I had a friend that I met a long time ago.  In fact, if I hadn’t found out the truth a few years ago, I would have believed her to be a twin sister, but she was not a sister.  She was with me from my earliest memories.  She liked the things I liked, thought like I thought.  In many ways she influenced how I thought and what I liked.  She was innocent, but curious, and grown up for her age…my age. 

 She was a playmate, a true companion.  I was never alone, she filled up the loneliness.  I trusted her, because she was so familiar.  Over time, she became bolder.  Her once, gentle suggestions became strong urges.  She knew just what to say to make me give in to her.  She pouted if I ignored her, she angered when I spoke my mind.  When I would get mad at her, she would playfully smile and my heart would melt for her again.  In our teens, she was reckless, and I loved her.  She understood me.  She never said “no” to me.  She showed me things I’d never imagined; some exciting, and some shameful.  But they were our secret.

 She wasn’t jealous, though.  No, in fact, she introduced me to many of my girlfriends.  She picked them out for me.  She knew exactly what I liked.  She was never threatened, because she always knew I was hers.  I was hers.  That’s when she changed.  The playmate turned into a master.  The confidant turned into an extortionist.  There were no more suggestions, no innocent games to explore, just demands to satisfy her endless cravings…my endless cravings.  There were no sweetly shared secrets anymore, only threats to expose what she knew about me.  In shame, I bowed to her demands.  I hated her.  I hated me.  How could I be so weak? 

 I would have asked for help, but I was afraid of what others would think of me if they knew about my friend, my enemy.  After I married, she disappeared…I thought.  But she was still there, stalking, planning, waiting for her opportunity to be in charge again.  She made her move, when my guard was down.  She took advantage of me, reminding me of every childhood game and secret that she showed me…held over me.  When I gave into her, she became so cruel.  She laughed at me, mocked me, criticized me, and degraded me.  I was no longer a man, I was a slave.

 When I had lost my pride and dignity, I decided I had lost enough.  I told my wife about my friend, my enemy.  I prepared for the worst.  I had expected that my wife would pick up where my nemesis had left off.  I expected shock, ridicule, anger, and threats.  But instead of condemnation I saw mercy.  I mean, I looked at the physical embodiment of mercy!  In her eyes I saw disappointment, but not retribution.  In her voice I heard conviction, not condemnation.  In her arms I felt forgiveness, not judgment.  I looked into the mercy of God, and His mercy looked completely into me.

 In an instant there was no darkness, no secret, no mocking voice in my head.  My desire for my friend, my enemy, was gone.  I didn’t need her.  I didn’t want her.  She wasn’t a part of me.  She wasn’t related to me.  She left my life, and God’s grace put a restraining order against this stalker.

 It’s been a long time since I’ve heard from her.  She called today to check on me, to see if I was happy, to see if I missed her.  I hung up on her and blocked her number.  

 Romans 8:12-14

The promise to every child of God is to finally see Him.  What crown, what righteous throne, what earthly or heavenly authority would evaluate as richly as to view and share in the glory of the Glorious One?  Jesus prayed that we might see His Glory, shared with The Father.  Moses had the finger-written law, the burning-bush spoken voice, the manna-raining presence of God, but yearned to see God's Glory.  The promise to every adopted child of God, chosen by God, forgiven by God, made an heir by God, to share in this:  The Glory of God.  This is the desire of every true child of God.  Heavenly peace, eternal life, millennial authority, tearless eternity; these have limited appeal to the true child of God.  For the one adopted, wants more than any THING, to know and see the Father who shows such love.

Seraphim, those six-winged, angelic creatures come close to His glory and hide their faces, all the while crying out "HOLY!"  Anointed elders, seated and enthroned in authoritative position, and crowned with righteous diadem have but one response when granted the one desire for which their faithfulness is rewarded; to see Him, whose glory outshines all others.  And seeing fully the glorious face of Him who chose these adopted ones into His family, all thrones are abandoned in favor of a humble floor, all crowns and rewards are returned with haste, even thrown hastily at the feet of Him, so glorious that no bejeweled treasure could compare. 

"A crown of righteousness", as Paul stated, "is laid up for me."  But the real treasure of Heaven is the face of the One for whom I have been purchased. 

Things sure have changed.  When I was a kid, Christmas was the one time of year that I got to see all my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  It was the one time of year when even the mean kids in school were almost nice.  It was a time when everyone said “Merry Christmas” and smiled at strangers.  Salvation Army bell-ringers weren’t treated like an annoyance, and you weren’t afraid that you were offending someone when you genuinely just wanted to share a benevolent wish for the season.

