I am taking the blogspot out of my site name. It is now just i-m-4-u.com. Please visit me there. Thank you.
Friday, November 25, 2016
In my experience, The Myth of Mental Illness is not a myth.
I have recently communicated with a man that claims that “there is no such thing as mental illness.” I asked him for literature that explains his view. He gave Dave Hunt’s and Thomas S. Szasz’s work as examples. Having experienced Severe Mental Illness myself and recovered (by medication and improved thinking strategies) I felt I might be able to add something to this discussion.
First a disclaimer: I was excited and scared when the man said, “There is no such thing as mental illness.” Excited because I may learn something new and be freed from my meds forever, scared because I may be blamed once again that what I experience is my own fault by people who claim to know more than they really know. (See Job’s experience with his well-meaning friends).
Szasz in The Myth of Mental Illness says that there are diseases, such as
Szasz admits there are “various peculiarities or disorders of thinking and behavior.” This is what I think of when I currently hear the term “mental illness” being used. Szasz also asserts that “these are diseases of the brain, not of the mind.” I agree. Szasz admits that the malfunctioning brain influences the mind and “disorders of thinking” result.
In my imperfect remembrance of Lifetime Guarantee, Bill Gillham makes the claim that because the Bible says our mind goes to heaven and our brain goes to the grave, our brain is only an interface between our eternal mind and our temporary experience of physical reality. I would like to suggest that what we label “mental illness” can be caused by the brain not working correctly; or the mind not working correctly; or both not working correctly thereby affecting each other.
What if the brain is not working correctly? Trauma during early childhood can cause the brain to develop abnormally. A lifetime of fear and risky behavior can result. The brain doesn’t process information correctly, giving the mind inaccurate data, the mind’s decisions are then skewed and results in unhealthy behavior.
What if the mind is not working correctly? Ineffective thinking strategies can be inherited from Adam or be learned during childhood (unforgiveness, gossip, revenge, anger, hate, greed and more) causing frustration, more anger, withdrawal, hopelessness and many other self-defeating thoughts and behaviors.
And what if both the mind and the brain are not working correctly and negatively influencing each other? When I experienced intense sustained stress, shame and I suppressed invalidated anger (ineffective thinking strategies) for months, it was followed by clinical depression, paranoia and schizophrenia (or the brain not working correctly).
The first question has a physical component (and can be corrected with intense therapy: see Nancy Thomas, Dandelion on my pillow, butcher knife underneath), the second question requires the renewing of our mind by surrendering to Jesus and thinking the way he thinks. The last problem is my problem.
Around age eighteen I had no passionate goals of my own. Having lived my life to get good grades to please my mom and seldom allowed to make my own decisions except to please others, I was suddenly lost when my mom did not give me direction on what she wanted me to do. I was told I could go to any college I wanted, where did I want to go? I said I wanted to go to a local School of Design. I was told I wouldn’t be allowed to go to this School of Design (no secure job prospects), but I could go where ever I wanted to go, so where did I want to go? I said I wanted to go to school in Cincinnati for aerospace design (out of state, too expensive). No. So where did I want to go? I wanted to go to Western and live in the dorms (I was told my grades weren’t high enough to win scholarships (3.65) so it was my fault there was not enough money). No. As fall approached my mom (the person I had spent my life trying to please) was disgusted with my lack of progress and decided to take over (this action was now what I was familiar with). I would go to Western and live with my uncle and aunt (I was grateful but it was not what I dreamed).
At Western I isolated myself and was hyper-focused on getting A’s. I was having emotional hallucinations but did not realize that was what it was. I interacted with some high school buddies once and felt I was thinking slower than them. I made a bad report concerning my friends behavior (unwarranted) and reaped trouble that shook me. I realized I did not have what I needed to make life work. I called my mom and she ordered me home.
At this point I felt I needed to “break away” from my parents, particularly my mom’s control. I had no friends to go to, no skills with which to earn a living and not enough courage to simply leave into the unknown. I acquiesced. I attended the community college in the Fall semester, filled with shame that I had failed at going to college and being on my own.
I spiraled down until I had the thought that everything was work. There was nothing enjoyable. I was clinically depressed but did not know it at the time. Small decisions became impossible to make. I was scared of my thinking. I told strangers I was crazy. They laughed at me. I told my dad what I had done. He told me that that was stupid and went back to reading his paper. I dragged my shoe on the ground while riding my motorcycle. My mom shamed me implying more concern with the shoe than what would cause me to ruin it. These were my cries for help. But I didn’t know it, and no one else did either.
My dad told me to make like a rubber band and snap out of it. My mom, who had worked at the local mental hospital as an nurses’ aid, tried to shame me into mental health (she communicated that I should be ashamed of who I was now). When I didn’t respond to that she tried to scare me into mental health (with stories of “crazy” people and the negative things that happen to them).
I failed at life for ten years until God gave me the thought: What would happen if I took the meds the way I was supposed to, would they help? I had never thought of that before. I started taking the meds regularly. I spiraled up enough to be able to clearly hear and accept Jesus and follow him. My mind has been renewing for the last 30 years but my brain still malfunctions without the medication.
If I miss my meds for 1 or 2 days my sweet wife sounds to me like she is being mean-spirited, sarcastic and evil. I have to think outside reality, remember that my wife is not like that, and go and take my meds and wait. My wife becomes sweet again as the meds begin to work (She was always sweet, but my experience of her was skewed by a malfunctioning brain).
At 18 the ineffective thinking strategies of my mind became so severe that they influenced the proper functioning of my brain, producing depression. At 27 medication enabled my brain to function more effectively again and that allowed me to gain healthy thinking strategies through a relationship with Jesus. Now, 30 years later, I have a healthy mind, but it can be influenced by paranoia, depression and schizophrenia when my brain is not properly medicated.
In the end, Szasz, in The Myth of Mental Illness, does not help me in my life experience as a person dealing with mind/brain dysfunction. He is concerned with whether the mind (not the brain) can be diseased (not ineffective) in the first part of his paper. Given the tremendous amount of suffering involved concerning this subject Szasz’s debate doesn’t matter to me. In the second part, he denies that symptoms (calling oneself Napoleon) indicate a need for concern for that person’s well-being. Having worked with over one hundred mentally ill people, I believe Szasz once again, misses the point. If someone tells me they are Napoleon, I will care enough to investigate their thinking further.
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and if it waddles like a duck, and quacks like a duck, its a duck. To me, Szasz misses the point, and is misleading in his statements. But then, why would anyone listen to me over him?
I’m mentally ill, right?
