The Importance of Love

Isn't it funny (and awesome) when prayer is answered almost immediately? That happened to me today. Thank you brother Bill :)

Tonight I thought about having the right perspective about things, and finding out what's important in life and WHY it's important. Some background first...I've been in a little rut lately. Only halfheartedly seeking God, halfheartedly reading the Bible and praying, and still somehow expected that God would fill me up the rest of the way. That's not how it works, at least that's not what I've found. So I talked with my best friend Bill today and we both prayed over this, among other things. And after we hung up I felt a little better, but still wasn't really hopeful or feeling like things were different. So I went back home to Halifax to visit my parents and aunt, and I found the refresher I needed.

The drive to Halifax is always beautiful. It's just a totally different atmosphere...even from other countryside environments, it still feels different. The locals call it God's Country, for very good reason...it just seems that God's peace is all around. And every time I cross that beautiful mountain, 88.5 is immediately tuned on my radio, and K-LOVE is blaring its God-music through my car. So I finally got home, and it's somewhat chaotic. My aunt had her tonsils removed and is staying with my parents until she heals up, and her 2 dachshunds are staying there as well, so they have to keep Diesel separate from them. So while she rests upstairs, I got to lift downstairs while my parents were cleaning up the storage room. Yeah I know, not extremely chaotic...but it was just a little different, it seemed like everyone was moving around and being busy.

Well, just before I left we started looking through old pictures from when times were simpler, at least in my own little world. Past Christmas times, birthdays, family vacations with my cousins, oh what great times that seem to be left in repressed memories. Well, it got me thinking. At the time, these were pretty much the only people I knew, and I had fun with them. Even though my cousins were all girls and always wanted me to be the dad when they played house (and even though I always ran to my treehouse when they did, haha), I still had fun with them and I miss those times. Now the youngest of my cousins is in college, and my younger cousin and older cousin are both mothers of 2 and 3 kids respectively. Man, how things change! But these relationships are, still, very important to me.

In the past few years, as we all get older and attitudes change, perspectives change as well. I didn't really know how to deal with the change, so I kept trying to live in older times while everyone continued to grow up around me and I became slightly bitter toward my families. Holidays were more of a burden for me than a joy. But then I looked at these pictures. I remembered how ridiculously blond my hair was, how awesome my cousin Ashley was (and still is), how my cousin Carla was like a sister to me, and how much we laughed when my cousin Emily called my mom "Uncle Deb". :) I started to remember just how much my cousins were there for me and how much I was there for them too. Dare I say...perspective changed? I used to consider family a burden...I don't know how I let that change from being the joy it once was.

So that was a longer background than I anticipated, and I've said in the past that my posts are like mind vomit...I don't really know how it's gonna come out, it just comes out. So if anyone is still reading this far in, seriously, I'm touched! But I want to get more to my point. All of this combined to be the answer of my prayer today, and I got to drive back with a new perspective under the most beautiful nightly cloud cover I've ever seen. The new perspective I got tonight was on the importance of family, but also on the importance of my God. And this made me question what is important to me and how important is it to me. And as I said before, the reason I've been down is because I've only been halfheartedly serving God. I let stuff at work get to me and left a nice little path for Satan to mess with me. Well, all of this stuff combined led me to one conclusion. One word. It's a word that's been tossed around in every contemporary church like tomatoes in a food fight.

Love. Heck, we could all use a bit more love. See, my natural tendency is to see the bad in people before I see the good. And this leads down a road to destruction at breakneck speed. But when we put on glasses of love and care toward each other, we see the world at a different perspective...we begin to see the good in people, and attribute the bad to the influence of Satan. We're not defined by bad things that we do (That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts - Ephesians 4:22), and we're not even defined by good things that we do (But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away - Isaiah 64:6). We're defined as God's prize, His glory (For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them - Ephesians 2:10). And this isn't conditional...we were always this way (Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations - Jeremiah 1:5). EVERYONE is a creation of God's handiwork, and none of us have any right to degrade another. It's true we're all in a spiritual warzone, but a lesson for me is to be careful how to fight it. "I'm in a fight, not physical. I'm in a war, but not of this world." - Counting on God by Phillips, Craig & Dean. Our war is not against our fellow man, but with the evil one (For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. - Ephesians 6:12). And toward our fellow man, we show love.

