Romans 5:1-5

Sabotage

2012-02-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

Have you ever done something that in the end hurt you? You knew it was going to hurt, but you went ahead and did it anyway? There are two areas I would like to address here: our relationships, and our jobs. First lets talk about work. Maybe at your job, you keep getting to work late, and the boss has warned you, but you keep showing up late. He warns you some more: "I'm going to have to fire you if you continue to show up late for work." But you just can't seem to get going early enough to get to work on time. Maybe at work, you are not working as hard as you should or could be. You have in fact become your own worst enemy!
It can be tough to stay motivated to do your job and having been an employer or in management for over 25 years, I can tell you it is a battle fought by many, and a number of folks do not do so well in this category. The Harvard Business School did a famous study that produced the 80/20 rule: generally 80% of the work is done by 20% of the workforce. Now we can break this down a number of ways, but following our thoughts here, if 20% are working hard, that leaves 80% of the work force falling into lower production ratings. Some will be just having a bit of an off month, they may have outside factors, illness, vacation, injury, etc.. The rest of the folks, for whatever reason, will just be doing a bad job. A bad attitude or maybe they felt they were slighted somehow at work and they are unmotivated, or they have just let themselves get lazy. There were times I fired people that I just could not get a days work out of and I would tell them "I'm doing this for you, not to you." Sometimes job loss is the wake up call people need to make them understand what they are doing is not cutting it.

John 8:32
32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Maybe you are in a relationship and you have fallen into a pattern of being hurtful, playing hurtful "mind games", of saying things you know you shouldn't say, things you don't really feel, things you know could hurt the relationship. These hurtful things could even sabotage and / or end the relationship. But you say or do them anyway knowing they are going to make the situation worse not better. Why do we do that? Why do we put our selves at risk to lose…to lose our jobs, or lose our relationships, to hurt ourselves?
More times then not, as I have witnessed self-sabotage, very inconsequential things cause it. The simple inability to wake up and go to work, the discipline to actually work, and to complete the task. In our relationships, statements of insignificance get blown out of proportion. Or maybe you got your feelings hurt by an unintentional inconsiderate action or non action from a loved one and the next thing you know you are threatening the very future of the relationship. A self-fulfilling prophecy if you will. Do we have a fear of peace, a fear of things going well? As odd as it may seem, some people dwell in fear and anxiety, putting themselves at risk over and over again, actually committing a cycle of sin and guilt, sin and guilt (a Satan cycle). Some folks just "push each other's buttons," ratcheting up what would otherwise be a petty disagreement, not worthy of this kind of effort.
Why do we do this? We have to end this cycle of, what is actually, self-abuse. "Stop the madness" is a quote that comes to mind. This behavior, this action, is not what God wants; God wants you to be happy. God wants you to overcome these situations and become a better person. God wants you to be a more understanding person, a more committed person, a 'mo-betta' person, a more encouraging and a more loving person. God wants you doing your best, be it in a relationship or on the job. God wants peace and joy for you, not anger and stress. The Bible is your guide; it gives us Gods tools for overcoming "self sabotage."

Psalm 119:105
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Psalm 23:3
"He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Take just a moment and prayerfully consider if what you are about to do or are actually doing is helpful or hurtful to the situation.

James 1:19-20 19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."

"Quick to listen, slow to speak…" Do you understand what was said, or what happened, there is nothing wrong with asking for clarification. Asking for a restatement will do a couple of things for you. First, it slows things down. Asking for and receiving a restatement slows down the situation, it gives both parties a chance to take a breath and a moment to think. Second, if it wasn't what they meant to say, it will give them the opportunity to say it correctly, possibly give them an early "do-over," a chance to rethink what may have been a blunder on their part, and an opportunity to correct it before it's "on the record". Third, it gives you a chance to gather your thoughts before your reply.

Ecclesiastes 7:9
"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools."

If the restatement is the same, you are ahead in your thoughts now, instead of just reacting immediately to the statement, you have had a moment for a considered response. If the statement has changed, and you want to be careful here how you react to this too, how did it change…more inciting or less hurtful? If it is less hurtful, you want to pursue that, and not the angrier of the two statements. It is important that if it is not as hurtful of a statement you let the initial statement go. Let it go. Let it go. Nothing is to be gained by going back to the first 'misstatement'. Remember we are working conflict resolution, not conflict escalation. Take each opportunity to reduce the tension and thereby gain some control of the situation. God does not want anger and tension; it is not in God's plan for you to place yourself in a bad position of a compromising situation. God wants his peace and mercy to flow through you. Is this anger or hurtful statement really who you are or who you want to be or who Gods wants you to be?

