Resolution

I began to write this post hoping to write about resolutions, but I didn't find anything scriptural that fit with what I was thinking. God had a different idea for me to write about. Resolutions are ways we decide we are going to change for the better. We want to get slimmed down by summer, sculpt ripped abs, grow intellectually by reading the latest best sellers, secure our finances by feeding our piggy banks, or run that little extra to train for the marathon we have always said we would run. The list of things we could come up with for New Year's resolutions would be never ending. No matter what we decide to resolve for ourselves it involves change, a change which will hopefully make us a better person. I searched the word resolution on a online Bible website I use (Biblegateway.com). I didn't find anything, but I tried the word "change" and came across a verse that was better than I was hoping to find. It's a verse where Jesus tells us we need to change ourselves to get to heaven.

Matthew 18:3

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus tells us to be like little children, but why? Why would Jesus want mature adults to be like little children? Kids are as Jesus calls us to be. They are trusting, loving, and obeying. It seems so simple to be as little kids, but our adult pride, hate, and thinking we don't really need to obey God lead us from the kingdom of heaven. This upcoming new year make a change to think about how a child would react in the situations you face daily. Would your reaction be child-like enough to get you to heaven? What is there to gain by acting against what God wants to give us? We all want each new year to bring change for ourselves to be better and Jesus wants us to do the same!

Immanuel, God with Us!

Christmas time is here. Trees, presents, ugly sweaters, ornaments, Santa Claus, Reeses' Peanut Butter Trees, and ginormous yard displays are some of the great things about Christmas. By the first or second week in January though all of this will have passed. The tree and lawn displays will be put back in boxes, ornaments gently rewrapped for next year, the Reeses' trees eaten, and hopefully the sweaters destroyed by giant moths. All of these come and go each year, some are traditions in our families, some are passing fads, but there is one part that is always with us; Jesus.

Matthew 1:23 tells us they called Jesus Immanuel, which means God with us. We celebrate Christmas and Jesus' birthday for the month of December, but Jesus as the name they called him is always with us. Everyday in every way he is with us. He is God with us during the happy moments, the sad tragedies, the times when we are confused and aren't sure what to do. He is there for us! I would like to say as we celebrate Christmas and head towards New Years this upcoming week that we can all remember Jesus is with us. He is with us at home, at work, while we skate, update our status on Facebook, watch a movie, chow on enchiladas, sleep. You name it, he's there!

How Do You Read This Thing: A Reading Plan

It dawned on me the other day that I had been writing "How do you read this thing" posts for the blog and I haven't shared a good way to read Bible.

You would think start with page 1, and you can, but it may not give you the best perspective of why I and so many other people love Jesus. You would have to read through all of the Old Testament to finally get where Jesus comes in the flesh. He is in the Old Testament, but not as God who came to Earth as a man to die for our sinful scumbag selves. You will find Jesus as man in the New Testament starting with the book of Matthew. We are gonna start in John, which gives us a shorter, yet detailed importance of why Jesus died for us.

Ok, so flip around the book till you find the Book of John. If you find Mark or Luke keep flipping towards the back a little bit. If you find Acts or Romans flip towards the front a little bit, and voila; the Book of John. John is the book you want to start in. It gives a really great story of Jesus without having to know a lot of the back story or Jewish history. It gives you a clear idea of how much Jesus loves us!

Take a few weeks reading through John, then Matthew, then Mark and Luke. You will now have read the four gospels. Continue on with the book of Acts, and then return to the front of the book and start with the first page. Read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers. You will now have a full picture of who God is and what he did for us through the death of His son Jesus! OK so it breaks down in this order: John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers. Read it, study it, enjoy it. If you do not have a Bible and want one please contact me by sending me a message on Facebook or email. Zigger78@gmail.com

Quick Craft Project! Go get one of your favorite magazines and find a picture you like that can be trimmed done to size. Take a roll of clear packing tape and tape both sides of the picture and cut off the excess. You now have a bookmark to help you find the Book of John.

How do you read this thing? Take a seat.

John 6:10-11

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

These two verses are from when Jesus feeds the 5,000. I randomly picked these verses out from John 6. They give us a lot of information, but as I have said before, you have to catch the details. In verse 10, do you wonder why would Jesus tell the people to sit down? It was a way of telling them they were going to be there for a little while and to rest. Remember: Jesus, the disciples, and the crowd had been walking for a while. It was a nice spot with lots of cushiony grass to sit on and there were a lot of people there.

Verse 10 continues on to say "about 5,000 men." In the culture of the time women and children were not considered worthy enough to be counted or considered. They had no privilege. 5,000 men plus numerous woman and children and the crowd could have counted to nearly 10,000 people.

Verse 11 tells how Jesus started the meal with a simple prayer of thanks for the food. It doesn't say he prayed for every concern of the day; he simply thanked God for the food. I know I am guilty of dragging out a prayer at meal time and praying for things that should be lifted up later in personal prayer time or when my family prays together. God knows the food is warm and if you keep rambling on it won't be for much longer. So give a short and to-the-point thanks for the food you have been blessed with.

Verse 11 also mentions "as much as they wanted"!?! There were only a few small pickled fish and some bagel sized loaves of bread, and Jesus lets them chow down all they want. Not as much as they needed, but as much as they wanted! If you finish reading in the scriptures there are a whole lotta leftovers too.

These two verses show you Jesus wants to give you your fill, he wants you to be satisfied with all there is to give you!

Off with His Head Pt. 6

Matthew 14:1-14

14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, 4 because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, 7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

This part is gonna get scandalous! There will be people who read this who are not going to like it or agree with it, and that's fine! This is where we get into the section of scripture of why this series is called Off with His Head!

We start off with Herod hearing about the fame of Jesus, but Herod couldn't believe there was another guy running doing the things John the Baptist was doing and drawing even bigger crowds. Jesus was doing more than John had done and went to even more places then John did. Everybody was hearing about Jesus, even the jealous ruler Herod. If you look at the beginning of the 14th verse, it says "at that time" which means a bit of time has passed and now we are going to continue here. You read that a lot in the four gospels. It is a fast way of telling you some time has passed. Oh,real quick, a tetrarch means there were four rulers of a Roman province, so that means there was Herod and three other guys ruling in Judea.

In verse 2 Herod thinks Jesus is the raised John the Baptist from the dead. To be honest, I can't explain why Herod thinks this, but it is an interesting thought. Did Romans believe in being raised from the dead? Had the stories of Jesus raising people from the dead gotten to Herod and he thought Jesus was John the Baptist since he was doing all the miracles? Up until John the Baptist there hadn't been a prophet in Judea in over 400 years. The people were just as astounded as Herod had been about John the Baptist and the signs and teachings he brought the people.

John the Baptist was outspoken as all prophets were, and John's outspokenness got him into a lot of trouble and put into jail. John told Herod it was wrong that he took his brother's wife, which is pretty gross. (I'll let you think about that for a second.) So Herod gets a year older and has a total raging kegger and had his niece dance for him. (Note: There is no actual clarification of whether the girl was his niece or his daughter. Since it lists the girl as Herodias' daughter, then it is presumed she was Herod's niece from when Herodias as married to Philip.) It was not uncommon for young girls to dance for the entertainment of royalty. It would be of Roman tradition she danced either naked or at least topless for Herod. Her seductive dancing pleased Herod greatly, giving her a nod by him for whatever she wanted. This was most likely a preset ploy by her mother to kill John at the girl's asking for his head on a platter. If John was out of the way, they could revel in whatever they chose and had no one publicly making an opposition about it. I would think Herodias did not appreciate her name being publicly shamed by John, since she had been passed between brothers in marriage and not that Philip had died first.

