Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 21 - In Danger of Hellfire

"When he had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, 'Hear and understand; 

Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth,

this defiles a man.'" Matthew 15:10-11

The concept most likely strikes you as odd nowadays, but there are provisions in the Mosaic Law (Torah) that divided animals/food into categories of clean and unclean. If you were to digest an unclean animal you were also deemed unclean, i.e. you sinned against God.

For those of us who follow Jesus, though, these regulations are no longer binding. For us, Jesus says, it is no longer the food that goes into our mouths but rather what comes out of it, our words, that cause our sin.

* WE NOW INTERRUPT OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED ADMONITION ABOUT CURSE WORDS TO BRING YOU THIS SPECIAL BULLETIN*

Some people, no most people, have a set of words that you are not allowed to say, in any situation, ever, and in their minds it is these particular words that make you sin. I personally think that it is the way you use your words, not their particular power, positive or negative. Screaming an 'obscenity' when you hit your thumb with a hammer may not cause you to sin, but calling someone stupid just may. Why? When you degrade someone you are negating the Spirit of God in that person. When you call someone ugly you are forgetting their creation in the image of God. When you exclude someone you are excluding a child of God. When you say F*^k when you hit your thumb you are saying a word. Do you see the difference?

+ Do you have a list of words you don't say?

+ How did you choose your list?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 20 - The Mustard Promise

"Another parable He put forth to them saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed,

which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds,

but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the

birds of the air come and nest in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32

One could argue that in the kingdom of God little things mean a lot. Or rather little things are only little at the beginning, and then They Start To Take Over The World!

It's true, in any sense of the word, Christian faith started less than 2000 years ago as an offshoot of Judaism [which incidentally means we shouldn't be jerks to Jews] in a relatively small part of the Middle East. Within several hundred years it rose to be held by the Emperor of Rome. What started in a manger has been held in shacks and mansions and under bridges and in castles. It has changed families and towns and countries. It has spread to every corner of the globe, and is still moving.

And yet, it moves fastest and operates best when it happens in small ways, like a mustard seed.

Which says to me, that it is not the size of the church or the bigness of your deeds, but rather what happens in the moment and what is done in the secret that changes the world. Which I think this one guy, a long long time ago said.

But, what difference could one guy make, really?

+ Have you ever discounted your contribution?

+ If you attend/lead a small church have you doubted your reach?

+ After reading this, do you need to change your view?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 19 - Lay Down Yours, Pick Up His

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle

and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

What is Jesus saying? What is he asking of us? What is he offering us?

At base he is saying that we have been working under a teaching/philosophy/religion/way of life that has beaten us down. We are attempting to accomplish what is not possible for us to accomplish. 

Paul wrote chapters and books about the impossibility of following the law. Paul also talks about Jesus doing all the work of faith in us, yet we still think it is all about us. 

Is it pride? Or just arrogance? Are we misguided? Or just plain stupid?

That might sound harsh, maybe it is, but Jesus says his yoke is easy, his burden is light. We burden ourselves with guilt and regret. We think when we say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, even think the wrong thing that we are excluded from God's love. Jesus' teaching comes down to one word, love. Love for us. Love from us. When we love we follow God's plan. When we love we follow God's law. When we love we are loved by God. When we don't, God still loves us.

+ What laws do you always fail to follow?

+ Are they laws of love? Or are they laws of men?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 18: Little Things Mean a Lot

"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of water in the name of a disciple,

assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." Matthew 10:42

'I get so distracted by my bigger schemes

show me the importance of the simple things

like a word, a seed, 

a thorn, a nail

and a cup of cold water' - Chris Rice - The power of a moment

It's not really much, a cup of cold water, but such a simple thing done in the love of Christ becomes something with the potential to change the world. 

Let that sink in, that is TRUTH.

Unfortunately it is a truth that we often find to be elusive to hold on to, We stretch for the big things, often looking for the 'next big thing' when the small things are what matter. But there's the salaries and the budgets and the offering plates, and believe me, I know the importance of such things, but the truth of the matter it that such things have little importance in the kingdom if the focus isn't on life change and love share.

Jesus told us we could move mountains, but he told us we should love all. Part of love, whether we like it or not, is giving food to a person who is hungry or a cup of cold water to someone who is thirsty.

+ In what ways do you focus on the big to the determent of the small?

+ What small things have you done with big significance?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 17: The Compassion Fail

"Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few." Matthew 9:37

I've said it before, I'll say it again, context is very very important when reading the Bible, especially the words of Jesus, so...

"When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." 9:36

Jesus looks out and the crowd and he hurts for them. He hurts for them because they are hurting, and he knows God can be of help to them if there were people who would move in God's name. He looks around and sees 12 men and questions if that's enough.

2000 or so years later and there are even more people who are hurting and if I were Jesus I may wonder why. After all, there are upwards of 30,000 Christian denominations in this world, an almost incalculable amount of churches, millions of pastors and lay leaders and really, not much has changed.

