Stay on the Path, & Never Stop Searching

We live in a dangerous time. We have more access to knowledge than any other time in the history of mankind, and yet we’ve developed the smallest capacity for attention. That’s dangerous. It’s created a number of false-truths built on politically motivated tag-lines and click-bate headlines; none of which provide the depth and connection to the truth we all crave deep within. We’re overworked, overwhelmed and saturated by untruth and uncertainty. The ability to distinguish truth from fabrication is nearly impossible, with little time and little energy to walk challenging path towards truth. 

We live in a world where spiritual beliefs are lumped together with the boogie man and the tooth fairy. My fear for you isn’t that you don’t believe in the spiritual world anymore, it’s that you’ve stopped searching before you’ve ever walked the path to discovery. Don’t stop walking. Don’t stop searching. 

In Maui last year, we went on a humpback whale-watching tour. To this very day, with all of our scientific discoveries and god-like technology, we’ve still never photographed them mating, nor witnessed a live birth. And yet we don’t deny their existence or how they came to be. My point: there’s still so much truth to be discovered. We haven’t arrived. I love and appreciate science, but it hasn’t arrived. In fact, science was never intended to arrive. Keep pursuing. 

In a world that still has a vast number of people arguing the world is flat; there’s more to discover. There’s more truth than the known deceptions of Facebook, politicians, and Capitalist advertisements. Don’t stop your journey towards the truth. On this Easter Sunday, commit to seeking a depth like never before. The truth is all around us. His presence is near whether you acknowledge it or not. Sometimes you just have to start walking to see it. When you do, don’t be swayed by all that would seek to halt that journey. It’s worth it. 

“The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written, I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I’ll expose so-called experts as crackpots. So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered stupid— preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.

While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti -miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness.””

-‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:18-25‬ ‭MSG‬‬

A Sinner's Prayer for Compassion

“God…we are all broken.  We have all fallen short and continue to fall short long after our saving moment.  Because of this, though a feeling of deep unworthiness overcomes my emotions, I dive headfirst into your amazing grace again today.  At one point, we were all brought to a place of humility and showed us the dirtiness of our own sin.  So we stepped forward and received this amazing grace.  But like the Pharisees you came to passionately humble, there is a strong spirit of religion, pride and self righteousness that is still strong in this same body of believers.  We have created a hierarchy of “righteousness” that can be neatly fit into a series of sin categories rated from passable to failed; all structured by us.  So as I witness this in myself, and as I experience this strong force against me in times of my own failings, I pray that you would keep me from becoming a judge of the judgers.  I need your grace and humility to overcome my own feelings of strong emotion.  Help me to realize the lesson to those in Matthew 7:3-4 that says:

3"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4"Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? 

Help me realize this is speaking of us ALL. God, I know we each have a plank in our own eye.  None of us have mere sawdust.  We have all fallen so short.  Help those that hide secret sins and use their outward self-righteous pride to hide these things.  Help them to know that you long for them to break free from addictions and the sewage that hides in the dark corners of their hearts.  Help them realize that you have a plan to turn their sickness into health; their bondage into freedom.  I pray for the men that judge the homosexual and yet give their minds and bodies and relationships to a sexually abused woman on their computer screen.  The lie they have bought into that they are “working on it” and haven’t given themselves over to it like a homosexual has in their chosen lifestyle.  As though a 10, 15, 20, 30 year hidden struggle with deep rooted lust and porn is any less of a lifestyle.  God, we have been tricked for so long.  Help your people to realize that your conviction is not for the purposes of burdening us with guilt, but rather to help us turn from the bondage anchored in these sins and the miserable, hopeless feeling of having to perform for those inside the church walls.  These very performances are what keep you out of our hearts, out of our lives and keep those that need you, out of your beloved body.  These performances keep us from dealing with the hidden parts of our hearts, from seeking help from those fellow broken brothers and sisters that must pretend they aren’t broken anymore.  God, we have reached a sad and startling state when the brokenness that once drew us near to you is now pushed aside as though it never existed.  We have found righteousness in our own deeds; affirmation in the eyes of our peers rather than the eyes of you.  Help your people realize that failings actually set us free and expose us for what we are…mere sinners.  Help us not make choices based on who looks best to walk with.  That we would see there is a difference between condoning sin and merely walking the long walk of peaks and valleys with a fellow brother or sister.  Give us grace God.  Help us see one another as we would our own children.  And not the parent that shuns a child who gets pregnant.  The one that can stand by them, love them and support them as the dozens of other peers and parents that (just happened) to barely miss joining egg and sperm from their own sexual encounters, point fingers at their child and mock and gossip openly.  Give us grace God.  Help us to be the parent that would never kick out a child because they struggled with their sexuality or believe that somehow this exclusion will bring them back into a state of awakening.  Help them to realize that you never leave us nor forsake us.  You are the God of a broken world and you see the complexities of life.  You see the boy that was molested by another man at a pivotal age during their sexual growth. You see the grown man that first experienced arousal while looking at his first pornographic video at a young, young age.  You see the girl who filled a sexual void by the absence of a loving father.  You see the harsh realities of broken marriages.  You see the pain and hurt that exists in broken relationships.  You desire us to be set free so we can live in pure joy.  Thank you God for my failings.  Though extremely hard, they have opened the doors of my heart for all to see.  My sin has been laid bare before me and before my peers.  You have taken me from the wreckage of my hurt and dread and have been the lifter of my head when no one else would stand with me.  You are the reason I praise.  You are the reason I so easily share my faith with those that would pursue you through a friendship with me.  Like the worker of the vineyard Matthew 20:1-16 that comes on at the 11th hour, we have all been given far more than we deserve. 