Proverbs 15
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

The mind and heart do a great job of separating good from bad, right from wrong…listen to it.
Step back, take a second, is this really where you want to go, really what you want to say?

Ephesians 4:31-32
31"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Surely there must be something you can do to make things better not worse, this is a keystone thought and statement for you and needs repeating: Surely there must be something you can do to make things better not worse.

Ephesians 4:26
26"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry

There is always something else you can do. No matter how bad it seems, no matter how bad it looks, there is always something else you can do to achieve resolution.

Philippians 1:27
27Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

"Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." Well, that's the kind of statement that will move you from hurtful to helpful. There is always something else you can do to return to a place more to your liking, to Gods liking. A place working towards warmth, working toward peace. Prayer is the something else; prayer can lead you to that peace. Prayer is the difference, the path to resolution. "Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." A simple statement that will lead you in the right direction every time. I pray that these words will bring you closer to God, to help you find a way to His peace.

May the Lord Bless you and Keep you

Ministering Spirit

2012-02-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

Beth has Crohns disease. Crohns is an auto-immune disease that can ravage the gastrointestinal system. For Beth it is "about to throw up" nausea and abdominal pain 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Everything she eats makes her sick. Her system doesn't absorb well, so she is often anemic, or low on potassium, or low or out of any number of nutrients we need to have in our systems. For 15 years doctors could not diagnose her. Then, my daughter started bleeding and when they diagnosed her with ulcerative colitis, the light went off and they decided to test Beth one more time and found Crohns. A short time later, her terminal ileum scarred shut and had to be removed. She has been hospitalized 51 times from 24 hours to 2 months since 95, and has had 15 surgeries including the removal of approximately 13 feet of her intestine over the course of several surgeries, a hip replacement and three "re-do" surgeries when whatever they tried didn't do what they thought it would.
Beth has been hospitalized during birthdays, first time to drive, anniversaries, Thanksgivings, Christmas, new years, Easter, every other holiday of distinction, and countless after school events. She was hospitalized 5 times in the '08, and in the hospital 56 days in one stretch that year. Over the last two years infections have been the problems that have caused most of the hospitalizations. This stay, she went in with an infection, got it cleared up and has suffered three more while in the hospital. Beth will actually come out weaker then when she went in, because after a period of time your condition actually deteriorates, hence the subsequent infections while in isolation.
Only one thing has remained constant, and that was no matter how sick Beth was, and there were times she has been near death, no matter how bad it was, everyone who came in contact with her was just knocked over by her tremendous spirit. Our Father has blessed Beth with a ministering spirit that is truly something to behold.
There has been times where nurses and doctors have been a bit disbelieving in how sick Beth is because of her ebullience, her smile belying her condition. It is hard to understand what she goes through when you are talking to her because its always so easy to be with her, it is hard to understand how bad she feels when there is that smile.
We have been married for 35 years and it has never ceased to amaze me how disarming Beth can be. She has never met a stranger, never known anybody for more then a moment, it seems, before they are smiling with her, and then wrapped in that loving hug. I can't tell you the number of times nurses come to Beth to pray with her, to have Beth pray for them, it is truly God at work. Although her disease has brought much suffering into our family, God has blessed us richly through it. It has brought us closer together as a family. It has brought us closer to God as we watch Him pour tangible blessings on us. The people we have met, the lives Beth has touched have brought us to a place where every day there are real affirmations of our Loving Father. His mercy and grace shine through Beth and I thank God every time I think of her.

JOEL OSTEEN- TAKING A STAND FOR YOU FAMILY...

2012-02-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

The Lord Is Faithful - Tom Norvell

2012-01-02T11:58:00.000-08:00

The Lord Is Faithful

Psalm 145
A psalm of praise. Of David.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. 14 The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

A man and a woman stand in the front of a church building and promise to love one another �until death separates us.� Troubles come. The joy fades. Temptation gets the best of them. One of them gives in. �I could not help it. It just happened.� They file for divorce. What happened to faithfulness?

