Tag: Jesus

Posted in Different Scriptures, Different Thoughts, Uncategorized

consuming.

Posted on by Wick

Once there was a murderer who was the best in his trade.  He was so twistedly good at what he did, and enjoyed bringing death more than any could understand.  Not only did he exist to bring death, he enjoyed playing with his victims…convincing them they were safe while he employed his trade.  Also, he wasn’t content to simply kill.  His true pleasure came in consuming the flesh of his victims.  Sometimes all at once, but often bit by bit, over a long period of time, until there was nothing left but the bones laying on the floor in a room more silent than a winter chill.

But there was a problem.  People had heard of what he had done in the past.  They knew his face.

They didn’t trust him, and ran whenever they saw him approaching.

So he became creative.  He found 7 others who were just as twisted as he, and sometimes even helped twist those who were open to being befriended.  Friends who would move with his movements, and speak with his words.  Who would find out what he wanted to accomplish, and set out on his behalf.  Not many people knew their identities, and many who did found so much pleasure in their company, they quieted any desire to sound the alarm.

But one day, killing through his accomplices ceased to quench his desire to bring death.  His hunger for consuming the living grew to a point where he was unable to suppress it any longer.  But surely he would be unable to approach anyone, right?  After all, they still knew his face.   They still knew his name.  They avoided him at all costs.  They prayed for protection from him.  But being full of pride, he was not easily discouraged.  He decided to reach for the stars, offering himself as a guest in their homes.  He moved on quickly, not expecting any response.

But the responses came.

“COME!!”  “Come on over!!”  “We’ll come pick you up!!”  He smiled, and even laughed deep inside himself.  These were the people so aware of him???  These were the same people he’d been cast out from among over and over again….and didn’t know if he’d ever again taste.  He looked at himself in the mirror one more time….adjusted his collar…and smiled as he set out on a familiar path…

____________________________________________________________________

A silly story, yes?  Fiction….horribly written and imagined….right?  Except for the fact that there’s so much truth in it.  We and our families/homes are being consumed by things like anger, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.  When we recognize these in our homes and lives….we should confront them in the name of Jesus.  Allow our lives to be transformed, made new, and freed from their presence.

Instead, often the opposite happens.

Certainly, we usually leave these things at home while we head to church for a couple hours each week.  But I was reminded 7617-Conjuring2.jpg.220w.tnrecently by the box office success of a film like “The Conjuring”, not to mention shows like “Ghost Hunters”, or any of several other shows these days.  We enjoy poking sticks into the cages of the realms of spiritual evil we believe Christ came to declare Lordship over and our freedom from.  It shouldn’t be surprising when we get bit.  (Eph 4:27)

Standing in life-giving contrast, we re-member Jesus.  Not threatening to consume, but rather offering His own flesh and blood, and saying “Take, and eat…”  Asking if we’re hungry, and offering a banquet.

“Why would you go watch ________?”  Ask the question, and you’ll most likely get the answer, “because it’s scary/freaky!” said with a smile.  I can understand when the movie is about aliens, or even someone who’s pretty messed up.  These are things we are able to safely close our doors and lock them against, or realize they aren’t real (or aren’t coming to our planet because they’re allergic to water).

But to be entertained by the feeling you get when we watch a movie about demonic forces because you believe those forces exist?  To play a game that opens a door to a spiritual realm Jesus has died to keep us freed from?  If you didn’t realize that was not a good thing…..this is my polite way of saying….it’s not a good thing.  It’s true….inviting a cannibalistic serial killer into your home/mind/heart may not result in you being killed and eaten.  But I’m guessing most of us still wouldn’t unlock the door in that scenario.

And no, not because I think you’ll be possessed, or have sharp objects flying around your room or see demonic hands clapping out of cabinets.  Those are obvious ways for evil to be discovered/dealt with.  But rather, I believe the forces I’m talking about here would much rather be manifested in quiet, undetected slowly-building ways of broken relationships, bad decisions, and loneliness.