Herod made his oath to the stripper who had pleased him greatly. There would have been other girls dancing, but she danced her way into Herod's favor and he made a oath to her before his party-goers. An oath in those times was a sincere binding agreement. If someone made an oath it was set as a decree to that person. A good firm handshake went a long way back then! Herod had set himself into a dilemma at the request of having John's head on a platter. What would be the reaction of the people at the killing of the first prophet in over 400 years? Herod couldn't disappoint his guests by denying the reward the girl requested and he was bound by an oath. Herod made the command to have the deed done and John's head on a silver platter was brought to court for the viewing of the girl and his guests. The girl took the head to her mother. Imagine having someone hand you a platter with a man's head on it. Blood pooled on the platter, the hair tussled from where the wielder of the blade held John down to decapitate him, the whites of the eyes showing cold as a Roman statue, the sweat almost dried on the brow. It would have been a sight and a grand entrance would have been made at the completion of Herod's request for the girl. John lost his head at the request of a stripper and her husband-swapping mother.

Then John's disciples came to get the body and buried it. They also had to tell Jesus his cousin was killed by Herod. I have always wondered at what the reaction Jesus would have had at the news about John. We know that he wept at the time he heard Lazarus was dead, now his cousin who he had probably grown up with had been executed. Nonetheless, Jesus had to still go on with his ministry and message of repent and salvation.

Off with His Head Pt. 5

John 1: 29-36

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

Luke 7:18-23

18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” 21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

John 1:29-36 is John the Baptist's summary of Jesus and how he knows he is the Son of God. If you read the beginning of John Chapter 1 you read that the Word was God and the Word was with God in the beginning. It is proving the point when John says "After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me." Jesus was way before John was even a thought to his parents. John the Baptist says he didn't know it would be Jesus. Here is something that blows my mind. They were cousins, they probably hung out at the same spots and maybe had an Algebra class together. John didn't know he was going to be the Chosen One. Jesus is our Neo from the Matrix. Nobody knew it was gonna be Jesus.

John goes on to say "Look I have seen this with my own eyes, it's him, he is really the Messiah you guys are looking for." In verse 35 John calls Jesus the Lamb of God. The Jewish people know what a lamb is: it's a sacrificial animal before it is anything else. It is like me saying Vans. You think skate shoes, not a soccer mom's vehicle of choice. For the Jews it was like that. Sure a lamb would be great as a veal cutlet, but their first thought was a perfect animal given to a priest for the redemption from sin. Shortly after this time John would be imprisoned by Herod Antipas.

Read the verse from Luke again really quick. Okay, this is where we find out that John was a good guy and stuck to his guns about bringing Jesus onto the scene as the Lamb of God, the Savior, the Messiah, but he is still a questioning lowlife who isn't sure if Jesus is the real deal. John looks like those who thought the Messiah was going to be a political force and bring about the Kingdom of Heaven by wondering the same about Jesus. John wondered if Jesus was going to destroy those who opposed God and bring heaven on Earth. John sends some of his disciples to Jesus to question him. "Are you the dude we need to be following or is there another guy we should look for?" Jesus replies "Tell him this, yeah it's me. I'm the right guy. Look at all the stuff I'm doing for those who need it, for those who believe, for those are not offended by what I am doing." John doubted if what he had done was the right thing. He sat in a prison not knowing of his fate. Was Jesus going to help him out, what would happen to him sitting there in the dank prison cell he was in?

Off with His Head Pt 4.

Luke 3:15-22

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

This is actually a continuation of Pt. 3, maybe we can call this Part 3, Part 2? Confusing? Yeah, maybe not. Anyway, it is following up with the verses of where we left off with Pt. 3 which was Luke 3:7-14. Getting into these verses it jumps around a slight bit since verse 19 and 20 seem to come out of left field.

The people were wondering if the crowds were following John because of the spiritual strength John possessed, if he was the Messiah, the one to save them. Messiah in the New Testament means Great Deliver when translated from the Greek. The Jews believed the Messiah would be a political force as well as a spiritual leader and would lead the people to salvation. John had these qualities, so it would make sense that he would be the Messiah. John answers them humbly, saying he only baptizes with water and is unworthy of untying the sandals of the one to come. John had spoken about not being able to untie the Messiah's sandals before. John wanted them to make sure they understood he was just the one to usher the Messiah into his ministry. John talks to the people and lifts them up and to be aware of what will happen soon and proclaimed the good news to them. He tells them the gospel of the one to come.It's like hearing a lot about a person through what you think is valid information and come to find out its nothing like you had heard. John created this huge stir among the Jews, which they thought was gonna change a lot of things for there future. Which in fact it did, but just not the way they were expecting.

Verse 19 and 20 seem a bit out of order, but they give us vital information to why John was thought to be the Messiah. John had enough cahones to tell Herod how messed up it was to marry his brother's wife, but more so the evil things he had done. I am not sure through my research what the evil things he did were, but I can tell you he built his capital city of Tiberias on part of a graveyard. This may have been an intentional move since more pious Jews would not go to a place they would ritually be considered impure. Herod would have gotten word that John may be the Messiah of the Jews and had John locked up out of fear just as much as for defamation. It was wrong of what Herod did with divorcing his wife and marrying his brother's wife and John wanted it to be known among the people that it was.

Jesus was baptized by John with everyone else. Jesus did as everyone else did. He was a God-made man and lived as we do. It is interesting to note whether Jesus was being baptized, and in the water, at the time the Holy Spirit came up to him or whether it was later as he was praying. Matthew's account was after he was out of the water. In either instance, how wild would it be to have a heaven open up and the Holy Spirit coming down on Jesus as he was praying, then a voice speaking to him. It would be a great witness to the thousands of people who were there to get baptized. It would be a moment that would fortify everything John had said in an instant. Those who were there would not be able to deny what they saw and heard. John the Baptist testifies to Jesus being the Chosen One (John 1:34). John also calls Jesus the Lamb of God (John 1:36). Jesus is very close to starting his ministry, since John has set up everything he needed to do.

Off with His Head! Pt 3

In the last post I got into John's preaching, in Luke 3 we read more of John's preaching. He is stern and brash with those who come to him. He calls them a brood of vipers, a bunch of slithering snakes. Luke 3:7-20, John makes no bones about it and goes straight to convicting their hearts. He isn't there to pass out rainbows and puppies, he is giving out yellow cards like a soccer referee. He is warning them. He is making the path straight for Jesus by laying the foundation of casting away sin and doing what God has been telling them to do.

Luke 3:7-14

7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

John is very forthcoming to make sure they do not misunderstand him and then be misled by their own thoughts. Their religious affiliations weren't going to save. They had a head start, because they were children of Abraham, but that didn't automatically get them across the finish line. It was like they were saying we go to church, but that's not good enough. It is what you believe when you are at church is what counts.

John doesn't just say "be baptized" he relates to their relationships with other people and the jobs they have. It was good to be baptized and show your repentance, but even more so to go out and live a life of repentance. He tells the crowds to produce good fruit, he wants them to be the best they can be in what God has given them. The people know when John is speaking about being "thrown into the fire" it is hell. Politely, he is telling them stop being pathetic in what you believe and what God has blessed you with. Essentially, you should be doing what is right. If you have been blessed with much share what you have, as in sharing if you have 2 shirts. tax collectors are to collect fairly according to what is owed. Tax collectors were known for collecting more than a person owed. They would make up surcharges to gain a little on the side for themselves over what they were to collect. He gave the soldiers an ultimatum of being fair and just with the power they were given. To each of them John told them how to interact with those they come in contact with. It would be their witness of being baptized and repentant through not only words, but through action.

Off with His Head! Pt. 2

Mark 1

New International Version (NIV)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”—

3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”

4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Right here is the start of Jesus' ministry. John the Baptist is like the warm up band for the main act of a concert. John is setting the mood, getting everyone hyped up on what is about to happen. He's getting everyone starting to sweat, the pit is heating up, and people are ready to get to work. John is letting everyone know Jesus the Messiah is coming and ya'll need to straighten up! It states Isaiah wrote the verse, but we actually have two verses of scripture used in verses 2 and 3. The first one is from Malachi 3:1, the second verse is from Isaiah 40:3. Malachi was the latest of the prophesies and Isaiah was the longest. Note: Before I forget to mention this, if you take a look at the verse 1 where it says good news, that means gospel. So it was prophesied John the Baptist would be "my messenger" which is God's messenger about Jesus coming to proclaim the gospel to the people.