(There was also a spiritual parallel to this story going on alongside of it the whole time. But that is for another post. (Or, check out “What is it like to be mentally ill?” in the 2013 archives of this blog).
(1) Classics in the History of Psychology; An internet resource developed by Christopher D. Green, York University, Toronto, Ontario; ISSN 1492-3713; The Myth of Mental Illness, By Thomas S. Szasz (1960); First published in American Psychologist, 15, 113-118. Posted January 2002
First a disclaimer: I was excited and scared when the man said, “There is no such thing as mental illness.” Excited because I may learn something new and be freed from my meds forever, scared because I may be blamed once again that what I experience is my own fault by people who claim to know more than they really know. (See Job’s experience with his well-meaning friends).
Szasz in The Myth of Mental Illness says that there are diseases, such as
syphilis of the brain or delirious conditions-intoxications, for instance — in which persons are known to manifest various peculiarities or disorders of thinking and behavior. Correctly speaking, however, these are diseases of the brain, not of the mind. (1)
Szasz admits there are “various peculiarities or disorders of thinking and behavior.” This is what I think of when I currently hear the term “mental illness” being used. Szasz also asserts that “these are diseases of the brain, not of the mind.” I agree. Szasz admits that the malfunctioning brain influences the mind and “disorders of thinking” result.
In my imperfect remembrance of Lifetime Guarantee, Bill Gillham makes the claim that because the Bible says our mind goes to heaven and our brain goes to the grave, our brain is only an interface between our eternal mind and our temporary experience of physical reality. I would like to suggest that what we label “mental illness” can be caused by the brain not working correctly; or the mind not working correctly; or both not working correctly thereby affecting each other.
What if the brain is not working correctly? Trauma during early childhood can cause the brain to develop abnormally. A lifetime of fear and risky behavior can result. The brain doesn’t process information correctly, giving the mind inaccurate data, the mind’s decisions are then skewed and results in unhealthy behavior.
What if the mind is not working correctly? Ineffective thinking strategies can be inherited from Adam or be learned during childhood (unforgiveness, gossip, revenge, anger, hate, greed and more) causing frustration, more anger, withdrawal, hopelessness and many other self-defeating thoughts and behaviors.
And what if both the mind and the brain are not working correctly and negatively influencing each other? When I experienced intense sustained stress, shame and I suppressed invalidated anger (ineffective thinking strategies) for months, it was followed by clinical depression, paranoia and schizophrenia (or the brain not working correctly).
The first question has a physical component (and can be corrected with intense therapy: see Nancy Thomas, Dandelion on my pillow, butcher knife underneath), the second question requires the renewing of our mind by surrendering to Jesus and thinking the way he thinks. The last problem is my problem.
Around age eighteen I had no passionate goals of my own. Having lived my life to get good grades to please my mom and seldom allowed to make my own decisions except to please others, I was suddenly lost when my mom did not give me direction on what she wanted me to do. I was told I could go to any college I wanted, where did I want to go? I said I wanted to go to a local School of Design. I was told I wouldn’t be allowed to go to this School of Design (no secure job prospects), but I could go where ever I wanted to go, so where did I want to go? I said I wanted to go to school in Cincinnati for aerospace design (out of state, too expensive). No. So where did I want to go? I wanted to go to Western and live in the dorms (I was told my grades weren’t high enough to win scholarships (3.65) so it was my fault there was not enough money). No. As fall approached my mom (the person I had spent my life trying to please) was disgusted with my lack of progress and decided to take over (this action was now what I was familiar with). I would go to Western and live with my uncle and aunt (I was grateful but it was not what I dreamed).
At Western I isolated myself and was hyper-focused on getting A’s. I was having emotional hallucinations but did not realize that was what it was. I interacted with some high school buddies once and felt I was thinking slower than them. I made a bad report concerning my friends behavior (unwarranted) and reaped trouble that shook me. I realized I did not have what I needed to make life work. I called my mom and she ordered me home.
At this point I felt I needed to “break away” from my parents, particularly my mom’s control. I had no friends to go to, no skills with which to earn a living and not enough courage to simply leave into the unknown. I acquiesced. I attended the community college in the Fall semester, filled with shame that I had failed at going to college and being on my own.
I spiraled down until I had the thought that everything was work. There was nothing enjoyable. I was clinically depressed but did not know it at the time. Small decisions became impossible to make. I was scared of my thinking. I told strangers I was crazy. They laughed at me. I told my dad what I had done. He told me that that was stupid and went back to reading his paper. I dragged my shoe on the ground while riding my motorcycle. My mom shamed me implying more concern with the shoe than what would cause me to ruin it. These were my cries for help. But I didn’t know it, and no one else did either.
My dad told me to make like a rubber band and snap out of it. My mom, who had worked at the local mental hospital as an nurses’ aid, tried to shame me into mental health (she communicated that I should be ashamed of who I was now). When I didn’t respond to that she tried to scare me into mental health (with stories of “crazy” people and the negative things that happen to them).
I failed at life for ten years until God gave me the thought: What would happen if I took the meds the way I was supposed to, would they help? I had never thought of that before. I started taking the meds regularly. I spiraled up enough to be able to clearly hear and accept Jesus and follow him. My mind has been renewing for the last 30 years but my brain still malfunctions without the medication.
If I miss my meds for 1 or 2 days my sweet wife sounds to me like she is being mean-spirited, sarcastic and evil. I have to think outside reality, remember that my wife is not like that, and go and take my meds and wait. My wife becomes sweet again as the meds begin to work (She was always sweet, but my experience of her was skewed by a malfunctioning brain).
At 18 the ineffective thinking strategies of my mind became so severe that they influenced the proper functioning of my brain, producing depression. At 27 medication enabled my brain to function more effectively again and that allowed me to gain healthy thinking strategies through a relationship with Jesus. Now, 30 years later, I have a healthy mind, but it can be influenced by paranoia, depression and schizophrenia when my brain is not properly medicated.
In the end, Szasz, in The Myth of Mental Illness, does not help me in my life experience as a person dealing with mind/brain dysfunction. He is concerned with whether the mind (not the brain) can be diseased (not ineffective) in the first part of his paper. Given the tremendous amount of suffering involved concerning this subject Szasz’s debate doesn’t matter to me. In the second part, he denies that symptoms (calling oneself Napoleon) indicate a need for concern for that person’s well-being. Having worked with over one hundred mentally ill people, I believe Szasz once again, misses the point. If someone tells me they are Napoleon, I will care enough to investigate their thinking further.
