…and he should really learn to chew those chocolate donuts more.”
This of course got me thinking about throw-up and how different people approach it. As far as I know, there are three schools of thought concerning “vomiting”:
1. I Have To Vomit As Quickly As Possible to Get It Out and Over With – these people understand that usually when they vomit they instantly feel better. When they feel it coming. They run to the toilet, and force themselves to look at the inside rim. The vomit quickly arrives. Then they get up. Take a few deep breaths, brush there teeth and go on about their day! My wife falls into this category. I envy her and anyone else who belongs here.
2. I Vomit because it is easier than Buying all those Slimfast Shakes. That is not even funny and you need to get some help.
3. I Vomit only when it is the LAST POSSIBLE OPTION and I can no longer hold it down!!! – Unfortunately I fall into this category. I would rather be absolutely miserable all day long, sometimes multiple days instead of doing what I know is going to eventually have to be done anyway. It hurts to throw up. It’s hard to breathe, it’s smelly and embarrassing. Who would willingly go do that??? even if they knew it was going to help???
Waiting on the Spiritual Application?????? Here it is:
I wish we would view SIN like MY WIFE views vomiting.
I know it’s inside of me festering and I hate it. I have to get it out as quickly as possible so that I can get on with my life.
The problem is we usually view sin more like I view vomit. That is: Even though I hate it and know it is eventually going to have to go. I know it will hurt to get rid of it, so I am going to hold onto it as long as I can. I instead choose to continue to live in pain and hurt because I know if I get rid of it, it is going to be painful and hurt.…….WOW. That doesn’t even make sense when you read it on paper. But that’s what we do.
Jesus Said The wages of sin is death. He also tells us that he himself is like my wife when it comes to throwing up… Revelation 3: 15-16 “I know your deeds that you are neither Hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other. Because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth.”
He is not going to let your sin linger in his presence. It's going to make Him hurl. I Promise. Neither should we let it linger in ours… get it out…..throw it up.
11. I really dislike it when people throw up around me. I mean one minute I’m sitting at work minding my own business, typing up a report for my boss, then, all of a sudden… out of the corner of the classroom there comes this…..**open mouth gag** ….followed by another **open mouth gag** and I just close my eyes and think to myself, “I have one of the smallest classrooms in this school. There are enough smells already lingering in this tiny, storage closet of a room… if this kid throws up in here, on my floor, I am going to seriously consider renting a ninja to take this kid, his Air Jordan backpack, and his vomit, to a secluded area in the jungle to dispose of all three of them.” Luckily there was a trash can within my reach. I instinctively jumped to my feet, grabbed the can and hurled it towards the heaving individual. And on the third **open mouth gag**….it all came tumbling down…I was just in the nick of time!!!....I of course thought to myself, “wow…I don’t need to rent a ninja….I am a ninja…and he should really learn to chew those chocolate donuts more.”
This of course got me thinking about throw-up and how different people approach it. As far as I know, there are three schools of thought concerning “vomiting”:
1. I Have To Vomit As Quickly As Possible to Get It Out and Over With – these people understand that usually when they vomit they instantly feel better. When they feel it coming. They run to the toilet, and force themselves to look at the inside rim. The vomit quickly arrives. Then they get up. Take a few deep breaths, brush there teeth and go on about their day! My wife falls into this category. I envy her and anyone else who belongs here.
2. I Vomit because it is easier than Buying all those Slimfast Shakes. That is not even funny and you need to get some help.
3. I Vomit only when it is the LAST POSSIBLE OPTION and I can no longer hold it down!!! – Unfortunately I fall into this category. I would rather be absolutely miserable all day long, sometimes multiple days instead of doing what I know is going to eventually have to be done anyway. It hurts to throw up. It’s hard to breathe, it’s smelly and embarrassing. Who would willingly go do that??? even if they knew it was going to help???
Waiting on the Spiritual Application?????? Here it is:
I wish we would view SIN like MY WIFE views vomiting.
I know it’s inside of me festering and I hate it. I have to get it out as quickly as possible so that I can get on with my life.
The problem is we usually view sin more like I view vomit. That is: Even though I hate it and know it is eventually going to have to go. I know it will hurt to get rid of it, so I am going to hold onto it as long as I can. I instead choose to continue to live in pain and hurt because I know if I get rid of it, it is going to be painful and hurt.…….WOW. That doesn’t even make sense when you read it on paper. But that’s what we do.