As verse 3 says and verse 4 reiterates, John was in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. What does that mean? Well, it means baptism was the outward showing of an inward change, they were showing they were transforming themselves. Going to the back half of verse 5, "confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River." They were telling how much they screwed up (sinned) and they showed everyone they had repented of those sins by being baptized by John. Who were they confessing to? The part we skipped in verse 5 tells us; the WHOLE Judean countryside and ALL the people of Jerusalem. Everyone was going out to see John. People were going to see him like it was the Dew Tour. They wanted to see what was going on and get close to the action. There were thousands of people going out the Jordan River to hear John preach and get dunked for the repentance of sins. He was telling everyone to get right with God and to repent, which is the same thing Jesus does in his ministry.

In verse 6 we get a description of how John dressed. He was modest to say the least. He wore a garment of camel hair, which was common dress for a prophet. The prophet Elijah wore the same type of clothing. The camel hair was coarse and matted and not at all attractive. It was wore by the prophets to show self-denial. Their mission as messengers was more important than social status. John ate locusts; think big grasshoppers and honey. A lot of historians believe the honey was used to either fry the bugs or use it as a sweet dipping sauce. I think I will stick with chicken nuggets and bbq sauce! His clothing and food choices showed the people who came to see him they were to live a simple life, giving up many of the earthly comforts and focus on repentance. Not only does John submit to a life of self denial, but he preaches it too.

John lives a life of self-denial in lifestyle and preaching. Verses 7 and 8 give us a harsh look at how John denies himself and his ministry to usher in the ministry of Jesus. John says he isn't worthy to untie Jesus' sandals, and that is the lowest of low. Picture how their feet would have looked; dusty, caked with dirt, perhaps scratched up. The sandals of that day were nothing more than a piece of leather with either leather straps or a shoestring-like cord wrapped around the foot and ankle. There weren't paved roads or sidewalks, they walked on dusty sand paths. If it rained, you walked in mud. Sandals were pretty gross, and if they were clean they were still covered in sweat. John claims himself as not being worthy enough to touch Jesus' sandals and feet. (It is interesting that Jesus stoops low enough later on to wash all of his disciples' feet at the last supper.) John continues about the very thing he is doing for the people as he greets them at the Jordan River, the baptism he preforms is nothing compared to the baptism of the Holy Spirit which Jesus gives. John is like "Ok I can give you a 99 cent squirt with a dollar store water gun, but Jesus uses that awesome Supersoaker with the backpack you wanted as a kid." Baptism up until then was a new idea. It was a simple emblem of a change in someone's life to lead a God driven life. It was John who was ushering in this new idea so when it came time for Christ to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit through baptism it would be more accepted.

Thankful

To all my friends and family this is an open letter of sorts of why I'm thankful for you. This is written in no particular order.I am thankful for Tina, because she loves me beyond words and no action truly encompasses how much she loves me. Judi and my dad, thank you guys for loving me and guiding me and my family. You always answer the questions no matter how tough they are or give a perspective to a situation we didn't think about. Brad, its been forever that we have been friends, so thank you foremost for the friendship. It is wonderful to know we are both working in God's Kingdom. I know you were praying for me when I needed it most. Nick, thanks for the inspiration you give me through your art and skating. You make noseblunts look rad! Ryan, what can I say, you are a maniac whose creativity goes out of the box. Honestly, I'm not sure if it ever was in a box to start with. You just run with it, through drawing, painting, music, arts and crafts. It's always fun to get the picture messages to see what you have come up with. Evan, you are super talented with a pencil, brush, spray can, camera, and a skatebaord. I have seen you pull tricks at the park that blow my mind. I always get have that "I wouldn't have thought of that" moment when I watch you skate. You need to use your art and make a living with it. You have that kind of ability. Mike, thanks for all the rad conversations we have had over the years and the game of skate match-ups through text. Sammy Baca vs. Ben Raybourn? Adam, it is always good to have someone to skate with who is locked down with the same beliefs I have. The conversations are as good as the sessions. Jason, thanks for being inspiring to me. I see the fun you have with life and keep it all focused in Christ. I'm still waiting to go on a skate mission to Raliegh. To the people who read this from Nashville UMC, thanks for being an awesome church. Everyone is wonderful and super nice. I am thankful to call it my church home. I wanna throw out a special thanks to these people from NUMC. Ralph, Luke, Chris, Wanda, Ried, Rhonda, Shaun, Wende, Kirk, Carrie, Pat, Ms. Anne, Brad Lewis, and Carl. There is one person who I will not name, but I thank him for mocking my belief in Jesus. It makes it all the more important to me and gives me strenght. This list is nowhere near complete, but if you are reading this you can add your name to the list. I am sure there is more than one reason I am thankful for you. God bless you and may Christ be in your heart.

Off with His Head! Pt. 1

This is a look at a guy who lost his head and had it served up on a silver platter. This guy's name was John the Baptist. He is a notable character in the New Testament. He prophetically ushered Jesus into his ministry, as well as, being the one to baptize him. John and Jesus were second cousins. Their moms, Elizabeth and Mary were cousins. The Bible tells us a little bit about Elizabeth when she was pregnant with John. So I will start with what we are told in the Bible about Elizabeth's pregnancy with John.

Luke 1:5-25

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,[a] of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

John the Baptist's parents were faithful to the Lord and all of his commandments and statutes, which is a great thing. The Bible says they were righteous before God. Do the right thing before God and you are considered a righteous person. John's dad was a priest. Both of his parents were getting up in years, which means they were old, like your grandparents. They were folks who lived Godly lives and John's dad was in service as a priest to God, but there was still one major problem to this story. John's mom is "barren", which means she can't have kids. It might also be the fact that she is old. Not having kids in those days was something you would be scorned for in social circles. Having kids was a honor and was important to carry on the family name. A couple would want lots of kids so as they got older they would have someone to take care of them. There were no nursing homes back then. Faithfully though, God steps in and sends the angel Gabriel to Zechariah, telling Zechariah that he and Elizabeth are going to have a son.

Gabriel appears to Zechariah inside the temple while others are observing the hour of incense outside. The people outside have no idea what is going on inside, but only if they did! Zechariah was also burning incense, but after hearing the news Zechariah doesn't believe Gabriel and he becomes a mute. How awkward would it be to all of a sudden not be able to speak to anyone? Not be able to say a single word. He leaves the temple and can't say a single peep. He's doing some pantomimes and hand gestures and they reply nonchalantly "Oh you had a vision in the temple." It wasn't a vision, it was a visit by one of God's messengers!

He stayed at work till it was time to leave, just kind of hanging out until he can punch the clock and go home. Here is where it gets even more awkward. He is supposed to get it on with his wife who is old and might break a hip in the process. So he's all thrusting himself on her and things get weird since he can't say anything, but I believe the Lord gives her a little spark to light her fire. (If ya know what I mean.)In verse 24 it says "after these days" means it wasn't a one shot deal. It took some time, which for Zechariah was a good thing. He's a guy right? So he's like "Oh it didn't work? We gotta do it again? Ok!"

So in short, it took time and they had to try a good number of times before Elizabeth got pregnant. When it finally happened she kept herself hidden for 5 months. She wanted to make sure she wasn't gonna miscarry or have problems before she showed people how God had looked over her. God took away the "reproach" of her people, which means disapproval. God came through with a blessing. It was a blessing in a big way, because John would have a very important role in Jesus' ministry.

How do you read this thing?: Little details

If you look at the little details in scripture there is a bigger overall picture you can take away from what you read. There is tons of information underneath the surface. Here is a simple verse, which doesn't seem to give a lot of information beyond what you read. If you if give it a GoPro Cam approach and come at it from a different angle you see things totally different. You see it from the view of the person who wrote it and a larger dynamic look at what it says and has to offer.

Mark 1:1 - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

It's a pretty simple verse, right? It tells us some good stuff: Jesus is the Son of God and the book of Mark is the beginning of Jesus' ministry. There are no genealogies, no birth story; it gets right into where Jesus starts his mission. Mark writes his gospel as all thriller, no filler, hence why it is the shortest gospel. If you rewrote Mark 1:1, you could write it as "the start of the good news of Jesus".