^1-2 “God’s kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work.^3-5 “Later, about nine o’clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.^5-6 “He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o’clock. At five o’clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, ‘Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?’⁷ “They said, ‘Because no one hired us.’“He told them to go to work in his vineyard.⁸ “When the day’s work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, ‘Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.’^9-12 “Those hired at five o’clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, ‘These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.’^13-15 “He replied to the one speaking for the rest, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn’t we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?’¹⁶ “Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”

Those that feel they deserve more because they have done more “work” for the Kingdom will only be frustrated by the fact their efforts have been for their own prideful gain because the reality is we are all the 11th hour workers.  We all barely fall into your Kingdom.  And we only do so by your grace.  So help those that are frustrated that they might see your purposes are beyond our perceptions of what we think things ought to be.  Give us grace.  Give us insight.  Give us your eyes to see a broken world the way you see it.  Give us hope.  Give us you…”

For the Broken Hearted

God, you work in us and through us in ways beyond our small, self perceived definitions of you. No platform or scenario is beyond your working. To the contrary, it seems to be these shattered environments where you work most effectively. You find us in the valleys of brokenness and while the shadows are covering us with a blanket of heavy burden, you whisper to us in our disparity and tell us to "Be still and know...know that Im WITH you. Be still and know that i will call you out of darkness. And i will call you by name. I know you. I love you. I want to pour myself on you and take these burdens from you. I have every hair counted on your head. I knitted you together in the womb of your mother. I have drawn you to myself that you may know life and know it abundantly. I will never leave you nor forsake you for i am the Lord your God. Creator of the mighty and wondrous universe. Giver of all things good and lovely. For apart from me no one experiences joy or true love. For I AM love. Im the author of life. Im the one who breathed life into the valley of death...your valley. Im jealous for you and oh I love you. My affections run deep. A depth marked by grace and mercy. Grace and Mercy because I have no condemnation against you. I have no judgment on you. I have made you clean and my Father only sees me residing in you. I see your flesh. I see your sin. Only that i might pierce it with my gaze and burn off the hardness that would cause you to be distant from me. Im drawing you to myself. Im pursuing you. I love you individually and pursue you my son. Dont get wrapped up in the vast number of my children. I love YOU and am pursuing YOU. I have been since the day I finished a good work in you. The day of your salvation. Rejoice and be glad in it! I will restore to you the joy of your salvation. And not through times of comfort. But in times of darkness I will restore this joy. Your need for me will be made known in a way that has never been felt. Its a joy you've always prayed for but didnt know how to accept. Your need for my saving grace had not yet been realized. Dont fear the adversity of your failings. Im not shocked by your afflictions. I use them according to my will and purposes. The enemy has no hold over me. He isnt BEING defeated he has already BEEN defeated. I use his petty attempts to destroy you for MY glory. So fear not. Im with you and will never forsake you. The plans i have for you are great my son, because im the God of Jacob, David, and Abraham. Im the God of prostitutes, murderers and thieves. I am the God of the real. Im the God of the needy. I came for the sick not the ones who think they're healthy. I use the ones that want to be used. Their sin and failings are only a platform by which i can more passionately express my love to a world that needs my touch. Im broken for their sin, not embarrassed by it. I say to "go and sin no more" that they might taste more fully the goodness and love I have authored for their lives. Sin is my enemy because it pulls my beloved from me. You are not my enemy. You are my child and I love you."

Embracing the Darkness

Though exhausting and riddled with fear, there is power in times of darkness. Humble, broken moments such as these can be necessary in order to make that tiny flicker of natural light visible in a crowded world of unnatural light. When hope is lost and Nights suffocating walls feel as though they're imploding around us, it's that shimmer of light that will direct us, and the darkness that makes an otherwise dim light seem all the more real and clear. Isn't the wandering vessel never more dependent on the distant twinkle of light than when it's in the midst of a night's stormy seas? And so it is as we wander in the darkness looking for direction and guidance; something to give us a course as we seek hope when hopelessness is all that can be felt.

We walk down rocky paths that were once marked by familiarity and the feel of soft, comfortable ground beneath our feet. Never realizing it was this perceived comfort that led to the darkness in the first place. Or was the darkness always there and we finally opened our eyes to the reality of our surroundings? Somehow believing the comfort below our feet was the soft, green pasture we had hoped it was. Only looking down to find it was just the slimy moss of a jagged rock being crashed upon by an endless number of waves by the stormy sea. 