Don’t get me wrong.  I believe in being considerate.  I believe that people shouldn’t be ignorant of the diverse people and cultures represented around them.  However, I’m afraid that political correctness has everyone (or at least considerate people) walking on eggshells more than freely enjoying the freedoms that we are guaranteed by our God-given “inalienable rights.”  Now, just to wish someone a joyous season, we engage in racial or religious profiling, making our best uneducated guess as to which holiday the recipient of our hopeful wish will graciously endorse.  So, we make a general statement, as bland as we can make it, or we combine words to include everything that our fellow humans might be celebrating.  Happy RamaQuanzChristmakah! 

 To make matters worse, this year I did some research on the origins of Christmas.  I was alarmed to find that Google’s highest rated sites on the subject were all negative.  These are some of the things that I read:  One site said that Christmas was really worshiping the Roman god Saturn.  Another said that putting up a Christmas tree was truly committing Druidic idolatry to Nimrod, the guy who built the Tower of Babel.   Still another claimed that Christmas was a time of excessive debauchery and sexual immorality in Pagan tradition.  One that really got my attention said that celebrating the birth of Jesus (or any birthday for that matter) was an abomination to God and terrible things would happen for such rebellion.  I read of horrible atrocities done to Jewish people on Christmases through the ages by So-called Christians, and that to teach children to celebrate Christmas, no matter how tamed or joyous was comparable to wishing someone a “Happy Hitlerday.” 

 Now I’ve learned to bite my tongue and endure criticism, but I feel strongly that there ought to be something available on the World Wide Web to clarify what Christians really celebrate at Christmas; at least those of us that aren’t selfish, debauched, Saturn-worshipping, tree hugging, anti-Semites.  This Christmas as followers of Jesus (Yeshua, His Hebrew name) gather with our families, there will be no songs to Saturn.  We will sing of the Silent Night that was interrupted by the sounds of Herald Angels announcing their First Noel, While Shepherds watched their flocks by night.  They proclaimed Joy To The World, goodwill to all men, and “Gloria In Excelsis Deo”, Glory to God in the Highest.  For “Unto Us” is born in the Little Town of Bethlehem, One who is called Immanuel, which means “God with us.”  We will give gifts to one another, all the while knowing that it is really all of us that have been blessed with a gift that we could never deserve.  The gift of salvation and forgiveness has come to us.  This season reminds us that we are not alone, that God is with us.  This gift sparks in our hearts feelings of generosity and compassion toward others.  Homeless people will be fed, drug addicts will be given help, and orphans will receive gifts from loving people, who are not their parents.  Soldiers overseas will receive notes and cards from those who pray for them at home.  Christians will fill churches this year and pray for peace on Earth.  We won’t be drunk and disorderly this year, or reveling in latent immorality.  We will be convicted to try and live each day as we do on Christmas, and we will challenge each other to live as Jesus would have us live throughout the next year.  This season makes us reflect on our lives.  It makes us show kindness to one another.  It makes us want to be better people.  But mostly, it makes us grateful to have received the undeserved Grace of Almighty God.  If all of these elements and sentiments come together, they result in a very Merry Christmas.

I hope that doesn’t offend you.

One day, some religious teachers and lawyers came to trick Jesus.  They asked “What is the greatest commandment?”  His answer still stands today, over 2,000 years later as a testament to God’s mission, God’s motive, and God’s method for a better life.  He said that we were to love God with everything we have, and to love others around us with the same love that we would show ourselves.  That is love in three directions:  toward God, toward others, and toward yourself.  What He said after this is even more important, and has serious implications for anyone who is interested in knowing God and discovering His will for life.  In Matthew 22:40 Jesus said that all of the laws, commandments, and prophetic writings hinged on fulfilling these two commandments.  In essence, if we could endeavor to love God, love others, and love ourselves we would not need the extensive lists of rules and regulations that seem impossible to keep. 

 Think about all the things that people associate with religion; “You can’t do that”, “That’s not allowed”, “That’s a sin”.  If we truly love God we will consider His purpose and will in our lives.  If we truly love others, we will not take advantage of them, or offend them for our own sake.  If we truly love ourselves, we will not do harmful things to ourselves or engage in self-destructive behavior. 

 This kind of love does not give a free pass to any selfish desire by saying “if it feels good, do it.”  No, this kind of love gives you the desire to live your life to the full, and gives you the heart to live the life you never thought was possible.  This is one of the greatest challenges of all time, and this is your opportunity to put it to the test.  Over the course of this blog we are going to look at these three main objectives:  loving God, loving others, and loving yourself.  This is not some new-fangled attempt at getting people to act more religious.  Forget about a different way to do church, this is a better way to do life!