The job offer comes with the promise of a hefty salary, excellent benefits, and the opportunity to advance. The economy slides into a slump, a recession, and things change. First come the rumors of about layoffs. Then, come the layoffs. The perks are gone. The retirement is gone. The security is gone. The future is dark. What happened to faithfulness?

The church felt like home. It seemed to be a good fit. People were coming. Numbers were increasing. People were being encouraged. Plans were being made. Life was good. Then, something changed. Plans were changed. Promises were broken. Hearts were broken. Relationships were broken. What happened to faithfulness?

There was a day when a man�s word was his bond. A handshake was good enough. A promise was kept. Vows were sacred. How elected figures talked in public was how they lived in private. When politicians made promises they tried to keep them. Something changed. What happened to the faithfulness?

Does faithfulness still exist? Has faithfulness disappeared?

Perhaps we are looking for faithfulness in the wrong place? As this portion of Psalm 145 indicates, it is the Lord who is faithful. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. His dominion endures. He is faithful. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. He satisfies the desires of every living thing.

If the political speeches leave you empty, if personal integrity seems to be missing, and if you are weary of the endless contracts and paper work required to provide proof that the person you are doing business will keep a promise causes you to ask what happened to faithfulness. Look to the Lord, He is faithful. Look to the Lord, He will keep His word. Look to the Lord, His Kingdom will last and His dominion will endure. You can trust Him. You can depend on Him. You can rest in Him. You can rely on Him. He will not betray you, forget you, or reject you. He is faithful. The Lord is faithful.

'Bout Midnight - James McCabe

2011-10-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

Acts 16:2525

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

As we give thought to this scripture, can we place ourselves with Paul and Silas? Maybe we could imagine back to the last time we were in prison, shackled, just after a good flogging to cleanse the mind, keeping an eye on the rats, and wondering just what that aroma was, but not really wanting to know.

It’s ‘bout midnight, but unlike Paul and Silas, in my weakness I don’t feel like it’s a good time for worship. In my weakness, it does not feel like it would be a good time to minister to the other prisoners.

Oh, merciful Father that I could be strong enough to worship and minister like Paul and Silas.

I wonder how long it took Paul and Silas to turn to God in this situation. Hmm, being Paul, it was probably pretty quick.

I confess: I am not that good. To me, it seems I spend entirely too much time on doing everything in my considerably limited power before turning to God in my trials and tribulations. I’m afraid I would have been consumed with fear, I would have been dominated by the pain, I would have been complaining, I would have been feeling very sorry for myself, I would have been conspiring to escape, I would not have given a second thought of those around me.

Then sometime after I had gone through my complete repertoire of selfishness. After I had worn myself out, sometime after I fell quite, after I became still, and after I finally turned to look for Him, He would be there. I can sense Him shaking His head, wondering why it always takes me so long to let The One who can calm any storm, calm my storm. He is there, waiting for me yet again. Waiting for me to open my heart, and mind so he can take over. Then He lifts me, gives me strength, and reminds me to help others.

Too often distractions, interruptions, inconsequential problems, and the like derail us from our focus on Christ, and in doing so they can disrupt our time of prayer, disrupt our time of worship or ministry. Delay us in getting our mind where it should be. Delay us in getting to the choice of Christ.

Father, You chose me, You made me, and You love me. Dear God help me focus on You no matter the situation I’m in, help me choose You first, and look to You first. Lord, please give me strength that I may seek You in all things as my first action, then to serve You in helping others.

May His Grace & Peace be on you and yours

Community

2011-10-01T23:58:00.000-07:00

Community
By
James McCabe

How is your community? More specifically, how is your church community? There is a lot of talk today about the "state of the church" and Christianity, and while growth requires reflection and analysis, I would like to present a few words that are not so ethereal.

The "state of the church" may or may not be "the glass is half empty or half full" kind of discussion. Furthermore, I understand nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement. However, we have witnessed an outpouring of love from our church, that is humbling in its expression of Gods work and the hope that it builds. It is awe-inspiring to see that from our elders down to our youth, our church "gets it." Our church embodies community, and I'll submit that even if yours is an embattled church, there is community in there that "gets it" too.

