Well Here it is.
I have to say.. blog consistency... not very good. But I have been thinking about this blog for awhile, promising to start it up gain, so here is my third attempt.
I was trying to figure out what my "voice" would be for this blog. You know, what I really wanted to say.
so I thought about it for several Weeks, and came to this conclusion....
I'm just going to write. yea, not that deep I know. But I do believe that some good will come out of my experiences trying to follow Jesus. And these will be the posts.
that being said, please do not expect a highly spiritual post here, even though my name is preceded with a title of "pastor". yet I know that God has let me experience and see incredible things, that I would love to share with you.
I guess I should post why I named it "A dizzy cold July"... hmmm well maybe not.
maybe later.
Ok, well the Big one.
This following Jesus. Hate to say it, but i guess, not for everybody?
One truth I cannot shake: Jesus is REAL and demands a response.
it just does. You have to respond... you do respond, everyday. Negatively or positively.. but you do respond.
Hes the independent variable in your life equation.
Our response... well I guess that depends on alot of things.... but you must RESPOND.
To HIM, and always to HIM.
hes real...
- everything else is false
- people
- religion
- everything marketed
It all passes.... , and we always feel foolish responding to things that have "passed"
but We don't like to talk about that.
And this: Its not comfortable to follow Jesus.
Its just not. If anyone has told you otherwise, do not listen, you are following something else.
Check this:
- Jesus totally delivers this demon possessed guy. This guy, who wondered around cutting himself and naked, begs Jesus to allow him to go with HIM. The people that know the demon possessed guy, are begging Jesus to get out of town.
What does Jesus do to this new convert? Send him right into the pack of people that want nothing to do with Jesus.
(Mark 5:1-20)
does that sound comfortable to you?
He send this guy back to the Jesus haters... is God sending you into the same?
Or are you the Jesus hater.. and God is sending some one to you?
either way..... its uncomfortable.
And this is following Him. many situations very related to this.
so why do so many people bail, when it starts to get uncomfortable?
so those two things I know. Its real, and its uncomfortable.
its really uncomfortable.
I heard a quote from John Piper, that i think is fantastic:
"Suffering is the best hermeneutic"
ha. for shure.
So there you have it.
Please respond if you like.
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Also, god has put it in my heart to start a Saturday night service.
This is just an idea that is brewing in me, so I'm just beginning to pray about it.
I would love to hear your ideas about it though...
what should it look like? (it will not look like Sunday!!)
what can we do?
Ive been praying about having this service outside, maybe in a park once a week, and preaching for three weeks, and the fourth week have a "special project" to go out and DO what was preached. sounds crazy i know.... but at the least of things.. hopefully it will be uncomfortable.
Oh.. and some food!! We gotta eat together!
Anyway, i do value for opinion....
What is it you feel should be in a great Church service?
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well said josh...following Jesus does get very uncomfortable. And as for the saturday service...be like Nike " Just Do It"...
ReplyDeleteHermeneutic, there's a new word.
ReplyDeleteI think a good service is a service where its not about preaching or evangelizing, but about just loving God. There's time to love one another despite whatever you're doing wrong or right. I suppose its not the service you'd want if you're in it to save the masses... but hey you asked what I thought would be a good service.
I suppose that's why I like the meetings at the Wilhites, aka the Burning Man ministries. Its just people from random churches coming together to love God and just seek out what He wants.
we could call it "Saturday Night Fever"
ReplyDeleteuncomfortable - yes
i always feel this tug between
having lots of toys and being a creative genius and having people invite me over to fancy parties to drink wine V.S. doing orphanage work and never having my music recorded.
i suppose its one or the other.
(help me Jesus)
I'm not sure you noticed how this may have come off, but incase you did, then I disagree with some of the things you wrote. Of course this is to be expected, you've always been fast, sometimes to fast to notice the people around you, or lack there of. You wrote "He is real.. all else is false... people, religion, it all passes, and you feel foolish responding to those things. This is an extreme comment, coming from an extreme person. Family are people, your brothers and sisters are people, really souls, and they don't "pass" and you don't feel "foolish responding to them". People are the point, or they should be, but I can understand how a pastor can loose sight of that. Moving too fast in your pursuits, maybe even pursuits that God has given you, but too fast nonetheless. Maybe that's not what you meant or I misunderstood you, either way...
ReplyDeletegreat feedback, thanks "anonymous" , next time leave your name. Tea, your right, totally misunderstood. I meant respond to "someone" some person, the next big thing, the next fad, the next leader, the next anything.... It will pass. As a pastor, as a person, it's all about people, love God, love others... Nothing else matters. ps, I like the extreme comment. :)
ReplyDeleteooooops, posted under my wife's email... Sorry!!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't know you very well, or at all. It is very easy to see your heart, being as big as it is. And I think you should just go with whatever God is telling you. I've been going to the Wilhites(Burning man ministries) for about 3years now, and what I love about the meeting is that it's just God's people(the body of Christ) coming together to worship and share what God has been sharing. There isn't really any preaching, cos we all know what the Bible says, and what God wants us to do. Personally, I think it's time for us to stop sitting around and talking, and go out and do what God has made us to do. I believe Jesus when he said that we will do greater things than he, and how are we ever going to live that life just going to cell groups & stuff. That doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed yours, because I have. We just need to start "walking the walk."
ReplyDeletewell said Berrenduhh! Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteIs it getting cold in here or is it just me? I kid, I kid.
ReplyDeleteanyways, i got your point and I really agree. God's been bringing me into a season where He's been pushing my limits. And after every pain and discomfort is surfaced, and after every thing He makes me do that he knows I sure as hell don't want to do, He gets in my face and asks: "Now... are you going to get offended?" Agh, I love it! It's only through this abandonment that He will cause me to grow.
PS maybe anonymous has switched the order of the first and second commandments.
I think that sounds great! I really like the idea about it being outside; moreover i like the outreach idea; you definitely need worship; that is a must. --Lydia:)
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking a lot about things that fall along the lines of your blog. Thinking a lot about people, including myself sometimes, and how it's just so easy to do what "we want" and basically ignore God.
ReplyDeleteBut there's always that tug, that pull, that knick at your heart that pulls you back to God. At least in my experiences there has been. I figured out that no matter what enticed me in the world, there's nothing on earth that could ever attract my heart like that of God Himself.
I haven't gone to church in over 2 months, I'm being honest. Part of it is by choice, the other bc of resources. BUt, in those couple of months, I feel like I'm really learning to know and understand who God is. & I freakin love it! I let go of "popular" church stuff and just wanted to know who God is when no one else is around. I'm realizing how human I am and how easy it is for me to mess up, but when I realize how much God loves me despite my flaws, I'm blown away every time. Good stuff. I think when we understand more the love of GOd, it's a lot harder for us to just run away. TO ignore Him, to do what "we want," and any other reasons we give ourselves for becoming distant from our Source of Life.
So let's help people understand that Love. Once they get it, it won't matter where we have a church service or what events we do to have the attraction...if God's there...they'll want to show up :)
i have been loosing so many friends...
ReplyDeletetow hahaha
ReplyDeletethat comment should be in the other one hahaa