After reading a Charisma Magazine article about how many pastors leave the church every month, which is approximately 1500, I think I’m beginning to realize, from what I can hear and have read, that they’re leaving probably because they had the illusion of some possible personal benefit somehow. i’m confident there was also a dream that they would be benefiting people and the community, which is indeed a noble thing, but somehow the dream seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle of life.

i need to mention that i found a few pastors here and there who left the church and i interviewed them as much as they’d allow, so this isn’t a lot of conjecture and assumption on my part but their actual words. They said that, aside from hoping to impact the community and the world for Kingdom purposes, they also hoped people would love them, endorse them, and (my summary of their words) “pat them on the back”. Upon graduating seminary and then subsequently being hired by a church body somewhere, by having a title and position they would be more effective and there would be hopes for a future serving a church body, but at the core of it all, the magazine article reported they were likely looking for some kind of self-benefit.

i think you and I know something that we have learned the hard way: if we’re waiting on people to congratulate us, pat us on the back, give us a hand clap, or even slide a dollar or two across the table, we will be waiting a really long time. If we are not doing ministry exclusively for Kingdom purposes we will be crushed under the weight of broken expectations and disappointment. You and I know people rarely respond, they just don’t; we know, factually speaking by looking at the weekly donations, that 10% or less actually, monetarily, support 100% of the work of most churches. We know sheep bites hurt and indeed, they bite a lot. For myself, i’ve had several published articles that were popular, for a moment, and a couple went over a million engagements, likes and comments and shares.  But truly, i found out the hard way, if I was waiting for kudos or some monetary increase in order for me to be encouraged and feel ok about myself, I would have long ago died. Out of all of the people who read, follow, and listen, in all this time, less than a handful have actually written to encourage or have given one thin dime. Good thing i’m not holding my breath. I’m not saying that begrudgingly, absolutely not, but what I am saying is, again, if we are holding our breath, waiting from some payoff of some sort for our efforts other than the blessings of God, or hoping for some kind of payoff besides the goodness of God in our lives, then we will be crushed under the weight of disappointment and broken expectations. Jesus is our reward and He indeed is beyond the beyond of any self-benefits hoped for. In light of that …

From Colossians 3 there are four things which are imperative and four persistence’s that are necessary. It is a command (imperative) that we seek, set, reckon, and know:

We need to:

1. Seek what is above, Colossians 3:1.
2. Set our affections. Colossians 3:2
3. Reckon ourselves dead, and that we will stay dead. Romans 6:11, Colossians 3:3.
4. Know we are hidden in Christ, Colossians 3:3, and at no time do we stop being hidden. In the verb “know”, there is an “on and on” motion, implying we don’t stop the process once we know we are hidden. It’s not a “one and done”. Also, as a side note, the Hebrew word for “knowledge and to know” there are 6 investigative words attached to it: what, where, how, which, when, and why, and all six point to the process in the concept of “to know, knowing, and shall know”.

There are four persistences we need to press towards regardless if we get a pat on the back or gain something for ourselves:

5. Persist putting to death, not just desires but what kind of desires but evil desires.
6. Persist to putting off the old man
7. Persist in wearing the new man
8. Persist to not lie

Do you see it? Persist, persist, persist!

Let us, diligently, every day, yield to God and allow his words to persuade us that we would cease being “sons of disobedience” or “being disobedient”, meaning:

stop being obstinate, unpersuadable, and contrary with a heart full of “lip curling don’t want to”.

With every step and every breath, we honor the Lamb, that the Lamb would have the reward of his suffering regardless if those around us endorse us or not. Our focus is Jesus. We do the intricate dance of inductive, exegetical Bible study in order to give/get a right and more clear view of the Christ, in honor of the Lamb. We lay hands on and pray for the sick, maimed, and blind that the Lamb would have the reward of his suffering, for He is worthy of all glory and honor and Power, which means He gets it all and we get none, yet we are included because the Father honors the Son and the Son includes us by the blood. The greater includes the lesser … that the Lamb would have the reward of His suffering, thus we persist and honor the Lamb with every step and every breath. We sing to God in the night hours in honor of the Lamb. We persist and present ourselves to the Lord, like Moses did, early in the morning in honor of the Lamb. We persist and pray our consistent prayers in honor of the Lamb. The Father honors the Son for His sacrifice and He requires all honor and glory and power and dominion be given to the Son, in honor of the Lamb. No other deserves the honor but the Lamb. We persist and give our lives for our wives as Christ gave his life for the church in honor of the Lamb with every step and every breath, that the Lamb would have the reward of his suffering. We persist and breathe His name in honor of the Lamb, we strike out for unknown places with God in honor of the Lamb, our purpose is not to know our purpose but our purpose is to know Jesus in honor of the Lamb, that the Lamb would have the reward of His suffering, with every step and every breath, “omni gradus omni spiritus”, “all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere present.”.  All our thinking all our breathing, all our power, and all our forward momentum, that the Lamb would have the reward of His suffering, in honor of the Lamb with every step and every breath. Persist, persist, persist.

i’m Social Porter with Living In His Name Ministries

Now, i’m not going to go down the longest list you ever heard concerning examples of heroes, the list would go around the earth several times. But what i do want to convey is that you, yes you, are a hero and a champion if you are in Christ. And yes, i do stipulate the “if you are in Christ” part simply because being a hero is about more than just an action. In God’s book it starts with the heart, after all, terrible people can do really good stuff, but doing a really good thing, a hero does not make. It is when our heart, mind, and soul surrender all in the moment and abandon ourselves, we throw ourselves into accomplishing the task in front of us.

