Near Death Experiences

I almost died last Monday. 

Okay, that may be a little melodramatic, but I could have, at the very least, been hurt quite badly.  Here’s what happened:

I had spent the day with by buddy John.  John lives on the opposite side of town and by the time I got in my car and headed home it had gotten dark and it was raining.  On the way home, I exited “The Beltline” (Madison’s version of a busy expressway.)  My windshield wipers were working overtime to make the road visible but they were smudgy at best.  This would have probably been fine for a “normal” person, but my eyes are terrible in the dark to begin with.  As I tried to manipulate the off ramp with my impaired vision I suddenly realized that I was half way up the median and headed directly for the traffic light had appeared out of nowhere.  Thankfully, the Lord kept me from a collision and I made it home unscathed, albeit quite shaken. 

Here’s the thing, this almost mishap could have easily been avoided had I simply replaced my wiper blades.  What makes matters worse is the fact that since I got the car in April of last year there has been a brand new set of wiper blades IN THE TRUNK of my car! 

Whenever the weather has been bad I have had difficulty piloting my vehicle due to reduced visibility.  Of course I wouldn’t have thought of subjecting myself to a few minutes of discomfort that would accompany changing the blades during inclement weather.  And as soon as the weather improved I forgot and moved on.  But this time I got the mother of all wake up calls.  But even that wasn’t enough!  The next morning I scurried off to work completely carefree without giving my windshield wipers a second though.  And again the rain-smudged windshield made my drive a stress filled experience.  But this time I’d had enough.  As soon as I got home I changed them!  The entire process took me all of 5 minutes (yes, I timed it.) 

I have asked myself why I didn’t do this sooner.  Was it laziness?  Or do I think that I’m not worth 5 minutes of time to ensure my own safety? 

In Psalm 139:13-15 the author writes:

  For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

I can’t help but wonder how much better care we would take of ourselves if we had this attitude about our selves.  I am important!  I do deserve to take care of myself!  So I will do the things necessary to protect myself and guard myself from harm.  This applies to my physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. 

I could go on with ideas and examples for days, but seeing as you’re reading this, you are obviously extremely intelligent and can figure out personal applications on your own, although I would be remiss if I were not to recommend starting with prayer. 

So there are my deep thoughts for the week.  I’d love to here yours!

Cleaning your Temple

This Sunday in church I spoke on

John 2:13-17

Here are some thoughts that I thought were too cool not to share:

Jesus Clears the Temple Courts

¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Jesus and His disciples, like all good Jews, journeyed to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.  Upon their arrival, they found the sacred city of God overflowing with thousands of pilgrims from all parts of the world.  Jesus saw the money changers and merchants in the temple selling animals for sacrifice.  That alone wasn’t the issue.  Many pilgrims carried coins from their home towns, most with images of Roman emperors or Greek gods, which temple authorities considered idolatrous. 

The high priest ordered that only shekels be used to pay the temple tax.  The money changers performed a service but charged an unfairly high amount and made huge profits.   Often, more than the law allowed. 

It was often not practical for pilgrims from far away to carry their sacrifices to Jerusalem.  And many times sacrifices that had been brought were rejected as less than acceptable offering.

So there were merchants who sold animals deemed worthy for sacrifice.  Again, at great profit, taking advantage of those who had the choice to either pay the unfair price or be turned away.

The Holy of Holies in the temple was the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are 1.  So walking in to the temple was like going home for Jesus.

Is it any wonder Jesus got fired up?  People were bastardizing His house!

I don’t think the corruption of the temple was something that happened over night.  It was most likely a gradual descent

I used to work for a company where I installed radon mitigation systems.  We went in to many homes in the area but there were a couple of times that really stand out.  Those standout houses were the ones that we walked in to and there was a pathway barely wide enough for us to walk through.  The rest of the house, floor to ceiling was filled with things such as newspapers, boxes, and just piles of “stuff” for lack of a better term.  One house even had an opened box filled with the used cardboard toilet paper rolls stuffed with dryer lint! 

The home owners had filled their homes with what could, for the most part, only be described as “junk.”  But to them, the thought of throwing away these precious things that they may some day need was terrifying.

While the previous, passage a couple thoughts occurred to me:

I was reminded that 1 Corinthians 6:19 says:

I have to wonder, at least in my own life, how much useless clutter is in THIS temple?

