The Conclusion or Pause

I was awake at 5am this morning (8-26-13.) Lying in bed, my thoughts were telling me that I had to get up and read the Bible. I also thought about the day ahead. I would write "The Conclusion" for my new book: "Wisdom From The Hood." After I finish writing the book, I have to begin editing and publishing which is a process that's a bit intimidating because I'm fairly new in the publishing game. I got up and went into another room to read (my beautiful wife was still sleeping!) I read about a pause. Have you ever witnessed the "Jesus Pause?"

In John 5:1-16, there is a story that includes a "pause." A man who had been an invalid for 38 years was sitting by a pool that was known for healing people. The man was so crippled that he was unable to get into the water by himself. Jesus strolls up and asks the man if he wants to be healed. After a brief discussion, Jesus heals the man. He then tells him to grab the mat that he was lying on and leave. The man did not know who Jesus was. The man did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. He was told by Jesus to walk away. Jesus did not start the healing process by talking about sin. Jesus asked him what he wanted, healed him and left him.

John 5:1-16 The Message

5 ^1-6 Soon another Feast came around and Jesus was back in Jerusalem. Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there was a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, with five alcoves. Hundreds of sick people—blind, crippled, paralyzed—were in these alcoves. One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷ The sick man said, “Sir, when the water is stirred, I don’t have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in.”
^8-9 Jesus said, “Get up, take your bedroll, start walking.” The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off.
^9-10 That day happened to be the Sabbath. The Jews stopped the healed man and said, “It’s the Sabbath. You can’t carry your bedroll around. It’s against the rules.”
¹¹ But he told them, “The man who made me well told me to. He said, ‘Take your bedroll and start walking.’”
^12-13 They asked, “Who gave you the order to take it up and start walking?” But the healed man didn’t know, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd.
¹⁴ A little later Jesus found him in the Temple and said, “You look wonderful! You’re well! Don’t return to a sinning life or something worse might happen.”
^15-16 The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. That is why the Jews were out to get Jesus—because he did this kind of thing on the Sabbath.

After the man leaves carrying his bed roll, the religious folks spot him and accuse him of breaking the law of the Sabbath. I think they considered anything more than a heartbeat or breath an infraction of the law of resting on the Sabbath. The healed man told them that he was healed by someone whom he did not know (a stranger.) In the holy rollers' eyes, there were 2 sinners in their midst: the man carrying a mat and the man who healed him. They would get to the bottom of this dastardly crime!

Later, Jesus comes along and sees the healed man. He probably smiles and tells him how great he looks. Then he tells him to stop sinning or something worse will happen to him. The healed man now knows who Jesus is and relays that information to the holy folks. Why did Jesus heal the man without asking for repentance from his sins? Why didn't Jesus tell the man who he was? Why was there a "pause" between the healing and revelation?

We listen to politicians walking around broadcasting their accomplishments and plans for a greater future. They tell us to vote for them and that will give us a better future. Teachers tell students to study hard to pass exams. The court bailiff orders you to show respect and stand as the judge enters the courtroom. A husband or wife may demand performance as proof that they are really loved. Jesus did not broadcast. Jesus did not demand study. Jesus did not demand respect. Jesus did not demand performance. Jesus simply did not demand. Jesus paused.

This has been a book about pausing. A time to pause and reflect. The Sabbath is a time to pause and rest. It is not confined to a certain day nor is moral behavior confined to a church building. A sabbath should be a rest in God. A sabbath should be a pause to reflect upon God prior to any action. Jesus paused to see a man in need. He paused to ask him his needs. He healed him and paused before giving good advice. He formed a relationship (pausefully) before he spoke truth into the heart.

God, I pause right now to say thanks for your mercy, grace and healing pause in my life. Please cause a rest in your people that will give them peace through their reflections on your grace. May they take the lessons of their lives and bless future generations with your wisdom. In Jesus name. Amen.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.

Yeah, I Cry for Children

I'm not sure why I feel such a great sadness over children who are never allowed to live beyond their mother's womb. It actually brings tears to my eyes thinking about the millions of children who have been killed through abortion. Why do so many people support politicians who support killing children? Some folks call it a "woman's right to choose." Why doesn't the child get the right to choose if he or she would like to live like the rest of us?

I have heard about people who witnessed abortions. They have seen through a sonogram, a baby trying to escape the suction that will terminate their life. I have listened to the stories of people who are abortion survivors. Even our President voted 3 times to deny protection for children born alive during an abortion. How can a compassionate society deny the basic rights to the most vulnerable and innocent of human beings?