But love's hard! Heck yes it is...especially when we don't receive it back. I mentioned before of how different the worlds are between Mechanicsburg and Halifax. Living in Mechanicsburg, I became a little more hard-hearted, to my regret. As I was driving in Halifax tonight, a car driving in the other lane kept flashing their high beams at me. I don't typically get road rage, but I was a little annoyed. Then a second person in a row did it, and I got stupidly defensive. "Seriously?! What the heck! Am I doing something wrong???" Then the realization came upon me, and sure enough, there was a deer standing alongside of the road ready to run out in front of somebody. Those people weren't upset at me, they were just lovingly trying to warn me of some danger (sounds like a gospel message, no? I'll save that for another post :) ). I can't say for sure if Mechanicsburg people would be so kind. But that's the beauty of it, and that's why I'm placed where I'm at right now. I'm God's man for the job! "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16. Yeah it's harder to love people over here than it is in Halifax, but that's why I'm here. There's plenty more people here that need God's love, and I still need it just as much as everyone else. I can't claim that it's important to me and then not live it. So let me pose that same question. How important is love to you? How important is God to you? How important are people to you? Hopefully you can answer "very" to all of those questions. Life's too short to hate. Just love. It hurts, but it's worth it. One man about 2000 years ago took three nails and about 40 lashes because of love. It hurt, but he said we were worth it. And I believe him.

Armor Up

Alright...this is going to need a decent amount of preface. I'm not writing this to blast anyone or throw anyone under the bus. I'm not writing this to embarrass or humiliate. And I feel comfortable writing this because it's all over the news in my area and on public domain, just like my blog, so I won't mention names or anything...if you really care, look it up yourselves. But I'm writing this because something is seriously wrong. I'm writing this because livid is an understatement to describe my attitude right now, and not directed toward anyone in particular, but I'm enraged at the devil. And I've prayed long and hard before this. I don't want these words to offend, and I don't want them to simply be an emotional outburst. I want these words to be those which God gives to me, and I feel He would want me to put in here. I want these words to be hope, encouragement, and a charge to my Christian brothers and sisters. Thank you for understanding all of this before I dive in...

So, enough suspense. Today I found out that a teacher at my high school has been fired due to allegations that he's been involved in a sexual abuse scandal with a student. Again, if you want names then do your own research, I'm not here to humiliate. This is a tragic blow to many people in my community, and deeply affects many of my friends. There's no cushion for the blow, no sugar to make it any sweeter. Allegations that a male teacher messed around with a male student, consensual or not, who really cares. It's easy to say "die, pervert!" when it's someone you don't know. I know this man. Big family, all went and were involved in my high school. This shouldn't happen to a man in this situation...something is WRONG here.

Well, I'm only going to get sleep tonight by the Lord's grace, because this enrages me. And strangely, I'm not angry at the teacher. I'm not angry at the student. I'm not even angry about the act itself. There is one person that's behind all of this. We know him as Lucifer. Satan. The devil. And I'm absolutely furious at him, as we all should be. I know a lot of us are looking for answers in this, and frankly I'm surprised that I'm not being led to angrily seek answers to all of this. We can be angry with God, wondering why did this happen...why him...why this school...why??? Folks, God is not responsible for choices that we make. I believe that while God is the divine orchestrator, we are given free will to make choices, because I believe that God is pleased more when we freely choose to worship Him. We always throw "God's Will" around like a ragdoll so much that it's barely defined anymore. We can say that a person is "in God's Will" or "outside of God's Will"...this implies choice, does it not? Unless God deliberately creates a being to be outside of His Will, which isn't compatible with his omnibenevolent nature. We're big boys and girls, and we make decisions that either bring glory to God, or don't bring Him glory. This incident is just another such decision.

James 2:10 - "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." A little boy at AWANA read me this verse tonight as he was reciting his Scripture memorization. This verse caught my attention in the context of this situation, and it's perhaps the reason that "the act" itself doesn't enrage me like it used to. See, I used to be quite the homophobe. Homosexuality still disgusts me, but that's my deal. And don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not FOR the act that went on, God forbid! But listen to my point...we've all heard the term "hate the sin, love the sinner". This is essential right now. To my high school friends and faculty that may be reading, has your perception of this man changed now that this is out in the light? DON'T LET IT!!!!! The school made the right move by firing him from his position, but the school and church cannot turn their backs to him. Go back to my "about me" page, and read about how pornography had me trapped for 7 years...that's almost longer than I can even remember. We are not DEFINED by actions we take, we are defined by how God SAYS we're defined. I'm not defined by 1/3 of my life wasted to that demon, nor is a man defined by sexual actions taken improperly. Again, it's easier to cry "PERVERT!" when it's not someone you know...fact is, everyone has a situation and a story. Who are we to judge? "Yeah, well you don't know he's truly a Christian or not!!" Yeah, I guess I don't, only God knows the heart (The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? - Jeremiah 17:9). I just know what James 2:10 says, and I know how we are all desperately in need to be led daily to the cross, where Jesus poured himself out. Remove the plank in your own eye before trying to help out the speck in the other's eye. To quote Mark Lowry, "How about I hate my sin, you hate your sin, and let's just love each other!"