Poets have written sonnets describing it, singers have emoted about, lovers have tossed around the word to describe their overwhelming passion, but all the creativity in the world could not begin to explain the meaning or power of love.  What would you say if someone told you that love is the key to achieving a meaningful, satisfying, and power-packed life? 

 The love I’m referring to is not an emotionally dependent, or sexually charged concept, but the very nature of the One True God that created you, and wants to reveal Himself to you.  The love of God is so unique and so different from our understanding of sexual love, or brotherly love that a different word is used in scripture to describe this kind of love.  The root word for sensual love is “Eros”, from which we get the word “erotic”.  The root word for friendly love is “Phileo” from which we get the word “Philadelphia”, known as the “City of Brotherly Love”.  But the word used often to describe God’s love is the Greek word, Agape (pronounced uh-ga’-pay) and it is defined as an attitude resulting from a conscious choice.  This love is not determined by feelings or emotions.  It is not the kind of love of which you fall in or out.  Many marriages end in brokenness because people put such an emphasis on whether or not they feel love toward their spouse.  When the feeling wanes, there is no more love, and the relationship is over.  The love that God demonstrates for us is a conscious choice.  It is a willful act toward humanity, not based on our worthiness, or emotional merit.   

It was love that motivated God to create humanity.  It was love that motivated God to send a Savior.  It is love that is the foundation for all God’s commandments.  It is love that Jesus Christ commanded of His followers.  And it is love that should define and identify true believers.*

I've heard critics say "you're going to love people right into Hell."  Let's be clear:  the message of Love is not "do whatever you feel."  God's love corrected Adam and Eve for their rebellion.  God's love condemned Satan for corrupting His creation.  God's love sent prophets to His people when they wouldn't listen.  God's love took our place when we were the ones who deserved judgment.  

I'm sorry, did you just yawn?  Do your eyes glaze over when you read of God's love?  Are you a Christian that craves more "spiritual solid food?"  Read Ephesians 3:17-19  17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. **

There you have it;  you can't get deeper than the love of Christ.  If this message doesn't thrill you, check your heart.  You might consider me and romantic, but I've always been a sucker for a good love story.  That's why I love love. 

*Excerpt from "A Better Way" by Sammy & Shannon Pawlak (c) 2010

**Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible : New Living Translation. (3rd ed.) (Eph 3:17–19). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

                Ministers and politicians have a couple things in common.  I know you probably just thought of a few examples of public scandals, but I wasn’t talking about the few that cheat people out of money and live hypocritical morality.  I’m referring to the initial desire in one’s heart to be a leader of people.  In order to pursue a calling like this you’ll generally find two traits at work in varying degrees.  First, a person who wants to lead people has to have a great conviction that they are the solution to a particular problem.  Instead of sitting back in hope that someone else will take action, a leader steps up to fill the need.  Secondly, a leader has to have enough ego to think that others need to hear what they have to say.  This second trait is what often hinders the would-be leader from true success.  There are many biblical and historical examples of humble leaders who kept this trait in check.  Moses protested when God called this 80 year old, stuttering shepherd to deliver the Israelites from Egypt.  Some historical accounts say that George Washington whispered in a humble, barely audible voice as he was sworn in as the first President of the United States of America.

                Humility aside, no leader wants to be considered mediocre, or unsuccessful.  Over the years that I’ve been in ministry I have struggled with an ego that wants to be heard by thousands.  It probably spilled over from my childhood dream of being a rock star.  I could imagine myself on a huge stage surrounded by a multitude in a football stadium.  They would hang on my every word.  Cameras would zoom in on my emotional plea for hearers to respond to the message, and the broadcast would go out all over the world.  What would I say?  Well, that’s a detail that I’d work out later.  Seriously, when I felt God call me to ministry I imagined that he would make me bigger than Billy Graham.  Then, I planted a new church and got a reality check.  Actually, that’s a bit understated; I had my selfish dream obliterated, and my ego underwent a serious operation. 

                Recently I have been considering this guy in Genesis named Abraham.  You see, God gave him that name and it meant “Father of many.”  God told him that his descendants would be like the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore.  Problem was that he didn’t have a kid until he was a very old man.  Can you imagine him introducing himself? 

                “What’s your name?”

                “Father of many”

                “Oh, how many kids do you have?”

                “Well, none so far.”

