Painted Faces

I once heard it said that we live as a village of blank people. They are those who let their life, body, and minds be stories written by others.

All the day long, these are those who walk through the world seeking medication. No longer do they want to feel what is real. The scars and tears they try to hide are covered in part from the rest by their painted faces. They let others tell them what to wear and how to swear. Sabotaging their life for some promised lies they settle for a promised check that can never be cashed. These are the people who believe reality can be exchanged for fantasy. And yet they never know the difference. All they want is for someone to give them some fuddled truth without context so they can commit the crimes they believe to be right. It doesn’t matter if it’s right. As long it works, then it’s right. And they can do all of this with a hard heart.

Humorously the blank people are known for how they point and stare at those who appear worse than them. If you ever meet one, to quickly is it easy to see that love is not in their vocabulary. Standing there with their pointing fingers, do they not know and realize that there is not one on this earth living right? But then again most anyone can make themselves look right.

Inbreaking

Christmas is almost hear. This indeed has been a good advent season.

My heart this season keeps being stirred by joyful thoughts of Jesus as victor. Through his person and work the dominion of hell here on this earth has been and is being defeated. This indeed is a good thing.

Listening through counter verses throughout the church there are at times it seems as if we miss it. So often from the self-proclaiming Evangelicals there seems to be a focus on abandoning this earth and that we should simply wait out for the new world/restoration to be ushered in. On the other end of the spectrum is the self-proclaiming Liberals who often seem to downplay, neglect, or downright forget that there will be a climax point in which the new world/restoration will be ushered in to conquer the hell in this world, or they may advocate that the world now is the world of the full restoration. IMHO, both seem to miss out.

But the good news is that there seems to be balance in the middle.

I am looking forward to the day that the new world/restoration will be ushered into full. I am celebrating that the tomorrow is inbreaking into the today. We are called in this life to fight back hell with the power of heaven. The work of heaven restores things to their fullness in God.This is the gift of Christ he has given us in his person and works. This indeed is good. We get to have a piece of the pie now but the whole later.

One way both groups seem to forget this is the nature of repentance. Repentance often is not between ourselves and God. To often I have heard messages that say a little prayer to God and everything will be okie dokie. If God has indeed called us to usher in his kingdom then part of what we are called to do is atleast to attempt to undo the hell we have brought here on this earth. This may mean making restitution. This may mean attempting to make amends between you and an old enemy. This may mean offering forgiveness when they may or may not be able or willing to accept it themselves. We are to work diligently in fighting back hell by living in the power of the Holy Spirit. We anxiously await and in this life for the Kingdom of God that is breaking in the now but is to come.

Loving Others and Not Being a Doormat.

Loving others does not mean that they can abuse you. Loving others does not mean that you as a person have to be diminished. No. Loving others is about encouraging them to live a life that is beyond measure. Free from fear. Free from the tyranny of others who would call themselves Lord. Good does not come when you let others make you feel insecure, shrunken. This is not how the we were ever intended to live. We are meant as the children of God to manifest His wonders and glory. We are called to live beyond the measure, beyond the world of dreams. In doing so we give permission to the light he places within us to shine, shine brightly. This is something not to be afraid of. Darkness is dispelled. We answer the question to the world to why the light does not shine brightly. As we let our own light shine we reveal the glory of the God's image that he created us to be. This is something not to be afraid of. In doing so we over turn the tyranny of abuse. The lies and torture of this world are overturn. We then by example guide others to cast down the false chains of life diminished for a world of life abundant.

Let your light shine in this season of advent. Christ the King has called each one of us to live beyond measure. Live the kingdom life.

Behold The Lamb

Advent. What a wonderful time of year. In this time we are reminded that we are "called". We are called to behold The Lamb of God, Christ Jesus, who came down from heaven to be born into sin so that we may live again. We shall behold the holy Lamb, whose love for us is beyond comprehension, who calls us to live with Him for indeed the Son has set us free. We hear the call in this season of Advent to wait patiently, patiently for the Son's soon second coming. Even in the midst of our tears, when our hearts are broken and sin tears us a part, we call out in expectation for the Lamb of God to come. We call out that Jesus is the Lamb of God.

Advent, what a wonderful time of year. Let us give thanks for the Lamb of God who called us, is calling us, and will one day call us to Himself.

Fun W/ Terms

Here is an open challenge. You can write this on your blog or in the comments. Take any of these terms listed below and offer a 1 to 2 sentence definition that you would most likely give to a group of laity. The main reason I am doing this is because recently in a discussion group I am in there are many who have never gone to bible college or seminary or have had any major religious education and well these terms keep popping up from a few certain people and these folks want to learn them but with a simple short definition so they can have an idea of how they can discuss it. So I invite you to join me on this journey of a working theological dictionary. If you have to you can break a term down into multiple parts for example Calvinism may be broken down if one so desired into Scholastic Calvinism and Pietistic Calvinism. Feel free to critique each other's definitions also, but only in such away that it provides positive feedback for a better definition can be made in 2 sentences or less. Try expressing it in such away that an individual who has not been formely educated can understand it. Remember its about the general idea of the term.

Terms:

1. Calvinism : The belief that our most beautiful God who is the great orchestrater of life may offer select individual the chance to come to Him for salvation and because he is so beautiful that none can resist Him. We are unable to come to God unless he first comes to us and offer his most beautiful self to us.

2. Catholicism : The belief that the Holy Church of Rome lead by the pope is the true Church and the instrument of God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in bringing about redemption and reconcilliation to this world.

3. Arminianism : Similar to Calvinism except that God allows us the possibility to reject Him.

4. Orthodoxy: Similar to Roman Catholicism except with a greater political emphasis and based out of the Eastern world instead of the West.

5. hetereodoxy : To reject by unbelief and/or the unwillingness to live by the fundamental teachings of the faith; particularly those things clarified in the Creeds, Scripture, and Ecumenical Councils.

6. orthodoxy : To believe and live the fundamental teachings of the faith; often most clearly articulated in the Creeds, Scripture, and Ecumenical Councils.

7. Total Depravity: The belief that something has happened to the human race and that when we are left alone to our own devices we can only do evil things. This belief corresponds to the idea that the only good we are capable of doing is when God is working in our lives.

8. panentheism: The belief that God is present in all things but God is not those things. All of creation can be found residing in God but God is still bigger than all of creation.

9. apocrypha: A collection of writings that are highly thought of by the Church to provide edification, insight, and thought that may assist us in this journey of life. They generally are viewed to have originated within the Jewish faith or the Church.

10. The Emergent Conversation: ???? God only knows who or what they are...