I wonder if Jesus would look down at us and ask us why. Why we don't have more compassion for the hurting? Why we don't show his love better? Why are there so many workers yet the harvest has not been brought in? 

+ When you hear/read scripture do you look at its larger context?

+ Do you agree that there are a lot of workers?

+ Do you agree with my critique of the church?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 16: Asking for what's right

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

Matthew 7:7-8

Dear Lord, I would like a million bucks. Or, how about just a trip around the world. Or, the money and a boat to make the trip. Actually, better make it a couple million, after all I don't want to run out and have to ask for more. Amen.

I've never really asked for such things, have you?

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say you haven't either. Nor would we, right?

Personally I look at these verses in light of the way that Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:9-13. In that prayer, which is truly amazing if you pay attention to what Jesus is doing, Jesus makes a point to declare, 'Thy will be done.' I think most of us realize that it is not God's will for us all to be millionaires. So what should we do?

We should think about what we want, then think about what God may want. If they do not line up, come up with something different to ask for, but if they do, IF they do, ask and it will be given.

+At times when you haven't gotten what you asked, seeked, knocked for did you have a disconnect between your will and God's will?

+ What steps can you take to align the two of them?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 15: The Universal Rule

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, 

for this is the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:21

Ah, the golden rule.

Did you know that every major religion has a variation of the golden rule among their various scriptures or great teachers' sayings?

To me, that fact stresses the universal importance of treating people how you would like to be treated.

Which makes me think of picket signs that read 'God Hates Fags'.

It makes me think of 'definitions of marriage'.

It makes me think of piles of Korans on fire.

It makes me think of boycotts and email forwards.

It makes me think of a woman's place.

It makes me think of slaves obeying masters.

It makes me think of lynchings.

It makes me think of protests against desegregation.

It makes me think of wars partly due to the need to subjugate one to another.

It makes me think of Crusades and crusades.

It makes me think of inquisitions.

It makes me think of the poor without lunch,
the homeless without shelter,
the needy without help.

And it makes me think of a cross, and I weep.

+ What does it make you think?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 14: The Worry Issue, Part 2

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. 

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:34

Wow, this has been one of those weeks when this statement has been truer than true. Each day has had enough trouble of its own, yet it has been difficult to not worry about what is coming next. Sometimes it seems that life speeds up and the things you have to deal with seem to bunch up. But what can we add by worrying?

This week has also been a prime example of the fact that most of the time it is not the things that you consciously worry about that give you pause and pain. It is, rather, the events that you do not see coming that drives you to tears, and hopefully to your knees.

As I said, it is difficult to not worry about tomorrow or the next day or the next week or the next month or the next year. At the same time if we can get to the point where we do not our lives will be less stressful and more focused in the moment, which I think is what Jesus really wants for us.

+ Has worrying ever been helpful to you?

+ If not, why do you continue to do it?

+ What has helped you to worry less? 

[If you are able to answer this question, please comment below, I need all the help I can get]

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 13: The Mirror

"Judge not, that you be not judged." Matthew 7:1

Well, once again we find ourselves at one of those pesky 'if then' promises. And if we are honest, this is the one that trips us up the most. People are always trotting this one out. Sometimes they do it to comment on the actions of someone else. Sometimes they use it to defend their actions. Neither is its intended use. 

What this scripture is, is a mirror. We hold it up and look into it and decide whether or not we want to be judged the way we are judging others: their clothes, their attitude, their actions, their words, their lifestyles, their mistakes, their choices, their sins.

Jesus tells us, rightly so, that the manner we judge others will be the manner in which we are judged, at the least. Often times we are judged even more harshly than we judge. To that end, I choose to err on the side of showing too much grace, that grace may be shown to me.

+ How have you used this scripture in the past? To elevate self? To condemn others?

+ Do you need to reevaluate your usage?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 12: The Worry Issue

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 

and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33

Once again, we find ourselves at a 'verse island', much like the verse touting perfection.

This time the context is a section of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is admonishing us to not worry. He speaks about the birds of the air always having food. He talks about the beauty of the flowers and our concern about clothing. Jesus says that pagans run after these things but God knows that we need them.

Then Jesus says the above verse.

Jesus understands that our normal operating procedure is to fret about our physical needs and social 'needs' and neglect our spiritual needs. Jesus instead implores us to first be concerned with our spiritual needs, and if we are then God will add our other needs to what we already have. 

If we're honest we'll admit how hard it is to focus on the spiritual side of things instead, but at the same time that should be our ultimate goal.

+ What needs do you put before your spiritual ones?

+ What first step can you take to focus on God's kingdom before those other needs?

On the Way to the Way 9: Let's go for a walk together

If I were to guess I would say that there will be more posts from the in-between, but for today I would like to jump to the very end of Charles Foster's The Sacred Journey.

The Buddha's last word to his disciples were "Walk on."

The first words of Jesus to his were rather different: "Follow me."