Ouch.  That’s embarrassing.  But as I consider his legacy, and the promise that God gave him, I’m in awe of the way that God used him.  Though he only had a few children by the end of his life, he stands as the patriarch of many nations. The Arab nations were born through his son Ishmael.   The Israeli nation was born through his son Isaac.  What’s more, God’s blessing passed through his line and gave the world a Savior. All the people on earth have been blessed through Abraham.  Moses was a great leader, who led over a million Jews out of captivity.  Joshua was a great leader who led the same people into the Promised Land.  David was a great king who led a nation, but Abraham has more descendants, physically and spiritually than one could ever count. 

                Our church is growing.  God is adding to our numbers.  Chairs are filled, kids areas are booming, and I even have a group of people who seem to like what I have to say.  But I have a new desire.  I told God that if I had to choose between being a leader of thousands, or the father of many, I want the latter.  Abraham may not have had the influence of Moses or David, but he was fruitful.  Thank God for the many that he has called to lead multitudes.  I’m in awe of the way that God has prospered some ministries.  I’m as surprised as anyone to realize that in my heart I don’t dream of ministry success, but spiritual sons and daughters.  I hope I don’t have to live to a hundred years old before I see that happen.

The strange part is that, though I believe all these things (and have for many years) my behavior didn’t always demonstrate the firmness of my beliefs.  I’m sure I’m the only one, but I can recall all the times that I would be slamming Doritos by the bag, and saying to myself “I really gotta go on a diet…tomorrow.”  I’d find more than a few reasons why I was too busy to stop by the gym, or mow my lawn, or pray.  Even guilt had very little power to keep me from falling to temptation.  Oh, I could put on my “good Christian” mask and quote scriptures about what I believed, but when it came down to it, what I “believed” didn’t really affect the way I lived.

So, if believing something doesn’t change the way you live, can you really say you believe?  Ephesians 2:8-9 says “It is by grace that you are saved, through faith (belief), and no credit to yourself – it is a gift from God.  It doesn’t come by our works, so we can’t brag about it.” James 2:20 says “Faith without works is dead.”  For years, I’ve seen religious people swing this pendulum back and forth with no real effect, like a two-hour soccer game with no score.  Some churches have tried to get people to clean up their behavior.  Talk this way, act this way, dress this way, then you’ll be a Christian.  Others have taught that you have no responsibility in the matter.  God chooses who is in, and who is accepted.  Your behavior doesn’t matter.

You want to know what I believe?  Both!  There, settled the argument for all the ages, right?  Well, not exactly.  I’m not even sure I could come close.  I would however, redirect to a question that we can answer:  What are you prepared to do with the things you believe?  If I believed my house was on fire, I’d get out of there.  If I believed I was six months away from a heart attack, I’d order vegetables instead of fries.  If I believed the vows I made to my wife, I’d put a filter on my computer.  If I believed that God is interested in a relationship with me, and has good gifts for my life, I’d spend some time getting to know how to hear His voice.  If I believed that God’s promises apply to me and my family, I’d spend some time studying what those promises are.  If I believed that God hears my prayers, I’d do some more praying.  If I believed that Jesus gave me power to overcome temptation, I’d find out how to tap into that outlet.

The belief written about in the Bible is not just a sensory knowledge.  It’s not religious information to be regurgitated on Heaven’s Fill-in-the-blank entrance exam.  (No, you don’t have to take SAT’s to get into Heaven)  Real faith is an active belief.  It’s the kind of belief that altars the way you make decisions, affects the way you treat others, and authenticates your response to God.  God-given faith is something so real, something you know so confidently, you cannot help but respond dramatically.  Hebrews 11:1 says “Faith is the substance of what you hope for, the evidence of what you cannot yet see.”

Would it take a doctor’s diagnosis to make you believe your choices are important?  Would the threat of divorce make you honor your mate?  Would the bill to re-sod be enough to convince you to tend the yard more frequently?  What would it take to get you to take God seriously?  When would be an appropriate time to consult the One who made you?  How many people around you need to be healed before you consider that God could do the same for you?  Will you press through the complacency, excuses, and logical reasons you have for being stuck where you are?  Will you believe that God loves you as much as anyone else?  Will you believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him?  Will you hang on to what you believe, whether your friends believe it or not?  I believe I will.

He was adorned in purple, but not in splendor.  The crown that he wore had no value, no jewels, just twisted barbs and thorns.  The scepter of gold that he deserved to hold, was replaced by a Roman spike.  Where most kings are presented on glorious days with gifts of land and tribute, he was offered spits of saliva and mucus.  And where he should have been lauded for his omnipotence, he was insulted and profaned by the very people he came to lead.