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and if it waddles like a duck, and quacks like a duck, its a duck. To me, Szasz misses the point, and is misleading in his statements. But then, why would anyone listen to me over him?
I’m mentally ill, right?
(There was also a spiritual parallel to this story going on alongside of it the whole time. But that is for another post. (Or, check out “What is it like to be mentally ill?” in the 2013 archives of this blog).
(1) Classics in the History of Psychology; An internet resource developed by Christopher D. Green, York University, Toronto, Ontario; ISSN 1492-3713; The Myth of Mental Illness, By Thomas S. Szasz (1960); First published in American Psychologist, 15, 113-118. Posted January 2002
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Jesus can bridge the political divide
This election has left us all bruised and bloodied. Both sides had people who were hurt and scared who said things that I, and maybe they, wish were not said. Both sides had people who said beautiful things to their side and to the other side. So where are we left?
Having experienced all my rights taken away and being physically abused (in a late 1970s mental hospital), and helpless to fight against it (mental illness debilitated my mind), I know what it is like to be a minority of one. It is reported that Clinton has a 1.4% lead in the popular vote. The “winners” are called the minority. But this is not the minority of one that I experienced. This “minority” is 98.6% the size of the “majority.”
Some on either side it seems, want to “crush” the other side, make them “recant their position,” and “make them pay” for the hurt they have caused the other.
Some on the left don’t want to acknowledge that a person is a person one second before they are born and want to ignore that person’s rights.
Some on the right want to end abortion, but without putting into place the infrastructure needed to care for the present and future of the woman and her unborn baby. They don’t realize that some women have abortions because they fear what they have seen and heard the life their baby would be subjected to by adoptive and foster families. Simply voting no to abortion is like voting no to poverty. You haven’t solved anything. You have to put your time, money, and talent where your vote is.
Some on the right don’t want to acknowledge that those Americans who are open about being in the LGBT community have restricted their travel to certain parts of the United States, and restrict their participation in certain events during this election cycle because of the fear and the likelihood of being physically assaulted in their own country by other Americans who hate them.
Some on the left want to “destroy” a dear woman florist who holds to Jesus’ definition of marriage. There are many florists in the area that offered to do the gay wedding. So that doesn’t seem to me to be the issue. It seems to me that her State Attorney General doesn’t seem to value this Christian woman’s religious liberty as much as the “rights” that conflict with that liberty.
The Bible says that if we continue to bite each other we will devour each other.
There is no winner if the “winner” alienates the “loser.” In four years or eight, the winners and losers may reverse. So, let the “winners” treat the “losers” like the “winners” would want to be treated if they “lost.” It’s not just good for the “losers”, it’s good for the “winners” too.
Jesus is not for the right or left. He is for God. And for all people. He is actively working for you and your best and me and my best even though we disagree on what that best is.
What would happen if we stopped the name-calling, stopped the vicious attacks on each other and simply decided to sit down and talk to each other, and learn from each other? I think we would find out that much of what we want is the same. And by cooperatively, synergistically, and graciously working together we can solve that which remains.
Friday, November 11, 2016
I can't hear you over my talking
Many people that I personally interacted with today are worried about what President-elect Donald Trump will do to them; their relationships, their bodies, their jobs. I didn’t understand until I thought: Would I be concerned about my religious rights and freedom of speech rights if Hillary Clinton had won? I am very scared of the trouble her presidency would have caused me and worried if I would be willing to stay true to Jesus in the face of unknown suffering.
These people are also tired of hearing, “Don’t worry,” “Get over it,” and other mindless remarks by friends, family, etc. that may show they don’t understand, don’t care or both.
What I am trying to do is listen with my heart for their heart. We are all people and we all have a story. If I interrupt, judge, give advice am I going to hear their story? Do I really just want to hear myself talk and confirm to myself how brilliant I am in my own eyes or do I want to discover another beautiful human being and their unique story?
Everyone’s opinion makes sense to them. If I listen long enough they may tell me why they feel the way they do. Today I heard why someone believes in doing something I wouldn’t do. And from their perspective it made sense.
This presidential election proved that most people want to be heard. And “the other side” has feelings and concerns that don’t make sense.
Until you listen.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
It’s not so much that I need to know what to do; it’s that I need to do what I know.
The title is from https://i-m-4-u.com/2013/07/14/forgiving-can-be-tough/ and captures part of my struggle. The other part is that I definitely need to know more. And yet the two are intertwined.
God will not give me more instruction if I am not doing what he has already given me. If I want to know more I have to actually do more of what he has already said . That's the hard part.
Or is it? I have the most fun when I am obeying God.
I think for me it is the process of deciding to obey God that is the toughest part. I have to risk, and trust Him that what I don't want to do now is exactly what I will be glad I did later. Many times I feel alone when deciding. (This may be why I need to be part of a small group). No matter what help I have, it is in the end my decision. And if I want to know more, if I want to experience Jesus closer to me, I must obey Him.
How can You win in this election?
It has been saddening to read/watch people viciously criticize and attack each other as they explain how their way of thinking is right and others' thinking is wrong. Fear has replaced Hope as the motivation to "win" in this election. Fear cannot be satisfied. It can only be replaced itself by Truth. Jesus said he is the Truth. So how can Jesus calm our Fear?
In the Old Testament in Proverbs in the Bible it says that Jesus holds the heart of the ruler in his hand and turns it wherever he wishes. No matter who "wins" the election Tuesday a deeply flawed person will become President. And we don't have to worry. Jesus has been preparing this moment since eternity past and he is not surprised or worried about what he will do. The main thing I worry about is what will I do? Will I humbly listen to Jesus and be true to what he tells me to do? Or will I Fear and say "Jesus didn't say that, that's not reasonable"... and shut the eyes of my soul ... and deny him?
Dear Jesus, help me to choose Love in every situation. You are Love. And you always provide a way to Love. Thank you for answering this prayer. You always do.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
How do we solve poverty?
4 Will evildoers never learn— those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD?
5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.
5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.
Isaiah chapter 14, NIV84
Those with money many times prey upon the poor - check cashing charges, fees for "plastic" money and money orders, cash advance charges, ever rising rent when the costs to the owner stay the same, higher prices for those trapped in the inner city without transportation for the same goods that cost less in neighborhoods that have customers that can shop around, lack of the volume discounts the rich enjoy, higher interest rates for loans to those who have the least money to pay for it.
Satan's kingdom (fear-based, selfishness-based and money-based) is founded on "what can I get out of you?" Jesus' kingdom (love-based) is founded on "what can I give to you?"