The word "gospel" translates to meaning "good news". If you think about all Jesus teaches us in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John it is definitely good news! There wasn't much good news at the time this was written. Roman rule had suppressed the Jews and Christians. The temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed a few years after Mark pens his gospel. This gospel is telling us there is good news in what Jesus does in his life.

Next it says "the Son of God." If you were a Jew in that time you would have known very well the prophesies and the writings of the Old Testament. The Son of God is a small prefacing for the Jews and Christians of who Jesus is and how he is above all. The name Jesus was a common name in that time, as common as Tom, Billy, or Steve, so Mark's telling that Jesus is the Son of God gives him distinction over all the others named Jesus. By this time as people started to read the first manuscripts of Mark's gospel Mark was making sure the readers knew Jesus Christ was the true Son of God. Twelve little words, taking into account each word and the context of the word, give you a much bigger picture to draw from and build on as you read more of Mark's gospel or any of the other three gospels.

The next "How do you read this thing?" post will be about resources to find information about all these little details.

How do you read this thing?

What is the Bible all about? If you are new to reading the Bible,you may have a question like that one. So with that in mind, I have written a quick post to give a brief brief overview of what the Bible is about.

The Bible is a collection of 66 books broken into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament has the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, Jonah and the whale, Daniel and the lion's den, David and Goliath, which are the more well-known stories. There are also stories about a guy who wrestles with God, a guy so fat it takes an entire sword blade to stab him, and even a guy who rides in on a chariot of fire. The individual books are about how God created the world and what he wanted his creation to do and not do. We learn we are not good at following directions. There are books in the Old Testament about kings, judges, and prophets. There are books about wisdom and poetry. There is even a book about making out! They are all stories and instructions about how God takes care of his people and how they are rewarded by their faithfulness.

Then you have the New Testament, which is where Jesus comes in. There are four books about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Those four books are commonly known as the gospels. Those four books include stories I have written about in the blog, which includes his ministry, stories of healing people, and how to handle different situations. Jesus especially shows how he uses the most unlikely of people to spread his love and message of salvation. The gospels are followed by letters written to people to tell them how to live for Jesus. The last book of the New Testament and of the whole Bible is Revelation. The Book of Revelation is what happens when Jesus comes back after he has made us all a place in Heaven to chill, eat, and worship him. The Book of Revelation is filled with all sorts of crazy multi-headed beasts, creatures covered in eyes, and the four horsemen. The New Testament as a whole is about who Jesus is, what he did for us, and why we are saved by him. It gives instructions of how we are to have faith in him. The Bible is rad and filled with so many amazing mind-blowing stories. So the Bible sounds like a good read, but how do you read it so it makes the most sense?

The Bible, for some reason or another, is intimidating for people to read even though it is filled with total awesomeness. There are a million and one excuses of why people don't read it daily as they should. Some of the common excuses are "I don't have time, I'm too tired, I can't pronounce the names, or I'll just wait for the movie." The Bible is easy to read, and gets easier the more you know about it. At face value, not knowing anything about it you can still get tons out of it. If you begin to study what it really has to offer there is no wonder if God exists and how he had commissioned mortal man to write the stories to tell his story of redemption and love. I would make this recommendation for starting to read it. Start in the Book of John. Go to the front of the Bible and it will list the books in order and tell you the page number. Take a week or two and read through the Book of John. This will give you a foundation to work with and a idea of who Jesus is and why his death is so important to a Christian.

This will be an ongoing series of how to study the Bible and learn more of how God loves us!

If you have any questions about reading the Bible let me know in the comments section. I will be more than happy to answer questions.

When Push Comes to Shove Pt. 3

Luke 8:47-48

47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

We don't know exactly what happened that the woman was no longer hidden, but what she did once she was out in the open was in gratitude and reverence to Jesus and perhaps a bit of fear. She hadn't asked to be healed, she took it by touching is clothes. Maybe she felt as if she was stealing his power by the statement he made. Would Jesus be mad at her? She couldn't run, there were too many people and all their attention was on her and Jesus. She began to tremble, she was scared. She threw herself at Jesus' feet and confessed to everyone why she touched him. She had led an agonizing life for the past 12 years. She had run out of options, used up all her money, lost all of her friends and family. She took every bit of hope she had and put it in meeting Jesus.

Her faith got her a face to face encounter with Jesus and he gives her a blessing on top of being healed. Jesus calls her "daughter" when he speaks to her. If you take a look in the very same chapter this story is taken from we find out something about why he calls this woman daughter. He reiterates it to the disciples who are with him as well as to the crowd. So, take a look at Luke 8:19-21.

19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”

She puts faith in what she has heard by the word of God and knew Jesus could heal her. She was put in God's family through her faith. Jesus tells her, her faith made her better, and blesses her to "go in peace." She is to "go in peace," not to worry, not be scared, but to go live a life knowing God is there for her.

When Push Comes to Shove! Pt. 2

Luke 8:44-46

44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.”

This poor woman knew if she could just touch the fringe of Jesus' tunic she could be healed. She had heard of his miracles of healing. Everyone knew Jesus, not that they all liked him, but they knew him for sure. His name was on everyone's lips. The woman knew and had the faith that the slightest touch of his clothing would give her the biggest reward: healing. She reached between those who were in front of her and she got the tips of her fingers right where she needed. It was enough to do the trick, but it was no trick at all. Her bleeding stopped instantly upon touching Jesus. It was like aspirin or chemotherapy where you had to wait for it to work, but it was a snap of the fingers fast. She was healed on the spot.

Jesus knew who she was and knew she had touched him, so why did he ask? Why did he care that she had been healed? She was full of faith and a perfect example to the crowd of how strong her faith was in Jesus. She put her faith to the test and it served her well.

Now you have Peter, who is with Jesus in the crowd. God bless Peter he tried so hard to be helpful, but most of the time ended looking a bit foolish. Peter knew of Jesus' power, he had witnessed it himself. Peter didn't understand Jesus meant more than a few bumping bodies, it was a transference of power when the woman touched the edge of Jesus' garment. By our faith we can draw on Jesus' power. Her faith that just touching his clothes was enough to tap into Jesus' power. It was a simple touch, but it was enough. The smallest amount of faith can move mountains, and it can surely heal us.

When Push Comes to Shove!!! Pt. 1

Luke 8:42-48

42 As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

Have you ever been to the Vans Warped Tour and weaved your way up close to the stage? Even better yet, maybe you have wanted to see someone famous in a big crowd, but had to work against the crowd to get close enough to catch a glimpse. People pushing and shoving, unintentionally groping you as everyone pushes forward. Mutterings of "Oh, sorry!" and "Excuse me!" are heard, but as the crowd gets tighter the pleasantries turn to profanities. Still you push and shove to keep from getting crushed. This should give you an idea of what is going on in the second half of verse 42, where our story starts. Luke writes "the people pressed around him", speaking of Jesus. People wanted to be healed, hear his teachings, ask him questions, debate with him, get a Facebook photo (because it didn't happen if there isn't a picture, right?). Jesus moved through the surging crowd as best as he could.

In the crowd there is a woman, a ceremonially unclean woman. Why is she unclean? She has a discharge of blood, which she has had for twelve years. We don't know if it was a uterine problem, but we do know she has had this for a very long time. Leviticus 15:19-30 explains no one was to touch her or anything she touched or they would be unclean. She had spent all of her living on physicians, it says in the back half of the verse. It well could have been that Luke, being a physician, knew of this woman, either personally or through colleagues. He did know she had spent all of her living, which means money going to doctors to help her. Each of us probably knows of someone like this, someone who has spent all of their insurance benefits, maxed their credit cards, friends and family have had benefit barbecues and poker runs to raise money. They have met the wicks end! They are broke, frustrated, and still in miserable condition. They have limited options like this woman did and their desperation pushes them to their limits. They will give anything a shot, just as the woman did fighting the crowd. No one could help her or heal her. She had nothing left to lose. She pushed through the crowd, rubbing shoulders and twisting to squeeze through to get just close enough to reach out for a corner of his clothes. A little piece of the cloth, his cloth, would be just enough.

