Early on in our life as believers, my wife and I began investing ourselves in the lives of many of the high school aged youth in our church. For me, it wasn’t so much that I saw myself as being a youth pastor. It looked more like this; I was discovering my spiritual gifting as a believer in Christ, and they were the ones who were kind enough to lend me their ears.
We had been actively loving the young people of our church for a year or two when she came into our lives. Her name was Amber. She was a lovely young lady, having a beautiful smile, and tightly curled, dark brown hair. My wife and I had known her older sister for some time before hand. It’s kind of cute as I recall. Her sister consistently carried a vibrant smile on her face as well. Maybe it was genetic.
As with most relationships, it took some time before we really began to know each other. It’s as if for the most part, we live two separate lives in the world. There is often a difference between the face that we show to the world, verses the gritty lives we endure from day to day. In her case, she was struggling with an eating disorder and she had wrestled with her condition for some time. Eventually, it came to the point where she had to be hospitalized.
During that period, she asked me a very pointed question. “Kevin. Is it a sin to do what I’m doing to myself?”
How was I to respond to such a question? What about our relationship? Whenever people accuse each other of sin, it’s usually looked upon as being judgmental. Is it not? Accusing someone of living a sinful life is often categorized as hateful speech. What would it do to our relationship? If she thought that I was hating her, what were the odds that she would continue to be a part of our lives?
What about her well being? Surely she had suffered enough already. How do you tell someone who is already hurting, someone who feels trapped and unable to do anything about their situation, that the life they are living goes against God’s will for them. I can think of other people with other struggles, who in their depression have taken their own lives, because the weight of the accusation was too heavy to hold.
The following might sound like a bunny trail, but it isn’t. Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream? Who decides? Do your friends choose whether or not you like chocolate? What if I were to have a debate with my coworkers? Could we argue and allow the winner to choose what flavour you like? That would just be stupid. You are the one who decides.
Likewise, what about sin? If sin is being disobedient to God, then who does the deciding? God decides. We can debate all we want and draw whatever conclusions sit well with us, but in the end, our opinions really don’t matter. It’s His call. I know that the Bible doesn’t specifically mention her disorder, but it does make mention of how a believer’s body is the temple of The Holy Spirit. If I was honest with myself, I really couldn’t see how it would be God’s will for her to starve herself or head to the washroom to purge after a family dinner.
I took the risk in being honest. I risked our relationship together. I even risked her sanity. What else could I do? It was an honest question. It deserved an honest answer.
“Amber. I really don’t think that God wants you doing what you’re doing to your body. So yeah. I really think it is a sin.”
She responded with a maturity that I have NEVER witnessed in the world, and rarely witness among the faithful.
“That’s good. It’s good because I know that Jesus has power over sin. I know that even if I struggle now, I won’t have to go through this forever.”
Just to keep you updated, my family and I spent four phenomenal hours with Amber last night. She has grown into a healthy young woman, and has married a tremendous young man. What would her story have looked like, had I been the voice that said, “There’s nothing wrong with it...”? Could she have, in the words of Ezekiel, “died in her sin”? I didn’t call it a sin because I hated her or wanted to judge her. I called it sin because I loved Amber, and truly believed that this was definitely not what God wanted for her.
Glossing over sin, giving it another name or putting a smiley face on it might have the appearance of love, but it has the potential to bring us, and our loved ones, to ultimate ruin.
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Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
We Have No Imagination
I’ve been learning a lot these past few days. Perhaps the biggest lesson is this – most people have absolutely no imagination. Alright. That isn’t exactly true. We do have an amazing imagination. It’s just a very selective imagination.
We can imagine that Luke Skywalker was a Jedi Knight in a galaxy far, far away, a long, long time ago. We can easily imagine that Pandora is populated by a lot of blue coloured skinny people. We can imagine that Superman narrowly escaped the destruction of his home planet of krypton, and that he has an ice palace near the north pole. We’re quickly approaching the season where we tell our loved ones that some fat guy in a red suit will bring them presents. Not only can we imagine that, some young people really believe it.
What we cannot imagine, is that our world is under the influence of the devil, and that a whole lot of us might spend eternity apart from God.
That is the very, “What if…” scenario that I have approached many people with in the past few days. Whenever I ask my , “What if…” question, I get these weird looks in response.
If I tried to invent a story of strange creatures, from another time, another planet or another dimension, perhaps the tales I tell might be a little more saleable.