Jesus said some other things, too, but as a summary of the four Gospels,

"Let's go for a walk together" is not bad. pg. 212

Now that is a great summary of the gospels, no more so it is a great summary of the entirety of Christianity. All that this [religion/philosophy/way of life] really boils down to is a decision to talk a walk with Christ. Yet, we manage to gum up the works with so much fluff: rules, regulations, doctrines, creeds, commandments, hoops to jump through, classes you much attend, an amount of money you must give each week. It's no wonder really that so many people decide against taking that particular walk, especially since they are never told that, that is what Christianity really is.

 I find myself wondering from time to time how many people have decided against Jesus because of my actions. I have spoken very highly of Jesus for some time, talked about what he taught us, and yet so often I fail to miss the mark. At the base of most of my current writings is the hope that my transparency about my failings might make up for all the previous times when I claimed I had none. 

I know, its a weird way of looking at things, but I honestly believe that if we [Christians/disciples/followers of Jesus/those on the walk] were more honest about the way we screw up more people would be willing to listen to what we have to say. Instead we too often act high and mighty, holier than thou, better than those who don't claim Jesus, which honestly couldn't be further from the truth, because we fake it, and they are usually honest about their failings.

Let's go for a walk together. A walk that is never easy and is never perfect. A walk that will have twists and turns, ups and downs, and the occasional pit stop and u-turn. But if we decide to walk with Jesus, be it for a specific 500 mile walk, or for the journey of our life we are promised that we will never be alone. It's a promise that should be especially meaningful to us, especially in our current times of disconnection.

Burn Camino,
Pastor K

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 11: Good for Good's Sake

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.

Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matthew 6:1

There is an episode of Thomas and Friends where Henry, the green engine, goes about attempting good deeds so that those he serves will praise him. Inevitably everything he does goes sideways and instead of being praise he is chastised. At the very end of the episode Henry finally does something good with no hoped for outcome and he is finally praised.

This is what Jesus is talking about, if we perform our deeds, do them so that people will see them, they will see and they may praise, but we will not get approval from our creator. On the other hand, if we do good so that good may be done, if we do good so that others lives will be enhanced, if we do good in secret we will be blessed beyond the moment and beyond the shouts of praise. Instead we will be bless in our heavenly Father/Mother's eyes. And that praise will be louder, clearer, and ever lasting.

+ Have you ever been guilty of doing something for momentary praise?

+ How did it turn out?

+ What about when you have done good in secret?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 10: A Treasure of What?

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, 

where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 

where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Did you know that there are people who read this literally? People who think that Jesus meant that they should store honest to goodness treasure in heaven. And as they live their daily lives doing various good things they are amassing a treasure trove in heaven. As if wealth is something that will matter when we cross from life unto life.

What Jesus is saying is pretty straight forward and it is found at the very end. Where our treasure is, is where are hearts are. If we have a Scrooge McDuck moneybin it will be what is most important to us. If we instead live for others and for God our heart will be for others and for God. 

I've never been a rich man and I doubt I ever will be, but what I lack in monetary funds I make up for in wealth. The wealth of love, of family, of friends, and of faith.

+ What do you hold most dear? Is it an object? A person? Your faith?

A Pastor Sits Down

I had planned on skipping church this Sunday. The entire week it was my plan to sleep in, to stay away. But then I realized something, I still love Jesus. Which led me to church Sunday morning.

We were in Ohio, visiting Mary's family mainly for Father's day, though there were a few visits to the county fair also, so I went to the church Mary grew up in. I have been there multiple times, we have even preached a revival there several years ago. But this time was different, it was bound to be.

Until Sunday morning it has been almost 2 full years since I had been in a Sunday morning service that I was not in charge of. I have been in Christmas Eve services and convention worship services, but not in a pew on Sunday morning.

So, I woke up, with a desperate desire to go roll over and go back to sleep, instead I got up and got ready to go to church. Shortly after I exited from the bathroom the first difference occurred, I put on jeans and a pair of tennis shoes. I had been moving my Sunday morning attire toward casualness since I first started at Linton. I started in a suit and tie, then dropped the jacket and wore a shirt and tie, then I dropped the tie and wore a button up shirt, then I dropped down to a polo, and then dropped down to wearing sandals in the warm months. If I were still there I assume I would have one day worn jeans in the pulpit, maybe in my next church.

In retrospect I suppose the previous comment about the first difference isn't really true, because I didn't have to consider what I was going to be speaking on during the week and I didn't have to sit down at a computer and put together my random thoughts into a sermon outline either. I didn't have to leaf through a hymnal in hopes of finding songs I knew well enough to sing but hadn't sung within the last month or so. I didn't have to go to sleep early on Saturday thinking about the 2+ hour drive to church in the morning. And I didn't have to go to sleep concerned about whether or not the sermon would bomb. So, really differences abounded already.