I believe heaven's economy will be the opposite of ours. We will dream of what we can do for others, ask Jesus for the resources to do it, work with those resources in His strength and give away what we make, our only payment is the joy we receive when we give joy to others.
What would happen if we stopped giving hand-outs that are barely enough to survive on, and we made helping the poor become self-sustaining the same priority President John F. Kennedy gave making the United States the first on the moon? What about asking those who are challenged what they thought we could do to help them? What if we stopped being prejudice and gave jobs to those who would otherwise end up in jail because they can't find someone who will hire them for honest work?
What would happen if I actually went about tangibly demonstrating the actions of the love of Jesus instead of just singing about it in my church or car?
I invite you to discover how you and I can allow Jesus to lift our challenged brothers and sisters. I invite you to discover: The Open Table http://www.theopentable.org/
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Perception is Reality
The phrase "Perception is Reality" was originally stated, I believe in the Reagan era, to describe a lack of honest and complete communication in national politics. Then it was stated literally. And some accept it as literal.
Jesus was and is no stranger to politics during his life, death and resurrection. And the distorted communication of the past lives on to today.
I invite you to read the post,
or
go in the archives 2013/09/11 of this site.
In it I try to describe the difference between the "official" public perception and reality.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Nobody’s perfect (part II)
I am part of a team of people starting “HOPE” for Mental Health at Kentwood Community Church. We are part of Celebrate Recovery founded by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church. This group of courageous people, who admit their imperfections and trust Jesus to deliver them, have been a catalyst to me being able to confess my sins to another trusted person (or small group). I read my Nobody’s Perfect post from August of 2013 tonight and realized I had promised to get back to you when I had put this into practice.
Much better late than never.
I had told Jesus my sins but telling another person with skin on freed me from most of the grip of satan in my life. No amount of prayer has freed me as much as telling my sin to another person. Sin loses power when exposed.
I have known for years that I was “supposed to” confess my sins to another. But I made excuses and told myself it really didn’t matter. I lost years of my life to satan’s influence simply because “I know more than God.”
God is not mocked. I reaped what I sowed.
But I have learned.
Hopefully.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Visit http://i-m-4-u.com/
Visit http://i-m-4-u.com/ for uncensored hope-filled past and future posts about my relationship with Jesus, my relationship with mental illness and the combination of both.
I will continue to post everything here, but some posts in the past have been censored. (Google will not tell me why). All post will be at http://i-m-4-u.com/ including the uncensored posts. Thank you for reading. And if you know why the posts are being censored please let me know.
Jim McNaughton, Bachelor of Science, Certified Peer Support Specialist
I will continue to post everything here, but some posts in the past have been censored. (Google will not tell me why). All post will be at http://i-m-4-u.com/ including the uncensored posts. Thank you for reading. And if you know why the posts are being censored please let me know.
Jim McNaughton, Bachelor of Science, Certified Peer Support Specialist
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
If not now then when?
(My apologies for not giving credit to those I have learned from who have written on this).
We don't control anything in life, except our decisions.
The Past in unchangeable,
The Future, we can prepare for, but not control,
And the Present we know incompletely, and what we do know can be distorted.
And, the only decisions you and I can control are those we are making right now.
Past decisions have made us who we are today,
Future decisions will either be made by us when the future becomes now,
or those future decisions will be made by others if we can't make them.
What you are deciding right now is in your control and all you control.
But it is the birthplace of Hope.
The negative past can't stop us. It can inform our decision and influence our decision but cannot dictate our decision. We are free to change.
The positive past does not guarantee a positive decision. Again, it can inform and influence our decision, but we are free to fail.
The present decision opportunity is the key to using the past to make a better future.
And, the future can be changed radically by one decision.
The most radically changing decision I have ever made is to follow Jesus.
When I follow Jesus I feel more alive than I have ever felt. He gives me purpose and significance. He provides for my needs. He loves me. My love for him is shown by the way I treat the people he has made... and died for. He died for you because he loves you too. And you are just one decision away from knowing his love for you. Please decide to love him back right now. It's the only chance you have.
We don't control anything in life, except our decisions.
The Past in unchangeable,
The Future, we can prepare for, but not control,
And the Present we know incompletely, and what we do know can be distorted.
And, the only decisions you and I can control are those we are making right now.
Past decisions have made us who we are today,
Future decisions will either be made by us when the future becomes now,
or those future decisions will be made by others if we can't make them.
What you are deciding right now is in your control and all you control.
But it is the birthplace of Hope.
The negative past can't stop us. It can inform our decision and influence our decision but cannot dictate our decision. We are free to change.
The positive past does not guarantee a positive decision. Again, it can inform and influence our decision, but we are free to fail.
The present decision opportunity is the key to using the past to make a better future.
And, the future can be changed radically by one decision.
The most radically changing decision I have ever made is to follow Jesus.
When I follow Jesus I feel more alive than I have ever felt. He gives me purpose and significance. He provides for my needs. He loves me. My love for him is shown by the way I treat the people he has made... and died for. He died for you because he loves you too. And you are just one decision away from knowing his love for you. Please decide to love him back right now. It's the only chance you have.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Confict? Old and New Testament concerning "Did God pass the "test"? (posted Sunday 9/29/13)
Three years ago our family double tithed (gave 20% of our income) for the month of September. I got the job of my dreams and many other things happened that were wonderful. Then I listen to Andrew Farley's interpretation of tithing more recently: The New Testament Church is not given a command to obey the Law or to tithe. We are commanded to love, by walking with and keeping in step with the Spirit. Specifically relating to giving we are told to give generously what we want to give, not under compulsion; that is, with joy. So is the New Testament in conflict with the Old Testament?
Not at all.
Jesus said, "It is for freedom I have set you free." And, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." The Law was a fixed command. But now Jesus and God live in us by the Holy Spirit. Jesus can tell us exactly what He wants, He can customize His will to our unique situation. And we can freely choose to do what He wants us to do. And reap the positive consequences of obeying the One Who Loves Us Most.
Until Jesus tells me otherwise, we will tithe (out of our own free will). Not because we feel obligated by law. But because we love Jesus.
Not at all.
Jesus said, "It is for freedom I have set you free." And, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." The Law was a fixed command. But now Jesus and God live in us by the Holy Spirit. Jesus can tell us exactly what He wants, He can customize His will to our unique situation. And we can freely choose to do what He wants us to do. And reap the positive consequences of obeying the One Who Loves Us Most.
Until Jesus tells me otherwise, we will tithe (out of our own free will). Not because we feel obligated by law. But because we love Jesus.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Hopes for Heaven
I think that what is most important to God in the Bible is what is going to be most important to God in heaven. Treating every person with the highest possible respect and love will be just breaking even. No awards... We will have only done what is expected.