We can imagine that Luke Skywalker was a Jedi Knight in a galaxy far, far away, a long, long time ago. We can easily imagine that Pandora is populated by a lot of blue coloured skinny people. We can imagine that Superman narrowly escaped the destruction of his home planet of krypton, and that he has an ice palace near the north pole. We’re quickly approaching the season where we tell our loved ones that some fat guy in a red suit will bring them presents. Not only can we imagine that, some young people really believe it.
What we cannot imagine, is that our world is under the influence of the devil, and that a whole lot of us might spend eternity apart from God.
That is the very, “What if…” scenario that I have approached many people with in the past few days. Whenever I ask my , “What if…” question, I get these weird looks in response.
If I tried to invent a story of strange creatures, from another time, another planet or another dimension, perhaps the tales I tell might be a little more saleable.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Too Alien?
Today has been a strange kind of day. This afternoon, the Purolator truck dropped off a box with some promotional materials for Alien Love. The package included a set of event invitations and laminated promotional posters. The delivery presents a peculiar dilemma for me.
You see, yesterday I contacted my publisher and requested that they cease from printing any further copies of my book. Some of the feedback that I’m getting seems to indicate that people who don’t know me might get the wrong impression from one of my illustrations, and jump to the conclusion that I hate them. I guess some topics are just too hot to be able to have reasonable dialogue. The mere mention of certain issues tends to polarize the conversation and we respond with our gut rather than processing what is actually written on the page before us.
Interpretation is a peculiar art. We often draw conclusions from statements which were never made in the first place. It seems obvious, to myself and others, that the kind of love I’m advocating cannot be understood by people who do not know my heart. It is in that thought, that these words have been shared with me;
“So far, I don't think I have really disagreed with anything you said. I just had to understand and knowing you, I can ask about what I don't. But I'm also recognizing how it could be taken the wrong way. I think because I know you, I can hear your voice when reading it, and I care more about what you have to say. I listen more, even when it exposes sin in my life.”
Nobody who knows me can accuse me of having a hateful or malicious heart. However, not everybody knows me. Not everyone can hear my voice as they are reading my words. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to share a coffee or a 3 hour conversation with everyone who needs me to clarify what I’m trying to communicate.
I thank each of you who have been an encouragement and who have given your honest feedback for the book.
I have no idea of where I’ll head from here. I am being urged to consider reworking my illustration, however, I find myself to be quite empty. I have been at this project for over 3 years now and I just don’t know if I can walk another mile. Overall, I feel empty.
I have 6 months to either rework my illustrations or to cancel the work entirely. I humbly ask for your prayers in this process. Other than any copies which have already been released to bookstores or to Amazon, Alien Love will not be available publicly. I do have a few copies of my own which I might sell to any friends and family who are interested.
Perhaps it really is alien after all.
Love Kevin
You see, yesterday I contacted my publisher and requested that they cease from printing any further copies of my book. Some of the feedback that I’m getting seems to indicate that people who don’t know me might get the wrong impression from one of my illustrations, and jump to the conclusion that I hate them. I guess some topics are just too hot to be able to have reasonable dialogue. The mere mention of certain issues tends to polarize the conversation and we respond with our gut rather than processing what is actually written on the page before us.
Interpretation is a peculiar art. We often draw conclusions from statements which were never made in the first place. It seems obvious, to myself and others, that the kind of love I’m advocating cannot be understood by people who do not know my heart. It is in that thought, that these words have been shared with me;
“So far, I don't think I have really disagreed with anything you said. I just had to understand and knowing you, I can ask about what I don't. But I'm also recognizing how it could be taken the wrong way. I think because I know you, I can hear your voice when reading it, and I care more about what you have to say. I listen more, even when it exposes sin in my life.”
Nobody who knows me can accuse me of having a hateful or malicious heart. However, not everybody knows me. Not everyone can hear my voice as they are reading my words. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to share a coffee or a 3 hour conversation with everyone who needs me to clarify what I’m trying to communicate.
I thank each of you who have been an encouragement and who have given your honest feedback for the book.
I have no idea of where I’ll head from here. I am being urged to consider reworking my illustration, however, I find myself to be quite empty. I have been at this project for over 3 years now and I just don’t know if I can walk another mile. Overall, I feel empty.
I have 6 months to either rework my illustrations or to cancel the work entirely. I humbly ask for your prayers in this process. Other than any copies which have already been released to bookstores or to Amazon, Alien Love will not be available publicly. I do have a few copies of my own which I might sell to any friends and family who are interested.
Perhaps it really is alien after all.
Love Kevin
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
If You Insist on Reading It...
