Crucial Encounter

He died for you.

But He didn’t just die for you.

He died so we ALL had a chance at redemption.

Not just you.

Not just me.

All.

Every Sin.

Not just the ones we deem ‘forgivable’

It’s Pretty amazing.

We have all been saved and forgiven by HIS mercy grace and infinite Love.

Jesus Christ.

What a Mighty God we serve.

While I venture in to 2009, I am becoming very unsure about the American ‘Church Culture.’ and often times I feel like the Church is (As I’ve heard a lot this week) ‘Missing the Point’.  I need to remember, while the church may have some things wrong, I must remember that the message is the same.  It’s been the same for nearly 2000 years.  With all of the wrong-ness (is that a word?) that I feel about suburbanite church, I have to remember there is one constant Right.

While The Word can be twisted, screwed up, and taken out of context, there is one word that cannot be taken away.  I have to control my cynicism toward the church and make sure that I don’t direct that cynicism at God.  It’s a fine line, (As I feel that is how America has built it.) but I cannot and will not let that fog my vision.

My God is mighty to save.  And Thank God for that, because if he wasn’t I’d be on the first bus to Hell.  I have to remind myself, while I don’t agree with the suburban, churchy image, They deserve, or don’t deserve the love of Christ just as much as me.  The beauty of it all is, they are receiving it, just like I am.

My God is amazing, My God sees beyond walls, beyond the 10:30 service, and directly into my heart.  So, while I do attend Church, and while I do go to the 10:30 service, the most important thing to me is to keep my heart filled with love.  Love for him, love for my friends, family, the guy who sits next to me in church, and just as important as that, love for the poor, the marginalized, and my enemy.

It’s easy to get it twisted in this world.  It’s easy to point at a person and say, “I just REALLY wonder if they are reading the same Bible as me.”  It’s hard for me to kick myself in the ass and say, “Hey, that’s not your judgement call Andy.” I don’t know if any of this is making sense, because this is NOTHING how I had planned this blog.  I guess that’s (one of) the glorious and beautiful things about God. Perhaps what we all could use is a little biting of the tongue.  Perhaps we could all be silent for a little while and take away the good of any situation.  I’m no Solomon, but I’m sure if he read my blog, he might tell me to shut up.

As I go forward into 2009, My prayer is that I do not let my cynicism get in the way.  My prayer is that we all take a step back and look at OUR situation.  My prayer is we all stop pointing fingers, casting stones, and blaming the other guy.  My prayer is we take responsibility, accept God’s mercy and grace, and move on.  My prayer is that we realize we have no control over other people, how they handle situations, and we pray for them.  My prayer is to love.

This is my personal blog, and I have been on one hell of a journey recently.  I have learned a lot about churches, people, Jesus Christ and The Church.

While I write this blog, I know sometimes my opinions might change, and even my attitude towards somethings.  I have a tendency, especially here lately, to be overly cynical and exaggerative. I can sometimes take a minute feeling and blow it up into something huge.  I think we are all like that from time to time.  I enjoy being like that.  I call it imagination, other people might call it something else.

Of all of the things I say here that might change, I hope to God no one gets the wrong idea.  There is one thing that will never change, and that is the steadfast love of Jesus Christ.  That is what I am here to talk about.  The saving grace and mercy.  For you and for me.  For George W. Bush, and For Osama Bin Laden.  Jesus loves all of us, the same.

Pray for something today.  Pray for something awesome.  Pray for salvation.  Pray for our words out here in the interwebs.  Pray for life.  Pray for a family.  Pray for something.  I’ve been doing a lot of that myself lately, and it’s refreshing.

I’ll probably get back to some more ‘essay’ type posts at the beginning of ‘09.  What I want to do now, is pray, confess my sins, and pray.  I’ll be posting but it won’t be anything to intense.  Just updates and such. So.. WIth that said, I love my wife SOO much it’s insane.

I’m not one to brag, or speak highly of myself… basically because I’m far too awesome to do that.  Seriously.

Lately I feel like I am the most blessed person alive.  I have a job and it’s decent enough.  I don’t dread it most days.  I have an apartment, and some of the latest gadgets. (not that that shows blessings.)  My health is not bad aside from the occasional cold.  Oh, and by the way. HAVE YOU SEEN MY WIFE?  So many people poured their blessings and gifts onto us at our wedding.  Everything seems to be going friggin awesome!

As part of my life, I realize that there are ups and downs.  For the earlier part of my life I knew to expect the downs, so with all of this good there is only one thing I can think of.  Why?  Why is this so good.  Part of me is so paranoid it’s almost impossible to enjoy the good sometimes.  I feel like there is something waiting around the corner to pop me in the face.  You know that feeling?

With my dad’s looming health, the economy where it is, and 100 things that could crumble around me, I can’t help but be a little cynical in this entire ordeal.  I am a weak weak person.  My strengths are only because of the mercy of God.  My weaknesses have made those strengths almost obsolete at times.

What do I do about this?  In my mind, I know the best thing to do is to keep making myself stronger.  Keep my faith high, and praise higher.  Also in my mind I know I screw up.  More than you probably.  So, I just wish there were a sure fire way to make sure I am strong enough when the time comes.  I’m stubborn, so if I can translate that into strength then I’m good.

My prayer every night is for God to prepare me for what is around the corner.  For God to give me strength, when the bad weather comes, to wait it out.  For me to be able to hold strong in his undying love, even when I don’t feel like I can hold strong anymore.

See, now it’s not just me I have to worry about.  I have a wife.  A wife I made very strong vows to, and vows I will keep forever.  If you want to keep these thoughts in your prayers, I wouldn’t mind at all.

I was talking to Andrea last week,  when I told her I think this time of year screws with everyone.  At work, all of a sudden every single request or issue is a matter of life or death.  I honestly think that people let the season consume their lives.  I can probably say I’m guilty of this too.  Getting out to the stores, moving around people, and all of a sudden there is this sense of urgency in my life.  I can’t be 2 minutes late for church, I have to leave immediately, I can’t sit still.  You know the feeling?

I don’t know that this is the best way to celebrate the marked date for the birth of Christ.  I mean becoming a mob of a country from October (only getting earlier every year) all the way to January 1st.  We’re getting lost in shopping, marketing campaigns, and campaigns to “keep Christ in Christmas.”  Shortly after joining that campaign, we tackle a middle aged lady for a Tickle-Me-Elmo, then we run to the line to pay, when that little man jumps in front of us, so we proceed to curse him out.  Then we go to our over-heated homes, and every time we write the word, we put quotations around Christ.

If we are going to start a ‘Keep the Christ in Christmas Campaign’, are we doing it the right way?  Is Christ upset that people want to call it X-mas, or if people want to say “Happy Holidays”?  Personally, I think Jesus probably wouldn’t mind too much.  I don’t remember him ever really getting upset for people not giving him enough credit.  I imagine his desire for us is to love. (And I’m fairly sure tackling that middle aged lady probably isn’t what he had in mind.. no?)  So, if you are part of a keep ‘Christ’ in Christmas campaign, ask yourself, are you living it, or are you merely putting quotes around it?

Remember, the reason we celebrate this time of year is because God sent his only son to save us from our sins.  Not to put lights up, fight for the best parking space, and get our kids the biggest best gift.  Jesus was born, so 30 some odd years later he could carry MY sins on a cross, all the way to the grave, not to insure his name be engraved all over cards, t-shirts, and Facebook Groups.