Are the important things still important? And have I created an environment which makes the Spirit uncomfortable or unwelcomed?

In Revelation 2:3-4 God has a message for the church:

³ You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.⁴ Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

This verse convicts me, because if I really analyze my own life I would have to say that there are times that I have put all that God has done kind of on the back burner.  I still try to do okay, but if I’m honest with myself, I’m clinging to a lot of the “clutter.”

But there IS good news!

Jesus could have called down fire from Heaven and, POOF, destroyed the temple.  But He knew that there were good things and the potential to do that for which it was created. 

Do you remember the first time you knowingly sinned?

When I was about 6, I was at the home of a little girl in the neighborhood.  I don’t really remember her name, so I’ll call her “Penny.”  Penny was showing me the cool new Fisher-Price cash register she had gotten for her birthday.  It was that one with the plastic coins you put in the top and they would drop in to the tray beneath.  After playing for a while Penny’s mom called her upstairs for a minute.  While she was gone, I snuck one of the real pennies into my pocket and soon after she rejoined me I told her that I needed to leave.  That night, as I lay in bed, I thought God was going to strike me dead before I had the chance to right the wrong.  I got up the next day determined to sneak the penny back in to that cash register so that it would all be over.  I never made it to Penny’s house that day.  And ultimately never spoke to her again out of embarrassment.

When I didn’t have to face any consequences it became a little easier for me to do things without fear.

Later in life I’d get on huge spiritual highs, like camp or a really powerful worship service.  But when I returned to the “real world” I slipped back in to my old ways.

Cleaning our temple needs to become a priority.  Here are some ways that we can clean our temple and create an environment where the Holy Sprit is comfortable to dwell

Study/Examine God’s Word

Psalm 119:105 says:

Your words are a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path

Reading the Bible:

My goal is that quiet times will start out as a discipline, become a practice, then a habit, until it eventually becomes something I crave like an addiction

Don’t get discouraged!

Don’t read and think “Boy do I stink” but learning Gods heart and thinking, “Wow, He is worthy of a place of honor in this Temple!”

Accountability/Discipleship

I cannot recommend these highly enough.  Seek wise counsel and spiritual advisors. 

And small groups or Bible studies are valuable beyond words. 

Hebrews 10:24 Tells us to not stop meeting together and to spur each other on to good deeds!

New (Old) View

When I was a kid I was not the best Sunday school pupil.  One of my teachers, during a particularly tough session teaching me and my 6^th grade peers excused himself for a minute.  When he returned he set a chair down in the classroom.  We asked him why he needed another chair when there were enough for us all.  He told us that he wanted us to imagine Jesus sitting in that chair (because in actuality He is present at all times) and only do or say the things we would in front of Him.  I shut up quickly and was a good little boy for the rest of the hour.

I thought it was cheesy, but even as an adult, I can guarantee I would have made some different choices had I visualized Jesus sitting in the room or car or next to me where ever I was. 

Work, driving, wherever I am, I need to remember that He is there.

Create a Welcoming Environment

In Psalm 139:23-24 the author writes, “Search me oh God” and to point out any wrongdoing. 

I want to give the Spirit authority to point out the clutter and things that make this temple an uncomfortable environment.

And 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us to “Take captive every thought” because we are in a battle. 

Hoarder revisited:

Hoarders are not healed by simply throwing away the junk, but healing and changing the negative behavior.

We need to make the important things important again.

The piles of junk or sin don’t necessarily disqualify us from the kingdom, but it might lessen the power and potential for blessings that is accompanied by the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.

In Christ there is victory, not defeat!

Nose Hair and Other Fun Stuff

James 1:22-25

 ²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

Every time I read that passage I think of something that happened several years ago.

I used to work in a carpentry shop.  On our lunch break we would sit at tables and watch the noontime local news.  One day I was sitting next to a coworker, Carl.  Carl was a nice enough guy and for the most part I liked the dude.  There was just one issue.  Old boy had a ton of hair growing out of his nose!  It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say that I needed to lean forward in my chair in order to see the television screen.  So I asked him, “Carl, do you look in the mirror in the mornings?”  “Of course, every day when I shave, why?” he asked.  I wasn’t quite as nice of a guy back then, so I said “Because you’ve got a danged FOREST growing out of your nose!”  I don’t remember Carl’s exact response but after the laughter in the room died down, I’m fairly certain it was a profanity-laced retort.  The next day, Carl came to work with significantly less hair protruding from his nostrils.  Feeling bad about embarrassing him in front of the other guys, I resisted the temptation to ask how many times he needed to change the line on his Weed-Wacker and simply gave his the classic dude “head nod” which he returned with a slight smirk. 