At that, let it be known, God doesn’t ask us to do anything we can do on our own, He only uses broken things. So not only do we do what we cannot do, but we are, in Christ, who we never could be without Him, and through Jesus we can now see the unseeable and hear the unheard.

God is the true preliminary model of a hero and champion from which all other forms of heroes and champions are developed and copied. This is the foundation for 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” There is a precedent set in 1 John 4:19 which is Jesus is first in all things righteous. Jesus was the first to fulfill Matthew 22:38 concerning the first and greatest commandment. Jesus was the first to fulfill Mark 9:35 in that He made Himself as the servant of all, thereby setting the precedent of how we should conduct ourselves. He was the example of Proverbs 18:12 in that humility comes before honor and Jesus was the most humble and therefore gets the highest honor. Jesus is the personification of wisdom and James 3:17 testifies that the wisdom from above is first pure. Jesus is first in wisdom, first in honor, first in strength, first in courage, first in humility, first in power, first in resurrection, and first in authority. Always and every time. And if we are born again and Christ lives in us, we have our fingers on the pulse of infinity who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Revelation 1:17-18, speaking of Christ, it says, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

You, yes you believer in Christ Jesus, you are a hero and a champion because Christ lives in you. Don’t misunderstand, your circumstances don’t represent your standing with God. You don’t just survive, you prosper. You are not just “any person”, you are “that person”, specific and named by God Himself. You are not one to conform to the world but one who stands with your arms raised, with hands full of stories of overcoming and becoming. Your roots run deep, in fact, all the way to Heaven, first born blood relative to the Son of God. You’re not a conformer, you are a transformer, and when the fire is at your feet, remember how God promised that when you walk through the fire you will not be burned, nor will the smell of smoke cling to you. When you think you are just done, that you’ve really bought the farm this time and the vultures are circling, declaring doom over you, telling you, you’ve run as far as you can … i say get to your feet and stand up! Friend, you are no mistake or accident, there are no extra or left-over people in the Kingdom of God. When the enemy thinks they’ve finally got you pinned down, reduced to a scrap of crumpled waste paper, you’ll find your Holy Spirit second wind to rise up in the face of insurmountable odds, because that’s what heroes and champions do, and baby, that’s you, yes you.

Victory is in your veins with every pump of your heart. We are the people who stay conscious and present in the room when chaos swirls and contrary winds blow.

There are violent fires burning in our society. Drug wars, AIDS, child abuse, murders, corporate stealing, homeless people, and oh so much more. Just like God is on the move, so darkness is marching too. But just like in Judges, chapters 6 thru 8, during the Midian oppression, God called a mighty man of valor to be a deliverer. Judges 6 declares his call and his commission. The name “Gideon” means “to cut down.” He was called to cut down the oppression caused by the Midianites. Isn’t this what Jesus came to do as the ultimate conflict revolutionist? To do justice and to cut down oppression? According to Acts10:38, He came “healing all who were oppressed by the devil”, don’t we have a similar call of God upon us also? God has not called us and made us heroes and champions for nothing. Friends, we are not conformers, we are called to be transformers because that, THAT is what heroes and champions do.

i certainly hope you take these words to heart, roll them around in your head and let the word of God persuade your heart and mind.

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name Ministries.

When i first met Jesus and went to church, i remember the story of Israel crossing the Red Sea and spending 40 years in the wilderness more than most other stories from the Bible. It’s a story of great deliverance, great rebellion, incessant complaining, God’s rich and miraculous provision, and the miles and miles and day after day life in the wilderness. i was taught to dread the wilderness, after all, look what happened to Israel. Older Christians would tell me, “Oh, you don’t want to be like Israel, camping in the wilderness for 40 years!” Over time there began to grow in me a subtle dread of spiritually being swept off into the desert to probably die from thirst for God only to befound one day as just a dry husk, slack jawed, stiff and with empty eye sockets, and no one will remember me. Or to be like Elisha in 1 Kings 19 and get driven into the wilderness only to lay under a tree, whining and pining about “where is God” and saying “i’m the only one left”. Boo-hoo, just lost and sad in the wilderness.