Today I finally received the first copy of my second book, Alien Love. I’m not writing this post to try and sell it to you. Quite the opposite. You see, I’m not looking for fans or followers. After all, the way I understand it, fans are idolaters. I guess I’ll never make the New York Times’ best sellers list with an attitude like that.
I’m not looking for people to give me their money so I can quit my job, but I am looking for a few people to partner with me. Seeing as a good post here draws about 20 hits, the word, “few” is quite appropriate.
If You Are Going To Buy The Book...
If you plan on purchasing the book, there are some things I want you to know first. For a book about love, I talk quite a lot about sin. I say that up front, because I don’t want you to be surprised. The last thing I want is for someone to buy it and say, “Wow. For a book about love, he talks a lot about sin.” Actually, that's part of the reason why I called it Alien Love.
There is something else that I want you to know. I want you to know that I don’t hate anybody. I really don’t. People who warn others about sin are often accused of being hateful. I beg of you, if you are one of those people who think that it’s inherently judgmental to warn someone about sin, you probably won’t like it. As you read, you need to be able to hear the voice of someone who cares. If you aren’t able to hear the voice of someone who has a heart, you do me a great disservice by reading the text. If that’s the case, then please purchase something by Max Lucado instead.
If You Like The Book
If you are able to come up with some decent discussion questions, that would be greatly appreciated. I often think that maybe someday I would like to republish it with some discussion questions at the back of each chapter. The same goes for my first book, The Edge of His Cloak, if you ever happen to read it.
If You Think It Has the Potential to Change Lives
If you’re a believer, please pray for me and the book. For myself, pray that I’ll properly manage the duties of being an author, speaker, father, husband, believer and mechanic. Pray that I’ll have a humble heart. Pride takes on various forms. I’m not the guy who struts his stuff, expecting people to kneel before him. My pride takes on more subtle forms. My pride will have a harder time handling people who say, “Gee. It really isn’t as good as your first book.”
There were no expectations on me the first time around. I feel like I have something to live up to now. Pray that I am able to gracefully handle whatever may come.
Pray that God will disarm those who read it. Whenever we read or listen to something, we carry with us all of the baggage of our past. That baggage tends to produce a knee-jerk reaction which limits our ability to properly listen to and process what we are reading. Pray that those who read it will see it as it is, either good or bad.
When I was in the editing process, I had a homosexual read it and I asked him this question, “Do you see the love?” He responded by saying, “Yes. I do see the love, but you need to realize that a lot of people won’t. Many won’t see the love in it because they have been so damaged in their past.”
Pray that God would supernaturally reveal the baggage for what is, and the love for what it is.
Pray that Christ would be lifted up, not to be crucified again, but as high and holy. Pray that if the book is crap, that He would kill the thing. I would have preferred Him to kill it BEFORE making it into print, but perhaps He has a purpose in my public humiliation. Pray that it makes it where He wants it to go.
If you are willing to partner with me in some way, let me know. I might want some help with this project, although I don’t exactly know what that looks like.
Where to Buy...
If you live in the Aylmer area, please consider being a blessing to the people at Returning Home. They will be carrying a few copies until Christmas, and can order extras if they run out. The book can also be purchased on Amazon, although the picture isn’t up yet.
My first public appearances with the book will be at Faith on Thrusday night’s men’s Bible study on Dec. 1st and 8th. I won’t be promoting the book, but I will have copies available. I’ll be speaking from the book of Mark.
Providing that the book is acceptable to my church, I plan on having copies available Sunday mornings in December at our resource centre.
Final Thoughts
If you would really like to read the book, but really can’t afford it, let me know. Find me on Facebook and I’ll send you a link to an electronic version. I didn’t write the book to make money.
If you are someone I know, thank you for your friendship. If you are someone I do not know, I hope you can imagine yourself being my friend.
Love Kevin
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Other Things
This past week at men’s group, we were looking at Mark 4:1-20. It might be familiar to some of us as Jesus’ parable of the sower. In the passage, Jesus talks about 4 different kinds of soils, yet it really isn’t about soil. He’s talking about people and how we respond to God’s word when it is spoken into our lives. The weedy, thorny soil remains with me. In fact, the issues that I’ll be sharing with you remain with me on many days.
When Jesus explains the parable, He says that some seed is, “sown among thorns. They are those that hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” Mark 4:18-19
Do you ever wonder who this might describe? Do you ever also wonder exactly what parameters would identify a life lived among these kinds of thorns? Do you ever wonder whether or not this person is saved?