She had been bleeding for 12 years. 12 long years of no contact. Her kids couldn't hug her, her husband couldn't be intimate with her, none of her friends could come over. Any touch for any reason made a person unclean. She had gone through twelve Hanukkahs, Yom Kippurs, and Roshashanhs celebrating alone, if she celebrated at all. She missed festivals, weddings, and special moments in her life and in the lives of those close to her. The risk of being in the crowd was great, but the potential healing touch was greater. Everyone she touched in the crowd was now unclean. She risked making a scene over her uncleanliness to get close enough to Jesus to be healed. Sanitary products in those days were limited and even less useful. As she went through the crowd, more of an opening to Jesus happened. People recognized her which began a small part in crowd. Her chance at healing was getting closer. People moved to not be made unclean, even when the crowd surged forward. Her faith told her a little touch was all she needed.

Jesus and the demon Legion Pt. 3

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

The demon-possessed man had been healed and cleansed. He had seen Jesus' power and mercy. He wanted nothing more but to continue on with Jesus as he left. He begged him. Jesus tells him to go to his friends, family, neighbors, leaders...to everyone and tell them about Jesus' mercy. He was told to tell them how Jesus had hooked him up, how he had changed him. He now had an awesome testimony of Jesus' power and mercy. We have a testimony too. Jesus wants us to share it! We have to share it. How nice and caring Jesus was and the mercy he showed. Jesus sent this man out to be a missionary among the pagans to proclaim Jesus' kindness. He is one of the first missionaries for Jesus. He goes out and tells the people and what happens? They were amazed by what they heard. People most likely knew the man. You act crazy, especially demon possessed crazy, you become a local legend. This man who had been self destructive was now in his right mind talking about the guy who sent their family business off a cliff to drown. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was a miracle, this man who had been non-restrainable was now self composed and preaching. He was preaching everywhere. It says he went to the Decapolis. The Decapolis was an area of ten cities. Deca means ten, polis means city. The word of the man's curing would have been spread well before he got to the different places to share his story.

The demon-possessed man was a loser who had let evil into his life so much the demons eventually took over. This isn't sin, but full-blown submitting to evil. It starts like a gateway drug: it starts small and it's no big deal. After time though the occasional wake-and-bake turns into an all night coke bender. The drugs take over. Your body wants more, wants something stronger. Eventually more drugs are needed to keep your body satisfied. On and on it goes till something bad happens. You go to jail, you overdose, you lose your job/friends/family or any combination of the three. Demon possession is like that: it starts with little demons trying to figure out what it needs to survive, and as you feed it, it gets bigger, stronger, and wanting more control over your life. Eventually, it is stronger than you are. Your life is overtaken by your demon or multiple demons.

Jesus knows we can be tempted, but he gives us instructions for what to do. Matthew 26:42

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Jesus told us to watch and pray. If you are keeping your eyes open, being aware of what is going to tempt you, and are talking to Jesus about what you struggle with, how much more could you guard yourself from evil? Satan would love nothing more than to lead you away from Jesus. It'll start small and before you know it you have snowballed yourself into a huge mess. Be watchful and pray!

Dedicated to Marisa Tyler 1968-2012 May God rest your soul.

Jesus and the demon Legion Pt. 2

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man, and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Verse 9 says that Jesus asks the demon his name, which Jesus already knows, but it is for our benefit that he asks. The demon replies "My name is Legion, for we are many." This man had many demons in him, but he may have had more than we would naturally think. In Roman times a legion was an army battalion of 5,000 men. To say he was Legion was an accurate description, because if you remember from part 1, chains and iron shackles or no man could restrain him. 5,000 demons could have the strength to break the chains, and cause him to lose all control of his body. The man was so consumed by the demons, he had no choice but to cut himself, since his body no longer belonged to him.

Verse 10 talks about the demons repeatedly begging Jesus not to send them out of the area. They knew by His command, they would have to do anything he said. Jesus had complete reign over them. No matter how strong the demons were, they still did not match the strength of Jesus.

Geresanes people were heathens, considered unclean to the Jews. The Jews saw pigs as filthy, unclean animals. Jews would not have raised pigs. Any contact with the pigs would make the Jews ceremonially unclean; a clue into how we know they were pagans. In Verse 11, it talks of a large herd of pigs in a field. Verse 12 explains that the demons begged to be sent into them. The impure spirits left the man at Jesus' command and were sent into the pigs, as verse 13 tells how he gave them permission to possess the animals. Check that out, he gave them permission. So why would Jesus allow them to go into the pigs? It showed the people living there they were a foul and unclean group of people. They needed to send their wickedness away, just as Jesus sent demons into the pigs. There were two thousand pigs and more than enough demons to possess the pigs to deliberately run off the cliff to their death. The demons were lost again, because demons were not going to live in the dead pigs. They were already dead, so they could not create chaos and disorder. They had to move on.

In the next verses, 14 through 17 we see a reaction to Jesus; very common to how we see it in our modern times. People who are scared of Jesus' powerful ability to change people into new and transformed believers. The pig herders ran into town and told everyone to come out and see what happened. They couldn't believe their eyes, the man they once knew to be out of his mind was now not only clothed, but subdued sitting with Jesus. If you look in verse 15, it tells us he was dressed, a completely opposite image of how he once was; naked. Jesus had redeemed this feral man's life so he was now calmly sitting and fully dressed. They were able to bandage the man's wounds, clean him of his stench, and get him some clean clothes to wear. The next two verses, 16 and 17, show how we as sinners are afraid of losing something we think is important, even if we witness the awesome power God. The people that witnessed the man's healing and the drowning of the pigs were in awe of Jesus' power. They hadn't witnessed anything from the pagan gods they worshiped. It makes me think of Elijah in the Old Testament and the soaked offering that God lit to prove his power to his people. People saw the change Jesus can bring into someone's life and they still didn't believe. They were only worried about what they were missing. The drowning of the pigs was Jesus' way of saying to them to repent of their evil ways, but they only saw the loss of income. They only saw the drowning of the pigs and not the amazing renewal of the demon-possessed man. The people pleaded with Jesus to leave their region. They wanted to keep their pagan rituals. They didn't want Jesus messing with their livelihood. They were comfortable with how they lived.

We get comfortable with how we live. We don't wanna give up things in our lives to walk closer to Jesus. To walk in his light and receive all he has for us. If we take a moment to see how Jesus can transform us from being possessed by the demons in our lives and be cleaned up as the once-demon-possessed man was, how much better off we are. We may have the scars from the past which were ruining our lives, but Jesus can heal us of our sins. We are afraid of how Jesus might take away something, but we don't realize how much more he has to offer us. He wants us to be possessed of his ways and in pursuit of righteousness through him.

The final post will show why Jesus uses us as a witness to our family and friends.

Jesus and the demon Legion Pt. 1

Mark 5

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man

5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

We are for some reason fascinated by demon possession. The movies The Exorcist, The Possession of Emily Rose, and the newly released movie Possessed are Hollywood's version of a demon possession. Hollywood knows it will draw a crowd to the theater. It scares us to think that something could have that kind of power over us. A power that can destroy us and make us do unthinkable horrors. Let's take a look at the verses and see the real power demon possession can have over someone.

Verses 1 and 2, Jesus lands on the shore of the Gerasenes, who are heathens; meaning they have no religion. He is met by a naked man with an unclean spirit. Did you catch that he was naked? Verses 3, 4, and 5 give us detail to the man's condition. The man could not be controlled and nothing would keep him from endangering others. Ever been in handcuffs? They wouldn't stand a chance holding this guy! He stayed near the tombs, which is a fitting place for an unclean spirit. Demons are filthy, vile spirits who feed on destruction and death, so being around the dead is welcoming to them. His agonizing cries could be heard continuously from the torment and pain of cutting himself with jagged rocks. The demon has no problem subduing the man's body, but watch what happens when Jesus confronts him.