Well, I said I wasn't looking for answers, but that's only a half-truth. There's only one answer I want...I want to know what's going to be done about this. And I don't mean from a legal standpoint. As I said previously...something is WRONG. Satan has played a mean hand, and has infiltrated my old stomping grounds, which I still consider a home away from home...and I'm straight up pissed off about it. Devastatingly, this isn't the first instance that I've heard about suspicious activity at my school since I graduated. From the outside looking in, it almost seems like my school is falling apart. Enrollment down, probably will decrease further after this, approximately 8 new high school english teachers since when I graduated 6 years ago. WHAT is going on?!?! Is this all just a freak coincidence? We can't take the risk of just letting this blow over again...something must change. Satan played a heavy hand and dealt a big blow to the school. I'm infuriated that he would invade on a godly institution and negatively impact so many lives. Right now, everyone reading this needs to pray. If for no other reason, then because I'm requesting it (Pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. - James 5:16). But more than this, something needs to be done. Still quoting from my favorite book of the Bible: "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." - James 2:15-17. What good is prayer if we don't let it affect our hearts? Sometimes action needs to be taken. Perhaps the school needs that. "Now Christopher (full first name, since I'm sure most of my family will read this and speak with a slight scolding tone in their voice), you're being too radical. You need to be careful that you're not taken ill-advised action." And of course, we all should make wise decisions. I think my friend Scott said it well tonight, that we can't wedge ourselves into situations where we don't belong. And that's absolutely right. But AM I being too radical? Perhaps it's time to get a little loud. There is a problem, and we desperately need God to restore us. So maybe my blog can be a platform for encouraging those who ARE in the position to act. Perhaps revival is needed. Only God really knows what is needed, but we need help. The world is watching every move that we make, and shaking their heads at all Christians every time this happens. And I'm not going to sit around and watch as the entire world turns against us. Yes, there will always be those who resist God's glory, but we still owe it to them to bring them before the cross and pray on their behalf. And when the going gets tough, "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." - Isaiah 40:29. Right now, we're pretty faint, confused, frustrated, angry. Christians, ARMOR UP!!!! The war is real, and we're all in it. It IS life or death, and it DOES matter...we need to fight like it. Satan pushed us...I say we push back and refocus on our Christ.

As I said, I prayed long and hard before this note, hoping that it would be an encouragement and a challenge to us all. A lot of this I consider most of this post to be my opinion, and I could very well be wrong with my views. However, don't let that stop you from being convicted on the right path on which we should walk in this situation. God has seen everything that has gone on, and He is standing alongside of us through everything. And for those not tied in with my high school, this is for you too. Take this to mean something for your own life, and be convicted by it. Don't let my opinions influence you...but rather let the Holy Spirit convict you into action.

Psalm 31:7 - I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, Because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul.

Winning life's battles

So here's something that popped into in head tonight: winning. As I've said and as almost everyone knows about me, I'm pretty hyper-competitive, and I like to win. Ok, gross understatement...I despise losing. I'm competitive with pretty much everything I do, whether it's sports or video games or board games. Even air hockey. Seriously, challenge me at air hockey, I DARE you...you'll lose (Nate Nichols, don't say a WORD, haha). But when I think about these, none of it really "matters" if I win or lose. Sure, you can play for a trophy or money, or even just glory. But in a sense, none of this really matters, per se. What are the battles that are actually worth winning? Well...

I'll be honest, I'm never really sure where to start with some of these notes. Most of them are pretty spontaneous, and this one's no different. But, I'll start with an excerpt from our Sunday School lesson today. We've been doing a series on Jesus' parables for the past, like...forever. And today we studied the parable of the lost sheep, found in Luke 15:1-7. The parable is that a shepherd has 100 sheep, and one of them goes astray. The shepherd leaves the 99 to go find the one that went missing. Upon finding it, he rejoices and slings the little guy over his shoulder and brings it back to the rest of the flock. Jesus used this parable in defense of his ministry, when being accused of dining with "undesirable folk" by the religious Pharisees of the day. Jesus responds in verse 7 by saying, "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." In other words, God's already happy that there are 99 saved people, but MAN does he rejoice over just ONE new person that comes to know Him!!!