You see, while I didn’t speak with kindness and gentleness, I had done Carl a huge favor.  I pointed out an issue that needed addressing and as a result became the new and improved Carl. From that point, I never saw him with anything sticking out of his nose. 

I want to view the Bible as a mirror.  But instead of looking at my outward appearance Gods word can expose my soul.  I want to read a passage and ask “What does this tell me about the heart of God?” and “How what needs to change in my life so that I will be more like Him?”  If I read the Word and am convicted by it, I hope that I’ll make every effort to change for the better.

It’s pretty cool that God gave us this tool.  I feel kind of badly that in the past I hadn’t taken advantage of the great tool for self improvement. 

It should be said that as “right” as I may have been about Carl’s bushy nose, it really wasn’t my job.  So in actuality, I was (again) wrong in being right. 

In the same sense, it’s not my/our job to continuously call others out if we haven’t been given that job by them.  And unless we’re inside someone else’s mind, we have no way of truly knowing another person’s heart. 

So that’s why this post is not telling anyone what they should or shouldn’t do.  I’m just sharing where I am.  Who know?  Maybe it’s good, maybe I’m weird.  But I hope and pray that God will continue to work in me and through me.  And if I want that to happen, I need to keep looking in His mirror.  And If I see any spiritual nose hair, I pray that I’m smart enough to get out the clippers!

God bless y’all!

This Entry Sucks

In the past couple of years I've noticed a trend on the internet and social networks.
People almost seem to feel it is their duty to take that which they don't like and rip it to shreds.
If you like country music you're stupid. The opinions of Christians shouldn't count because they believe in a fantasy.  If you don't like the _________ (insert sports team name) you're an idiot.- are among the many disparaging things I've read in recent days.  And it's not enough to just say we don't like something; everything SUCKS!  And there is always going to be someone with a different opinion which usually leads to an argument.  These arguments would be fine if they were an intellectual discourse.  But they often end up becoming ugly.  Often, there is name calling, belittling and insults involved.  I've seen this happen between supposed friends and even fellow Christians.  If I'm going to be honest I have to admit that in the past I have allowed myself to fall in to the exact same trap.  

I recognize that in the broad spectrum I'm a rather insignificant blip and most likely don't have the power to change the climate of the entire internet.  But perhaps I can make an impact on my small sphere of influence. Here's the attitude I've chosen to (attempt) to adopt.

Respect- We are all entitled to our opinions, no matter how wrong they may be.  That includes the ones that differ from ours; even the opinions/attitudes which I'm addressing in this post.

Tame the Tongue- James 3:9-12 says:
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers and sisters, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?  My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?  Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
I'm making a bit of an assumption, but I'm guessing that "tongue" can apply to the fingers that type the words we put out there as well.

Proof- It's easy for me to say that I am a good person, or even a follower of Christ.  But when there is evidence online that calls my claims in to question I'm doing a disservice to not only myself, but to the Lord in which I claim to serve.

Don't be a Cockroach- I used to be friends with a co-worker.  One day she stopped talking to or hanging out with me.  At first I thought maybe she was just dealing with some personal issues so I gave her space.  Eventually I asked her if I had done something to upset her.  She told me that my attitude was dragging her down and that she needed to distance herself from such negativity.  She went on to share the cockroach analogy.  Here's my attempt to recreate what she shared:
If you put a bunch of cockroaches in a bucket they will, at some point, realize it sucks being in a bucket and want out.  They will try to climb the walls of the bucket.  Others will see that their efforts are unsuccessful and climb over the backs of the ones trying to get out.  And yet others will grab hold of the ones that have gotten closer to freedom and ultimately drag them back down.  
That kicked my butt!  I can't help but remember that imagery (almost) every time I get ready to say or type something negative.

I don't have a super slick conclusion to this blog entry.  I guess my goal was to share what has been on my heart lately and hopefully cause others to think.
If you've made it to this point in the post I'd like to encourage you to think about the words you say and type too.  And to let love rule.

As always, the comment section is open.  I hope you don't use it to tell me how much this sucks ;)
God bless you all!
Until next week,  PEACE!