I also believe the quality and intensity of our emotions will increase. When I told God I was not a sinner the second time, he burned with anger. His anger was pure and intense. I believe God is more "human" than we are (the good qualities of being human that is). My emotions are just a shadow of God's. I believe our bodies, made of the dust of the earth, can't contain emotions like God's. And they will be replaced by spiritual bodies, able to feel like God feels.
I believe we will recognize each other, just as Jesus was recognized in his spiritual body (eventually) when he was with his disciples (after being raised from the dead). I believe I will have full memory of my life and the people in it and I will have great joy in telling others about what Jesus did for me (as I do now). I believe I will also have the joy of listening to others tell how Jesus engineered their circumstances and they too came to know the truth - that Jesus loves them.
I believe the instant I die Jesus will lovingly take me and hold me in his arms; like a shepherd holds a sheep that was almost lost. And he will tell me that he loves me, that he has always loved me, and that he is glad I am finally home with him. And we can love each other face-to-face.
I also believe the quality and intensity of our emotions will increase. When I told God I was not a sinner the second time, he burned with anger. His anger was pure and intense. I believe God is more "human" than we are (the good qualities of being human that is). My emotions are just a shadow of God's. I believe our bodies, made of the dust of the earth, can't contain emotions like God's. And they will be replaced by spiritual bodies, able to feel like God feels.
I believe we will recognize each other, just as Jesus was recognized in his spiritual body (eventually) when he was with his disciples (after being raised from the dead). I believe I will have full memory of my life and the people in it and I will have great joy in telling others about what Jesus did for me (as I do now). I believe I will also have the joy of listening to others tell how Jesus engineered their circumstances and they too came to know the truth - that Jesus loves them.
I believe the instant I die Jesus will lovingly take me and hold me in his arms; like a shepherd holds a sheep that was almost lost. And he will tell me that he loves me, that he has always loved me, and that he is glad I am finally home with him. And we can love each other face-to-face.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
I'm okay, but you?
I interact every day with the mentally ill and the developmentally delayed. I struggled with surface impressions that suggest people whose brains are not working right are less than me somehow. Then, without me knowing it, my brain started to not work right. And people couldn't "see me" anymore. They saw mental illness.
And they locked me out of their hearts.
One writer jolted me with the observation that the Bible teaches that our "minds" go to heaven while our brains are buried. His conclusion is that the brain is an interface between the physical world and our minds. This suggests that though we may have an defective brain, our mind is whole. Our mind "sees" the world through the distorted brain and makes decisions, etc. based on inaccurate data. But when we get to heaven we will see that the person we thought was less than us was in fact just the same as us. They were simply dealing with life through a distorted lens.
When I meet that person in heaven, without defect, and with full memory of how I treated them, how comfortable will I be?
And they locked me out of their hearts.
One writer jolted me with the observation that the Bible teaches that our "minds" go to heaven while our brains are buried. His conclusion is that the brain is an interface between the physical world and our minds. This suggests that though we may have an defective brain, our mind is whole. Our mind "sees" the world through the distorted brain and makes decisions, etc. based on inaccurate data. But when we get to heaven we will see that the person we thought was less than us was in fact just the same as us. They were simply dealing with life through a distorted lens.
When I meet that person in heaven, without defect, and with full memory of how I treated them, how comfortable will I be?
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
When satan works through "christians" Part 2
I don't know if it is clear from "When satan works through "christians" (Part 1)" what I believe about abortion. I believe a person is a person at conception. I believe God already has a beautiful life planned out for them before they are even conceived. The "theologian" Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) has a character Horton who has big ears and can hear the tiniest sounds. After investigating a speck, that others thought had no life, Horton found life and declared, "A person's a person, no matter how small." He was persecuted for defending life.
When does a person become a person? Is it when the Supreme Court declares it is? (Not until born). Is it when the baby can survive on its own? (That changes when technology changes). When it has a heart beat, fingerprints, or brain function? (Less than 10 weeks?). When do you say?
The most honest answer from a staunch pro-abortionist I have heard is, "I don't know." I said, "then if you don't know if it is a person or not, wouldn't it makes sense to say, 'I don't know if you are a person or not, just in case you are a person, I'm not going to kill you.' "
That is how I feel about abortion, not the people involved. If a woman doesn't know Jesus she can feel desperately alone with her decision. She doesn't know where help can come from. The father may be pressuring her to end the baby's life in order to escape his responsibility to the mother and his child. She may not know that there are non-judgmental, loving Christians who will help her. She may only know the hate-filled, condemning "christians" who are following satan. And the doctor almost certainly doesn't know Jesus, and cannot share Jesus' desire for the baby's life.
Jesus does not judge these desperate people. He died for them. He loves them. And I do too. But His heart is grieved over what they have chosen to do with his unwelcome gift of a child.
Before I knew Jesus I honestly did not know when a person became a person. What those-who-don't-know-Jesus need is our love, not condemnation.
It is His kindness that brings us to repentance.
When does a person become a person? Is it when the Supreme Court declares it is? (Not until born). Is it when the baby can survive on its own? (That changes when technology changes). When it has a heart beat, fingerprints, or brain function? (Less than 10 weeks?). When do you say?
The most honest answer from a staunch pro-abortionist I have heard is, "I don't know." I said, "then if you don't know if it is a person or not, wouldn't it makes sense to say, 'I don't know if you are a person or not, just in case you are a person, I'm not going to kill you.' "
That is how I feel about abortion, not the people involved. If a woman doesn't know Jesus she can feel desperately alone with her decision. She doesn't know where help can come from. The father may be pressuring her to end the baby's life in order to escape his responsibility to the mother and his child. She may not know that there are non-judgmental, loving Christians who will help her. She may only know the hate-filled, condemning "christians" who are following satan. And the doctor almost certainly doesn't know Jesus, and cannot share Jesus' desire for the baby's life.
Jesus does not judge these desperate people. He died for them. He loves them. And I do too. But His heart is grieved over what they have chosen to do with his unwelcome gift of a child.
Before I knew Jesus I honestly did not know when a person became a person. What those-who-don't-know-Jesus need is our love, not condemnation.
It is His kindness that brings us to repentance.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Another Choice
If I ask God to do something, and He doesn't do it, I say, "Well, He must not exist."
If I ask for God to do something, and He does it, I say, "That would have happened anyway."
So exactly how is He supposed to reach me? What can He do?