Self destruction of a society begins with sacrificing it's most vulnerable residents. Society clamors for protection from sociopathic killers when we breed them through our own coldness. We have become numb to the plight of the innocent. Abortion is the result of selfishness. Someone makes the decision that they are not ready for a child so they kill the child. If you don't want the child, someone will adopt the baby and give it a chance at life.

If you have had an abortion, I do not think ill of you. I do not believe in abortion but I believe in loving all human life. It may be that part of my purpose in life is to share the pain of the unborn because I do. I also share the pain of many people who have had abortions and regret it.

I am sorry if you were raped, because I feel that pain too. I have witnessed the death and abuse of many young people. I have seen children giving birth to stillborn children. I have seen young girls so desperate for love that they allow themselves to be violated. I have listened to people who have experienced horrible tragedies and I absorb their pain. As a youth director, I pretty much get my heart broken once a week. I know what abuse is. I know what death is. I know what brokenness is.

The Mission Statement of Youth With A Purpose reads:

"We believe that all children are gifted, on both sides of the womb. We exist to identify, nurture, protect and empower young people to use their gifts to become the world changers that God meant them to be."

The cycle of life for a child (who makes it out of the womb alive) in Buffalo is a circuitous trip that includes home, hospital, school, courtroom, jail, funeral home, cemetery, social services, street corners, youth centers, maybe college and maybe a job (if they don't have a felony.) Children feel the disrespect that society has placed upon them. Devalued children treat all life in a devalued manner. Isn't it time to re-instill values in our children by demonstrating that we value them.  

Please don't be offended if I hurt.
Please don't be offended if I cry.
Please don't be offended if I ask:
Why must the children die?

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice foe somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.

Has God Rejected You?

Sometimes life seems like your own personal dung heap. Everything you touch falls apart. People look at you with disdain, they avoid you and talk about you at the same time. Pain seems to come in a different way upon waking with each new day. Rejection and abandonment seem as familiar as inhaling and exhaling. Discouragement and depression fill the space between your heart beats. Maybe you feel like God himself has rejected you. What would your Grandmother say about all of the bad things in life?

At one point, my boys Joe and Steve were actually shorter

 than the Incredible Shrinking Grandma!

Because I probably may not have ever met your Grandmother, I will tell you about mine. My family and I went to North Carolina to celebrate my Grandmother's 100th birthday. She had left her home in Buffalo to live with my Aunt Loise several years earlier. Partying with Gram was really cool beans! Because of the distance between us, I didn't see Gram very often. Every time I saw her, she was shorter! My cousin Tom nicknamed her; "The Incredible Shrinking Grandma." I often wonder if I'm getting shorter and I look forward to getting measured every year at the Gus Macker Basketball tournament. So far I'm holding steady at 6'1" although I know my time of shrinkage will come. The problems of life never seem to shrink. How did Grandma Larrabee deal with the problems of life?

As Gram sat opening up presents and birthday cards on her 100th birthday, I asked her a question:

 "Gram, you've seen some bad things in your life. You've seen World Wars and terrorist acts. You've seen people die. Your husband is dead. You have children who are dead. Pretty much all of your friends are dead. What do you think about all of the bad things in the world?"

Gram didn't hesitate with her answer. She looked up at me and said:

"I just know that there are better days ahead!"

Gram's answer blew me away with it's simplicity. I have to admit that one of my first thoughts was: "Geez Gram, how many days do you think you have left? You're already 100 years old!" I didn't speak my thoughts out loud. I stared at her, my thoughts were just soaking in 100 years of wisdom in a simple statement: "There's better days ahead."No matter what you are going through, there are better days ahead!

Many people have sown positive words into my life. At Grandpa and Grandma Larrabee's house, I spent a lot of time in the basement reading. I read books like "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale. My life has been filled with encouragement that came through family members. Grandma spent her final years lavished in love by Aunt Loise. My Aunt wrote a poem on July 6, 2002, about 5 months after Gram took her shrinking act to heaven. Here is her Poem:

The Circle

The circle of family
Goes round and round,
A continuing life force,
To which we are bound.

Life's circles may be broken,
But with faith we will see,
The families ongoing strength
Will continue to be.

Life is like a vapor,
here today and then gone.
Lessons learned, family loved,
In our hearts remain strong.

The circle should reach
To each new generation,
So God's love-gift of family
To all, we can teach.

L.A.T. 7/6/02

Everything we learn becomes wisdom if we teach it to others. We are commanded by God to teach each new generation. The wisdom of Grandmother's is a great tool to help us get through the bad times in life. God never rejects us totally, he does leave us alone to help us grow. A seed underground cannot see the sun until it spends some time growing through the lonely darkness.

A final word from another Grandmother - my Mom. One of my Mom's favorite sayings is:

"This too will pass."