As I've matured I've learned some about church. I've learned some about serving, about giving. I've learned a lot more then I would have preferred on receiving, and in the process, been enveloped by an incredible "community."

Those who know me have seen anything but the Norman Rockwell-ian journey over the last years. As my family has grown closer to God, as we have become more involved in church, as we have deepened our commitment, like others, our "worldly" journey has gotten tougher and tougher. The chronology of events, in my life, shows so well the intertwining of blessing and problem that you just have to shake your head sometimes. Each time we move closer to God, a new crisis moved in as well. With each opportunity to serve, with each commitment to ministry, a worldly problem would pop up...a business would fail, a lengthy hospitalization, more income interruption, more illness and so on and so on.

However, through it all, He was there. Through it all, our Gracious Father has carried us and through the community of our church He has done some of His great work.

Soon after our daughter announced her wedding, my wife was hospitalized yet again, this time for almost 2 months. A number of the ladies at church got together and made it their mission to do all the things that need to be done for a wedding. They sponsored a tremendous shower; they helped with the facility planning. They went with our daughter for her dress fitting, shoe shopping, menu selection, to decide on flowers, spent time with her, and loved on her. All the while, the ladies were visiting my wife, calling her, encouraging her, and loving her. As we go through this incredibly difficult time, not a day goes by without phone calls, encouragement cards and notes, meals, and prayers. Our community of ladies is a blessing and surely a work of the Holy Spirit.

Our entire church community has "grabbed us up" to care for us, they love on us continually, and they care for us. The elders and staff check on us and we are prayed for and prayed with. Whenever there is a particularly dark moment, most assuredly comes a phone call, an encouraging email, a note or gift. We are both humbled and proud to be a part of such a phenomenal church family. We are so appreciative of everyone there. God has created our church community and it most surely pleases him.

So how are things at your church? Maybe better than you think. My supposition is there are indeed groups of Christ followers loving on each other. That there are indeed people working to walk like Jesus. That the Holy Spirit is alive and well, working in your community, shaping, molding, and building those to serve Him. Do you know your community? Are you a part of your community? Are you blessing others? Your journey is as much a ministry as any other. Your opportunity to make a difference is as great as anyone's is. You can make a difference, and you do make a difference. Is it a good one? Is it a good difference? Even if your journey is difficult right now, the way you handle it makes a difference, the way you react to adversity makes a difference. Are you "plugged in" to your church? Are you "reaching in" to be a part of Gods work? Are you serving our Lord?

Romans 12
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Godthis is your spiritual act of worship.
6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

God has given each of us different gifts and the commission to bless others with them. Take a moment today to bless someone with your gift. Send a card or give someone in need an encouraging word and bless him or her. Take time today to walk in His light, and be blessed in your service to Him.

Father, you have blessed us beyond imagination with our church family, and I thank you for all you have done. Lord, help me to be a blessing to others that somehow I can raise them up as my church has done for my family. That I may strengthen them as my church has done for me. Lord God, please forgive my sins and bless me by allowing me to serve you and my brethren. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Dedicated to the Southeast Church of Christ
copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved

A Quiet Man

2010-07-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

James McCabe Irvine
Standing on the brige of a German Sub captured by Commander Irvine's battle group.

A Quiet Man

My father was a quiet man.
He didn't speak of his adventures, he didn't brag of his triumphs.
My father was a graduate of the Naval Academy.
The Naval Academy at that time was one of the most difficult of schools to get into. It is by invitation only, only the best of the best. It was by congressional appointment to the sons of the best and brightest our country had to offer.
My grandfather was instrumental in the cure for syphilis during world war one.
Back then; it killed almost as men as the Germans. Therefore earning the placement for my father to attend the Naval Academy to pursue a engineering degree.

Now, after graduation my father was denied his commission as an officer because he wore glasses and at that time before our entrance to the war the armed forces could still be kind of picky who they wanted commanding their ships.
When my father was called to active duty, he was 24. he was to fight in World War II, as the commander of a destroyer in the north Atlantic.

The German submarines at that point had decimated allied shipping, navies and ruled the seas.
There was no radar, there was no sonar, and you knew a submarine was around when its first torpedo hit you or your colleague.
My father watched as ship after ship went down around him. He rescued all the men he could but he watched many others die; the surviving ships often turned and headed home, battered and beaten.