Verses 6, 7, and 8 must have been an unbelievable scene. Getting out of the boat the demon possessed man sees Jesus from a distance, and he runs to him. The man has been cutting himself all over his body so he is a disgusting, bloody mess and he is naked. You have this naked, dirty, nappy-haired man falling to his knees in surrender. The demon knows he is in trouble. Even though he is evil, he recognizes Jesus for who he is: Jesus, Son of the Most High God! He shouts "What do you want from me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" The demon in the man knows his card has been pulled. He's scared. The demon had destroyed the man's body by cutting himself and had caused him to lose his family, friends, the life he once knew. The demon pleads to Jesus, not to torture. The demon asks in God's name not to torture him. The demon knows without any doubt God has ultimate power over him. He pleads to Jesus and asks in God's name. Asking in God's name doesn't even save him from what will happen to him. Jesus commands the demon to come out of the man. To be continued.....

Lepers: Living Zombies! Pt. 2

Jesus Cleanses a Leper Luke 5:12-16

12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

I left off in the last post at verse 14. Jesus told the cleansed man to tell no one. The most miraculous thing happened to this guy and he wasn't supposed to say a single word about it! This guy had just been freed from physical torment and pain. He had just been given a new lease on life. He was to remain silent and go straight to the priest and make an offering for his cleansed state. I know when Jesus came into my life I wanted to tell everyone and I still do. No words could have compared to what the crowd had already seen. The leper had staggered through the city crying out his warning to those in his way. His skin had been pouring out blood and disease as he crept along, but now all of this was gone. There were no open sores with dust-caked blood covering the rags he wore for clothes. The man could walk in perfect stride, free of pain. Those in attendance to this miracle would have been awestruck with silence and wonder. The first murmurs through the crowd of what they had just witnessed would have grown to a riotous proportion. The word would have traveled fast and made it to the priest even before the man arrived to give an offering of proof.

Verse 15 tells us that the news of his teachings, and more so his miracles, were reaching across the region giving him more momentum to spread his message to everyone who wanted to hear it. His message preceded him wherever he went, the facts were mixed with fiction, but he was still gathering large crowds who wanted to see it for themselves. To be able to make their own judgements on this simple man named Jesus and the wonders he was performing. Verse 16 shows us Jesus, no matter how busy he was healing and preaching, he still took time to rest and pray. Jesus needed rest, just like us. It is important for us to take time to refresh and recharge ourselves. The large crowds who had gathered wanted to see the miracles and hear the teachings of Jesus. They all wanted to be in his presence, but he knew they would wait for what they truly wanted.

Lepers: Living Zombies! Pt. 1

Jesus Cleanses a Leper Luke 5:12-16

12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Jumping right in, we find Jesus in one of the cities. It was probably a major city, which would mean a population of 15-25,000 people. Jerusalem, the Jewish capital city, had a population of nearly 50,000 to give a perspective of population sizes. A town in that time could be a group of 2,000 people living in the same area. Not exactly what we would think of as a large city, since most of us live in modern towns well over 10,000 people.

So here we find "a man full of leprosy" which means he was in really bad condition. Luke, the author, was a doctor, so when he writes that this man was full of leprosy, it's not an exaggeration, but an accurate description of how sick the man was. Leprosy is a skin condition that makes your skin fester and painfully crack open oozing pus and blood. It would start in a generalized area and spread. The open sores would breed infection which led to loss of fingers, hands, toes, feet, up to full appendages. There have been recorded cases in the mid-1800s where people had leprosy for so long it eventually made their eyes crust over because at that point the disease had overtaken the mucus membranes in the eyes. The eyes would literally rot out of your skull from infection. Leprosy at any stage causes the afflicted person to be in constant pain and suffering. Let me give you an idea of the intensity of these verses. You read the verses and think "Oh how nice, Jesus healed the leper, that was really nice of him." I can assure that this was not the case. This four verse story is the equivalent of an episode you might find on The Walking Dead.

Verse 12 says "there came a man..." and everyone would have know he was there. In Leviticus 13:45-46 it says

45 “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip[b] and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46 He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.

The man enters into the city where he has been kicked out and he is yelling in a garbled voice "unclean, unclean, UNCLEAN!!!" His hair is dreaded, his clothes torn. He hasn't bathed in years due to the pain of the condition of his skin. He reeks of blood, rotting flesh, and filth. The pain makes him weak. He staggers through the crowds. People are running away from him as he nears, others are throwing rocks from afar. Nobody dares go near him for fear of becoming infected.

Think of the second season of The Walking Dead with the walkers in the barn. They were once normal people, but had become zombies through infection. The walkers in the barn were still loved, but kept away from everyone else, since they were a menace to anyone who came near them. The leper may have had family and friends who loved him like the walkers in the barn. They would leave food and water for him in a specified area for him to come get after they left. There would be no contact, ever! Nobody would touch this guy, the leprosy had become extreme. He knew Jesus was his answer, that he could help him. He could cure him. The leper makes his way through the city and finds Jesus' whereabouts. He falls on his face, not from weakness, but in admiration of Jesus. He worships him at his feet as if Jesus was king. The man doesn't demand cleansing, but asks humbly for it. "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." He leaves it up to Jesus. He lets Jesus do what he wants with his life. Verse 13, the most amazing thing happens. Before Jesus says a word, he does the unthinkable.

HE TOUCHES HIM!!!

Can you believe it? This man is infected with a nasty, flesh rotting disease and Jesus reaches out and touches him. Nobody would come near him, let alone even think of touching him. Who knows when the last time this man had been touched by someone else? Jesus tells him "I will; be clean." Jesus doesn't just heal the man, but cleanses him too. He deems him clean before God as Aaron and his sons would have. The leprosy left him immediately. He cleansed him completely! He wasn't just cured, but clean before God.

Not Gatorade, it's eternal made! pt. 6

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

This woman who was at the well, full of shame and sin was used by Jesus and he gave her a testimony that changed the lives of many. Because of her testimony they believed and were excited, so much so they invited Jesus to stay with them to get closer to him as a friend. Remember that the beginning of this series we learned that Jews and Samaritans were enemies, but now through a sinful woman, Jesus started to break down the walls of hatred to make a new relationship between the two groups. He can use anyone to bring his will.

Verse 42 tells us woman's testimony drew the people closer to Jesus and as they got closer they could find out for themselves who Jesus was. He is the Savior of the world! Jesus used a woman from a despised people who despised her and all she had been caught up in. She was nowhere near perfect, but she was prefect for Jesus to use her in his plan. No matter how much of a lowlife or a loser we think we are Jesus can use us to bring the message of salvation!

Not Gatorade, it's eternal made! Pt.5

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

The woman knows a bit about her Jewish heritage and faith, even though she is has adapted pagan rituals into her belief system. Remember the Samaritans have been infiltrated with the Assyrian beliefs when the land was over taken several hundred years before. Verse 20 gives us the notion she has worshiped the pagan gods of Assyria and the Jewish God regularly at the mountain near where they were talking. The mountain was Mt. Gerizim. The Jews were right with the idea that they should have gone to Jerusalem for festivals and worship at least yearly. Even if the Jewish despised the Samaritans and would have likely treated their offerings with contempt and suspicion.

Jesus explains to her that soon where she worships will not make a difference, there will be no sacrifices to be made at the temple. The ultimate sacrifice would be made by Jesus on a cross. God's chosen people were the Jews, so they knew of the coming of Christ. The Samaritans may have heard about it, but did not have clear interpretation and understanding of it. The truth in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection leads the way for him to send the Holy Spirit upon his people for truth and guidance. The woman says she knows about the Messiah and that he will explain everything, which is telling the truth about the importance of Christ's mission on Earth. Salvation is from the Jews, but not strictly for the Jews. It is for anyone who wants to know and live the truth of Jesus' mission.

Not gatorade, it's eternal made! Pt. 4

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

I find these verses to be a eye-opening more than anything to the fact that Jesus knows us. He knows everything about us. Everything! Jesus tells the woman, who we know nothing about to get her husband. She admits the truth, but its only half the truth. We know that Jesus knows our hearts, but this woman wasn't in the know. She was trying to slide by and tell him only a part of her story. Jesus revealed who he was and his power by calling her out, yet doing it in a gentle manner. She knew she was busted, but she wasn't being condemned. Jesus makes no remarks about her sad situation, but verifies for her that her situation is not a healthy one. A fact that she already knows since she is fetching water at the hottest part of the day.