The sun never stays set. The clouds always move. There's always another bird to sing. The waves will roll again. Wildflowers come back after the harshest winter. "This too shall pass."  Focus on gratitude and giving. Grandmothers don't worry about shrinking on the outside, they are too busy giving from an immeasurable inside filled with God's provision. Give, you won't shrink!

Luke 12:25-32

The Message (MSG)

^25-28 “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?
^29-32 “What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

What you have just read is actually the rough draft of the Epilogue for the soon to be released book: "Wisdom From The Hood." It's a story book, devotional book, a Bible study and a self growth book written about wisdom gained from the heart-brokenness in the bowels of a City called Buffalo.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.

The Poison Coach

 People with wisdom seem to be on every life corner. They stand ready to dispense advice whether you want it or not. They will help you fix your problems with quick and easy solutions. Some people, through the own naked loneliness, will help strip you of your own ability to love. They are the revolutionaries who rebel against the very thing they desire most: love. Rebels can drag you down or lift you up. How can you tell the difference?

Mountains & God's glory as far as the eye can see!

The guy was sitting on a log hanging his head. He just looked at us unsmilingly in silence. We passed him as we were hiking on the North Mt. Elbert Trail in the Rocky Mountains. This trail leads to the highest mountain in Colorado. At 14,440' Mt. Elbert is the 2nd highest peak in the contiguous United States and the highest Rocky Mountain. Our custom greeting to everyone we meet is: "It's good to see ya!"  After we smiled and greeted the man, he never said a word. We kept hiking.

Many times in the mountains you will pass and be passed by the same people as you take a break. We all travel at different speeds. As we were resting, the unsmiling man came up the trail. He looked up and brought his finger to his lips signaling me to be quiet. At first I thought maybe there was some wildlife nearby and he didn't want to startle them. After seeing none, I asked him why we needed to be quiet? He explained that he was hung over and that any noise hurt his head. I smiled and said that Jesus could heal hangovers. He yelled: "Oh no! Religious people! I'm getting away from you!" He took his hangover and ran up the trail without a smile. We never saw him again.

The hungover man rejected us and rebelled against what we represented. He wanted to live life in his world. I would guess that hiding in alcohol through inebriation was a way of rebelling against the loneliness inside his heart. Alcohol, drugs, and sex can become tools of manipulation used by controlling people who rebel against the deep rooted loneliness in their own hearts. Instead of seeking healing, they seek commiseration and camaraderie in their rebellious life style. They hurt and they spread hurt. The rebels sphere of influence includes any other lonely people willing to cast blame on anybody who seems happy. They smile sweetly as the venomous poison drips from their words. A hardened and bitter heart can appear soft and sweet on the outside. Soon, wallowing in their own loneliness is not enough, they need to draw others into the snare of controlling others. They become the "Poison Coach" and disciple unsuspecting souls in their poisonous ways. 

How can you recognize a Poison Coach? Read your Bible. How do the actions of the people in your life who are dispensing wisdom stack up against the Galatian Character Scope?

Galatians 5:16-26 Amplified Bible

¹⁶ But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).

¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.

¹⁸ But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.

¹⁹ Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency,

²⁰ Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies),

²¹ Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,

²³ Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [^[a]that can bring a charge].

²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.

²⁵ If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit ^[b]we have our life in God, let us go forward ^[c]walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]

²⁶ Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.

Galatians 5:16-26 The Message

^16-18 My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

^19-21 It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.
^22-23 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
^23-24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
^25-26 Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Choose your friends wisely. A fool and his facade will soon be revealed as a fake friendship. Be wary of anyone who encourages rebellion against the principles of God. God is the ultimate authority. He appoints authority and removes authority. Rebellion is acceptable when authority has rebelled against God.

 

Today's Wise Saying is from Proverbs 24:21-22 

 

Proverbs 24:21-22

New International Version (NIV)

Saying 30

²¹ Fear the Lord and the king, my son,
    and do not join with rebellious officials,
²² for those two will send sudden destruction on them,

    and who knows what calamities they can bring?

Proverbs 24:21-22

The Message (MSG)

30

^21-22 Fear God, dear child—respect your leaders;
    don’t be defiant or mutinous.
Without warning your life can turn upside down,
    and who knows how or when it might happen?

Proverbs 24:21-22

Amplified Bible (AMP)

²¹ My son, [reverently] fear the Lord and the king, and do not associate with those who are given to change [of allegiance, and are revolutionary],

²² For their calamity shall rise suddenly, and who knows the punishment and ruin which both [the Lord and the king] will bring upon [the rebellious]?