Jesus Said The wages of sin is death. He also tells us that he himself is like my wife when it comes to throwing up… Revelation 3: 15-16 “I know your deeds that you are neither Hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other. Because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth.”
He is not going to let your sin linger in his presence. It's going to make Him hurl. I Promise. Neither should we let it linger in ours… get it out…..throw it up.
Friday, February 19
These are a few of my least favorite things:
Move over Mr. Rogers and Mr. Hammerstein II. Step aside Julie Andrews. I mean seriously… whose favorite thing would ever be the whiskers off a kitten… that’s just sick.
Here is my top ten least favorite things….at least for today: (in No particular order)
1. Changing a flat tire in the middle of winter at night without a good flashlight, a decent lug wrench, gloves, or knowledge of how to lower the spare from under the van. Here’s a hint…you have to lift up the carpet behind the passenger seat and locate a nut…why didn’t I think of that?!?!
2. Picking dog poo out of your shoe with a stick. I put in the “with a stick” part because 9 times out of 10 that is the only thing that is around that you would actually want to use to get it out with. Wiping it in the grass only does so much. Scraping it on the step….ditto. The worst part actually comes several hours after you have first stepped in it. You have wiped off as much as you could in the grass and prayed that the people at work are not going to notice the faint odor coming from your general direction. Then a few hours later you remember “Oh yea…I still have lingering poo on my shoe that is probably dry now and needs to get scraped off completely” so you go outside and find….the stick, and begin chiseling away. This is the worst part for me. The smell returns and fills your nostrils again, people are walking by looking and smiling or laughing…..it’s humiliating and embarrassing. You find you self silently cursing about dogs and wildlife in general (yes even you Christians…. “That darn dog. I’d love to kick the heck out of him! I don’t give a rip what they say, SUGARFOOT!! ” does that sound familiar???) ….anyway It has to go on my list
3. Using words like ‘sugarfoot’ to try to make cursing a more Christian experience. This in my opinion reflects an attitude that needs to change much more then the need for a different word bank. It annoys me…especially when I do it myself.
4. Beets. Those things are nasty. Partly because they almost look good to the eye. They are red and sort of shiny and juicy…like a wonderful piece of fruit. But when you take a bite you realize that it is actually a horrendously indescribable piece of “nasty” camouflaged in enticing greatness. The thought sickens me. I’ll bet that’s what the fruit in the Garden of Eden tasted like….. “Surprise that’s what you get for disobeying my only command!!!”…yes I know a beet is a vegetable.
5. Losing a 5 dollar fishing lure. I know that doesn’t seem like a lot, but trust me it will ruin an otherwise perfect day very quickly
6. Hearing public testimonies from someone clearly and publicly living in sin about how God is really working in their life and blessing them and helping them minister to people, and blah blah blah… Forgive me if that sounds judgmental…but seriously, those are only believable for about 2 seconds. What I dislike about those the most though is that they make God look so bad. “Yes I’m living in habitual sin and everyone knows it but God doesn’t mind, see He Helped me get this great boyfriend…his name is Butch…well, at least that’s what the tattoo on his face says. Praise the Lord! It is so Great to be a Christian!”
Sure God is Merciful and Patient….He is also Holy and Just.
7. Snow day letdowns- see previous post below.
8. Accidently changing the channel to ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ and inadvertently getting the theme song stuck in your head for 4 days. “*Bang bang *Chitty Chitty Bang Bang* our fine four fendered friend*” Ha ha!!!! See how you like it!
9. Unforgiveness- Seriously, I see more people on their way to hell because of un-forgiveness in their hearts then anything else (see Matthew 6:15) I know from personal experience how hard it can be to forgive….Oh but it’s so worth it! And I’m not just talking about Heaven… the weight that gets lifted off of your shoulders is indescribable. Someone once said “Forgiveness is setting a prisoner free and then realizing that the prisoner was you.” They were right.
10. realizing that it is really hard to make a list of my least favorite things
Have a great weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOO HOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is my top ten least favorite things….at least for today: (in No particular order)
1. Changing a flat tire in the middle of winter at night without a good flashlight, a decent lug wrench, gloves, or knowledge of how to lower the spare from under the van. Here’s a hint…you have to lift up the carpet behind the passenger seat and locate a nut…why didn’t I think of that?!?!