So we got in the car and drove to church. And I shook a few hands and said a few hellos and then I sat down, next to my son, whom I haven't sat next to in a church service since last summer when Mary preached at Linton, and that was only during the sermon and Henry was quite a bit less mobile and vocal. Within 30 seconds or so I came to have a new appreciation for all that Mary has had to endure on Sunday mornings when I have been standing and singing and praying and preaching.

We sang praise choruses, something that I have done quite sparingly at Linton, since most of my congregation did not know them and I only had a pianist in spurts. We sang songs I knew and songs I did not, and whenever I felt like it I could stop singing, or just listen til I could jump in confidentally. There were several spoken prayers, none of which I had to give, quite possibly my least favorite aspect of being a pastor.

A sermon was preached and I didn't have to give it, in fact I didn't have to even pay attention to it, which was good because several times I was chasing Henry or trying to contain Henry or trying to get Henry to be quiet.

Oh, and I won a chair. Upon arrival all the dads were given a ticket and four numbers were drawn to win a lawn chair. Earlier my sister in law said how each year guests would usually win, she was correct, because I was the first winner and 2 other winners Mary didn't know. If I had been at Linton on Sunday morning I would have most likely have received a small gift-card, much like every other male member.

There was a lot less stress Sunday morning as opposed to the last 100 or so Sundays. It was weird and different and sad and nice. I'm not sure if I'll be in church this coming Sunday or not, Mary is going to be leaving for Oklahoma City and I'm not sure I want to attempt church with just me and Henry quite yet, but I guess I will be the Sunday after that.

Peace and Love,
Pastor K

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 9: Out of Context

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48

OK, just a minute. 

Perfect? 

Perfect? 

What does that mean?

Well friends, this is a prime example of taking a verse of the Bible out of context. You see, this lovely verse comes at the end of a section that is talking about loving your enemies. Jesus goes on to say, that if you only love those who love you, you are no better than cheaters. If you only do good to those who do good to you, or like you, or are like you, you are no different than those that do not love God. But...be perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Which means that to love some people is imperfect, while to love all people is to be perfect, to be God-like.

GOD LOVES ALL!!!!!!! [I'd write that bigger if blogger would let me.]

And we are commanded, no we are begged to also love all.

Later Jesus will say that people will know that we are his followers not by our holiness, not by our ability to follow rules, nor our memorization of scripture, not by our apologetics or talent to condemn, but by our love.

+ Do you believe loving ALL is right?

+ Do you believe it is attainable?

+ Who are you currently not loving? How can you start loving them right this instant?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 8: Give Peace a Chance

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9

Here is where it gets tricky, because different people read peacemakers to mean very different things. Some people take it to mean world peace, i.e. the are against war. Others take it to mean that you shouldn't be hostile in your personal relationships. Personally I believe that it means both and, I say that we should oppose war in all its forms, personal, communal, corporately, worldwide.

Wherever you fall on the spectrum I believe the greater point is that should we seek peace in its various forms we will be children of God.

It's not comfort, or being filled. It's not getting mercy or inheriting the Earth. It's not even being in the kingdom or seeing God. It is becoming God's children. That seems like a reward worth receiving if you ask me.

So go and make peace and be peaceful.

+ How do you define peace?

+ How do you make (work for, fight for) peace?

+ What does being called a child of God mean to you?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 7: A Child's Heart?

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8

I have mourned. I have shown mercy. I hunger and thirst for righteousness. I am occasionally meek (gentle). And God knows I have been poor in the spirit. But I must confess that I don't remember the last time I was pure in heart, heck, not even the last time I had pure intentions.

This leads me to the conclusion that I am glad Jesus listed more than one beatitude. This way, Jesus hits everyone he is speaking to, hits them to their core. If I was put on the spot, I might point to childhood as a possible time of being pure in heart.

I look at Henry and think, perhaps he is, at least sometimes. There can be a storm of events raging around him, yet his focus remains on his toy or his Cheerios or his blanket. And I wonder if he occasionally sees God. If he does I know that by the time he is old enough to express it he will have forgotten, because if I was and I did I no longer recall.

+ What does pure in heart mean to you?

+ What thoughts or questions does it bring to mind?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 6: The Desire not the Attainment

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6

Righteousness is not a word that we use often in this day and age, a quick look online shows me that it is the quality of being morally right, yet another source, says moral perfection. Now, that is a startlingly large gap between right/justifiable and perfect. In light of Jesus words though, in either case it is not about the actuality of being morally right or perfect, but rather about the desire to be so.

In other words, its not about what you already are, but rather about what you want to be. You may not be perfect, but do you wish you were?

You may screw up from time to time, but do you want to be better?

That is the place Jesus concerns himself with: the heart, the desire, the dream. And to those who do desire such, Jesus promises that one day we will reach the ideal location. It is an eschatological [end of all] hope and an eschatological promise.

+ Do you desire to do better or be perfect?

+ Do you trust Jesus to one day fulfill his promise?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 5: You Get What You Give

"Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7

You know what's annoying?

All the times that God's gifts are contingent on our actions. I'm sure we'll get to more of them, but we start here, with mercy.