Proverbs 24:21-22

King James Version (KJV)

²¹ My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:
²² For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

Heart-Storming Challenge

• When is rebellion acceptable?
• When have you rebelled?
• How do you deal with people rebelling against their own loneliness?

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

Jesus loves you and so do we.  

Rending the Veil of Resentment

It's easy to be mad. It's easy to point fingers. It's easy to fill your thoughts with resentment. Sometimes people do things that defy logic. As you sit helplessly and watch their uncompassionate actions, anger and resentment begin to flow. Your emotions resemble the pre-eruptive state of a volcano. Will you allow the lava-like resentment to flow through your heart until it erupts?

Emotional outrage is the pre-eruption state of physical reaction.  Heart-pain is found in the layer of resentment where blame festers as a hot upwelling fury. Left uncooled, resentment explodes into a shameful repetition of the very act that infuriates you. That's how an abused person becomes an abuser and continues the resentment by abusing others. Pointing fingers of blame is as useless as trying to put fallen leaves back on a tree. Angrily building resentment by blaming others began with Adam and Eve. They passed on their blaming ways to their children - Cain killed his brother Abel. Do you pass on resentment in your family?

 Resentment causes you to become unfeeling and numb. Unfeeling people point fingers of blame out of unforgiven shamefulness. If someone has done something to you that has caused you to feel shameful, give your pain to God and ask Him to forgive the shame causing person. Jesus felt our pain. Jesus felt the pain of separation from his Father. He took the numbness of resentment upon his own heart and carried upon the cross and into the grave. Here is a story that examines the evolution of resentment. The conclusion of the story shows you how resentment is removed.

I CAN'T FEEL MY BODY

 Written by: 

A Tree

 I can't feel my body.

I stand here naked and unfeeling.

 My leaves have left me; they fell away in the fall.

I'm exposed to the bitter cold of winter judgment.

My branches stretch out like arms with frost bitten fingers.

My sap no longer flows; my lifeblood seems frozen inside me.

 I can't feel my body.

 I'm in a place of unfeeling, a place of lonely coldness.

My bark is crystallized, imprisoned with ice.

Some branches are broken from the weight of the snow.

My roots no longer stretch in the frozen earth below.

The leaves I once wore are blown away by the arctic air.

 I can't feel my body.

So why can I feel pain?

 Where do I feel pain, if I can't feel my body?

Some pain is my own. Others have hurt me and now their pain I own.

I watch people suffer and I soak up their sufferings like rain.

 In a prison of pain I am frozen, in a cell all alone.

I can't feel my body.

 I know I can pray. Should I ask for the pain to be taken away?

 Or is the pain a gift designed by God to give me a lift.

 Is all of His creation a classroom for me?

Out of my bleakness can I develop a "seekness?"

 Can I seek spring and the healing warmth it will bring?

I can't feel my body.

 I was a tree in the beginning, at the very first Fall.

The Fall of you, Mankind, because you wanted it all.

I held the fruit you picked that caused you guilt and shame.

You wear it now like a mantle; it's become a part of your name.

Unable to take it off, you react in fear pointing fingers of blame.

I can't feel my body.

 I was a tree cut down and floated through town on 39 rivers of blood.

A Man was made to carry me and all of you upon my sturdy wood.

They froze Him to me with cold steel, pounded through His hands and feet.

I held Him like a leaf until He died and fell from my branches.

His last words I remember: "Please give them second chances."

Jesus rent the veil of our fleshly resentment with his sacrificial death. Let your resentment die. Sacrifice your resentment on the cross of forgiveness. Rip the curtain that separates love from fear. I will stop here and leave you with Ephesians 4:31-32 GOD’S WORD Translation

³¹ Get rid of your bitterness, hot tempers, anger, loud quarreling, cursing, and hatred. ³² Be kind to each other, sympathetic, forgiving each other as God has forgiven you through Christ.

Today's Wise Saying is from Proverbs 24:19-20

Proverbs 24:19-20

New International Version (NIV)

Saying 29

¹⁹ Do not fret because of evildoers
    or be envious of the wicked,
²⁰ for the evildoer has no future hope,
    and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

Proverbs 24:19-20

The Message (MSG)

29

^19-20 Don’t bother your head with braggarts
    or wish you could succeed like the wicked.
Those people have no future at all;
    they’re headed down a dead-end street.

Proverbs 24:19-20

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁹ Fret not because of evildoers, neither be envious of the wicked,

²⁰ For there shall be no reward for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

Proverbs 24:19-20

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁹ Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked:
²⁰ For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

LET GO
Deprivation reproduces through unforgiveness.
LET GO
Resentment is repetitive through unforgiveness.
LET GO
Shame is recreated through unforgiveness.
LET GO
Blame revives shame through unforgiveness.
  