In light of that, lo these many years later, i’ve concluded that probably all Christians, at one time or another, will spend time in a spiritual wilderness of some sort. We will likely battle with even the most subtle of things. We’ll struggle to pray, fight off indifference, we’ll likely work to connect with others and feel like we’re just getting nowhere fast, and maybe even just quit church for a while. We’ll probably feel the press of darkness, our fears will haunt us, and suddenly God will want us to do more than simply confess our faults one to another but He’ll want us to dig into the root of our conflicts. Oh and we’ll have to dig into all our “why”, with “why” being one of the most dreaded words in America today. Anyone knowing what dumb stuff we’ve been party to drives us into hiding, we discover secret sins lurking around in the back of our closets, encountering persistent bad attitudes, incognizant biases which persuade us so subtly, and unresolved old wounds that still whisper to us. Oh, yes, those pesky undelt with old wounds that have a way of surfacing at all the most inconvenient moments, dragging us back to the shadows of twisted thinking. The wilderness has a way of whittling us down to our most basic bits of faith making it so we know that we know exactly what is real and what is fluff. Gosh, we’ll probably even doubt we ever had any faith sometimes and then, yes then, we’ll feel ashamed of our shame and feel stupid about our doubts and we may even get good at running away.

But, let’s also see the amazing things that will happen while we’re in the desert or in the wilderness. We will stride forward with a new-found confidence and a more sure faith that God is all He said He is. We’ll learn how to overcome our tendency to panic when we don’t know what to do, and how to keep our head when the storm is howling. And what is most important, we will be spending close, one-on-one time with God, real personal time and conversation. He will teach us to pray, one of the most basic things all believers must learn to do considering it is an essential learned language all it’s own from the moment we were born again. We’ll become resilient and will find ourselves stronger with a new rhythm in the momentum of Grace. Yes, grace has momentum, like saying the more we live in grace the more we live in grace, and the closer we get to God the closer we get to God. Do you see it?

Here’s another insight. Although we’ll have to face ourselves and resolve the differences between our conscience and our character, which is a big deal, our fears and concerns about what other people think of us will begin to lose its power over us, not for us to be indifferent, but for us to re-prioritize within ourselves what is actually important. God has not and will not leave us to perish in a terrible place as we fear. Deuteronomy 32:10  “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.”

The wilderness and the desert are not terrible places as we’ve been led to believe. Sure there are storms, wild winds, pounding sun and heat, but, they are their own environment, designed by God to serve His purposes. Not to mention that the Lord goes with us and where ever Jesus is, that’s the best place we can be. i think my dread of those places is largely what makes them seem so awful, but maybe it’s more that they just don’t look like our comfortable home, we know where everything is and it’s all arranged to be ever so convenient. Not dreaded, they are simply different, and as you know, most of us don’t do “different” very well, at all.

My fears and failures don’t scare or frighten me much anymore. God’s grace overwhelms us in the flood. Having been caused to face those “shadows of death” I’ve realized all of the things I feared concerning myself were actually pretty true after all. And even in that, God’s grace overwhelms Us in the flood of unkind circumstances and dire events, and we are not swallowed up by our fear in the valley of the “shadow of death”. Having been in a position where I had no choice but to camp for a while, off and on, “in the valley of the Shadow”, eventually I saw it was just a shade, and I grew to not be gripped by paralysis due to my fears and failures. They are what they are, they are memories of fears and failures, and more importantly stories of God’s deliverance when my mourning was turned into dancing. Jesus is who He is and He lives in me. He is stronger than the shadow, He is better than the valley. Camping in the valley of the shadow of death I learned to make a warm campfire and build shelter and even find water. He prepared a table for me in the presence of my enemies. He forgives and heals all of our iniquities and transgressions and wounds, and God’s grace overwhelms Us in the flood. My fears and failures don’t scare me anymore.

Isaiah 35:1-2, “Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the LORD will display his glory, the splendor of our God.”

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name.

Synthesis of Nine Fruits of the Spirit

At about program number 52 i began to notice a phenomenon within myself…it was the growing realization that i didn’t know what i thought i knew. You’ve heard the phrase, “Out on a limb”? Well, i was far beyond the end of the limb and standing on the breath of God… i realized everything was over my head.

Long before the Lord gave me the idea to do a radio program, i had been praying that He would show me what He meant when He said what He did, because i really didn’t understand it. Don’t get me wrong, i read scripture and grasped the English translation, but i believed the Lord meant something much larger than what the translators often portrayed.

i wanted something that was mine, what He gave to me… not something someone else said or wrote. i would rather have a revelation God gave to me that was only a quarter inch wide and a half inch deep… that was mine all mine… than to always be quoting someone else and the amazing things “they” had to say. Honestly, i wonder a little about believers who are always quoting someone else and seem to have no real thoughts of their own. What is the value of quoting amazing things others say and not really grasping the Lord’s larger meaning and putting it in motion?

Don’t get me wrong, there are many profound writers and speakers out there whom the Lord reveals amazing things to, for sure, they have beautiful words within themselves and are completely worth quoting… they seem to have LOTS of words which just poetically flow from their lips. But i would like to encourage everyone who listens to pursue the Lord to have your own experiences, our own revelations, our own God-views so we can speak from our own experience and insight, as well as quoting other well-known people. It’s good to be well read, but what would you think of that scripture you just read if you’d never read anyone’s commentary or never heard anyone expound on it?

In developing the Fruit of the Spirit programs, #113-122, i thought i knew at least a little something about it all… only to discover… not really. Honestly, it’s embarrassing and quite humbling to realize this. In my mind, by this time in life, i figure i should know something about scripture and have better insight… well, i didn’t… but… things are getting clearer, thank you Jesus. My eyes began to recognize the Lord more clearly when i realized i didn’t have what it took and He began to give me insight and foresight….so in consideration of what i thought i knew,  i cut the anchors from the ship named “i know”, left them in the sea, and sailed with the flow of His presence, like Paul did in Acts 27:40… go with the wind of God and just let her ride.

i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, cool jazz and contemplative conversation.