God will allow the natural pain of my own choices to drive me to another choice.
But I numb the pain with alcohol.
I am distracted from the pain with sex.
I blame others for the pain.
When nothing stops the pain, I see the other choice.
I can blame God for the natural pain of my own choices.
Or I can ask Him for help.
If I blame Him I am saying He is real, but He is evil.
If I ask Him for help, He will help.
Then I can say, "That would have happened anyway" and I would know I was lying when I said it.
And the pain would begin again.
Or, I can say, "Thank you, my Heavenly Father, you are good and you are real."
And He will never leave me.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
When satan works through "christians"
It has been reported that a close city has the most bowling alleys, bars, and churches per capita of any city in the USA. I don't know if that is true but I definitely know we have a lot of churches. We have a lot of Christians here, people who know Jesus personally and follow him daily. What I am concerned about is those who say they are Christians, but don't follow Jesus. They are driving away people who might otherwise come to know Jesus. Let me explain.
There are Christians who pray at an abortion clinic. They convey the unconditional love and acceptance of Jesus to the many times scared, vulnerable women who are dealing with the most important and difficult decision they may ever make. But recently another kind of "christian" has been found outside the abortion clinic. I have heard a first-hand account of someone being yelled at, being told they are going to hell, insulted, etc. while going into the clinic. They were not pregnant, not considering an abortion, but nonetheless traumatized by the hatred of "christians."
When I heard this from her I apologized for the people using the Name of Christ as they acted contrary to the Will of Christ. We agreed that Jesus would not have acted that way. She is not a Christian however she understands Jesus far better than his supposed "followers." She has said she hates Christians and I understand why.
There is a bumper sticker I have seen that I never experientially understood until now. It read, "Dear Jesus, please save me from your followers."
Jesus anticipated this. He said a tree is known by its fruit. A good tree does not produce bad fruit, and a bad tree does not produce good fruit. You will know them by their fruit. These "christians" are producing bad fruit and Jesus says they are not his representatives. He doesn't know them.
If you are investigating Jesus, remember, anyone can call themselves a Christian. Real Christians aren't perfect and they will tell you they are not perfect. But you should be able to sense the kindness and humility of Jesus from them; not a spirit of self-righteous condemnation.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
The Antidote for Arrogance
I find I am most arrogant when I feel worthless or insignificant. And when I am feeling confident, affirmed and supported I feel I can risk humility. This seems to fit the "opposite rule." That is, the arrogant are really insecure. The tough guy or girl fears they are weak. The boastful believes he or she is nothing of value.
When I am arrogant, tough, or boastful, please give me grace. Remember that what I need from you is love, affirmation and sense of worth and value. They may be the last things I deserve and the last things you "feel" like giving.
But watch God make them work.
When I am arrogant, tough, or boastful, please give me grace. Remember that what I need from you is love, affirmation and sense of worth and value. They may be the last things I deserve and the last things you "feel" like giving.
But watch God make them work.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Can my relationship with Jesus ever end?
In reading the entire Bible I have read portions that suggest that after I know Jesus, and He knows me, that I can choose to reject Him and spend eternity without Him. I also have read portions that suggest that if I reject Him it is proof that I did not ever know Him and He never knew me. And, that if I ever knew Him, and He knew me, He would never leave me.
So what does it matter? Who cares? Is this a game of words without consequence?
When I was first found by God I thought I had to "persevere" to the end of my life with my "faith" to prove I was worthy of heaven. I had to make it to heaven based on my performance. Then I came across the idea that my future has been secured by Jesus. My relationship with Jesus did not start based on my behavior and it will not end based on my behavior. My future is based on Jesus power to save me from start to finish; not in my ability to not reject Him.
One of the things I learned while severely mentally ill, was that I am totally depraved without Jesus. I had the illusion of being "pretty good" in my own eyes. When my mind left me and with it all perceived respect from others; when I had no support from family and friends; when I was powerless to get what I wanted or needed; when there was no pay-off for being "good:" I chose evil. I sunk lower than I ever believed I would.
I do not pretend that there is anything good in me, apart from Jesus. And, if my salvation is based in any way on my ability to keep it; I am as good as lost. I have told Jesus I give up the choice to reject Him if, in fact, I have that ability. I told Him that I am completely depending on Him to keep our relationship forever.
And Jesus is answering that prayer. Now, I don't have to fear failing. And so I am free to say to Him, do whatever You want in my life, Lord, whatever You want.
And He does.
So what does it matter? Who cares? Is this a game of words without consequence?
When I was first found by God I thought I had to "persevere" to the end of my life with my "faith" to prove I was worthy of heaven. I had to make it to heaven based on my performance. Then I came across the idea that my future has been secured by Jesus. My relationship with Jesus did not start based on my behavior and it will not end based on my behavior. My future is based on Jesus power to save me from start to finish; not in my ability to not reject Him.
One of the things I learned while severely mentally ill, was that I am totally depraved without Jesus. I had the illusion of being "pretty good" in my own eyes. When my mind left me and with it all perceived respect from others; when I had no support from family and friends; when I was powerless to get what I wanted or needed; when there was no pay-off for being "good:" I chose evil. I sunk lower than I ever believed I would.
I do not pretend that there is anything good in me, apart from Jesus. And, if my salvation is based in any way on my ability to keep it; I am as good as lost. I have told Jesus I give up the choice to reject Him if, in fact, I have that ability. I told Him that I am completely depending on Him to keep our relationship forever.
And Jesus is answering that prayer. Now, I don't have to fear failing. And so I am free to say to Him, do whatever You want in my life, Lord, whatever You want.
And He does.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
I was Wrong! (Again)
Andrew Farley has explained to me why I was wrong about tithing, wrong about the Sermon on the Mount, wrong to think I might lose my salvation even if I reject Christ, and more. If the Son sets you free you shall be free indeed! It is for freedom Christ has set me free!
http://subsplash.com/churchwithoutreligion/s/a8592bd/
http://subsplash.com/churchwithoutreligion/s/a8592bd/
Friday, June 17, 2016
How do I Deal with that Problem Person in My Life?
Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church, is insightful and easily understood in this video that showed me how to deal with the biggest problem person in my life when it comes to conflict... me.
Sunday, May 8, 2016
How do I experience true love?
Jesus didn't suffer infinite pain for you, and experience infinite separation from his Father, because he wanted you to be "saved." Or because he wanted you to "believe in him." Or because he wanted you to escape the fires of hell and enjoy the pleasures of paradise.
God in Jesus on the cross, was making a way so that He could be your everything. So that He could lavish his infinite love on you. So that you and He could be intimate lovers. So that you and He could be friends.