Heart-Storming Challenge 

• Do you experience negative feelings when bad people succeed?
• Is there any festering resentment in you that is infecting your family?
• Can you recognize resentment in others?
• Do you ask the Holy Spirit how to minister to shame filled people?
  

   Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

Jesus loves you and so do we.  

 

They Laughed While We Cried

 The funeral home was packed with mourners. The boy was only 14 years old when he was killed riding a bicycle. Someone shot him in the head at point blank range. As we cried and grieved, we could hear the sounds of honking horns and laughter just outside the funeral parlor. Someone was celebrating in the midst of our pain. Somebody was celebrating as the source of our misery.

A centipede has many legs.

Our decisions are actions that cause many reactions.

Resentment can cause murder and affect many generations.

Centipedes can be found under stones - like grave stones.

What kind of people celebrate the wounds they inflict on other people? 

• Democrats and Republicans.
• Murderers and thieves.
• Fans and athletes in athletic rivalries.
• Gangs ("It's nothing personal, strictly business." As they blow a hole in your head.)
• People in Divorce Court
• Sibling rivalry.
• Tribal  rivalry 
• Blood revenge

The list of vengeful pursuits is literally endless. The funeral home scene with the honking horns began over 10 years ago. A neighborhood feud between former friends has caused the murders of many young people. The multiple body count leading up to the death of the 14 year old began with an argument between a couple of guys over a girl. Bad blood has been spilling into the streets of Buffalo because of a couple of guys had a beef over a girl. Most of the people involved in the feud have been either murdered, gone to jail or outgrown a vengeful lifestyle. It's sad that we had to have so many funerals of young life. It's even more troubling that someone would find our bereavement an opportunity to gloat  in taunting jubilation.

What Causes Blood Revenge?

Murder has been unacceptable in the eyes of God since the beginning of time. Murder happened very early in the beginning of time when Cain killed Abel in cold blood. Cain slaughtered his brother in anger fueled by jealousy and insecurity.  God punished him but Cain's insecurity continued: 

^{Genesis 4: 10-15
10} The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. ¹¹ Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴ Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Not so^[e]; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.

Cain was filled with resentment. Resentment is a thief that steals, kills and destroys love. It is rooted in fear. All vengeance is rooted in resentment and fear and a misguided sense of honor. Fearful resentment causes people to seek revenge. God will take care of vengeance, our job is to focus on forgiveness. When we take vengeance into our own hands, we are taking the place of God.

 History is filled with "righteous killing." Blood revenge is a human created and accepted form of vendetta. It does not restore honor. Honor cannot be restored through killing. Even King Solomon who was known for being filled with wisdom began his reign with revenge (or was it justice?) His father King David instructed him to extract revenge for an act of dishonoring the King.

1 Kings 2 Contemporary English Version

David’s Instructions to Solomon

2 Not long before David died, he told Solomon:

² My son, I will soon die, as everyone must. But I want you to be strong and brave. ³ Do what the Lord your God commands and follow his teachings. Obey everything written in the Law of Moses. Then you will be a success, no matter what you do or where you go. ⁴ You and your descendants must always faithfully obey the Lord. If you do, he will keep the solemn promise he made to me that someone from our family will always be king of Israel.
⁵ Solomon, don’t forget what Joab did to me by killing Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of Israel’s army. He killed them as if they were his enemies in a war, but he did it when there was no war.^[a] He is guilty, and now it’s up to you to punish him ⁶ in the way you think best. Whatever you do, don’t let him die peacefully in his old age.
⁷ The sons of Barzillai from Gilead helped me when I was running from your brother Absalom.^[b] Be kind to them and let them eat at your table.
⁸ Be sure to do something about Shimei son of Gera from Bahurim in the territory of Benjamin. He cursed and insulted me the day I went to Mahanaim. But later, when he came to meet me at the Jordan River, I promised that I wouldn’t kill him.^{[c] 9} Now you must punish him. He’s an old man, but you’re wise enough to know that you must have him killed.

King David represented the people as the governing authority. He recognized his own failures in certain instances when he should have taken authority and handed out justice. His instructions to his son as the new governing authority represented justice that David had neglected. Solomon was merely upholding the law through judicial authority. Human forms of  government are imperfect and have historically been known to approve of feudal revenge. When governments refuse to take authority, the people make up their own laws. That's dangerous, we need to let justice be meted out through our established authorities. When human beings take authority in place of the governing authority, they are usurping God's authority.

How Do We Stop Blood Revenge?