This evenings content is a summary of the nine programs representing the nine fruits of the Spirit… the Holy Spirit is likened to a dove in Luke 3:22, and on each wing of the dove are nine primary feathers, each one of the nine feathers representing a fruit of the Spirit, as listed in Gal 5:22-23. The fruit of the Spirit is on one wing, and the gifts, manifestations or ministries of the Spirit on the other. i believe the gifts of the Spirit are represented by bells, and the fruits of the spirit represented by pomegranates, both of which were embroidered on the hem of the priest robe as seen in Exodus 28:33-34. Without the nine primary feathers on each wing the dove couldn’t fly correctly, just like if we aren’t operating in the nine fruits and the nine gifts, we are not operating at our full potential either.  That maybe a little complex, so bear with me here if you would.

i hope you enjoy what’s ahead. Dream, believe, and imagine as we set sail to a new harbor.

           i heard somewhere that the first fruit of the Spirit, love and the last one, self-control are like bookends which hold together the remaining seven. The last shall be first, so let’s start with Self-control…

The word “discipline” is the English transliteration of the Hebrew idea of “self-control”. The O.T. uses that Hebrew word 50 times, and the English translators called it reproof, chastisement, or instruction… but in the sense of self-control, it is seen as discipline, correction, or personal restraint. In the New Testament, the word often used is “sober”, “moderate”, “temperance”, and even “discreet”, meaning to be of sound mind, self-controlled and sane… or as i like to see it… thinking on level ground. The picture is one of fenced in passions and purposeful restraint.

The word for “self-control” reveals God’s intent that we use it as one of our methods to enter into the “returning light of God” which will wash over us like a wave, empowering us to be even more disciplined; the implication of the word means we are to explore our real motivations, in order to stand in the revealed truth of the Lord, knowing the Lord is our support to lean upon in order to conquer the passions of our flesh… and so much, if not all the battle for self-control is in our head. In the belly of a man are the passions which need to be in subjection.

One method to bring those passions into subjection is honesty, rigorous honesty, understanding why we do what we do… getting God’s instruction and correction is called education… something we, as a nation, desperately need… not education in the ways of the world and men, but of the Lord and His values. The Lord IS our method for our feet to be on a level path, or exercising self-control.

Gentleness – is portrayed as something with a much larger implication in the Hebrew and Greek than in English… in the case of Galatians 5:23, the translators used single words like “gentleness” or “meekness”, but the larger picture is “to have the attitude of a little lamb”… not, as many interpret “gentleness” as groveling, slavish, or pandering. What the Lord means is far from that. Gentleness is so very not cowardice or weakness, by any means, according to God’s values.

Ecclesiastes 8:1, “There’s nothing better than being wise, knowing how to interpret the meaning of life. Wisdom puts light in the eyes, and gives gentleness to words and manners.”

Those who go with God and endure the “educational institution of unhappy situations” have their sharp edges rounded off by circumstances, with the character of Jesus slowly being revealed in them like gold sticking out of the ground. Gentleness is a grace all believers possess… mildness of disposition, a natural inclination to kindness above violence and doesn’t spring out of, nor rest upon a sense of worthlessness. Ever. A gentle heart is not a victim’s heart.

In 2Cor10:1, Paul included the words meekness and lowly in conjunction with gentleness. These three words support each other and easily go together… gentleness requires humility, and humility is accompanied by meekness…. in contrast, with pride and feelings of superiority come rough reactions, stubbornness, and know-it-all answers. Gentleness isn’t just an external attribute like a washed face, instead, it is, what i call, an “inner worked grace of the soul”, born from the inside out… not ignoring our wrongness of character, nor being distracted from it, pretending it isn’t there, but by accepting with a receptive heart Christ who is able to save us altogether. Gentleness is a pattern of grace only found in Christ Jesus.

           These days, in a world of moveable boundaries, flexible morals, and the changing colors of loose principals and ethics, depending on the back drop, i believe faithfulness, is one of our most excellent testimonies to the greatness of our God. Faithfulness is related to that of fidelity and several times the original Bible translators interchanged “faithful” with “fidelity”. Anytime we see the words, “Hi-fidelity” on a stereo or an album cover, it means it is considered “faithful” to its source… as believers, it is the fruit of righteousness to be “faithful” to our source. Fidelity and faithfulness is the character of one who can be relied on.

An attribute of God is His faithfulness and, if we are His children, first born in the Kingdom of God, then we reflect this quality also. We are faithful in friendship, faithful in marriage, faithful in keeping His values, we practice “hi-fidelity” – meaning dependable, reliable, consistent and repeatable. Faithfulness is the concept of unfailingly remaining loyal to someone or something and putting that loyalty into consistent practice, regardless of extenuating circumstances.

We wear our faithfulness as a ring or bracelet, it adorns us like jewels for all to see as a reflection of Jesus in our hearts. Faithfulness isn’t just how you act, it’s more than what you do… it’s our dependable, consistent, and repeatable lifestyle.