My father, his best friend, and a group of other ship captains came up with the combat convoy formation they still use today. One that would offer some protection to some of the ships and they went out yet again, to avenge with murderous intent.
The war was starting to turn by then, but the German navy still dominated the seas.
The Nazis decided to launch a huge winter offensive; they were counting on the weather, Mother Nature to assist them.
They were relying on weather reports from a submarine in the north Atlantic to launch and to facilitate their attack and victory.
Equipped with their new combat formation and our newest technology, a most basic radar and sonar my father detected the nazi sub.
For three days they hunted the sub, playing cat and mouse or "search and attack" off the coastline of Europe, then a sister ship reestablished contact with the new underwater sound equipment.
Commander James M. Irvine directed his ship into the field of fire and launched his depth charge attacks. The sinking of this sub was a key part in our victory in "The battle of the bulge", contributing materially to sealing our victory in WW2,
My father was awarded the Legion of Merit with the combat V, the third highest award of our navy.
The war for him was not over yet, on his last mission, he forced the surrender of another nazi sub, and escorted it back where it is on display in the Chicago museum of science and industry.
Dad never told me these stories, like a said he was a quiet man. I caught up with a young (back in WW2) man who had served under my father, he was kind enough to give me the picture above

My dad died July 4th weekend in 1988,
My son was 9 months old, and my father never saw his only grandson.
I was a different man back then. My ego, my pride, the anger of a young man had driven a wedge between my dad and I.
So we had not spoken for a while, July 4th weekend meant I was working. July 4th weekend meant nothing to me, except work and everybody complaining we had to work on a holiday. I liked the fireworks and the parties even though I worked through most of that too. But I never thought about the true sacrifice for freedom, his sacrifice for freedom, the ultimate sacrifice thousands have given.
My mother gave a call that weekend to let us know my father had died.
Mom gave me his medals, the letter from the President and Secretary of the Navy for his legion of merit, and the navies "action report".

As the years have passed I have grown, I have come to better understand my quiet father by reading those letters of award, by gazing at his medals, and the memories of a quiet man who sacrificed along with the tens of thousands before and since. The tens of thousands who paid the ultimate price for our freedom that I so carelessly enjoy.

The fourth of July is a day of parades, fireworks and celebration in the United States.
Someone in your family, or the family of someone you know are grieving for every freedom we enjoy.

Please share a moment of remembrance for the cost of our freedom.

Come, Now is the Time to Worship

2009-04-22T05:50:00.000-07:00

Healing Rain

2009-04-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Worthy Is The Lamb

2009-04-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

2009-04-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."Author/Writer: God and The Apostle PaulContext: II CORINTHIANS. Written to correct erroneous views arising out of the first epistle, and emphasizing Satanic counterfeit (2 Cor. 11).Read the Chapter >II Corinthians 11

Lord, I've got nothing! - Tom Norvell

2009-04-20T05:47:00.000-07:00

Lord, I've got nothing!
My mind is jumbled with thoughts that range from excitement, hope, and anticipation, to confusion, discouragement, and frustration. I am amazed at the way things have happened in the past, and I wonder what sort of things will happen in the future. I dwell on the mistakes I have made, and I marvel the mistakes You have helped me avoid.
Lord, I've got nothing!
I read Your word and I understand that You direct my path and that Your Word lights the path that I walk. Yet, there are times when I am afraid to take another step. I read of how You have delivered Your servants from all types of disaster and calamity, and I realize that I have often been a recipient of that deliverance. I read of how You hear me when I have no words and answer me before I speak.
Lord, I've got nothing!
I look ahead of me to the tasks on my calendar for the week and wonder how I will ever get it all done. I don't have the energy. I don't have the desire. I don't have the motivation. Then, I look back and see all the things that You enabled me to do last week when I had just as little energy, desire and motivation.
Lord, I've got nothing!
People ask me questions for which I have no answers. People come to me for advice as I go to others for advice. People look to me for wisdom and knowledge as I come to you for wisdom and knowledge.
Lord, I've got nothing!
I am tired. I am weak. I am worn. I am a struggler. I am a sinner. I am a child. I am a human. I have questions. I have fears. I have temptations. I have pride. I am self-conscious. I am selfish. At times I am a mess.
I cry out to You, Lord, and I confess that I have nothing! As my cries grow silent I hear You say:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3)
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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. (Romans 8:28-39, NIV)
"You can do all things through me for I will give you strength." (Philippians 4:13)
Lord, I have nothing! But, when I stop, listen, and hear Your voice I realize I have You, and You know me, and You have me. That's all I need.

Tom

Holy Holy Holy

2009-04-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

At the Foot of the Cross

2009-04-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

Shout to the Lord

2009-04-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

I Can’t Save Myself By Living- John Alan Turner

2009-04-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

It is such a beautiful day to be alive. I could be out taking a drive, or jogging, or getting a latte. I could be playing golf, or tennis, or having lunch with friends.
So many things I could be doing besides sitting here right now contemplating an instrument of torture. The cross wasn’t just designed to kill someone but to keep them alive as long as possible, so that they could experience as much pain as possible without passing out, and finally die an excruciating death from suffocation as their lungs collapse from the weight of their body suspended from iron spikes.
God, that’s brutal.
What brings me to this contemplation today? What draws me? I sit here thinking, concentrating on a cross. It’s worse than contemplating an electric chair or a hangman’s noose. At least those are quick forms of death. But if you were at a great party and told the host you had to go because once a year you always went and meditated in front of a guillotine or a syringe holding a lethal injection, the host probably wouldn’t invite you over again.
I could be doing something else right now that was upbeat and had more to do with living. Everything out there tells us that we can save ourselves by getting on with the business of living, right? There’s not a commercial or an advertisement campaign in the world that entices you to buy something that will hasten your death.
The whole point of advertising is that products will enhance your life. Take that vacation, get that new car, find the best food and stay looking young with all the wrinkle cream and hair dye available. That’s what we want: a beautiful life — as long as possible, as rich as possible, as pleasant as possible.
So why am I here — thinking about an instrument of torture — a crossbeam of suffering? Am I crazy? Are Christians all nuts? Why not get out there and enrich my life? It can’t be healthy to think about death. It’s certainly not popular.
The truth is there comes a time in everyone’s life, a time when we become painfully aware that we cannot save ourselves by living. We’re dying to live, but the allure of our own life — to possess it — if that’s our dream — can never be realized in the fullness that we would desire it. It slips away — life has a way of ebbing out of even the healthiest among us — and it becomes something so much less than what we had tried to grab hold of.
A relationship fails.A loved one dies.The opportunity of a lifetime falls through.Illness strikes.People betray us.
And all of a sudden, the life we tried so hard to create, the life we thought we had, is suddenly so much less than what we hoped for. The truth is that what draws me to the cross of Jesus is something deep inside of me that says: Jesus’ dying was the real currency that purchased my freedom from all this “try-to-save-yourself-by-living” frenzy.
Trying to save yourself by living is like trying to buy groceries at Safeway with Monopoly money. You’ve got the wrong currency. It may be good when you’re playing the game, but it won’t work when you want some real food. All the little properties and accumulated achievements that enable us to own the board and win the game having nothing to do with God’s economy.
Somewhere along the line, you’d think someone would realize that if we could save ourselves by living we would have been able to pull our sorry little planet up by its bootstraps a long time ago. If we are going to wait until we all save ourselves by human effort and wisdom — by using Monopoly money — we’re going to be waiting a long time. As one theologian put it, from Socrates to Dr. Phil the world has taken a 5,000 year bath in human wisdom and come out just as dirty as ever.
So, that’s why I’m here, thinking about a Jewish carpenter hanging on a Roman cross.
I can’t save myself by living. I haven’t, and I won’t. So God has come to save the whole world by dying.

Here I am to Worship

2009-04-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

Marriage, Commitment, Relationships

2009-04-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

I can only imagine - Mercy Me

2009-04-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

Kerry Shook - Beyond Band-Aid Relationships - Part 3

2009-04-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Lakewood Church - Cover The Earth

2009-04-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Kerry Shook - Beyond Band-Aid Relationships - Part 2

2009-04-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

Kirk Franklin - Imagine Me

2009-04-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Glastonbury Tor in Glastonbury, England

2009-04-09T12:09:00.001-07:00

Kerry Shook - Beyond Band-Aid Relationships - Part 1

2009-04-09T11:51:00.000-07:00