This relationship is not experienced by praying the right prayer or believing the right truth and then putting "God" away until next Sunday. It is not experienced by giving the right amount, frequent church attendance or Bible reading and prayer the right number of times per week.
It is experienced when we actually do what God tells us to do. And what God said to do was, love one another as I have loved you. No man has greater love than he lay down his life for his friends. And you are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command. We are to lay down our lives for one another. Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel will find it. Love God, love people.
What we do for others out of obedience to God reveals how much we love God. (Disclaimer: We do not do for others to get God to accept us, love us or forgive us. Jesus accomplished that for us when He died on the cross. Acceptance, love and forgiveness is a gift He freely gives us).
When the prostitute washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried his feet with her hair she showed much love. Those who are kind to the poor honor God and He will reward them for what they have done. He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Filled with joy are those who give others much mercy for they will receive much mercy. If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it shall be given back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over the top. Blessed are you, loved of my Father, for I was hungry and you fed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and in prison and you visited me.
You see, faith is not something you have, like a movie ticket, holding it until you die and then exchanging it for entrance into heaven. Faith is something you use everyday, to discern what God is specifically telling you to do right now and doing it.
That is when you know you are saved, that is when you know you believe in him, because that is when you experience the Love of your Friend.
God in Jesus on the cross, was making a way so that He could be your everything. So that He could lavish his infinite love on you. So that you and He could be intimate lovers. So that you and He could be friends.
This relationship is not experienced by praying the right prayer or believing the right truth and then putting "God" away until next Sunday. It is not experienced by giving the right amount, frequent church attendance or Bible reading and prayer the right number of times per week.
It is experienced when we actually do what God tells us to do. And what God said to do was, love one another as I have loved you. No man has greater love than he lay down his life for his friends. And you are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command. We are to lay down our lives for one another. Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel will find it. Love God, love people.
What we do for others out of obedience to God reveals how much we love God. (Disclaimer: We do not do for others to get God to accept us, love us or forgive us. Jesus accomplished that for us when He died on the cross. Acceptance, love and forgiveness is a gift He freely gives us).
When the prostitute washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried his feet with her hair she showed much love. Those who are kind to the poor honor God and He will reward them for what they have done. He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Filled with joy are those who give others much mercy for they will receive much mercy. If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it shall be given back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over the top. Blessed are you, loved of my Father, for I was hungry and you fed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and in prison and you visited me.
You see, faith is not something you have, like a movie ticket, holding it until you die and then exchanging it for entrance into heaven. Faith is something you use everyday, to discern what God is specifically telling you to do right now and doing it.
That is when you know you are saved, that is when you know you believe in him, because that is when you experience the Love of your Friend.
Saturday, May 7, 2016
What would you want Jesus to do?
Jesus got to shore and was met by a man who had been acting "crazy" most of his life. The man lived naked among the graves and no one could control him. The man pulled to pieces any chains he was in and he often cried out; cutting himself with stones. Jesus had compassion on the man. But he couldn't help him. You see, this man was of another religion and it was against the law to convert him to following Jesus, which Jesus knew would happen if Jesus healed him. Also, the media had been misreporting that when Jesus said, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God" that Jesus was really rebelling against the government and advocating that people not pay lawful taxes. What would they report if he removed evil spirits from a man not considered competent to give informed consent? And what about the people who said mental illness was a myth? What if they said Jesus should value the man's differences, not judge his lifestyle, and coexist with him? And what about the mental health community? They don't believe in demons. They would be offended if Jesus cast out demons into pigs, and the pigs immediately committed suicide, proving that demons do exist. They might lobby to have Jesus' license to practice counseling revoked. And what about the owners of the pigs? Did Jesus ask permission to send demons into them? Was Jesus going to pay restitution?
What if you were the man or woman standing there in front of Jesus, with your future and your sanity hanging in the balance. What would you want Jesus to do?
Mark 5 in the Bible.
Mark 5 in the Bible.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Jesus is NOT on my side in politics
WWJD in this political turmoil? Guns, immigration, health care, taxes, redistribution of wealth... I invite you to learn with me as I learn from Andy Stanley as he learns from Jesus. I found out Jesus is NOT on my side... http://yourmove.is/episode/avoiding-election-infection/
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Changes
Stop being open to being changed by instruction, and you will slowly walk away from the right path. (my imperfect paraphrase of Proverbs 19:27)I read somewhere (I'm sorry I don't know to whom to give credit) that this is like the Apollo moon missions in the 1960's. On the way to the moon they would set the correct trajectory but would also repeatedly check it to see if they were still on course. About 90% of the time they weren't and needed to correct their course.
I think when God has broken through my arrogance and pride and I have listened to Him and made a major change in my life that I am done. I'm glad I won't have to deal with that flaw in my character again. But like one who is making a sculpture, God has only chipped away a piece of the stone He is transforming. I must make future major changes in my character as God puts pressure on my life and I respond by being open to His instruction.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Love is always the answer
The following is a poem my mother read to me when I was young. I apologize, I don't know the author. (Perhaps if you do you could tell me so I could give proper credit to them). The message of this poem is closely related to the last post.
He drew a circle that shut me out,
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout,
But love and I had wit to win,
We drew a circle that took him in.
I am still learning this over 40 years after hearing it.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Hurting people hurt people.
Hurting people hurt people.
(This was one of the first "wow" thoughts I learned from my pastor).
Judge not and you will not be judged.
For the measure you give will be the measure you get.
And how can you say to your brother or sister, "Here, let me take that speck out of your eye" while all the time there is a log in your own eye. You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye so that you will SEE CLEARLY to take the speck out of your brother or sister's eye.
If someone is hurting you, you can respond naturally and believe they are the problem and they need to fix it so they stop hurting you. That is having a log in your own eye. If you want to respond super-naturally, you look past your own pain (remove the log) and focus on them and you realize they HAVE a problem, THEY AREN'T the problem. (Now you see clearly so that you can take out the speck in their eye). They are in pain, scare, hurt, threatened, frustrated, their goals are being blocked, etc. Let them know that you are not going to abandon them now when they need you most. Let them know that their problem is our problem. Let them know that nobody gets left behind. We either make it together or WE DON'T MAKE IT AT ALL. Then we get under their load WITH them (not in place of them).
It is in reaching down to lift up the weak that the greatest strength flows through us to them and builds us and them.
(This was one of the first "wow" thoughts I learned from my pastor).
Judge not and you will not be judged.
For the measure you give will be the measure you get.