We get to know “goodness” by being involved with the personification of “goodness”… Jesus, and the better we know Him and His details, the more of a sharpened gold standard of goodness we can live by. Goodness is both hidden and revealed, it is seen in the idea of “the greater includes the lesser” like a mother carries a child in her womb. Goodness has a way of bringing potential things into becoming a reality. By the blood of Jesus and through faith, goodness is imparted to us….it is there, intrinsic to our character because Jesus is alive in us. Everywhere we go, everything we touch, everywhere we set our feet, the oil of anointing of God’s goodness leaves its mark. In every kind word and every good deed, His goodness is infused in it and passed on to the world around us. Goodness subdues and coerces… subduing by way of God being so good to us we can’t help but love Him, and coercive in that when God’s goodness is poured out, even on the unbelieving, they are driven to their knees in honor of the King. God’s goodness will never be restrained, not chained, nor managed by man… it does what the Lord says and follows His will… like the wind or the sea, it cannot be directed by man, and is exclusively controlled by God. Man cannot alter it, and cannot change it; goodness goes before and after us like a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. Psalm 23:6, “Surely goodness and mercy are with me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.”

God’s goodness is never still, like the wind… day and night it is always moving. When the sun shines it is moving up and down the hills, across oceans and deserts… goodness is never still. The moon shines and the stars light up, and still it moves on. Even in darkness, when our eyes see nothing, goodness is still moving like the ocean waves; it is like when we are asleep, the forests and fields are still growing, we may not notice but His goodness is always marching on. A.W. Tozer said, “His goodness is the axle and we are the wheel, it is central to all that happens with the wheel, whether or not the wheel understands or appreciates the axle”… that is a picture of God’s goodness and it is alive in us… amen

           Kindness is not only what we do, but how we are and why we do what we do. It is a kindness to listen; it is a kindness to bury the dead; it is a virtue which affects everyone and was considered part of the Knight’s Code of Chivalry. Ruth kept her word and went with Naomi out of love. Boaz recognized her action as goodness in Ruth 2:11-12 and calls it kindness in Ruth 3:10. Kindness is the power to lift up the fallen ones and those who are near to fainting in the heat of battle… it is having grace in the palm of your hands to pass out like candy from your pockets… an action where we extend our hands of grace to others. From the Hebrew words for kindness and compassion, they are, amazingly, words of grace which are linked by grace. Within kindness is written the Names of God, which are powerful to break down strongholds and overcome darkness in high places… within compassion there is the action of God for the sake of the Son, Jesus. In the middle of kindness is “goodness” which is an inspiration for repentance. That the Lord accepts our repentance is a kindness, after all, His kindness leads us to repentance. When we practice kindness and compassion… goodness, the goodness of God is enlarged in the spiritual eyes of the world. Kindness and compassion always end up pointing to the King of Kings, are always inclined to teach others of the Lord’s purposes, and are never random.

Longsuffering – patiently enduring while diligently clinging to the promise that God will do what He said He would do, and when He does, it will be a testimony to all who see. In the mean time, we develop an understanding of the Lord, coming to a better perception of what is in our hearts along with knowing God’s details. Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of offense and personal challenge which does not hastily retaliate or run swiftly to chastisement; it is the opposite of anger, is associated with mercy, and is used of God in Ex. 34:6.

Getting wisdom and grace are often acquired through trials and difficulties… typically through situations rife with unfortunate circumstances and not something we would wish on anyone, but truly, it is wisdom and grace possessed in no other way except to “go through” deep water with the Lord. In the Old Testament, patience can be used where the translators used longsuffering. If we set sail with longsuffering, patience insists on being at the helm also. Patience says i will abide in Christ while we wait, and longsuffering says i refuse to budge from my place of forbearance while patience does her work. It is easy to find fault with other believers, but it is God in us to be longsuffering and patient.

Peace, real shalom peace is only gotten one place in the universe. Many search for fulfillment, happiness and contentment in material possessions, money, sex, entertainment, etc. But those things do nothing to fill “the hole in our soul” which only GOD can fill. God’s peace, shalom peace, is dependent on trust, doesn’t need to be seen to be believed, makes room for trouble, trusts God to manage everything, and always endures… it doesn’t mean there is an absence of violence. Shalom peace brings all things into alignment, draws everything into it’s proper God-context; it sets the correct horizon and focal point and is the only vanishing point based on God’s Che’sed, which is never vanishing… peace is part of God’s mercy and grace… beyond the vanishing point. God’s peace is defined as God Himself, He is the pivot and pinion, and peace is part of the Fountain of His heart on which we hang our lives in confidence and assurance, never failing and always in shalom peace by the blood of Jesus. Peace, God’s peace, is one of the elements of the platform on which we plant our feet and live our lives….it is one of the ways we know we are in the fellowship of the saints. Everybody wants it, but in the world today, it would appear not many have it. God’s idea of peace, shalom peace, has “Ha’Shem – The Name” built into it. Looking at the root Hebrew word for peace… it represents Yeshua and the names of God, it is about learning and teaching, in that we can’t teach others about peace unless we, ourselves, have first learned about peace. In peace is hope, denoting direction, goal, and purpose, three key elements of hope. In peace is an underground stream and completeness, Our God-peace is hidden in our hearts and revealed in our character and actions, and glorifies the Kingdom of the Almighty.

           Joy is associated with gladness, which can be a wonderful habit-forming inclination of the heart… much more than being “happy”. From God’s perspective, joy doesn’t have sharp rises and falls, like a sine wave, but it’s always on the slow steady rise, and it persists. Joy, as a fruit of the Spirit, is the melody of an illuminated heart, a brilliant gladness with a shout in the middle of our fundamental make up. With joy, comes light, and the root Hebrew word for “light”, as used in Esther 8:16 is an action verb meaning, “to be illuminated”. The picture is one of head and heart being connected by our purposeful choice, which to me means choosing Jesus… when that happens, there is illumination, making us to be bright. Rejoicing is the root word of joy…those with joy have an illuminated heart, God-light at their center. Joy is tied to gladness in Esther 8:16, expressing a shout in gladness… not just being happy but more, exhilarating brightness, and the dancing fire of rejoicing… the opposite of hard breathing conflict and sighing grief, struggle, and trouble. With wind and fire we have joy and gladness in the Holy Spirit, who comes to us with a melody in His glad heart, making us passionate to rejoice, regardless of our circumstances… even when the sky is dark, those in the fellowship of the saints have a naturally occurring brightness and singing which always finds a way to rise in their heart.

As self control is one book end to the fruit of the Spirit, Love is the other, the God-glue that sticks it all together.

The love of God, as demonstrated by Jesus, is the crown of everything and has everything to do with everything. His love is universe changing, demon defeating, earth re-polarizing, disease healing, and relationship repairing, Jesus is love and love is the answer of all answers, both noun and verb altogether. Love healed the sick and lame, love raised the dead, love was kind to the desperate and the leprous, and gave His face to mankind… looking us right in the eyes for the first time ever. The Father (aleph) sent His Son (beit), and by means of the Holy Spirit (gimel), makes appeal to the poor and needy to receive the Love of God.

Love literally is not bound by law, but is free to walk in and out, filled to running over with divine grace and holiness… and right in the middle, in the belly of the word, is a prayerful rainbow. Love girds us with the sword of the Spirit and decides it is fitting to be generous to run after the poor; it is uninterrupted and thrives in perpetual faithfulness.  As a fruit of the Spirit, love is about character and action, as is the heart of the Father about character and action… loves’ intent of grace makes opportunity for those who have wandered off… to come home. It is the motivation of Love to lift the burden of those who hoist the white flag of surrender, and persuade those who have not yet abdicated their fortifications to come home singing the songs of returning to God.

So ends the review of the nine fruits of the Spirit, each one have it’s own branches which represent the righteous character of the Lord, who is most extraordinary, the One and Only, savior of mankind.

           When our Savior is on the throne of our heart, what is in our heart makes us more than a conqueror by the blood of Jesus… like the persistence of leaven in dough. As a result, His qualities of righteousness become qualities of ourselves to shine in the dark world around us, offering salvation to those who are chained in darkness… imprisoned in chaos.

Isaiah 49:9, “That You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.‘”

Here is a reconstruction of Gal5:22-23 by extending single words into their identities…. “But the fruit, the action and consequence of the Holy Spirit is

love – free roaming and overflowing with divine grace, a noun and verb altogether; joy – an effervescent melody of an illuminated heart; peace – a heart that is settled and still comprised of direction, goals, and purpose; longsuffering – that fierce determination to not be moved while we wait; kindness – grace in the palm of your hands to give away; goodness – the axle and hub of our heart; faithfulness –dependable, reliable, consistent, and repeatable; gentleness – an inner worked grace of the soul as in the manner of a lamb; and self-control – thinking on level ground with purposeful fenced in passions.” This is the beauty of the Lord.

From where i’m sitting, i don’t believe we should function in merely an either/or employment of the fruits and gifts… i believe we, who are mature in Christ, should be hitting on all cylinders, operating in all fruits and all gifts at the same time, being instant in season and out. Sure, the Lord has made some to have more of one gift, ministry, or practice than the other, but….

The Fruits of the Spirit are the governance and foundation of the beautiful manifestations of the Spirit of God… they are more than just something we do, but are governing policies by which our lives are lived. Not a “to do” but a “to be”.

We are to be pastoral with love as is needed, evangelical with joy and gladness, practice tongues and interpretations with diligence and peace at all times, and being prophetic to the benefit of the whole church with love, and self-control…they all function together as a whole, not separately while wearing a suit standing up to be noticed on a platform somewhere. Like the dove who needs both wings and all nine primary feathers on each wing to fly, we too, fly above a fallen world to glorify the Lord and all He represents. To function in both gifts and fruits is a calling of the Lord.

The fruits of the Spirit aren’t attributes we go and get somewhere, they aren’t book learned, won as a prize, or some sort of mental ascension, but are overarching policies of our lives… They are all works of the Lord, attributes of Himself that He shares with us.