Who is shown mercy? Those who show mercy. The way we act is the way that we are acted upon. Friends, that is a very scary proposition. Just ask yourselves how often do you show mercy, how often are you merciful? Conversely, how often do you hold grudges, how often, a la Garth Brooks, do you bury the hatchet but leave the handle sticking out?

If I were to look only at my marital relationship I could easily point out at least as many times as I have been unmerciful as I have shown mercy, and that's just one relationship with the one person I have chosen to spend my life with. Most others have much less attachment to me, thus I am less concerned with how much mercy I show them.

That is not good.

+ If God only shows you how much mercy you show, how much will there be?

+ How does the contingent verses make you view God and God's love differently? Do they?

On the Way to the Way 8: Standing on Holy Ground, Where God Breaks Through

There's nothing heretical about the idea of a particular sacred place. 

Yes, there is a sense in which everything is sacred - the veil between the sacred and the secular has been ripped down. But that doesn't mean that sanctity doesn't bubble up

particularly vigorously in certain places. - pg xvii The Sacred Journey by Charles Foster

Some months ago I wrote about pilgrimage and whether or not there are in fact holy places, or if all places are holy. If you read that particular blog you will know that I came out on the side of all ground being holy. In particular I wrote about Moses and the burning bush, about how God tells Moses he is standing on Holy Ground and the idea that the ground was always holy, God was merely alerting Moses to that information.

Let me now say that I still think that. God created the world and said that it was 'good'. God made it, that makes it holy. In the same way I believe that you and I are holy also, we have merely lost our way and forgotten that fact, Jesus came to remind us, sadly we, mostly, still don't believe it. To that end I can sit here in my home office in a chair that used to reside in my church office and I can be in the presence of God. By and large, though, I am not. 

The reason I am not, in my opinion, is because of all the trappings of life that surround me. Which is a large part of the reason I am eager to go on pilgrimage, to finally release some of the fluff of life. But that is not the only reason. There is a new book by Brian McLaren titled We Make the Road By Walking which I am planning on purchasing very soon, so no, I have not read it, but I believe in the title. We make the road by walking. The destination is only as important as the journeys that were undertaken to get there.

If that is true, then the places people journey too are enhanced by the amount of people journing there. The score of people who have interacted with those along the path. The blood and sweat and tears of hundreds/thousands/millions of pilgrims have mixed with the air and mud and paths along the way. The many prayers have mixed with the wind and rain. Their feet and their bodies have made impressions on the ground. All of this tells me that the places, where people gather to touch God, are holy because people have gathered to touch God. It's the same thing that makes sanctuaries holier than the parking lot outside. 

It is possible that many days from now when I finish the long journey I have yet to physically start I may have a different opinion, but for this moment I will stand by the possibility that all ground is holy but that sometimes in some places God breaks through a little easier and clearer than in others.

Buen Camino,

Pastor K

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 4: To be Gentle

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the Earth." Matthew 5:5

He who dies with the most toys wins.

Right?

Well, no, not really, but he/she could.

You see, in reality it is not about how many or how few toys you have, it is about your attitude concerning those toys and everything else in your life. When Jesus says that the meek will inherit, he is saying that those who are gentle will gain.

Those gentle with their wealth or poverty.

Those gentle with their spouses, with their children, with their friends, with their employees, employers, coworkers and customers.

Those gentle behind the wheel of their car.

Those gentle in line at Wal-Mart.

Those gentle with children and animals.

Those gentle with creation.

Those gentle with everyone and everything they come into contact with.

In other words, not me, and most likely not you. At least not yet.

+ Do you attempt to be gentle?

+Why or why not? 

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 3: Shelter in (not from) the Storm

"Blessed are those who mourn: for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

What are you mourning today?

Is it a loved one? My dad has been gone over 30 years and I still mourn him from time to time.

Perhaps it is a relationship, or a job you really loved.

Perhaps it was a missed opportunity, a path not taken, a life never really lived.

You may not be in the midst of full out sackcloth and wailing mourning, but that doesn't mean you aren't occasionally suffering due to some kind of loss.  I believe Jesus spoke of mourners being comforted because he deeply understood loss even as early as the Sermon on the Mount may of happened.

We have no mention of Joseph past the glimpse into Jesus' [roughly] 12 year old life, so it's safe to assume he is no longer around. 

Later on Jesus will speak about a prophet being welcomed everywhere, except in his hometown. Jesus could go home again, but it wasn't that welcoming.

The beauty of it is, that if Jesus understood the pain of mourning, he also understands the pain you are feeling. And if he understands it, he wants to help you get through it.

+ What are you mourning?

+ How has God comforted you? in the past? in the moment? through prayer? through others?

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 2: The Kingdom for the Pauper

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3

Don't pretend that you don't know what Jesus is talking about. I know you've done it, because I have, but I've also had those times when I have been poor in spirit, haven't you?

