pastorpoet

When we have grown accustomed to accepting lies, simple truths become offensive.  

It’s interesting how uncomfortable we become when idols are toppled.  But, I want to suggest to us that this discomfort can be constructive and liberative. 

Shakespeare said, ‘oh, what tangled web we weave, when at first we practice to deceive…’ 

What a web we have woven!

Stitching together lies, layer by layer, until we’ve wound and wrapped ourselves into a comfortable shroud that chokes and constricts us, sapping us of our strength.  

We’ve often mistaken these silken strands for an illustrious garment, when in actuality, these are the shackles that will suffocate us.  Thus when challenged by any simple truth that may free us, we reject it for fear of nakedness.  Wrapped in the warmth of comfortable lies, we cling to grave clothes… dooming ourselves.

It takes courage to hear and acknowledge uncomfortable truths.  But this discomfort is constructive and liberative work! Pain and disillusionment are inevitable, but somehow worth it…

“…and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  

John 8:32

Open your eyes, your ears, and your heart!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

One of the toughest things we ever have to deal with is the fact that while God is gracious, there are consequences for our words and deeds.

Yes, God is gracious, but there are things that we wrestle with as a consequence for the words we’ve spoken and the deeds we’ve done. 

The grace is that we are still here.  The grace is that as we remain, we have the capacity to learn from and grow forward from these consequences.  The choice is ours.

As we are confronted with circumstances today, let’s rightly remember our past.  Let’s confess our faults and failures.  Let’s acknowledge our complicity to our circumstances. Let’s receive grace even through consequences and learn to be and do better…

Let’s resist the urge to rewrite the uncomfortable parts of our personal and shared pasts… Let’s remember rightly, so we can heal…

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 

James 5:16

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

While we are all certainly special and unique, our diversity must never be miscast as division that becomes a stumbling block to our unity and our ability to serve others well.

One of the great challenges of our humanity is the temptation to self-sort – to segregate ourselves – based upon our differences and proclivities.  Sadly, this tendency has become an albatross for the church.  

Our unity is integral to our identity and witness as followers of Jesus.  It is the answer to Jesus’ prayer:

I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 

John 17:23

Yes, we are many but we are of the one and same Spirit – graciously woven together by God. 

We are a tapestry that honors God’s creativity while also celebrating our uniqueness and diversity. 

We needn’t choose one or the other. 

We are many and we are one!

We are of the same Spirit!!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

If the same Spirit that raised Christ also quickens us, then it follows that this same Spirit will produce in us the virtue and character of Christ, yes? 

God’s word is true. The Holy Spirit 

dwells within all of those who by grace, have faith in Christ.  The seed of grace has been sown in our hearts.  Nursed and properly nourished,  this seed grows up into a hearty plant.  The seed becomes the plant, and when the plant matures, the plant bears fruit, yes?

The same Spirit that raised Christ, dwells in us.  The seed of grace has been sown.  The fruit will follow.  

What is this fruit? I’m glad you asked.

Paul wrote:

² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 

Galatians 5:22-23

The fruit of the Spirit is love. 

With all its emanations, the fruit of the Spirit is love…

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

When our minds are heavy with worry and anxiety, and when we’re tempted to despair, it may be that we have focused too much on what’s going on around us rather than who dwells within us…

The scriptural record is full of examples of God’s people beating the odds, overcoming obstacles, and achieving incredible goals. We draw strength from their witness, but there is no greater hope than the hope we have in the Resurrection of Jesus!

And, guess what? 

The same Spirit that raised Jesus is also at work in us!  As He got up, so do we!  Amid trials and struggles, from darkness and beyond despair,  we rise!  And, if you are reading these words, God has done it again!  

Now, let’s get up and get going!

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:11

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Everybody wants a friend when they need one.  When needs or crises arise, it is comforting to know that we have those who will respond to our calls.

In the midnight moments of our lives, no one wants to face them alone.  The companionship of a good friend becomes a cherished gift.

So, then, it must be that as we desire such a gift, we must also be willing to become one.  

No one wants a knock at midnight.  No one craves disruptions or inconveniences.  But for a friend – for our beloved – we welcome these.  

Though sometimes tiring, and often frustrating, friendship endures adversity, answers when called, and is available when needed.

Everybody wants a friend when they need one.  So, each of us should strive to be the friend that can be relied on when needed!  Get it?

God hears our knocks at midnight; Jesus hears our cries and calls.  The Spirit meets us in our neediness.

Now, go and BE the kind of friend you NEED! Midnight comes for all of us!

I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 

Luke 11:8

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Friendship is both a gift and a responsibility with coinciding elements that include both burdens and blessings. 

There’s little that is more encouraging than having someone remember a special day or having someone you can’t wait to call when something good happens.  There’s also little that is more comforting than having someone sitting with us when sorrows descend and grief visits us.

But in order to enjoy such comfort and encouragement, we must also be willing to be the one who shows up when we receive the call!

While sometimes inconvenient and often requiring time, energy, and resources , it is one of the most satisfying, gratifying, and humanizing investments we can ever make.  Friendship allows for the multiplication of joy and the division of sorrow.  Friendship is the ultimate win-win situation!

So, seek friendship but also make yourself a friend.  Show up. Make yourself available.  You may be astounded at how the rewards of friendship far outweigh any of its potential risks.  Friendship is not only worth it, but it adds meaning to our lives.

Do you need a friend?  Be one!

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:17

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

All of us need friends. We are not meant to go through life alone.  But instead of just searching for friends who share our interests or hobbies, perhaps we should ask God to send people into our lives who love and care about our souls.

It is a rare gift to encounter those who look out for us – not just in material ways – but who care about our souls.  When you encounter this type of friendship, we should hold onto, take care of, and cherish them as a gift!

To have someone who cares for our soul more than our feelings, who is not two-faced or duplicitous, who covets nothing but what is best for us, and who defends and speaks well of us even when we’re not in the room – this is a gift.

This is the friendship we encounter between Jonathan and David…

Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.  

1 Samuel 18:3

Thank God for those who love and care for our souls!  Thank God for the gift of friendship – this is soul care!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

We’ve been miseducated.  From very early on, we’ve been guided to base friendships on mutual affections and proclivities.  We learned to establish relationships with those with whom we shared common interests, hobbies, or at least backgrounds. 

It’s totally understandable. And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be around people ‘like’ us, who will agree with and affirm us.  But when our circle of friends becomes an echo chamber, we may be in trouble.

We need contrasts to create distinction. And distinction allows for clarity.  We need to be challenged, critiqued, and corrected every once in a while.  We need those who will say things that might make us uncomfortable but are actually meant for our good. We need friends who risk encountering our rage, rather than lie to us.  We need people who stretch us. We need friendships that provide creative tension that inspires us to grow.

Everyone who agrees with you is not your friend.  And everyone who disagrees is not an adversary.  Sometimes it’s the exact opposite!

The proverb writer says it like this:

⁶ Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. 

Proverbs 27:6

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam