Thank God he is not like me

Some times I try to make God in my image. Psalm 5:4 tells me "For your are not a God who delights in wickedness, evil may not dwell in you." That's a great description of God, and it doesn't sound anything like me. I take pleasure in wickedness all the time and though I am regenerated by the Holy Spirit evil still dwells in me.
The text goes gives a good description of who I am...boastful, evildoer, a liar, blood thirsty, deceitful.. just to name a few. Here is the kicker. BUT through the abundance of your steadfast love I will enter your house. That's another reason I am glad God is not like me. I wouldn't let that person mentioned above into my house, but he gladly lets me in, and while I am there conditions me to pursue his righteousness.
The catalyst of why I am glad God is not like me is, if he was he would not be able to save me. He was like me as a human knowing what I go through, but he was still very distinct from me being God and w/o sin. He bore my sin, but never committed my sin.
Thank God he is not like me.

My Holy of Holies

It was a day of Celebration when the ark was brought into the temple. It's house was a tent for many years and God was happy to now have a place of residence that wasn't portable. When the ark was placed in the temple the entire place was filled with the cloud. The text says "The priest could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God." What a picture, God's presence was so intense that the priest couldn't accomplish anything that day.
I wonder if they walked into the temple weeks or years later and forgot about that awesome day and continued with their work not acknowledging God's presence?
For many years God's presence resided in the temple until Jesus' work on the cross when the curtain was torn from top to bottom. I know from the biblical story that there is no where you can go to get away from God's presence, but often times in the business of life I unintentionally do not acknowledge his presence.
When Mandi and I moved into our new house I chose a room that would become my "Holy of Holies" a special place reserved for me to enter and intentionally acknowledge the presence of God. This little nook of the back of our house would be a perfect toy room for our almost one year old, but I want to keep it a place that is set apart to God. I spend many morning and late evenings in here reading, jouranling, visioneering, and just sitting, it is refreshing.
I look forward to the day when I will experience God's presence in its fullest extent. When I will be unable to stand like those priest blown away by His presence. Do you have a Holy of Holies? You should get one...

What I'm Reading

The Cross Centered life is a small book with a big story w/ the cross of Christ at it's center. A great picture of preaching the gospel to yourself daily and trusting it alone for your salvation and life. Think Orange is a great book stressing the importance of the church partnering with parents for the biggest impact. I recommend both these books and would appreciate dialoging with you if you have read them.

"Water Running off a Cliff"

I had a English teacher that lived near Niagera he told our class that he had seen it so many times that to him it was nothing more than water running over a cliff. (Now he is a really good guy and I know what he meant, but I understand other English teachers who would find more beauty in diagramming a sentence than in the power of Niagara.) Kidding
Our class was taken back and some were offended that he would say something like that about such a majestic sight.
I got to thinking about that later and how that often is the way we view our lives in Christ. Some times the "awe factor" is gone b/c it seems that we have been following Christ for a while. At first it so beautiful and new, then we become used to it and something that used to leave us breathless will not stop us for quick look anymore. It is kind of like comparing a New Yorker to a tourist. The tourist walks around constantly looking up, while the native walks constantly looking down and when a tourist bumps into them b/c they are looking at the sights they get mad and mumble things to them while continuing to their destination.
We can get so "Christainized" that it does seem like God's grace is just water flowing over a cliff. We don't live with an appretiation for the Gospel that we still need everyday. We live like it's not a blessing anymore. Instead of like Paul saying, "God's Grace was overflowed for me" (that was 30 years after his conversion) we say "ah, at least I'm not going to hell"
We need constant reminders that God is more powerful than Niagera, and we need to enjoy his beauty and fight against the temptation to just coast thru life missing it.
"We are satisfied with a sprinkler when the pleasures of Niagera are offered to us" -Cruver

Be a "Real" Leader

The reason this is entitled be a "real" leader is because leaders have to be willing to confront. If you are not willing to confront you are not a real leader. I have been challenged by this in the reading of Nehemiah. His confrontation skills was one of the reasons he was such a great leader. There was one point that he found an official who had made a room for himself in the temple and he went in and threw all his furniture outside. Nehemiah also confronted "The Nobles" that's not like confronting a second grader this is confronting someone with great respect and authority.
In chapter 13 Nehemiah hears that some men had married foreign women. He goes and puts the beats on them and pulls out their hair! I was reading that and thought "wow that is pretty extreme." That would not be easy for me. I will admit since this is my blog that I struggle with confronting, but I realize that it is necessary. The neat thing is as you read on you see that Nehemiah didn't confront people b/c that's what he enjoyed doing but ultimately because he loved God and loved the people he confronted. He told them how Solomon a good king was taken away by his wives. He did not want Israel to go down that road again, but wanted them to be a light to the other generations.
Paul tells Timothy in a letter that it is necessary to confront, but it should always be done out of love.

Seven Pounds the Story We All Long For.

This was a great and thought provoking film. I realize it's kind of old now, but I didn't have a blog when I first saw it. So call me "not current" whatever you want I am ok with that.
It seems to me that several films have redemptive themes lately. Films that seem to echo the longing of all humanity. The charactor in this film realizes that he has a bad past and wants to do whatever he can to make up for what he once lost. He desperately wants to live a life of humilty and significance. He desires to be a hero but also has a desire to be saved by something that is bigger than himself.
He ends up giving all that he has even his own life for the benefit of others. These people who desperately need to be saved in order to experience life.
We all realize that in the story of our lives that things are messed up and broken. We want to be that solution to the problem, but we realize it takes something much bigger than us to remedy our shattered state. God sent us that hero, all the longing for significance are found in that hero Jesus who gave everything he had for the sake of others so that we can experience new life.

Living for Now.

This a journal entry from a moment in my life that I was unsure of what God's plans held and was a little discouraged b/c I was working a job I didn't go to school for. I hope this is an encouragement to anyone in this situation.
"Man this is one of those days. It's Thursday which means yesterday was Wednesday. With two clients and church I didn't get home till 9. I was running late this morning and felt like I could not find anything. (It's so much easier to take ten minutes and lay things out the night before) I am sitting in class and just realized that I am out of progress notes.
Jason asked me on Sunday how I make it through the week. I gave him a nice "churchy" answer b/c I was at church. The truth is days like today I feel like I don't have much purpose, and feel more like Billy Madison than an adult w/ a college education. I don't even feel like reading today.
I was thinking in bed last night about how much history there has been in the universe & how much history is still to take place. I am somewhere in between living in the present. How quickly my time will become a part of history like parachute pants from the 80s and the backstreet boys. (although I heard they are having a comeback) The conclusion I came to thru the narative of scripture is that my life is short but what I do matters, my faith matters, and the only reason any of that matters is b/c to God I matter."