Come & Listen

You Seem "Religious" ???

2011-05-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

So a friend of mine (Mike Henning---da man) asked me about a month or two ago if I'd do a "spiritual counseling" interview for him. Since Mike is awesome, I figured I'd help a brotha out! I was thinking it'd be like 3 or 4 really simple questions...little did I know...

Here are some of the questions I had to answer:
"What is religion?"
"What is faith?"
"What is the difference between faith & religion?"
"What role does your faith play in your counseling?"
"Do ethics play into your counseling?"

Yikes! I felt like I was back in seminary/divinity school! Needless to say, I had to put a lot more thought into this than originally planned. This was not a bad thing. It really caused me to take a step back and think about practical questions people ask everyday about faith and religion.

I have heard so many times in life people describe me, or other people as being "spiritual" or "religious." Someone even described my wedding as "religious." What in the world does that even mean? You may agree or disagree, but I define religion as follows:

Religion to me is a set of guidelines people follow in order to connect with a higher being, or something greater than themselves. It requires people to follow certain rules, behaviors, etc… It is more about what the person does and less about the higher being, whatever or whoever the higher being may be.

Religion is more about what WE do and less about GOD. It's more about doing certain things...on a certain days of the week...dressing a certain way...in order to impress or appease God (higher being)...is this what God wants? For us to be...religious? Spiritual? Spreligious? (my combining of the words religious/spiritual!!! oh yeah!!!)

I am not sure this is what God has in mind for us. I believe he desires a relationship with us. Jesus throughout the gospels called out the "religious leaders" for appearing to be spiritual/faithful to God when all they were doing was putting on a show, and piling up guilt on people really trying to understand God's will and plan for them. (See Matthew 6:2, 6:5, and 6:16-18 for examples)

Relationships are about love...grace...forgiveness...
(See Matthew 22:34-40 for more on love). I can not express how to love God...you either love Him or you don't...but in order to "somewhat" grasp this I think of my wife & daughter...I think about them throughout the day...I yearn to be with them...it's not a burden to spend time with them...and when my wife & I argue or have disagreements, it's usually because she's right and I'm wrong :)...OR no matter what the outcome is, forgiveness follows because we love one another...

Perhaps...this is what it looks like in some way-shape-or form-to love God? Perhaps...

So...what about all of those rules John?! Huh?! What about what the Scriptures say about "doing this" and "not doing this?" Great question!!!

Think about this---every relationship has boundaries/guides/"rules" if that's what you want to call them---in order to protect the relationship. For instance, my wife & I no longer date other people because it would probably hurt our relationship...right? God gives us boundaries to operate within in order to protect our relationship with Him...

Example...10 commandments...God tells the people to take a day of Sabbath (rest). Why say this? The Israelites while in slavery were worked to the bone...non-stop...and God, the One True God set them free...and He wanted them to have a day of rest to remember this fact...that God loves them enough to free them and to give them a day to rest, not work to the bone...if they refuse to have a Sabbath, they forget about what God's done for them...and in a sense they go back to Egypt in their lifestyle! It impacts their relationship with God...more than just "a rule." Perhaps it's a guideline from a God who cares...

I want more than religion...I want more with my walk with God than just going to church on a certain day of the week...wearing a certain style of clothes...practicing certain things...in order to appear to be close with God, and in order to get God off my back like I'm checking off a spiritual inventory list.

I want a relationship with God...He wants one with me...with you...

Tired of religion? So is God...want a meaningful relationship...so does God.

Until next time...

Some Lessons Are Harder To Teach Than Others

2011-05-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say every time I teach my youth group at Zoar on Wednesday or Sunday nights that I am a good model of what is being taught. I wish I could say, "Hey, here is how I personally am doing this particular lesson." Tomorrow is one of those lessons where I am struggle to embrace the truth in what I'm teaching...

It's not because I do not believe it. It's simply...difficult. One aspect of tomorrow's lesson comes from a verse in Philippians which says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Ph. 4:6) What jumps out to me about this passage is that Paul is not telling the people to ignore their problems (he tells them to present their REQUESTS to God), he just asks them to balance it with THANKSGIVING. When we only focus on our problems, we have a perspective problem. When we think about our problems and our problems alone, we forget all we have to be thankful for. We have just as much (and much more!) to be thankful for as we do to complain about. (Hopefully not too many of the youth are reading this before the lesson!!! I think I'm safe on that!!!)

I have much to be thankful for...I didn't have to worry about whether or not I'd have clean water today...or a roof over my head...or about where my next meal will come from...the list goes on and on and on and on!!! Yet, I admit, I have a perspective problem. I get so frustrated because of the suffering and pain my beautiful wife Jamee has to endure and face every single day.