The easiest and shortest answer that will stop blood revenge is: "Let go of resentment." We were not created as resentful people. We have been created in the image and likeness of God. Our bodies are temples of His Holy Spirit. God has power over evil and death:

Hebrews 2:14 Amplified Bible

¹⁴ Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the power of death—that is, the devil—

Jesus gave us the same authority that was given to him by his Father - we are to go into all the world teach all nations and baptize them in the name of  the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We have been commissioned with authority over fearful resentment. When we take spiritual authority given to us by God, vengeance and murder are not options.

Matthew 28:19 The Message

^18-20 Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

Take authority over any sin in your life. The devil is only the ruler of sinful opposition to God's love. He has no power over God's love within you. Baptism is an immersion into God's love. Sin is a burial into the devils graveyard (hell.) If you are spending your life as a teacher and baptizer, you will defeat any resentment fueled thoughts of vengeance.

Romans 12:19 Amplified Bible

¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God’s] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord.

 Today's Wise Saying is from Proverbs 24:17-18.

Proverbs 24:17-18

New International Version (NIV)

Saying 28

¹⁷ Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
    when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
¹⁸ or the Lord will see and disapprove
    and turn his wrath away from them.

Proverbs 24:17-18

The Message (MSG)

28

^17-18 Don’t laugh when your enemy falls;
    don’t crow over his collapse.
God might see, and become very provoked,
    and then take pity on his plight.

Proverbs 24:17-18

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁷ Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles or is overthrown,

¹⁸ Lest the Lord see it and it be evil in His eyes and displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him [to expend it upon you, the worse offender].

Proverbs 24:17-18

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁷ Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
¹⁸ Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.


Heart-Storming Challenge

• When have you sought revenge?
• How do you teach all nations?
• Can you change the world from your own little space? 

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

Jesus loves you and so do we.  

Who Stole The Knockin' Sound?

 

The guy on the TV was a thief for the government. There wasn't anything he couldn't steal and he stole on the right side of the law (if there is such a thing!) As a young teenager, I wanted to be like the thief, his name was "Al Monday." The television show was called: "It Takes A Thief." After awhile I realized that stealing things from others was not the right thing to do. Many things have been stolen from me over the years. Physical items that are stolen can usually be replaced. What if someone steals something spiritual, can you replace that? Can a sound be stolen? What about the sound of Jesus knocking on your heart, whose fault is it, if that sound is stolen? Who is the thief that steals the sound of Jesus knocking on the door of your heart?

As a young lad I aspired to be a Catholic priest. I wanted to be a Columban Missionary in South America. There was an altar in my bedroom along with holy pictures on the walls. Many things happened along the way to mold that dream into something else. I wanted to get married (priests are not allowed to marry.) I was hurt by people who I had respected and trusted. These were people within the religious community that were supposed to be close to God. For many years I ran away from organized religion. I didn't run from God, but I didn't represent Him well either. Was my dream stolen or given away? Were the events of apparent dream stealing actually a portion of God's plan for my life? At a certain point in time, we have to come to an understanding about heart-pain. The pain we feel in our hearts that has been inflicted by others is part of the sound of Jesus knockin'. Maybe at this point you might think I'm smokin' something because I'm suggesting that Jesus would knock on your heart with pain. Brokenness and pain are components that make up the seed of compassionate wisdom.

Your heart can grow,
even in the midst of decay.
If everything around you
seems to be dying,
you will be okay.
Jesus loves you and so do we.

Who is the Thief?

 Ungenerosity is a thief.  Bitterness is a thief. Calcification is a thief. Resentment is a thief.  All of these thieves gather and worship at the remnantal rock of remembrance. What is the remnant that they are remembering? Resentment acts as a muffler on the door knocker of your heart. It mutes the sound of Jesus knocking on your heart. Resentment is a calcifier of compassion. Your heart becomes hardened and rocks do not listen. Missed opportunities, broken relationships and back stabbing can cause memories full of resentment. When your thoughts are allowed to gather around resentment, hate and anger start to harden your heart. You will become a victim of your own vehemence. The thief is only here to steal, kill and destroy. If you hold on to unforgiving resentment, you will steal the sound of Jesus knocking at the door of your heart.

John 10:6-10 The Message

^6-10 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

  Today's Wise Saying is from Proverbs 24:15-16

Proverbs 24:15-16

New International Version (NIV)

Saying 27

¹⁵ Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
    do not plunder their dwelling place;
¹⁶ for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
    but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

Proverbs 24:15-16

The Message (MSG)

27

^15-16 Don’t interfere with good people’s lives;
    don’t try to get the best of them.
No matter how many times you trip them up,
    God-loyal people don’t stay down long;
Soon they’re up on their feet,
    while the wicked end up flat on their faces.