You may be in one of those moments right now, one where you are doubting God's love or maybe one where you may even be doubting God's existence. Let me be the one to let you know that it doesn't make God angry, God's not going to throw a lighting bolt down on you, God's not even going to disown you. 

I can say this with certainty because of what Jesus said just north of my writing. The poor in spirit own the kingdom. The rich man has no concern for his next meal, but the single mom waiting for food stamps does. In the same way the spiritually full person doesn't understand their need, but those of us in spiritual poverty get it. And if we get it, we can receive it.

+ What caused you time(s) of spiritual poverty?

+ How has God shown himself to you in previous times?

Pastor Without a Pulpit

I've though long and hard about changing the name of this blog. After all, I am no longer a pastor, at least not in the conventional sense. I may be one in the not so distant future, I don't know, but currently I am a pastor without a pulpit.

Or am I?

I friend reminded me this morning that there are people who are reading my blogs that may not attend church. And there are others who attend church but at times find something lacking in the traditional concept of church. There are others who attend church and absolutely love it in its entirety, but may come to my blogs looking for something a little extra. To some of you, perhaps I am still a pastor.

In addition...

I have been having dinner every so often with a good friend who has an unconventional ministry, he pastors pastors, in truth I don't know if he would consider it a ministry or not. He has a group of pastors that he communicates with, sometimes one on one, sometimes in larger numbers, and he pours into us, in part by letting us unload on him. [Believe it or not, a pastor usually doesn't have many people to confide in] My friend was telling me of another pastor friend of his who has been having difficulty with the whole 'church' thing. He told me that this guy has a group of people that has come around him, and that is where he is often most alive. My friend told me that he told this other guy, that is where you have church. And this, is where I currently have church.

So...

I guess what I am trying to say is that the title stays the same, because I may not have a physical pulpit I stand behind currently, but the keyboard does just fine.

Peace and Love,
Pastor K

Red Letters/Black Letters: Day 1: Go Fish

Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19

A shake.

A splash.

And a whole lot of waiting.

That is what comes to mind when I think about fishing.

In this day and age, as in days gone by, most fishing is done with a rod and a reel, but this is not the fishing of Peter and James and John. Their fishing was done in nets and was evaluated not on the size of a single fish [it was THIS big] but rather on the quantity of fish. They didn't fish to have lunch, they fished for a job, to sell their fish, to survive, and to live.

I wonder if Jesus' offer to be fishers of men has been limited in our minds because of the way we understand the illustration. And so we get a person here and a person there to believe, while Peter gets 3000 (Acts 2:41). I don't know if we can accomplish that, but let's let God decide how big the catch is, instead of us.

+ Which vision of fishing comes to mind when reading this statement: a rod and a reel or a net?

+ What will it take for you to broaden your mind of what is and is not possible?

Red Letters/Black Letters: It's Coming

The first why:

If you are like me you may be asking yourself, 'Why in the world does Kenny need yet another blog?' This is a fair question. I could in fact fold in the posts that will appear in this space into my original blog, but I have chosen not to. Why? Because every single post on this page will have a concurrent theme, whereas my other blog is rather scatter shot.

The what:

After reading the previous paragraph your next question may be along the lines of, 'OK, let's say we give you the benefit of the doubt and allow a third [THIRD!] blog, what exactly will this unifying theme be?' Again, another fair question. In simplest terms, this blog is a devotional. Each post will start with words that Jesus spoke that are recorded in the Bible. After the scripture will be a devotion that is written off the cuff. Say what? What I mean by off the cuff is that there will be no in depth study of the scripture, I will not consult commentaries or books or anything but the corners of my mind [and my years of study and my faithwalk]. After said devotion, there will be a series of questions, sometimes just one, sometimes many. The point of these questions is to get you, the reader, to think more deeply about what I said and ultimately what Jesus said.

The second why:

So, now that you know why a third blog, and what it is going to entail you may be thinking something like this, 'Why are you doing this in the first place?' The million dollar question. I suppose it goes back to shortly after the beginning of the year when I had the brilliant idea of writing a devotional booklet for my church to go through in order to have a 'spiritually intense' month. It was to be a month of study and prayer and fasting. And it was a big task, one which soon got me thinking that I couldn't do it on my own. I then set out to recruit help in the writing, I asked many friends of mine, both within and without the world of ministry, and got a grand total of two devotions. I was once again responsible for the writing of at least 27 devotions, without having a clear concept of what they would be about, except I had some idea about a unifying theme of journeys.

Several months passed and I had a total of 8 devotions, 2 that were written by friends and 6 that I had written myself. I was beginning to think that the task was just too big until I decided to go to Half Price Books one day in order to sell a handful of items I no longer wanted or needed. As I was perusing the shelves, waiting for the buyers to decide how much my stuff was worth [$10 if you're curious] I came across an oddly lone copy of a devotional titled The Sayings of Jesus. I say 'oddly lone' because it was sitting on one of their end-caps, which are usually reserved for books they have multiple copies of. It may be that they had a plethora of these journals and they were sold one after another until this lone copy remained. Or, it could be that someone came across it in another place and decided not to buy it and placed it down in the closest free space. Whatever the case I decided that it might be good for me to buy, and I did, accounting for more than half of the money I was about to receive.