My wife deals with several chronic things such as endometriosis, fibromyalgia, celiac, and other things as well. I honestly do not know how she goes to work day in and day out. You would have to be in her shoes I suppose to understand what she feels. I get so upset/frustrated/pissed off/angry/bitter/etc... because there (on the surface) seems to be no pain management available to help her feel better. This is a "request" I come to God with so frequently that sometimes, I feel like a broken record that needs to be unplugged and silenced. It's very difficult watching the woman I love with all my heart and soul hurt so much and knowing there's nothing I can do to physically take away the pain. I think it's possibly more difficult to watch your loved ones suffer than it is to experience suffering yourself.

She's so strong...she doesn't ask for sympathy or pity (and I am not looking for that by posting this)...she deals with it the best she can and STILL finds time to be an amazing mother and wife.

My point...I know focusing only on our problems is a failure to recognize all we have to be thankful for...I am simply admitting I have a perspective problem...when the problem is staring you in the face saying, "Hey! I'm still here! I'm not going away buddy!" It's hard to block it out... I believe in my heart that we will find some answers for Jamee in the pain management department...there has to be some doctor in this world that we haven't rubbed shoulders with yet that will provide some comfort/answers...I believe it, I do. I long for it to come so that Jamee will not have to feel so much pain...

This lesson on perspective...I am not going to lie...will be difficult for me to teach...because I feel so inadequate to teach it...but I am thankful that I have the opportunity to think through it, wrestle with it, and hopefully come to better terms with balancing "requests" and "thanksgiving" to my amazing God.

FYI...my wife has amazing perspective...check out how she uses her difficult circumstances to encourage other women...I have much to learn from her...click on the following link and be amazed (ILUM :P)
A NEW KIND OF NORMAL

I Miss My Grandma...

2011-05-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I've attempted this whole blogging thing. I tried it once & honestly felt like it was more of a hassle to keep up with...so I deleted my last blog. I've had so much on my mind during 2011 that I thought I would give it another chance. I want a place to share my thoughts in hopes to: 1) get them out somewhere so that I don't simply ponder them all day! Also-- 2) hopefully there will be times where the words I type will connect with others (maybe even you)...

Soooo...I thought for my first blog I would share something that's been on my heart a lot this past week. This past Monday my grandmother passed away and went to be with Jesus. I've known for a while now that the day would come. Grandma asked me a several years ago if I would be willing to speak at her funeral. I remember saying to her, "How about we not think about it just yet?!" I did not want to think about the day when my grandmother would no longer be here. There are not many people in my family that I am extremely close with like I have been with grandma, so the thought of losing her was not one I wanted to deal with...knowing whether I liked it or not, that day was coming. It finally came this past week. The day also came where I would be faced with the challenge & honor of preaching her funeral.

All of the things that go along with losing a loved one came to pass...we received friends...we did the funeral (& somehow I preached without crying too much!)...we had tons of people over for a meal (most of which, I honestly did not know!)...& then Jamee, Abby & I returned home. When we got back to Shelby, reality began to set in. I can not pick up the phone and call my grandma ever again. I can not pick on her about her chewing tobacco anymore. I can not go buy her statues of red cardinals. The list goes on and on...so many more "I can not _________."

Don't get me wrong...I know in my heart that grandma is more ALIVE today that she ever was on this earth. I know she is with Jesus. She is with our Creator. She is seeing life and the Creator of Life itself! I know she is healed & if I could truly see how healed she is, I would long for it more than I already do!

This doesn't change the fact that my heart is heavy...I miss grandma. I have lost people in this life; but no one this close. I simply miss her. It is a big reality check for me that this life is but a curtain call for the next. I think my biggest struggle in this life; my biggest "struggle/sin" is that I am prone to waste the time God has given me. I get comfortable with simply "existing." What I mean is that I get caught up in living a meaningless existence filled with worrying about the next "project" at my house, or catching the next TV show on the air, etc... These things are not necessarily bad and I do not want to come across as "holier than thou," but these things are so minor compared to living a full & abundant life...the life Jesus offers me the chance to live out...

I learned so much from grandma while she was here on earth...I believe that now with her passing, I will perhaps learn even more about using the time I have been given to love others with the love God offers me daily...

I miss my grandma...but I will see her again...because my faith lies in something bigger than myself...I will see one day what she now sees, and embrace one day what she now embraces...but not just yet...

Until then...
And until my next blog rambling...