Proverbs 24:15-16

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁵ Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God); destroy not his resting-place;

¹⁶ For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

Proverbs 24:15-16

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁵ Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
¹⁶ For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Heart-Storming Challenge 

• Can you identify the thieves in your heart?
• Do you teach others, especially children, about heart-theft?
• How do you soften the hardness of resentment?
  

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

Jesus loves you and so do we.  

The Dead End Face of God

A Dead End can be a great place for a young couple looking for a place to do some private parking and sneak in a smooch or two. Reaching a Dead End on the roads of life is usually a sign that your journey was a waste of time. A dream ended, a divorce happened, or maybe your company went bankrupt. We travel on Dead End roads in life everyday. The sour taste from a Dead End journey can be sweetened with the honey of wisdom from the lessons you learned along the path.

After traveling on a particularly painful Dead End life road, I was wallowing grief, pain and self pity. I thought I had been following a path that God wanted me to travel and it lead to a Dead End. In self righteous anger, I asked God:

 "If You knew this was going to be a Dead End road, why did you let me travel this way?" God's answer was simple (it always is!) "If you hadn't traveled on this Dead End road, you wouldn't have learned what I wanted you to learn."

On Dead End roads I have learned about things like humility, poverty, compassion, kindness, empathy, faith, appreciation, serving, communion, understanding and yielding. Dead Ends have birthed new understanding in my soul. I have come to a place of seeing God's face at the Dead End.

I've seen God's face in the hug of a widow whose husband was murdered while fixing his granddaughters pink bike. 

I've seen God's face in the tears of an innocent 17 year old girl wearing an orange jumpsuit sitting in jail.

I've seen God's face as I placed my hand on the chest of a 14 year old boy. I felt his final heartbeat. He was murdered while riding his bicycle.

I've seen God's face in the foggy look of an alcoholic looking for his next drink.

I've seen God's face in the reach of a man searching the dumpster for food.

I've seen God's face in the cries of a heroin addict at 3am asking for milk to calm her stomach.

I've seen God's face in the dirt of a freshly dug grave as I stood on the dirt of a freshly covered grave.

I've seen God's face in the voice of a ten year old girl who asked: "Why is my daddy's arm cold?" Her fingers were touching the cold arm of her father in a casket.

I've seen God's face in the words of an 8 year old boy as he says: "Come around this side of the casket. You can see where they shot my daddy's ear off."

I've seen God's face in the struggle of teenagers as they climb mountains.

I've seen God's face in a stillborn child wrapped in swaddling clothes lying on a nurse's cart.

I've seen God's face in the tears of a teenager who bore the stillborn child. 

I've seen God's face in a young man smiling as he shoveled horse manure in a barn. Tragedy had divided his family. 

I've seen God's face in the glass eye of a homeless man. His other eye had a tear in it because we remembered his birthday.

I've seen God's face in the darkened blood stains on city sidewalks. 

I've seen God's face in the broken hearts of fractured families.

I've seen God's face in the desperation of homeless teenagers searching for a safe place to lay their heads.  

I've seen God's face in the joy that comes from sharing burdens and struggles.

Someone sleeps here under the expressway. Can you see God's face.

 Have you ever seen what it looks like in the "home" of a homeless person. Under a viaduct, a block from 2 churches, 4 blocks from the City Mission and within a shadows distance of City Hall is a 'home" for the homeless. You may have driven by and looked up at what appears to be a garbage strewn mess. I found books, shoes, crutches, pillows, blankets and more. I flinched when I saw a pillow on top of concrete in what appeared to be a bed. Imagine your self esteem so low that this was the place you called home. I found a dime, something of value. God desires that none should perish - not even people who live under a bridge.

Authors Note: "When I read this chapter to my wife, we both balled our eyes out. We were overcome with deep pain. It's okay to cry. Don't hold back, don't hold it in, let the River flow!" 

 Today's Wise Saying is from Proverbs 24:13-14.

 Proverbs 24:13-14

New International Version (NIV)

Saying 26

¹³ Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
    honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
¹⁴ Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
    If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
    and your hope will not be cut off.

Proverbs 24:13-14

The Message (MSG)

26

^13-14 Eat honey, dear child—it’s good for you—
    and delicacies that melt in your mouth.
Likewise knowledge,
    and wisdom for your soul—
Get that and your future’s secured,
    your hope is on solid rock.

Proverbs 24:13-14

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹³ My son, eat honey, because it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

¹⁴ So shall you know skillful and godly Wisdom to be thus to your life; if you find it, then shall there be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.

Proverbs 24:13-14

King James Version (KJV)

¹³ My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:
¹⁴ So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

Dead Ends can become Honey Streets.

 Heart-Storming Challenge:

• In what adversity have you seen God's face?