I got it home and after awhile I decided that I would begin writing each day and after a month I would have a devotional ready for my church. After a little more thinking I decided why not share it with the rest of the world after my church has benefited, hence the decision to do it in the form of a blog. But, if you have been paying attention to Facebook, and since you are reading this I assume most of you have, I no longer have a church. So, now the only people who will read/gain from this devotional is you, my online community of friends.

The How:

I am two weeks into the journal, so starting tomorrow I will be sharing one blog a day for the next 100 or so days.

The final why: 

You may not always agree with the way I read the text, and I welcome your interpretations. Feel free to comment when I say something you think is crazy, or if you prefer just track me down on Facebook or email and complain to me personally.

On the other hand what I have to say [type] may strike a chord in your heart and help you to understand what our Jesus has been trying to say to you. Again, feel free to comment or track me down. It is my fervent hope that you will be inspired by what I and Jesus have to say.

Thanks for showing up, we start tomorrow. Walk with me as I walk with Jesus.

Blessings to us all.

On the Way to the Way 7: Another Step and Another Step

"Arrival is less important than the journey." 

pg. xvi The Scared Journey by Charles Foster

Have you ever been in the midst of the journey and then was forced to take a u-turn? It may have been because of your decision or your mistake. It may have been because of another you are journeying alongside. It may have been due to circumstances beyond your control, perhaps the road was under construction. For whatever reason you had to turn back and the journey somewhere new turned into just another journey home.

Or perhaps you did take a journey and ended up in the correct location but it just wasn't what you thought it was going to be. This happened once to Mary and I. We set out for a little town that was supposed to be a throwback to times long gone. It was touted as an experience that was worth having. In fact you could even take a train there, but we decided to drive, mainly because the train tickets were just so expensive. And so one Saturday we got in our car and drove down Indiana's country roads and around her curves and up her hills. We arrived at this quaint little tourist town that had been hit hard by the economic downturn. There were more buildings unoccupied as occupied. And what was left was not really worth the trip.

So we set off again to another destination which was better than the first but still not as great as we hoped. As we once again left a sub-par destination we started talking about how much we enjoyed the journey, how meaningful the conversations, how enjoyable the detours were, and how even though the places weren't grand we most likely wouldn't forget them because we experienced them together.

Foster goes on to say, "This is because, if the journey is a walk with the Yahweh-man, there is an important sense in which you have arrived already." This is important to remember on pilgrimage, but it is also important to remember in every area of your life as well. If you walk with the Yahweh-man you never walk in vain, no matter the detours and no matter the destination.

I know that even if you are walking with the Yahweh-man it does not assure a perfect trip or that you will reach your destination or time, or ever, but I also know that when you walk with him things have a tendency to ultimately work out. This is hard to remember when the detours occur, it is hard to remember in the midst of the storm, but that doesn't make it less true.

Buen Camino,
Pastor K

Books, Trains, and Tantrums

Today Henry and I ventured, for the first time, to the public library's Baby Play Day for children birth to 2. We have been thinking about going for several months. At first we did not because of the most evil winter that beset Anderson Indiana this year. Then we did not because we simply forgot. Then we did not because I did not want to. But, today we did.

We arrived a little early at the library, partly to find out where the room we would be meeting in was and partly to log Henry's first 100 minutes of reading [being read to] for the library's summer reading program. We got to pick out a book, Henry couldn't decide between one about dinosaurs and one about fire truck's, so we got the dinosaur one because it was more story and rhyming based. Then we wandered the children's section for a little bit, coming across a nice book on trains. I may have mentioned it before, but if I have not Henry is currently obsessed with trains. He loves watching Thomas and Chuggington. He loves playing with his many varied trains, some wood, some plastic, some pull-back, some motorized, some that are bath toys, which he occasionally wants to sleep with.

As we wandered the children's section Henry was a bit skittish around people, so when the time came for the Play Day, I hoisted Henry up and asked him if he wanted to do this or not. Upon hearing no argument against I decided to venture into the room of parents and children. We were almost immediately greeted by the nice Librarian Lady that was in charge, and Henry immediately turned and clung to my neck as if the ship was sinking and I was the life-jacket. This at once caused me some hesitation, but I decided to hang in there for at least a handful of minutes and see if things got better.

We proceeded to sit on the floor, Henry sitting on my lap as close to my chest as possible without being a tumor. More moms and kids came in [I was the only Dad their without a Mom also] and Henry would look at the rooms new occupants, and then quickly look away. I being the great dad that I am was whispering in Henry's ear, "It's all right buddy, you're fine." After a few minutes the Librarian Lady got up and welcomed everybody and said that the kids were free to play where and how they liked. There was a water table, an area with big blocks [where a big brother was building a tower and his little brother was knocking it down], there was a table with trains [which I knew would be our final destination if Henry ever risked getting off my lap], there were books and cars and other toys galore scattered around the room, and there was a board with a laminated moon and cow and dog and cat and dish and spoon.