Instead, may this week find you feasting on Christ…(and go see Despicable Me 2 if you really need a flick)

Posted in Uncategorized

not guilty?

Posted on by Wick

“Not guilty”

the verdict flashes, and the masses don’t take long for their chance to pounce

To own just an ounce of the minutes that come after, to be a voice in the chatter

To say the one thing that remains unsaid, but the fact remains –

Someone is dead.

Someone died at the hands of another, a mother lost her son,

a gun that ripped through more than flesh and marrow,

but through the narrow veins of racism still pulsing through a nation

still committed to pretending it’s United. It’s invited all sorts of analytics, and politics, and tricks

of logic boosted by words spoken with great emotion.

All the while it’s simply a stream leading to an ocean.

There’s a larger problem than this case, or that person, or that issue

Something worth wetting more than single tissues,

Worth mourning floods and wails of confession,

and worth both individual and communal confessions

of we.

We’re comforted by pronouns that point the finger, the fact that guilty feelings never linger as long as we keep tuned in to the latest thing, the latest stream of others doing worse than what we’ve done.

But we’ve become numb, and so dumb – unable to speak for our lack of practice, but the fact is

We have a choice, and we’ve chosen against those without voice.

We strive for dreams labeled by nationality, but in reality an empty promise,

and throwing Doubting Thomas off the boat…see if he’ll float.

Authors wrote about days like these, and called them “last”.

But don’t move too fast, and twist my words into a chance to merchandise,

Rather, view this moment with new eyes…

Let the blasts of accusations fade, even the ones most recently made as the feed ticks slowly by

Your need to reply, or question why goes slowly the way of realizing the ocean beyond the stream.
See what I mean?

In the silence that follows, find solace in the hollows of comments never made

Take shade from the torrents of words and emotions, pray over that ocean.

Because even though the words spoken were “not guilty”, there is not end to what has happened

Neither was this the beginning, as our grip on morality is thinning

We realize it was not he, but we, who were on trial.

And We. Are. Guilty.

But there. Is. Grace.

Amazing.

Seek His Face.

(To hear this spoken by a young man who used to be a student in my youth ministry, click here!!!!)

Posted in Different Learning, Different Moments, Different Scriptures, Different Thoughts

a walk with Jesus.

Posted on by Wick

Today I took a walk with Jesus.  I went with the perspective of being His child, and walking together the way I would walk with my daughters.  When we walk together, I take opportunities to point things out.  I connect things to larger pictures.  I’m slowed by their pace.  I smile at other people walking by.  Here are a few things Jesus grabbed me by the hand, and pointed out along our walk…(one of the ways I process things is by writing…so this is also a bit of me figuring out what God was saying as I spend time putting each into words)

Photo05161021“Chadwick, quick…come here.  See how this leaf is holding onto a last drop of water? (I nod with a smile.)  I want to fill your life with love so much, that these drips never have time to form.  My love fills you, and drenches you to the point to where there is a neverending stream of outpouring.”

“I’d like that, because honestly sometimes I feel like this leaf…just a drip left…and holding onto it with all I can.”

“I know…(and He gives me a hug.)”

 

Photo05161038  “Hey Chadwick….just  sit down here on this bench for a sec.”

“What is it? Some awesome formation of nature??”

“Nope…just some grasses.  Different levels of growth – small, tall grasses, and trees behind.  Pretty cool, huh?”

“Reminds me of the 3-2-1 JELLO from when I was a kid.”

“That was good stuff, eh?”

“Yup.”

Photo05161051

“Hey Chadwick, you wore the wrong shoes for a hike, didn’t you?”

(looking down at my leather shoes) “Oooops. Yeah.”

“Just take your shoes and socks off, and hide them behind that bush over there.  This walk will be better if you do.”

“Well….if God says so….”