What really sticks with me is when Jesus refers to the desire for “other things”.
It’s the kind of statement that really leaves a lot of room for condemnation. What are “other things” anyway? Asked another way, what aren’t “other things”? It would be entirely different if Jesus was referring to sinful things, but He doesn’t. It would be easier if he was merely referring to things that are of the sinful nature wouldn’t it?
After all, that’s clear isn’t it? For the believer, group sex is out. Got it. Partying like a rockstar is out. Got it. Sorcery doesn’t belong. Got that too. Gossip, slander and deceit don’t belong in the life of the redeemed. Easy stuff.
Other things…..
Where does it begin, and where does it end? Could it be chocolate? Lego? Corn? Nintendo? Shoes?
As we live out our calling, I find that there are two twisted reactions to passages such as these. We can take “other things” to be EVERYTHING, or to be NOTHING.
Everything
Jesus is everything. Anything that does have Jesus stamped on it has no place in the life of someone who knows Him. If you go on a holiday, it needs to be a missions trip. If you are shopping for groceries, you had better use it as an opportunity to witness. Unnecessary home renovations are always completely worldly. Any music you listen to needs to literally sing the praises of Jesus. If you’re going to watch fireworks, use it as an opportunity to hand out Gospel tracts. (or Gideon Bibles. My tract of choice.) Any “other things” in our lives are from the Devil and need to be eradicated from our lives if we’re going to properly live out a Biblical faith. Fun is bad. Work for Jesus is good.
Nothing
Gi-Joe is fine. There is nothing wrong with having action figures right? Jesus certainly isn’t referring to sports. Go Leafs go! They are going to win the cup this year. I think I’ll book my room for the playoffs this week. If He had meant something specifically, then He would have said it as it is. Snowmobiling is fine, so I can head out as often as the ground is covered in white. Fishing, golf and video games are good to go. Nothing is bad and off limits, so this passage really doesn’t hold any weight over our lives. It’s just there to allow legalists to try and abuse our conscience. Fun is good. Fundamentalist who are always trying to win souls to Christ are bad.
If you are a fleshly creature, I likely won’t be of much help to you. To be honest, I’m not so sure I have it laid out for myself. The Everything crowd is right. They are also wrong. The Nothing people are right. They also happen to be wrong.
If we’re going to make any sense of this, maybe it’s best to simply think on what Jesus says and what He doesn’t say. This is not a lesson on morality. This particular soil might not even be dealing with the individual’s salvation. The plants that sprung up didn’t die. We’re merely told that “it proves unfruitful”.
I know what some of you are thinking. So. Does it mean that kind of soil isn’t saved? We worry so much about that in Christian circles don’t we? Let’s face it. If the whole thing about hell and fire are true in the literal sense, we want to make sure we end up on the good side of eternity. Whether or not this particular type of soil is ‘saved’ is debatable in my opinion.
What I Know
As much as we wonder about salvation, there is more to a believing life than being saved. Having fun isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Solomon told us that, “A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.” Ecclesiastes 7:4 I know it’s foolish to be predominantly concerned about our pleasure, no matter what form it takes on. My personal bent is towards the comic book reading, video game nerd crowd. Maybe you’re the sports fan or the book worm.
I also know that it’s possible, in light of eternity, to waste the days that we are given.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15
New Living Translation (NLT)
13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
There is a kind of faith to be lived, which escapes the fires of hell, but was a complete waste of time. That type of faith that we read about here in Corinthians isn’t one which is meant to be admired. It’s the kind of faith, that on judgment day will “suffer great loss”. Don’t tell me you want that. Making it through the fires of judgment is a good thing on its own. It’s much better than burning up. However, it isn’t the most desirable condition. Imagine that you make it through, but everything else in your life was burned up. I bet you can handle your workplace being incinerated, and maybe even your life savings. What about your friends? What about your family?
It isn’t that we have the power to control the eternity of those we know. For my part, I can handle my friends and family living apart from Christ for all eternity, so long as I have been faithful in living out my faith among them. If that is what they really want, who am I to stand in their way? I can NOT handle the thought of having my friends and family torched because I was too busy about other things, to be a willing witness for Christ.
What I Do
I’m not your God. So make up your own mind. Here is how I regulate what place “other things” have in my life. Follow this riddle. I don’t buy many other things, but I have other things. Specifically, I have a lot of video games, but I don’t buy video games. How can i have video games if i don't buy video games? The people in my life get those things for me because they know I like them.