The woman having fives husbands is extreme for our modern standards, but back then it was unheard of. The only way a woman was to remarry was if the husband left her or the husband died. I have a feeling that the woman didn't have five husbands who died. She was also with a man who was not caring for her. She was used for sex. There was no part of her relationship that edified her standing in her community. If she was seen with the man and was not married or if he was a male from her family, she was seen as a prostitute.

Whether she was a prostitute or not, notice that Jesus does not condemn or make her lesser than the person she is. Jesus knows that even with her sin, he can still use her to glorify his name and spread the gospel.

Not Gatorade, it's eternal made! pt.2

I left off in the last post about the importance of the time of day. It was noon it tells us in verse 6. Noon, the hottest part of the day. Why would a woman walk alone by herself a mile out of town to get water at the hottest time of the day? She was a lowlife! The well in Jesus' day was like Starbucks of today, it was the place to be in the morning to catch up with friends and listen to Mumford and Sons and Guster ad nauseaum. The Samaritan woman had no friends and we find out in a later verse that she has no friends because she has been married fives times and is currently with a guy she isn't married to. Nobody wanted to be associated with her. The Samaritans were heathens, but they still had standards. Getting divorced in that time was bad, do it 5 times and you have a recurring spot on the Jerry Springer Show. She was disliked and probably plagued with gossip, which has led her to coming out to the well at the hottest time of the day so she would be alone. It would be adisgrace for her to arrive at the well alone. She was a epic loser in love. Think about it, being a Samaritan she was hated by Jews, but because of her infidelities she was hated by her own people. She was hated by everyone, until Jesus came along.

In verse 7 the dialogue between Jesus and the woman begins and Jesus is about to break every social rule of that day, there was to break!

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.),

9 The Samaritan woman said to him,“You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus is left alone at the well and the Samaritan woman comes up to draw some water and Jesus asks for some water. To us in this day and age asking for a drink wouldn't be seen as odd, but in Jesus' day it was a social no-no. A man would never address a woman in public, especially if they were alone. There were Jews who would not address a woman in public, even if it was their sister, daughter, or wife. They didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression. They didn't want to be tempted either. There were these Pharisees, they were called the "Bleeding Pharisees" since they would walk around with there head down, staring at the ground running into things, just so they wouldn't be tempted by a woman. These people took this very serious. The woman knows the social rules and questions Jesus how he would even dare speak to her since" 1.) she is a Samaritan and 2.)an alone woman. She states that she is a Samaritan and that is request is outlandish. The author John even makes note that Jews don't associate with Samaritans at the end of verse 9. It is that important that John gives commentary to his own writing.

Not Gatorade, it's eternal made! Pt. 1

If you read back into the "Jesus...a skater?" post, you will read I mentioned a story about the woman at the well in John Chapter 4. I am going to go a bit in depth and explain how much of a loser this chick was. It will take me 2 or 3 posts to get it all out, so bare with me. I think you will be surprised and intrigued about Jesus' attitude towards racism, sexism, and getting right with God. Let's start with the first 3 verses of John, chapter 4.

4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

Verse 4 states that "he had to go through Samaria". The words "he had to go" indicate something crucial is going on here, but the text doesn't point it out. This is where geography and history put things into a bigger picture. If you bare with me, this will all make a lot of sense in the next post and why it is important info.

The land of ancient Palestine was separated into three areas: Judah in the south, Galilee in the north, and Samaria smack dab in the middle. Galilee and Judah were Jewish lands. Samaria was an area of confused spiritualists mixing Judaism with whatever they decided to worship. Mostly it was nature, but not the God how made it. They probably were in the running for the patron saint of pluralism. Normally, a Jew traveling from North to South or vice-versa would go around Samaria along the far side of Jordan. It didn't matter that it took an extra day. They viewed Samaritans as spiritual mongrels, in-breeds, and heathens. Needless to say, Jews and Samaritans despised each other with great passion.

To give a small inkling of their overall hatred towards each other, if a Samaritan owed a Jew money, the Samarian would drop the coin money owed into a vessel of water so that when the Jew pulled it out of the water it was considered clean. It would be like whites and blacks in the 1950's in the United States. We had black restrooms and white restrooms. Segregation was something we sadly did as Americans, but it was nothing new. The Jews treated the Samaritans the same way. The Jews would do anything not to be seen as unclean, so they treated them as the whites treated blacks. The Jews would use separate everything to avoid contact with anything a Samaritan touched. There was over a 600 years of bad blood between the Jews and Samaritans.

Verse 5 and 6 gives us a backdrop of how long the people have lived in the area. Joseph's bones were brought back and buried at the well. The 24th chapter of Joshua ,when Joshua assembles all the tribes of Israel, he brings Joseph's bones to the well. This is around 1443 b.c. Joshua declared a rock as a witness as he presented the laws and decrees of God to the people there. The people in Samaria were taken captive by the Persians and made exiles in their own land. During that time of exile the Persians persisted with their idolatry and image worship until the Samaritans combined Judaism and idol worship together, creating a hybrid religion that did not put God as the God of creation, but a god from man's hand. The temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed (Ezra 4:1-5) and the Samaritans offered to help rebuild the temple, but the Jews refused. This created even more tension between them.

Verse 6 tells us Jesus had been traveling in the hot middle eastern sun until noon. He was tired, which tells us even though he was the Son of God, he was still man. The heat drained him of his energy just as it would do to us. The well was not a little "Jack and Jill up the hill" kind of well. This well was nine feet wide and roughly 250 feet deep. There was a wall around it about knee to thigh high. This is where Jesus sat. The last thing we find out in these three verses is the time. It's noon, the hottest part of the day. When the Bible gives us a specific time, there is usually a very good reason for it. Why would a woman walk a mile from town to the well in the heat of the day? I will explain more in the next few posts. Just three short verses and there was all this to explain. These are Cliff notes in comparison to the depth we could really go into.

Not Gatorade, it's eternal made! Pt. 3

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

This section of the passage shows how lost the Samaritans are with their relgion and the things they believe. Remember that the Samaritans at one time were a Jewish group, until the Assyrian invasion and they became refugees in their own land, then becoming a misled region of people away from their Jewish roots and heritage. Jesus in these verses is straight froward with her about who he is and what he can do for her, yet she misses the vital part that he is refering to himself. The woman questions Jesus, asking about him having a bucket to get water and they questions his authority. She questions his authority, his greatness, his ability to provide the very thing he came to give us all; eternal life. Jesus doesn't become upset or agrravated by the woman's inquiries, but simply continues explaining further about the spring of water leading to eternal life. It's not actual water that Jesus is talking about, but the message of eternal life he has brought to save all of mankind.

In verses 13-15, Jesus gives the Samaritan woman instruction that if she drinks the water she too can have a "spring of water welling up to eternal life." Jesus tells her of his exact mission to do so and not a moment later she is asking for the water, but she still doesn't understand. The Samaritan woman, just like Nicodemus in chapter 3 doesn't realize that Jesus is speaking figuratively, not literally. She is interested in the water so she won't have to make the one and half mile trek to the well everyday to retrieve water. She wants an easy way out of the miserable chore of facing the burning sun everyday to fetch water.The woman is thinking of the here and now, but Christ is thinking of future....forever. Being a follower of Jesus is more than cutting out the "walk to the well," and the tedious chores of our day to day lives, it is about gaining eternal life!

Jesus meets a midget!?!

Luke 19:1-10

New International Version (NIV)

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus at this point in his ministry is rockstar status. He is such a rockstar that people crowd around him where he goes. People wanna get a glimpse and see what all the hype is about. By now the word has spread that he is healing people, performing miracles, and being the coolest laid back dude. Ever. Jesus even had his version of wrecking a hotel room, but only for holy reasons when he upturned the tables at the temples and drove out the animals. He was getting a stadium's worth of people where ever he went.

Zaccheus was a short guy; so short he couldn't get a glimpse Jesus as he was coming down the street. Mobs of people are just as eager to see him. Zaccheus got an idea. He climbed up a Sycamore tree like a kid trying to get a better view of the Fourth of July parade. Zaccheus wasn't a kid though, he wasn't even a commoner. He was the Chief Tax Collector. People knew the stature he held among the people in the crowd.