Now this is a battle worth fighting. And everything we do should tie into this in some way. Well, I have another battle to mention, and one that is almost always on the forefront of my mind. And granted, I'm writing this from strictly a male perspective, so ladies bear with me through it. But I'm talking about the battle for a woman's heart. I've never truly experienced it, but it must be the greatest feeling in the world to win that battle. One of my favorite quotes from my favorite book (Wild at Heart) is "Nothing worth having comes without some sort of fight" - Bruce Cockburn. I believe the heart of a woman is a treasure, and should be treated as one would treat the hope diamond, with gentleness and care. And it should be guarded with strength and a sense of security. Think about it...ask a lady what they value in a man or husband. I can pretty much guarantee most women would say that one of their values is safety. When they're with their husband/boyfriend, they feel safe. And I believe that's how it should me. Quoting Demi Moore in A Few Good Men when asked why she respected Marines, "Because they stand on a wall. And they say 'Nothin's gonna hurt you tonight. Not on my watch'". If only this could be the motto of all men...nothing's gonna hurt you tonight, not on my watch.

But what happens when the woman's heart is won? Is that...it? No more battling, no more struggle? Yep, slapped a ring on her finger, things should be easy now...now be a good girl and make me a sammich. Oh, to break the jaw of the man that says that. A woman's heart deserves to be won every day, there's no quitting! I see husbands all the time that just seem so passive and careless in regards to their lady...whatever happened to us? So when the "love" fades, then what? One thing that I really hate is divorce, and I know God hates it more. God hates it because *gasp* He's been through it! Israel is his bride...how many times did Israel leave His care to go worship a piece of wood shaped like a goat? And how many times do WE leave His care to go do the same thing? Oops. But divorce is forbidden. Think about it..."for this reason, a man will leave his mother and father, and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." One flesh. Not literal, obviously, but they are now one unit. It's ridiculous to think that one flesh can become two fleshes again, it just doesn't work. No, if you're married and things are bad, you work at it. Love isn't a feeling, it's a job, and some have it harder than others. But when a relationship is on the rocks, and the husband and wife battle together to work through it, ah what a beautiful sight it is.

And like I said before, I never know where to start with these posts and I never know where they're going to go. So bringing it back, there's the battle of the woman's heart, and the battle of bringing others to Christ...now how do we win? Well, this whole thing all came after I read a quote from Desire by John Eldredge. "The time has come for us to quite playing chess with God over our lives. We cannot win, but we can delay the victory, dragging on the pain of grasping and the poison of possessing. You see, there are two kinds of losses in life. The first is shared by all mankind - the losses that come to us. Call them what you will - accidents, fate, acts of God. The point is that we have no control over them. We do not determine when, where, what, or even how. There is no predictin these losses; they happen to us. We choose only how we respond. The second kind is known only to the pilgrim. The are losses that we choose. A chosen loss if different from repentance, when we give up something that was never ours to have. With a chosen loss, we place on the altar something very dear to us, something innocent, whose only danger is in its goodness, that we might come to love it too much. It is the act of consecration, where little by little or all at once, we give over our lives to the only One who can truly keep them." So wait...losing? Yep, surrender. That's how these battles are won. How are others won to Christ? Well, not in our power. We're not the ones who do the saving, since we need just as much to be saved. The Holy Spirit is the only thing that convicts others to come to God. I have plenty of people I'm thinking of right now that I would love to see in a better place in their lives. The best I can do is tell them what I believe and live a God-honoring life...I can't save them. So to Christians, keep planting seeds, let God do the harvesting.

And the battle for a woman's heart...I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't one I had my eyes on. And I am certainly taking a shot of my own advice through this note. But there's only one way to win a battle like that. Pastor Crews said it best this morning when talking about marriages, that God's blueprint of marriage isn't one party submitting to the other, but when the husband and wife go hand-in-hand together in submission to God. I know God knows the desires of my heart, but there's another encouraging section from Desire: "True surrender is not an easy out, calling it quits early in the game. This kind of surrender comes only after the night of wrestling. It comes only after we open our hearts to care deeply. Then we choose to surrender, or give over, our deepest desires to God. And with them we give over our hearts, our deepest selves. The freedom and beauty and rest that follow are among the greatest of all surprises." Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. - Matthew 11:29.

I didn't want this to turn into a story of my own battle, but this is the main point I'm trying to make. The main battle on my mind is that of the lady's heart, but everyone else has different of life's battles that they're trying to win. Surrendering to God is the only way to win. He's more capable of handling all of our problems. Read through pretty much any of the Psalms, they're chock full of praises of God's love and strength. "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth." - Psalm 86:15. "For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone." - verse 10 of that same chapter. And I've heard it said that people don't want to pray because they feel some sense of guilt with coming to God with petty problems. Well, in Hebrews 4:15-16, the writer says "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." God wants us to surrender ALL, because He can handle it and WANTS to handle it! The rest that follows is pretty amazing. Tonight I'll be praying for those in all sorts of battles, as I'll be praying for my own. But we have to take our own action too. Friends, surrender to God. I've done it before, and it hurts. But the things I regret are the things I continue to try to hold on to, rather than surrendering. Pray to God, and from one desperate sinner to another, surrender that which is most valuable to you to God.