Does that mean I’m in the clear? Not exactly. That’s just the way I’ve chosen to manage those “other things”. I’ve told you before. I’m not your God and I stopped trying to be the answer man a long time ago. What if your wife won’t buy you a Wii? What if you never get to have fun ever again? Maybe you will never have fun ever again. Considering a life that suffers great loss on That Day, would it be so bad to miss out on some of the pleasure in this life?
We have fun in our home, but our lives don’t revolve around where we’re going to eat this week, what we’re going to buy on the weekend or planning our getaway. We laugh. We listen to Bill Cosby. We sit down for 15 minutes every evening to look into God’s word and talk about its bearing on our lives. That’s what I do. Is it completely right? :-/
If There Was A Conclusion…
I believe we do a disservice when we gravitate either towards Everything or Nothing. I think specifically of my pastor who has taken up golf in these past few years. He tells me, “Sometimes in ministry, you can get so busy serving that your life and your family fall apart.” There has to be a place for at least some “other things”.
At the same time, I feel strongly that we also do ourselves a disservice in living out a life which thinks, “It’s all good. God is in all things so we don’t have to be concerned with anything that literally carries the name of Jesus.”
Finding the ‘middle road’ isn’t exactly the answer either. It comes down to this; What kind of Jesus have you believed in? Maybe you don’t believe in any kind of Jesus at all. In that case, you might as well eat drink and be merry, because tomorrow you die anyway. We’re here for a good time. Not a long time. Right? If you believe in a Jesus, maybe He’s a fairy tale Jesus, who really hasn’t prepared us for any kind of work in the world. He came, He taught some nice life lessons, but He’s dead and certainly doesn’t have any calling on our lives, let alone the means to communicate His vision to us.
Or perhaps you serve the living Christ. He has both a call over your life, the means to communicate the vision and the strength to empower you to that end. Are you walking in step with Him?
In the end, each of our work will be revealed for what it really is. If we have no care whatsoever for the role that “other things” play in our lives, how serious are we about doing our part in these evil days? I’ve been honest with you…..
What place do you give to those “other things”?
Kevin
PS. If you have it all figured out, you really didn’t like this post. Did you?
When Jesus explains the parable, He says that some seed is, “sown among thorns. They are those that hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” Mark 4:18-19
Do you ever wonder who this might describe? Do you ever also wonder exactly what parameters would identify a life lived among these kinds of thorns? Do you ever wonder whether or not this person is saved?
What really sticks with me is when Jesus refers to the desire for “other things”.
It’s the kind of statement that really leaves a lot of room for condemnation. What are “other things” anyway? Asked another way, what aren’t “other things”? It would be entirely different if Jesus was referring to sinful things, but He doesn’t. It would be easier if he was merely referring to things that are of the sinful nature wouldn’t it?
After all, that’s clear isn’t it? For the believer, group sex is out. Got it. Partying like a rockstar is out. Got it. Sorcery doesn’t belong. Got that too. Gossip, slander and deceit don’t belong in the life of the redeemed. Easy stuff.
Other things…..
Where does it begin, and where does it end? Could it be chocolate? Lego? Corn? Nintendo? Shoes?
As we live out our calling, I find that there are two twisted reactions to passages such as these. We can take “other things” to be EVERYTHING, or to be NOTHING.
Everything
Jesus is everything. Anything that does have Jesus stamped on it has no place in the life of someone who knows Him. If you go on a holiday, it needs to be a missions trip. If you are shopping for groceries, you had better use it as an opportunity to witness. Unnecessary home renovations are always completely worldly. Any music you listen to needs to literally sing the praises of Jesus. If you’re going to watch fireworks, use it as an opportunity to hand out Gospel tracts. (or Gideon Bibles. My tract of choice.) Any “other things” in our lives are from the Devil and need to be eradicated from our lives if we’re going to properly live out a Biblical faith. Fun is bad. Work for Jesus is good.
Nothing
Gi-Joe is fine. There is nothing wrong with having action figures right? Jesus certainly isn’t referring to sports. Go Leafs go! They are going to win the cup this year. I think I’ll book my room for the playoffs this week. If He had meant something specifically, then He would have said it as it is. Snowmobiling is fine, so I can head out as often as the ground is covered in white. Fishing, golf and video games are good to go. Nothing is bad and off limits, so this passage really doesn’t hold any weight over our lives. It’s just there to allow legalists to try and abuse our conscience. Fun is good. Fundamentalist who are always trying to win souls to Christ are bad.