• How can you give someone a heart-smile?

• How's your level of compassion as indicated by empathetic action (do you serve others?)

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
 Jesus loves you and so do we.

The Snitch

What crowd are you hanging with?
You could be found guilty by association.

A loud noise woke me out of a sound sleep. It was around 1:30am. I lifted my head to listen, thinking that I would hear more noise. Hearing nothing, I drifted back to sleep. When I finally got up and left the house, I saw the cause of the noise in the middle of the night: the back window of my van had been punched out. One of the first thoughts that came to my mind was: "Snitch."

Earlier in the week at our Youth Center, there was an incident that required me to act responsibly and call the police. A boy on a bike rode by as I stood on the curb talking to a cop in a patrol car. It didn't take long for him spread the word in "the hood." Later the next day, someone came into the gym screaming at me that I was a "Snitch!" It was easy to string the events together and know why my window had been punched out in the driveway of my home. Yeah, I felt violated, frustrated, hurt and intimidated. Yet I knew I had done the right thing.

A few of the guys were sitting in the Youth Center just clowning around. One guy was snoozing on a couch. Somebody thought it would be funny to harass him while he was sleeping. He woke up and got angry. This guy was a big teddy bear who would not harm anybody. He was a big guy and his mannerisms could be kind of intimidating to a smaller person. The antagonizer backed off and complained to another guy who stepped in to rescue the antagonizer. Angry words were exchanged and a threat was made. "Stay right there!" Screamed the guy who had stepped in as the supposed rescuer. He marched out of the Youth Center. The words: "Stay right there!" are verbal graffiti that convey the message: "I have a gun, or I'm going to get a gun." The message was clear that the big teddy bear guy was in trouble.

I was closing the Youth Center early that night as I had a doctors appointment. One of the requirements of working with young people is the ability to be intuitively aware of your surroundings at all times. Sensing the current emotional moods that will forecast the future emotional climate is imperative. Temperamental moods can erupt violently if they are not addressed immediately.  I listened and watched as I began to close the Center. I could see and hear danger signals. After ushering everyone up the stairs and locking the door, I turned and saw the angry guy who had yelled: "Stay right there!" The teddy bear guy had left and disappeared fearfully down the street. The angry guy was asking people if they knew where he was and they pointed down the street. He took off looking for him.

Everything I heard made me suspect that this could be a very volatile situation that could end up with someone hurt seriously or even wind up dead. I quickly made the decision to call the police. No one was hurt that day. I believe that I may have saved a life that day. The label of "Snitch" was placed on me for my efforts. Having my personal property violated at my own home was unnerving. I know of several murders that occurred after people testified regarding their knowledge of a crime. It's not easy to make the decision to call the police. It's easy to judge others. It can be downright scary to give information to the police if you think you or your family will be murdered. 

The only way I know how to have courage is through my faith in God. I know He's got my back.

It takes courage to go out on the edge of life.

Deuteronomy 31:6 New International Version

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

   

Today's Wise Saying is from Proverbs 24:10-12.

Proverbs 24:10-12

New International Version (NIV)

Saying 25

¹⁰ If you falter in a time of trouble,
    how small is your strength!
¹¹ Rescue those being led away to death;
    hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
¹² If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
    does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
    Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?

Proverbs 24:10-12

The Message (MSG)

Rescue the Perishing

24

¹⁰ If you fall to pieces in a crisis,
    there wasn’t much to you in the first place.

25

^11-12 Rescue the perishing;
    don’t hesitate to step in and help.
If you say, “Hey, that’s none of my business,”
    will that get you off the hook?
Someone is watching you closely, you know—
    Someone not impressed with weak excuses.

Proverbs 24:10-12

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁰ If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

¹¹ Deliver those who are drawn away to death, and those who totter to the slaughter, hold them back [from their doom].

¹² If you [profess ignorance and] say, Behold, we did not know this, does not He Who weighs and ponders the heart perceive and consider it? And He Who guards your life, does not He know it? And shall not He render to [you and] every man according to his works?

Proverbs 24:10-12

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁰ If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
¹¹ If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;
¹² If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

 Jesus told us to love God and love our neighbor. Turning a blind eye and having a deaf ear to a neighbor in trouble is cowardly. 

Leviticus 5:1 The Message

“If you sin by not stepping up and offering 

yourself as a witness to something 

you’ve heard or seen in cases of wrongdoing, 

you’ll be held responsible.

Heart-Storming Challenge 

• How do you get your courage muscle pumped?

• Can you encourage someone to tell the truth when they are threatened?

• What are you afraid of?

• How do you face your deepest fears? 

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

Jesus loves you and so do we.