Be strong and courageous… remember, our God is a consuming fire, the closer He gets to all things, the more all things become like Him, which, to me, is a wonderful thing, indeed. Drive carefully, mind the gap, and i’ll talk to you next time. Amen!

The tragedy involving the Kansas City Chiefs and linebacker Jovan Belcher stirred up a number of emotions and thoughts for me.

We know that after the shooting and killing of his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, Belcher drove to a location near the team’s main campus and took his own life. I felt a profound sadness for the team and others close to Belcher, like his mother and daughter; now left without parents. Then I had concern for how the story will be told in the media. Let me explain.

One portrait of Belcher emerging in the aftermath of his murder/suicide was as a 25-year-old man who had a history of making adult choices like joining a campus group called Male Athletes Against Violence. Even beyond that, Belcher majored in child development and family relations at the University of Maine.

But, according to one report, the couple had argued over relationship and financial issues for months before the tragic events unfolded. On that Saturday, his mother heard her son say something along the lines of “You can’t talk to me like that” before pulling the trigger.

Here’s my concern about the story.

There is no question Belcher had good behavioral things that could be said about him. The media, society and pundits out there are going to want to emphasize that. They’re going to want to find what it was that made him snap and go from a, quote/unquote, “good man” to a common run of the mill criminal thinker who shot his girlfriend and then himself.

Some will want to emphasize that, as a pro-athlete, he struggled with entitlement. In so doing, they’re going to miss that being a pro athlete didn’t cause this. Some will want to blame the Chiefs or even Pro football being more interested in his production as a football player than they were about him as a person. If they do, they’ll miss that it had nothing to do with his crime. To the NFL’s credit, they will support Belcher’s and Kasandra Perkins’ daughter through college. Then, there are some who will want to play the “concussion card” and look for an outside source as the cause behind his criminal behavior.

This crime didn’t happen suddenly or overnight! He didn’t wake up one day and, out of the blue, decide his future actions were a reasonable choice. Don’t hear me say Belcher planned on murdering Kasandra Perkins and then himself as if he was a murderer his whole life, that’s simply not true. Also, you didn’t hear me say this was a moment where he was beside himself and just lost it.

May I say that overtime, Belcher’s criminal act – among other things I haven’t the space to write about this within the context of this program – was more about hiding the way he thought about being superior to others; something we already saw before he killed Kasandra Perkins when he told her, “You can’t talk to me like that.”

I deeply believe the focus shouldn’t be on good behaviors or that some outside source was responsible for his horrific criminal act. What was wrong was really on the inside of Belcher, which obviously, he kept from others. Why does the society we live in never seem to want to go there for the reason behind any criminal or irresponsible behavior?

I think one reason is because we are extremely uncomfortable to think we can’t control what’s going to happen. So if we talk about a man’s good stuff or that there’s some “outside of the man” cause for what happens, then some people think they’ll be alright. That’s sort of like living in a perpetual state of denial while bombs are dropping on us from everywhere.

Here’s a biblical thought about this. Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you [but yet is grudging the cost].”

That verse shows a method of operation that’s committed to duplicity and double standards, with “committed” meaning wholeheartedly feeling dedicated and loyalty to a cause, or idea. Double standards promote paranoia because instead of doing unto others as we would have them do unto us, we do unto them before we think they’ll do it to us. That’s one story I see in this tragedy. How sad! Will we (society) ever realize Duplicity and Double Standards = Devastation? The Lord is our standard, and His preferences set the stage for our preferences, and believe me, we can tell a lot about ourselves and other people simply by observing their preferences.

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name.

Common Sense, if you’ve got, use it, and if you need some, God’s got it.

On February 18, 2003, I remember hearing the disturbing news that Robert Hanssen, a 25-year veteran of the FBI and expert in counterintelligence, had been arrested on espionage charges. He was accused of passing top-secret information to the Soviet Union, starting in 1985. Federal agents apprehended him at a Virginia park just minutes after he left a package under a wooden footbridge, which investigators say was a drop site for delivering secret documents to his Russian handlers.

As the information on Hanssen poured out, we learned he was a faithful church member who attended services every week. In addition, he was a member of Opus Dei, a conservative religious order that was strongly anti-communist and stressed moral righteousness.  Sunday after Sunday, I have to wonder if Robert Hanssen really heard what was being said at his church. Hello? Are we listening? The writer of Proverbs, said in chapter 8, vs 5, to get some common sense, and don’t be so foolish, and part of getting common sense is having wisdom and understanding. And on a side note, it seems to me that most all of us get common sense by probably having had no sense at all. When we tripped and stumbled for lack of common sense, then we learned from it. i heard a fellow say once, “Wisdom is knowing what to do; discretion is knowing when and where to do it.” i think one of today’s major enemies against common sense is the instant gratification world we live in, gimme, gimme, gimme. We’ve gladly become the “have it your way” people, getting what we want, when we want, willing to live in the illusion we can pay for it later … somehow. Common sense is having sound judgment in practical matters. i learned the hard way, that if it hurts to hit your fingers with a hammer, then move your fingers. That would be common sense. A lack of common sense would be to just stop hammering because the hammer hurt me. Well now there’s some twisted thinking. It was the hammer’s fault. Victim thinking is very disturbing.