2. Picking dog poo out of your shoe with a stick. I put in the “with a stick” part because 9 times out of 10 that is the only thing that is around that you would actually want to use to get it out with. Wiping it in the grass only does so much. Scraping it on the step….ditto. The worst part actually comes several hours after you have first stepped in it. You have wiped off as much as you could in the grass and prayed that the people at work are not going to notice the faint odor coming from your general direction. Then a few hours later you remember “Oh yea…I still have lingering poo on my shoe that is probably dry now and needs to get scraped off completely” so you go outside and find….the stick, and begin chiseling away. This is the worst part for me. The smell returns and fills your nostrils again, people are walking by looking and smiling or laughing…..it’s humiliating and embarrassing. You find you self silently cursing about dogs and wildlife in general (yes even you Christians…. “That darn dog. I’d love to kick the heck out of him! I don’t give a rip what they say, SUGARFOOT!! ” does that sound familiar???) ….anyway It has to go on my list
3. Using words like ‘sugarfoot’ to try to make cursing a more Christian experience. This in my opinion reflects an attitude that needs to change much more then the need for a different word bank. It annoys me…especially when I do it myself.
4. Beets. Those things are nasty. Partly because they almost look good to the eye. They are red and sort of shiny and juicy…like a wonderful piece of fruit. But when you take a bite you realize that it is actually a horrendously indescribable piece of “nasty” camouflaged in enticing greatness. The thought sickens me. I’ll bet that’s what the fruit in the Garden of Eden tasted like….. “Surprise that’s what you get for disobeying my only command!!!”…yes I know a beet is a vegetable.
5. Losing a 5 dollar fishing lure. I know that doesn’t seem like a lot, but trust me it will ruin an otherwise perfect day very quickly
6. Hearing public testimonies from someone clearly and publicly living in sin about how God is really working in their life and blessing them and helping them minister to people, and blah blah blah… Forgive me if that sounds judgmental…but seriously, those are only believable for about 2 seconds. What I dislike about those the most though is that they make God look so bad. “Yes I’m living in habitual sin and everyone knows it but God doesn’t mind, see He Helped me get this great boyfriend…his name is Butch…well, at least that’s what the tattoo on his face says. Praise the Lord! It is so Great to be a Christian!”
Sure God is Merciful and Patient….He is also Holy and Just.
7. Snow day letdowns- see previous post below.
8. Accidently changing the channel to ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ and inadvertently getting the theme song stuck in your head for 4 days. “*Bang bang *Chitty Chitty Bang Bang* our fine four fendered friend*” Ha ha!!!! See how you like it!
9. Unforgiveness- Seriously, I see more people on their way to hell because of un-forgiveness in their hearts then anything else (see Matthew 6:15) I know from personal experience how hard it can be to forgive….Oh but it’s so worth it! And I’m not just talking about Heaven… the weight that gets lifted off of your shoulders is indescribable. Someone once said “Forgiveness is setting a prisoner free and then realizing that the prisoner was you.” They were right.
10. realizing that it is really hard to make a list of my least favorite things
Have a great weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOO HOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, February 8
Al Gore Would Be So Proud!!
How many of you recycle?? I’m not talking about the bin at work that you are required to put scrap paper in, or the shoe box that you use to store photos in…
I wanna know where your milk jugs and cereal boxes are going.
Let me pose this question: Is it possible to be a Christian without caring about the earth?
And is it possible to say, “Yes. I care about the earth” and mean it when you can’t even make time to separate your plastic from the rest of your trash?!!
I have never been concerned about the environment. In fact I used to regularly throw things out the window of the school bus. My mom taught me littering was wrong, so to appease her, I would simultaneously yell to the hillside, “Hey could you throw that away for me???” as the coke bottle or whatever else went bouncing down the highway.
Then when I got a little older I started noticing cigarette butts on the road. It thoroughly grossed me out. I also noticed coke bottles and other garbage littered up and down the roads. I was starting to evolve……
Then I started doing mission work in Haiti. It was there that I finally realized why we should be concerned about the environment. The garbage in Haiti is piled in the streets. The smell would…like my grandpa would say… “knock a fly off the poo poo wagon”. I started to realize, “hey this could happen in America just like it has happened here.