If you are a fleshly creature, I likely won’t be of much help to you. To be honest, I’m not so sure I have it laid out for myself. The Everything crowd is right. They are also wrong. The Nothing people are right. They also happen to be wrong.
If we’re going to make any sense of this, maybe it’s best to simply think on what Jesus says and what He doesn’t say. This is not a lesson on morality. This particular soil might not even be dealing with the individual’s salvation. The plants that sprung up didn’t die. We’re merely told that “it proves unfruitful”.
I know what some of you are thinking. So. Does it mean that kind of soil isn’t saved? We worry so much about that in Christian circles don’t we? Let’s face it. If the whole thing about hell and fire are true in the literal sense, we want to make sure we end up on the good side of eternity. Whether or not this particular type of soil is ‘saved’ is debatable in my opinion.
What I Know
As much as we wonder about salvation, there is more to a believing life than being saved. Having fun isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Solomon told us that, “A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.” Ecclesiastes 7:4 I know it’s foolish to be predominantly concerned about our pleasure, no matter what form it takes on. My personal bent is towards the comic book reading, video game nerd crowd. Maybe you’re the sports fan or the book worm.
I also know that it’s possible, in light of eternity, to waste the days that we are given.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15
New Living Translation (NLT)
13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
There is a kind of faith to be lived, which escapes the fires of hell, but was a complete waste of time. That type of faith that we read about here in Corinthians isn’t one which is meant to be admired. It’s the kind of faith, that on judgment day will “suffer great loss”. Don’t tell me you want that. Making it through the fires of judgment is a good thing on its own. It’s much better than burning up. However, it isn’t the most desirable condition. Imagine that you make it through, but everything else in your life was burned up. I bet you can handle your workplace being incinerated, and maybe even your life savings. What about your friends? What about your family?
It isn’t that we have the power to control the eternity of those we know. For my part, I can handle my friends and family living apart from Christ for all eternity, so long as I have been faithful in living out my faith among them. If that is what they really want, who am I to stand in their way? I can NOT handle the thought of having my friends and family torched because I was too busy about other things, to be a willing witness for Christ.
What I Do
I’m not your God. So make up your own mind. Here is how I regulate what place “other things” have in my life. Follow this riddle. I don’t buy many other things, but I have other things. Specifically, I have a lot of video games, but I don’t buy video games. How can i have video games if i don't buy video games? The people in my life get those things for me because they know I like them.
Does that mean I’m in the clear? Not exactly. That’s just the way I’ve chosen to manage those “other things”. I’ve told you before. I’m not your God and I stopped trying to be the answer man a long time ago. What if your wife won’t buy you a Wii? What if you never get to have fun ever again? Maybe you will never have fun ever again. Considering a life that suffers great loss on That Day, would it be so bad to miss out on some of the pleasure in this life?
We have fun in our home, but our lives don’t revolve around where we’re going to eat this week, what we’re going to buy on the weekend or planning our getaway. We laugh. We listen to Bill Cosby. We sit down for 15 minutes every evening to look into God’s word and talk about its bearing on our lives. That’s what I do. Is it completely right? :-/
If There Was A Conclusion…
I believe we do a disservice when we gravitate either towards Everything or Nothing. I think specifically of my pastor who has taken up golf in these past few years. He tells me, “Sometimes in ministry, you can get so busy serving that your life and your family fall apart.” There has to be a place for at least some “other things”.
At the same time, I feel strongly that we also do ourselves a disservice in living out a life which thinks, “It’s all good. God is in all things so we don’t have to be concerned with anything that literally carries the name of Jesus.”
Finding the ‘middle road’ isn’t exactly the answer either. It comes down to this; What kind of Jesus have you believed in? Maybe you don’t believe in any kind of Jesus at all. In that case, you might as well eat drink and be merry, because tomorrow you die anyway. We’re here for a good time. Not a long time. Right? If you believe in a Jesus, maybe He’s a fairy tale Jesus, who really hasn’t prepared us for any kind of work in the world. He came, He taught some nice life lessons, but He’s dead and certainly doesn’t have any calling on our lives, let alone the means to communicate His vision to us.
Or perhaps you serve the living Christ. He has both a call over your life, the means to communicate the vision and the strength to empower you to that end. Are you walking in step with Him?
In the end, each of our work will be revealed for what it really is. If we have no care whatsoever for the role that “other things” play in our lives, how serious are we about doing our part in these evil days? I’ve been honest with you…..
What place do you give to those “other things”?
Kevin
PS. If you have it all figured out, you really didn’t like this post. Did you?
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