And so with eyes open, the journey begins. Seeking that flicker of light that seems so far off in the distance. Stumbling along once familiar paths towards a destination that is not yet known. Following the dim light in a moonless night and believing that light will lead towards greener pastures; not because it is assumed to be comfortable but because that is the place the light has made luscious and new.

Come All You Weary

Salvation: How can I help but offer prayers of praise as one who has been saved? One who realizes this free gift that overflows my heart with grace (my only weapon against the glutinous urge to consume the cheap and easy self-righteous, moralistic lie of religion. THEE single thing Christ came to destroy)

It's THIS reason I have joy. THIS is why I have hope. THIS is why I put that hope in a God that claims his purpose is to bring rest to the weary, provision to the needy, guidance to the lost, and freedom to the burdened.

So come all you weary, and find rest for your soul. Not so you can become like us who have already accepted this gift, but that you might also taste and see the freedom that is in Christ.

The simplicity of the gospel goes beyond comprehension but it's in this simplicity that we begin to realize the key difference between those that have been saved and those that have not. For those that have, it's the simple recognition of our own brokenness (sin). The simple recognition that we alone can't DO enough and must therefore accept the free gift of Christs grace; grace that transforms us by means of his overwhelming presence in our lives.

But as soon as we forget what we have been saved from, we lose all joy and become like the Pharisees; thinking more highly of ourselves and our supposed "righteous deeds" than the free gift of Gods eternal grace.

But we must also remember what Paul said; "do I go on sinning that grace may abound? No!" Rather, we pursue Christ and turn from sin that those weary amongst us will see (not me, but Christ in me) as a refreshing drink in a hot, desolate desert.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound," that saved wretches like you and I 

The Gradual Fall Into Spiritual Self-Righteousness

1. Recognition of Sin - The individual, moved and called by the Holy Spirit, recognizes the darkness and brokenness within that seeks to destroy every piece of them
2. Salvation - Upon recognizing this brokenness, the individual comes to a crossroad; receive the eternal gift of adoption into the kingdom of Christ, or deny this inheritance and move forward in carnal pursuits with no desire for a relationship with the Creator
3. Restoration - The individual that chooses salvation begins to exemplify the fruits and restorative power seen in one whom has graciously been given this priceless inheritance    
4. Pursuit of Righteousness - And so we enter into the body of Christ (i.e. the Church) and spur each other on towards the things of Him; seeking to live the high standard he has set before us as we utilize the gifts he has instilled within us
5. Righteous Expectations - The more we are able to distinguish darkness from light (good from evil), the more we feel an obligation to live this righteousness in front of our fellow Christians.  Often times with these righteous expectations come less grace from our fellow brothers and sisters and less pursuit of inward accountability.  Therefore, walls are built creating dark shadows of "the heart" (i.e. our spirit). 
6. Self-Righteousness - Instead of restarting the cycle of recognizing sin and pursuing restoration, we allow our spiritual pride to grow, thus killing the Godly fruit that had once defined us.  This not only immobilizes our spiritual growth and effectiveness but creates a different kind of fruit; one that looks shiny and polished but tastes bitter and rotten

Unfortunately, this "fall" into self-righteousness is all too common in the modern church.  We're all guilty of it to some degree, but how do we continue the cycle of spiritual restoration while we still pursue the Christ-like example of one who has been set free from the bondage of sin; including that of spiritual pride? 

The Gospel According to Mumford - Timshel

The world can be a paralyzing place that freezes us in a state of stagnation founded upon fears; fears of success, fears of failure, fears of growth, fears of change, and ultimately a deeply rooted fear of death (i.e. the great unknown). Cold and enslaving it is to live in such a world.

The harsh reality is this: death is daily knocking at your door and is seeking to gradually rob you of your innocence and your youth. The other harsh reality is that death is succeeding. "For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the grass; it's flowers fall and it's beauty perishes." And so it is with us.

But our substance, OUR LEGACY! Now THAT is something death can't rob you of. Freeze you from creating valuable substance, yes, but once that substance is established there is no power in death to rob you of your legacy.

So take heart and know "you are not alone in this."  Again, "you are not alone in this."  As brothers and sisters you will stand, holding fast against this cold world. And so you surround yourself with those that might warm your hearts towards the things that make death irrelevant; spurring you on towards a life that is free from it's enslaving and paralyzing power. Pushing you towards the eternal nature of a life well-lived and well-served.

But be cautious of who you surround yourself with. These people will define you. They will be the roots by which your choices stem from. Choices that can "make you great" and give you "a ladder to the stars"...or, choices that freeze you in a state of nothingness. Choose wisely.

How blessed I am to have friends that would "move mountains" for me. As iron sharpens iron, so a true friend sharpens another friend. Thank you to those that invest in me and push me towards great things; eternal things.