After her announcement the nice Librarian Lady came into our general area and started pushing cars in the direction of Henry and a few other close by children that were in similar states. At first Henry watched the cars pushed in his direction, but after a few well placed pushes Henry got tentatively up from my lap and pushed a car back, and then grabbed a purple pickup truck with a nice smile and started really playing. About this time a friend of mine walked in, so I was also a slight bit less uncomfortable, until Henry decided to get another car by means of stepping on my friend's 11 month old daughter. Luckily neither mother nor daughter seemed to be that concerned with Henry's feet.

About then a little boy came over and started pulling the laminated objects off of the board and while paying attention to Henry stepping on Julia I got a laminated dog up the side of my head. I gently smiled and handed the flying dog back to the little boy, which proceeded to grab the moon and throw it at me as well. He was a cute kid with a little button of a nose and curly blond hair so I decided to retaliate by tripping him. OK, not really, he accidentally tripped on my shoe, but I told my friend I did it on purpose. Shortly thereafter another little boy came up and decided to take Henry's purple truck away, I assume it was because he was already carrying another purple pickup in his other hand and the twin trucks needed to chat a bit. This cause not a little amount of anger in my 18 month old son, so I decided to steer him away to the train table.

The train table was roughly 6 feet by 5 feet, which is quite big when the average child is 12 inches wide. And sitting on this 6 feet by 5 feet table was roughly one billion trains, only about half of which were currently in use, so obviously Henry had to stand right next to a girl who was not between the age of birth and 2 and attempt to steal her train. I attempted to convince Henry he could just as easily play with one of the other trains, but the little girl's trains were more appealing to my little boy's eyes. After a minute or two the girl decided that this train wasn't really worth her time and departed the train table and let my little bully get his way. And for about 30 seconds all was right with the world.

Until of course a bigger bully decided that Henry's trains were now the most attractive ones at the table, and proceeded to try and take them. Once again I tried to convince Henry there were other fish in the sea, train wise, but it was not working. Luckily he who must not be named's mom was there and tried to force the little boy to share. We then proceeded to each say that our perspective little monsters were not used to being around other children and hence neither really knew how to share. All this accomplished, of course, was that for the next 15 minutes to 10 hours each boy attempted to steal the others trains over and over again, until they were separated and played by peacefully by themselves until once again they decided that the other had the one train they most coveted.

After a little give and take the other boy departed and a little girl came to play with the trains. She stole Henry's train when he wasn't looking and then he stole it back when she wasn't looking. Then he who must not be named came back and tried to steal the little girl's trains when she was looking. This little angel was no pushover and proceeded to bite the little bugger. Her mother immediately stopped her and told her biting was wrong and apologized for the biting and told the little girl to apologize also [which would have been a task because the little girl did not appear to talk], and then escorted her daughter to another area of the room.

The bite didn't seem to phase he who must not be named and he went back to playing with the trains. Henry meanwhile had watched the preceding cage match with little outward interest, but I got the sense he was rooting for little miss biter. If he hadn't been then I'm sure he was a few minutes later when he who must not be named once again attempted to take the train that Henry had, but this time Henry was having no part of it. Henry held tight to his little yellow train car [much like one we have at home] and started shaking his arms up and down and screaming at the top of his lungs. The little boy started shaking his arms and screaming also, which led me to step in between them since he who must not be named's mom had previously said that when he gets angry he who must not be named fights. While I am sure that Henry will one day get into a fight, and if he is anything like his dad he will lose those fights [sorry kid], but the library was not going to be the location of his first.

As soon as I got in between them Henry had a complete meltdown, his face turned red, his screaming went up an octave, he dropped to the ground, and started to hit his head on the floor. I quickly picked him up and tried to soothe him. Right about then he who must not be named's mom came and attempted to soothe him, and then she noticed that his arm was red and there were teeth marks. She asked him if someone bit him, duh, and then proceeded to keep asking him who bit him. At this point I am assuming that she thinks Henry bit her little monster, even though she was standing right next to her son when the little girl bit him and her mom apologized. Oh, well, there is no accounting for a parent's hearing or observation skills.

The mother had picked up the monster and walked away, and Henry was once again at the train table alone, and all was right with the world for about 35 seconds. And then it was time to go, and Henry did not want to go, Henry did not want to stop playing with the trains, Henry DID NOT!!! Hence, meltdown number 2, which led us to being in the process of leaving while snot was running down my son's face and the nice Librarian Lady got us a tissue from a random mom. Once we were out of the room, Henry was perfectly fine, until we checked out his books and I took away the train book so that it could be scanned.

Books scanned and given back we made our way out of the library and back into the warm air and bright sun, so to the next portion of our day.

Peace and Love,
Pastor K