Zaccheus' tree climbing scheme worked. Jesus noticed him up in the tree and demanded he go to his house to stay. Jesus didn't ask, but demanded that he go to Zaccheus' house and it was to happen immediately. Can you imagine if you met someone you look up to and hold important to, come right up to you in a crowd of choices and demand they come to your house for dinner? Jesus did that. Jesus, like anyone with Rockstar status, had haters, and they questioned why Jesus wanted to go to Zaccheus' house if he was a sinner. Here is the funny part: they were so focused on Zaccheus, they didn't realize their own sinful ways.

Zaccheus was filled with great compassion with the encounter with Jesus. Zaccheus stops and hushes the naysayers giving up half of everything he owned and made a confession to all that were there. Zaccheus knew he had done many people wrong and declared to repay four times the amount he swindled from those he collected from. Seeing Zaccheus' repentance and wanting heart for change told him of the salvation for his house.

The last verse is the best part of the passage. It tells us that Jesus came to seek and SAVE the lost. He came to save us!

Zaccheus was a man of noble status among the people, yet he still knew and had heard of the greatness of Jesus. The people knew that Zaccheus held a position of importance and wealth, that he became that way because he was a crook. He was likely despised by the people for pinching them for all they owed. He was the Ebeneezer Scrooge of his day. He was wealthy, but he was still a loser among the people. Jesus gave him a chance to change his ways and he didn't hesitate for a second. There in the street he righted his wrongs and seeked approval from Jesus.

Not a Jesus freak!

I am not a Jesus Freak. During the mid-90's the pop-rock group DC Talk had an album named Jesus Freak, with the title track becoming an anthem for Christian teens. I admit, I liked the song, had the album, saw them in concert. I embraced my inner Jesus Freak. I am sure since the term Jesus Freak came about and Christians had taken it as their own, Jesus has been shaking his head ever since.

The Jesus Movement of the late 60's and early 70's pushed a hippie-driven movement towards Jesus. These people were known as the Jesus People. In a time of drugs, sex, and drinking, people didn't want to hear about Jesus and all of his supposed suppressive rules. They would rather be free, making daisy chains, and smoking Maryjane. Those that opposed the Jesus People sought a derogatory new moniker for them: the Jesus Freaks. Jesus Freak is not be a name I would take as a badge of honor. I am certain Jesus wouldn't want us to use it either.

The Christian community has taken this term of hatred and claimed it as a term of endearment in our own community. I don't want people on the street to yell Jesus Freak at me, nor would I want someone at my church to do it either. There are those who declare themselves as Jesus Freaks in public, but wonder why people scoff or respond with more crude name calling. My way of thinking is let's not give people a reason to scoff at our beliefs by claiming to be a bunch of weirdos. We were bought at a price. We are precious to Him.

Psalm 139:14 says "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." We am wonderfully made! There is nothing freakish about that. Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." We am made in God's image. We may not be perfect, but we definitely aren't freaks. Our Savior Jesus died on a cross to forgive our sins. We need to rise up and take the authority he has given us. Ephesians 1:14 says we are "God's possession!" We are wonderfully and fearfully made in His image to be His possession. Jesus may use the lowlifes and losers of the world, but doesn't use freaks!

Jesus...a skater?

A few days ago I posted this status on Facebook: "I wonder what skate shoes Jesus would wear?" It seems that the consensus was that Jesus would stick to sandals. I personally thought He would rock some Vans black and white checkered slip-ons. I asked the question about the skate shoes, because I wonder if Jesus would be a skater. We know that from Jewish tradition He would have been a carpenter or a stone mason. Being a carpenter He was the best carpenter to have ever built anything, ever! I can imagine Jesus being like Jeff King from Built to Shred. He would be building all these crazy ramps and boxes to skate on. There would always be a crew skating with Him, waiting for Him to build the next rainbow rail euro-gap obstacle. I know one thing for sure, if He didn't skate, He would have hung out with guys who did. Repeatedly, the Bible tells us He hung out with those who were on the fringe of society. They were the outcasts, lowlifes, and losers. Everyone who skates has a crew of guys they skate with all the time. Jesus had His crew too; the 12 disciples, which He hand-picked. They were not well-known, popular socialites, celebrities, or political figures; they were just regular guys. Several of the disciples were smelly fisherman (Matt 4:18)(John 1:43), one was a tax collector (Matt 9:9), all of them were everyday hard working men. They weren't perfect, but Jesus used imperfect people to bring about His perfect plan on salvation. What would Jesus' favorite trick be? First trick that comes to mind is a Christ Air. It's funny how Christian Hosoi thought, at the time he made up the Christ Air, he was better than Jesus, and now he follows Him and preaches His loving, redeeming word! I'm sure there could be a long debate about Jesus' favorite trick, but I pick a smooth tre-flip. I love doing tre-flips, so I like to think that He would love to do them with me. Jesus loves us and wants to hang out with us. He wants to be friends with us. He had a huge following and always took care of those with Him, even if it was 5,000 people and He was tired, He still provided(Matt 14 and 15). Jesus would have skated any spot He rolled up on. He was always on the move. He would walk and take boats everywhere He went to tell the gospel. I would think He would do the same with skate spots. He went into places like Samaria (John 4:4-26) to share His message, where Jews were not welcome, so He would probably skate some hood spots too. Jesus met all sorts of people and spread His message to many people. He would skate a lot of different places and spread His message in the same way. Jesus Christ came not only for the notable, but for the notorious. He came not only for the loved, but for the lowlifes. No matter who we are, He wants to be our friend. No matter what we've done, He wants to be our friend. No matter where we are, He wants to be our friend.

A whore in church....

There is a phrase I had never heard of until I came to North Carolina. That phrase is "Sweatin' like a whore in church!" It's a phrase that shows up when the mercury begins to rise and the humidity sets in at the end of May, early part of June. I can say North Carolina is hot, and that is saying a lot coming from a guy born and raised in the swamp state of Florida. The phrase to me seemed a bit outlandish, but I laughed at the mental thought of a woman dressed in clear plastic high-heels, hot pink pleather short-shorts with top to match. Her sitting in the front pew sweating for the sins she knows she has committed and how Jesus will be there, first in line to send her to Hell. Sadly, it is not even close to what really happens with Jesus. Think to the story of when Jesus meets a woman of ill-repute (John 8:2-11) in a busy temple court as she is about to be stoned to death for the way she was living. Jesus didn't step into the situation to condemn her, but to save her. Not just save her from her evil ways, but later to save her soul by death on the cross. The woman who meet Jesus was a lowlife. She was dirty and used. She was despised for sins committed, and was near death for them. Jesus met her where she was, as she was. A sinner, like the rest of us. This brings me to our "whore in church." Our human nature is to point out the sins of another person, to feel better about ourselves and think that we are living a stronger spiritual life and we have the right to condemn "the whore in church." We have to be able to love whoever is in church. That means everyone! Even the woman with the mini-skirt and a heavily beaded brow of sweat. In church is where we find redemption and saving grace. A place where the stones should be dropped. A place where sins are forgiven and lives are transformed (2 Cor 5:17). The church should be a place of love. The only sweatin' in church should be from the A/C being busted.(Sidenote: A church is a place to be rebuked for sin, but it should be done firmly in love.) We are all sinners, we all have fallen short of the Glory of God. (Romans 3:23) It is this proverbial streetwalker whose sins are more prevalent than others; it makes it easier for us to judge. Sin is sin, a white lie all the way to murder; it's all the same in God's eyes. Everyone has the same chance for redemption, so if you are reading this and feel that you don't deserve to go to church, to be saved by God's saving grace, you are wrong. Jesus met the soon-to-be-stoned woman in a dire circumstance and told her to stop her sin and let her go. We make ourselves sweat with the circumstances we put ourselves in, but Jesus can wipe the sweat from our brow. Jesus meets us with love and saving grace! Jesus meets us where we are, no matter what we might have done in the past. That is not to say that our actions are not without consequences, but Jesus will forgive us regardless. Jesus loves us, no matter how much of a jacked up lowlife we are!