“I do.”  🙂

 

Photo05161057   “Wow God….it’s pretty cool that all lof this exists in the midst of what we would call an ‘Urban’ area.  It’s nice to just breathe slow, walk slow, and not have any purpose to this walk than to be with you.”

“I agree.  I just wish you saw it more often.”

“Zing.  Okay, I get it…..thanks for inviting me out today.”

“No problem…thanks for finally coming.”

 

Photo05161110“Hey Chadwick, come here and look at this.  Isn’t it beautiful??”

“Um God….it’s dirt.  Didn’t you see the flowers I took a picture of over there?”

“Well yes…I’ve noticed you really enjoy taking pictures of the flowers and plants.  But without this rich soil, you’d never get those amazing greens, yellows, and violets.  I think you’ve often had that same tendency in life as well.  You celebrate the high and beautiful moments, and then are so quick to pray for relief from the situations that lead to incredibly colorful life.  What parts of your life right now are you experiencing, that could simply be rich soil that I intend to grow beautiful new life from??”

“Well…a few at least.  There’s this reeeealllllyyyy long wait we’ve been going through to bring home our daughter from Africa.”

(smiles) “That’s definitely rich soil, and I hope you’ve noticed that I’ve already begun to grow some pretty beautiful things from within that wait.  You’re wrapping your family around something much larger, and talking to your kids and even other people about my heart for my children in Africa.  That’s something I’d snap a picture of.”

Photo05161113_1  At this point, a man rides by on a bike the opposite direction.  In a brief moment, we share eye contact, and he speaks….”Hey, how’s it going?”  I instinctively try to respond to his conversation starter, but by the time sound crosses my lips he is long gone.  I look down and see this snail crossing the path.

“We sure are in a  hurry sometimes, eh?”

“You are.  It’s sad to see how much you miss out on sometimes, simply because you prioritize ‘moving on to the next thing’ more than having an actual conversation with someone…..or me.”

“God, I’ll confess, I do that.  I don’t always have the strength or memory to slow down when I need to.  Can you help me to remember, and sometimes just mess up my schedule so that I’m required to connect with others and you on a healthier level?”

“I’ve already begun….” 🙂

Photo05161116“Chadwick, look over here at these rocks.  Notice how the flowers are growing up through the rocks?  Does that remind you of anything?”

“Well, you told a parable about the seed that fell among the rocky ground, and the plants withered because they had no moisture.” (Luke 8:6)

“Right, but look at what’s happening here.  It’s not a deep rocky bed.  It’s just a few surface rocks, with incredible soil underneath.  So many times, humanity feels like the current challenges and hardships, or evil on the surface of a situation means nothing can grow there.  But they don’t see what I see.  There is incredible depth of rich soil, even where many would think a seed would never grow.  Never forget the Hope of what I can see…”

 

Photo05161124  At this point, I began to regret the idea of taking off my shoes and turn to start walking back.   You see, around 9am it had rained quite a bit.  Everything began cool and wet.  But now it was about noon and the sun had been shining on the black paved walking path for quite a while.  My feet were feeling the burn…

“Hey Chadwick, remember learning when you were a kid that white reflects sunshine, and black absorbs it?  Why not try walking on this center dividing line?”

(I begin to walk on the line, and immediately my feet are cooled.  Like, almost abnormally cooled, as if I were walking on a large cold water pipe.)  “Wow, thanks for that reminder, this is much better.”

(God smiles, obviously bursting at the seems to make the cheesy illustration I assume He’s about to make.)

“I know, I know….you want to remind me that whenever life seems to be getting uncomfortable, it may just be a case of me needing to re-center my life on you….and walking the narrow path…..right?

“Um…actually, I was just about to crack up laughing.  You look funny walking like a tightrope walker in the middle of a giant forest.”  (He proceeds to belly laugh, as the trees shake in the wind…I smile, and continue walking my tight-rope until I find my shoes again.  It was a good walk….)