I still didn’t do anything about it until my wife declared, “no more throwing away plastic. We are going to recycle!” I said, “Cool! How much money do you get??” (The answer by the way….is none.)
Someone much smarter than me once said, “We have not inherited the earth from our grandparents, but have borrowed it from our grandchildren.”
Listen
I’m not talking about standing front-and-center at a global warming rally…..so much of that is utterly ridiculous…. But what I am talking about is being very real and very practical and very respectful.
Usually if you even mention “helping the earth” to people they automatically assume you’re a tree huggin, Gore groupie who voted for John Kerry, drives a Toyota Prius, hates conservatism, and boycotts deodorant and anything that runs on any energy other than solar winds
I don’t know where you stand on this issue. You may not see the importance since we all know that the earth is going to be destroyed eventually anyway… but look at it like this:
We preserve and honor the pictures and crafts that our children make with their hands, yet mistreat and disrespect the creation that our Lord spoke into being.
Have a blessed day!
I wanna know where your milk jugs and cereal boxes are going.
Let me pose this question: Is it possible to be a Christian without caring about the earth?
And is it possible to say, “Yes. I care about the earth” and mean it when you can’t even make time to separate your plastic from the rest of your trash?!!
I have never been concerned about the environment. In fact I used to regularly throw things out the window of the school bus. My mom taught me littering was wrong, so to appease her, I would simultaneously yell to the hillside, “Hey could you throw that away for me???” as the coke bottle or whatever else went bouncing down the highway.
Then when I got a little older I started noticing cigarette butts on the road. It thoroughly grossed me out. I also noticed coke bottles and other garbage littered up and down the roads. I was starting to evolve……
Then I started doing mission work in Haiti. It was there that I finally realized why we should be concerned about the environment. The garbage in Haiti is piled in the streets. The smell would…like my grandpa would say… “knock a fly off the poo poo wagon”. I started to realize, “hey this could happen in America just like it has happened here.
I still didn’t do anything about it until my wife declared, “no more throwing away plastic. We are going to recycle!” I said, “Cool! How much money do you get??” (The answer by the way….is none.)
Someone much smarter than me once said, “We have not inherited the earth from our grandparents, but have borrowed it from our grandchildren.”
Listen
I’m not talking about standing front-and-center at a global warming rally…..so much of that is utterly ridiculous…. But what I am talking about is being very real and very practical and very respectful.
Usually if you even mention “helping the earth” to people they automatically assume you’re a tree huggin, Gore groupie who voted for John Kerry, drives a Toyota Prius, hates conservatism, and boycotts deodorant and anything that runs on any energy other than solar winds
I don’t know where you stand on this issue. You may not see the importance since we all know that the earth is going to be destroyed eventually anyway… but look at it like this:
We preserve and honor the pictures and crafts that our children make with their hands, yet mistreat and disrespect the creation that our Lord spoke into being.
Have a blessed day!
Friday, February 5
A Thought On Marriage
You're getting a short one today. If you could see what my classroom looked like you would know why!!
HERE WE GO.....
I’m married, and if you are too, then statistically speaking, one of us is going to get a divorce.
I’m not writing that to be sensational, but I just want to be clear that it’s a big deal. And I don’t know if we Christians do a very good job of treating it as such.
Look at it this way: if one out of every two neighbors on your street got mauled by a bear, would you be more careful about bears? Would you buy books on how to keep your house safe from bears? Would you carry a gun and bear spray if there were, in fact, such a thing as bear spray? Probably. Yet, when it comes to divorce, we don’t do many equivalent things.
Valentines day is coming….that would be a great time to Bear proof the house a little. How have you Bear proofed in the past?? Leave a comment. We all want to know!!!
HERE WE GO.....
I’m married, and if you are too, then statistically speaking, one of us is going to get a divorce.
I’m not writing that to be sensational, but I just want to be clear that it’s a big deal. And I don’t know if we Christians do a very good job of treating it as such.
Look at it this way: if one out of every two neighbors on your street got mauled by a bear, would you be more careful about bears? Would you buy books on how to keep your house safe from bears? Would you carry a gun and bear spray if there were, in fact, such a thing as bear spray? Probably. Yet, when it comes to divorce, we don’t do many equivalent things.
Valentines day is coming….that would be a great time to Bear proof the house a little. How have you Bear proofed in the past?? Leave a comment. We all want to know!!!
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