When the moment came for him to be exalted to His position of authority, it was not upon a throne he sat, but nailed to a wooden cross.  The scene was tragic and ironic, the abuse, barbaric and brutal, but the all-powerful weight of his noble work was affective to achieve his purpose.

From that criminal’s position, a kingly proclamation was made.  An edict was issued that superseded any previous law.  A human emancipation was enacted, which in one moment freed all men and women, of every origin, in every place, for all time from the totalitarian government of sin and death.  Never before or since has there been such a coup.  The powers of darkness disarmed, all eternal debts cancelled.  The new regime, under this benevolent dictator would usher in a new dawn of love for the unlovable, mercy for the undeserving, and abundant life for those sentenced to death’s capital punishment.

When the royal decree had gone out, it was signed and sealed in the very blood of the sovereign, and establishing the everlasting tenant that can be neither altered, amended, annulled, vetoed, nor ignored, he declared “It is finished.”

Psalm 24:7-10 ⁷ Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. ⁸ Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, invincible in battle. ⁹ Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. ¹⁰ Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies— he is the King of glory.

Jesus did make it pretty simple with the commandments to love God, love others, love yourself.  Here’s where balance needs to be applied.  I look at biblical beliefs like a pendulum.  There’s always the tendency to swing from one side and back to the other.  I actually think that’s natural.  It’s in the middle where we want to live.  The Old Testament is God’s attitude toward sin, the New Testament is God’s attitude toward sinners.  Before we realize what an amazingly gracious thing Jesus did for us in forgiving our sins and making us children of God, we have to contemplate how Holy He is.

People that do not acknowledge God’s complete, total, fear-inspiring holiness can swing the pendulum to believe that we can live any way we want and God has no standard for us.  We play like ignorant children in the street among the traffic, and God says “Aw, aren’t they cute out there expressing themselves?”

On the other hand, people that do not acknowledge God’s unparalleled, incomprehensible mercy toward the undeserving can swing the pendulum to believe that we have to please God with our outward works and cower in fear of a lightning-throwing tyrant.  We are like infants learning to take shaky steps, and each time we fall God says “How dare you fall, you incompetent excuse for a human!”

My spiritual walk has been a continual, even daily reminder of God’s Holiness, and His mercy.  This view has helped me relate to non-believers with more compassion, and relate to devout, long-time believers with more understanding.

Something amazing is happening among Christians everywhere.  There is even a move among some to drop the name “Christian” altogether.  That word was first used by non-believers in Antioch, Syria to describe and ridicule the early believers.  It means “little Christ”.  The label stuck and has been used for millennia.  But when you look at things like, the Inquisition, the Crusades, and other dark moments in history, it’s no wonder so many people resist Jesus because of what’s been done in His Name.

Some groups are using the term “Christ follower” to separate themselves from the stereotype of the heavily hair-sprayed, southern fried TV evangelist, who talks funny, and is against everything.

Others are going even farther into repackaged Eastern Spirituality and mysticism.  Some are scrapping the whole deal, and throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.  This brings me back to my earlier point about balance.  You don’t correct error with greater error.  You correct error with truth.  Every great renewal or revival of the past came through this same feeling of discontent, and drove people back to God’s Word.  Instead of taking someone’s word for it, they discovered it for themselves.  Scripture made sense, God was approachable, religion was detestable, salvation was available, and the life-transformation was undeniable.  That’s a real reformation!  I think we’re in one right now!  It certainly is being experienced in many churches just like God’s House.  The challenge is not to swing that pendulum too far and make up our own doctrine, but to go back to the original message:  A Holy God, so beautiful and perfect that He detests the very presence of sin, so much that He took on our humanity, laid himself on a brutal cross that we deserved, and paid to make us Holy so that we could be His family.  It makes me cry just to write about it.  Who else but God would do that?

You should read Isaiah 6:1-8.  It is a vision of the prophet Isaiah, a very godly man who comes face to face with God and is suddenly aware of his own sinfulness.  But it reveals what happens in the life of every one that begins with Loving God.  First you discover who He is and how amazing He is.  Secondly, you realize how small and weak you are compared to Him.  Thirdly, you find how willing He is to make us clean and make us useful to His purpose.  Fourthly, when He has done His work in us, we have no fear to stand boldly before Him, or to be associated with His Name.

It seems the closer I get to God, the more I don’t know.  The higher He lifts me, the more scared I am of falling.  The more I see His righteousness, the more I see my sinfulness.  The more I fear His holiness, the more I love His mercy.   I don’t know what label you would put on me.  Some might call me fundamentalist, or Bible-thumper.  Some might call me seeker-sensitive, or watered down.  Some might call me fanatic, or out to lunch, but there is one description that I would not deny…”His”.