And how can you say to your brother or sister, "Here, let me take that speck out of your eye" while all the time there is a log in your own eye. You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye so that you will SEE CLEARLY to take the speck out of your brother or sister's eye.
If someone is hurting you, you can respond naturally and believe they are the problem and they need to fix it so they stop hurting you. That is having a log in your own eye. If you want to respond super-naturally, you look past your own pain (remove the log) and focus on them and you realize they HAVE a problem, THEY AREN'T the problem. (Now you see clearly so that you can take out the speck in their eye). They are in pain, scare, hurt, threatened, frustrated, their goals are being blocked, etc. Let them know that you are not going to abandon them now when they need you most. Let them know that their problem is our problem. Let them know that nobody gets left behind. We either make it together or WE DON'T MAKE IT AT ALL. Then we get under their load WITH them (not in place of them).
It is in reaching down to lift up the weak that the greatest strength flows through us to them and builds us and them.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Jesus is NOT Politically Correct
Jesus is NOT Politically Correct. Jesus said he was God, the Son of God, the Only way to the Father and in so doing he said that all other religions are false. This did not make Him popular with some people. In fact, it made them so mad, they killed Him. He rose from the dead, proving that everything He said was true. His followers ran into the same trouble Jesus did, people tortured and killed them too, because they claimed that Jesus is God, the Son of God, the Only way to the Father and in so doing they said that all other religions are false. History, and current world realities, reveal that followers of Jesus suffer evil from the hands of those who don't like it when Jesus is made known as God, the Son of God, the Only way to the Father and that all other religions are false.
Jesus is the most counter-cultural person who ever lived. He raised the position and dignity of women from them being treated as property to the equal status they had with men when both were created in the image of God. Jesus elevated the status of children too. Jesus' disciples shooed away children attracted to the smiling, laughing, and kind Jesus. Previously taught by their culture, Jesus' disciples didn't want Jesus bothered by "insignificant time-wasters." Jesus was indignant and ordered his disciples to "Let the little children come to Me." And he put his hands on the children and blessed them. He used a child as an example for his disciples to emulate saying, "Unless you become like this child, you will by no means enter the kingdom of God." Jesus was not a "respecter of persons" meaning he didn't treat people differently because of their having, or lack of having, status, position, wealth, health, popularity, etc. Jesus valued the poor, sick, lame, deaf, blind, and sinners; what the past and then-current society thought of as "worthless."
The values most prized by those who would "censor" me originated with Jesus. The dignity and worth of the individual and their rights originated with Jesus. And free speech, something prized and fought for by this country is necessary and beneficial to all. If you want to criticize me or Jesus go ahead. Your right to free speech is more important than if you "offend" me. If someone says something I don't like I can discuss it with them, exchange ideas, we can learn from each other, and maybe we can both learn that we were both wrong.
But "censorship" is practiced by the insecure.
Jesus is the most counter-cultural person who ever lived. He raised the position and dignity of women from them being treated as property to the equal status they had with men when both were created in the image of God. Jesus elevated the status of children too. Jesus' disciples shooed away children attracted to the smiling, laughing, and kind Jesus. Previously taught by their culture, Jesus' disciples didn't want Jesus bothered by "insignificant time-wasters." Jesus was indignant and ordered his disciples to "Let the little children come to Me." And he put his hands on the children and blessed them. He used a child as an example for his disciples to emulate saying, "Unless you become like this child, you will by no means enter the kingdom of God." Jesus was not a "respecter of persons" meaning he didn't treat people differently because of their having, or lack of having, status, position, wealth, health, popularity, etc. Jesus valued the poor, sick, lame, deaf, blind, and sinners; what the past and then-current society thought of as "worthless."
The values most prized by those who would "censor" me originated with Jesus. The dignity and worth of the individual and their rights originated with Jesus. And free speech, something prized and fought for by this country is necessary and beneficial to all. If you want to criticize me or Jesus go ahead. Your right to free speech is more important than if you "offend" me. If someone says something I don't like I can discuss it with them, exchange ideas, we can learn from each other, and maybe we can both learn that we were both wrong.
But "censorship" is practiced by the insecure.
Monday, January 11, 2016
How to Get the Life You Want...(Part II)
This explains why the parable of the talents is not about developing skills - it is about giving ourselves away, loving others the way we want them to love us. The parable of the ten virgins directs those virgins without enough oil to go to the marketplace to buy more. Much like the servants with talents going and trading for more. Jesus is saying that the purpose of our lives is to give our lives away. When we do we receive life/love back sometimes from others but always from Him. So give, it will be given back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over the top!
How to Get the Life You Want...
This morning I struggled to give a tip at a restaurant. I thought of, "give and it will be given to you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over into your lap." But it was Andy Stanley's 1/10/16 "Your Move with Andy Stanley" that redefined the experience (http://yourmove.is/episode/ep2-something-to-show-for-it/).
Jesus wasn't talking about money when he said to give, he was talking about much more. He was talking about me. Giving me away to someone. This includes my money but so much more. If I give my life away Jesus will give me more life back. If I give my money, and my time, my presence, my interest, my love, my care, my concern, myself!, He will give me back Himself: His presence, His interest, His love, His care, His concern, His life!
If you give to get you are still alone. But if you give yourself away to love other people you have Jesus and you have Life and you have everything!
Jesus wasn't talking about money when he said to give, he was talking about much more. He was talking about me. Giving me away to someone. This includes my money but so much more. If I give my life away Jesus will give me more life back. If I give my money, and my time, my presence, my interest, my love, my care, my concern, myself!, He will give me back Himself: His presence, His interest, His love, His care, His concern, His life!
If you give to get you are still alone. But if you give yourself away to love other people you have Jesus and you have Life and you have everything!
Saturday, January 9, 2016
I Love God, but my Neighbor?
When Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?”
Jesus answered with two commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And the
second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law
and the prophets” (emphasis mine). Andy Stanley made an
interesting comment. Andy Stanley said
that the phrase “the second is like it” is not hierarchical, that is, the
second is less important than the first.
But rather, complementary, the second completes the first, or is on the
same level as the first. I had never
thought of that. I now realize I can’t love God if I
don’t love my neighbor. And, I can’t love my neighbor if I don’t love God. Now what Jesus said makes sense: that if I am approaching God and remember my neighbor has a problem with me, I am to first get right with my neighbor (as far as it depends on me) and then spend time with God. Because if I choose not to love my neighbor I am also choosing not to love God. (And remember, "love" means actively pursuing the highest good for my neighbor, not necessarily doing whatever they ask).
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