Common sense says if you want to eat, then you’ve got to work, and if we want to know God, then common sense says pray, read your Bible, look for Him and He will find you. Some people just seem to be born level headed, but folks like me seem to only learn by getting knocked around. i don’t know much, but what i do know is solidly fixed in my head and heart. The Lord helped me gain some common sense, thank you Jesus! i figure, no one can have as little common sense and live as i did when i was a young man.

In Matthew 13:14-15, Jesus talks about people who are like Hanssen. He says, “… some crowds that gathered around Him will be ever hearing but never understanding; ever seeing but never perceiving.”  There will always be people who won’t get what Jesus is saying which is why he said what he did in verse 15.

“For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”

In my lifetime, it seems there’s been a moral disconnect between faith and action in much of the Christian culture in this country. Or, what we believe, our orthodoxy, and what we actually do, our orthopraxy, most sharply doesn’t add up.

People can hardly hear with their ears, because they have determinedly closed their eyes.

James 1:22 says, “Don’t merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Jesus talked about the heart or soul of a person becoming calloused by only being a hearer of the word.

Proverbs 2:7 says, “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.”

I think minding the gap between hearing and understanding or seeing but not perceiving is being compromised by the sin against having common sense. James wants every believer to have common sense and there’s nothing like the Bible and walking with Jesus for developing that. i’ve got this idea in my head that says that we can’t live out the scriptures unless we are confident that it means what it says, so when the Lord says He’ll give common sense and wisdom to those who asks, He’s not just kidding around. He will do what He said. In Jeremiah 49, a question aimed at Edom was asked, “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?” When we read on though, the Edomites are prophesied to lose, not just their wealth, but also their less tangible riches, even their common sense! The worst part may be that they will fail to even recognize that it has left them all together. Clueless as to the vastness of their cluelessness. i don’t want to be like them. Help us Lord to have common sense, and put it to work.

All to often though, mankind has a bent to live in a destructive self-delusion. How sad if believers do that too. Isn’t this a lack of common sense in the believer who lives like that?

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name Ministries.

Let’s step off the dock here and jump right in: What will it take for you to be OK with yourself? We say, “If they’d just …”, “If i could only …”, “If everyone would …”. Shoulda’, woulda’, might’ve … and there’s that slippery little “if”, “if” this “then” that. “If” is the foundation of imaginary things, “if” is the bricks which build air castles.

At church a good while back, a young woman with smoky venom in her eyes, said to me, “I hate that woman! I mean i really really do!” All while staring (maybe glaring) at another woman across the room.  It was just the two of us, she and i for a moment in a room full of people. We had a little history from a few conversations in the past, so i felt comfortable to ask, “Why?” Her reply was that the other woman was a purposeful and conscious bad influence on the young men, like dresses too short, leaning over to reveal her chest at the right time then looking up to see who was looking, always in a pose of some sort … you know the drill. i checked to see if we were both speaking of the same person, and yep, she was still staring at the woman across the room with the same smoky venom in her eyes. i asked her “Why do you think she does that?” Suddenly, she turned and glared at me, saying, “Why do you think?!” and then she added, “You ask too many questions!” and huffed away taking her storm with her. i thought to myself the idea of “why” was a great place to begin a discussion. i thought “why” was a wonderful word which God had given to us to use and explore with. Hmmmm … i guess it irritates others occasionally to investigate “why”. It seems to be a very uncomfortable word for some when referring to themselves and their behavior. Tonight, we’re talking about “Why – why why why”. We are uncomfortable with the word as it applies to ourselves, Why is that? Ooops! Asked another question there. A few folks have called me the interrogator or the “question asker” when they think i don’t hear their comments. When i was a kid i almost failed the 7^th grade because i was tired of asking questions and being made fun of. My mother, who was also a teacher, when she saw my grades and found out why (oops, there’s that word again), why they were so poor, she told me, to be brave and ask as many questions as necessary in order to understand. She told me to ignore people who laughed at me and ask until i was satisfied with the answer. Don’t let public opinion make you stupid.

Here at Outposts, we’re a group of individuals called to be in close relationship with God Almighty, living His Life out loud in wisdom, conduct, and character, in evidence of the presence of Jesus Christ in a world of declining values.

Why do i take the time each week to write, produce and publish? Because i am passionate and compassionate about Jesus and people; i have a heart to inspire the world around me to live restored, reconciled, and redeemed lives which will bring honor and glory to the name of Jesus. As to where i’m connected, we are a conversational fellowship living to fulfill Gods Word, not forsaking fellowship, encouraging one another in prayer, bringing home the lost, and building disciples. Our path is Jesus Christ Himself, the Singing Light, the Brilliant Sky Who rains upon us, the Radiant Gift who lives in us in Splendor; He is the Living Poem who lifts the corners of our mouth, and the Light who poured Himself in a cup to refresh thirsty hearts. Taste and see the Lord is Good! Take an “O” out of good and you get God, but He is more than good, He is God and there’s never a time He isn’t!

Some would say “Why” is a word used too often, as in “You ask too many questions”, but it’s also a word people totally avoid when it is in reference to themselves. Why, meaning “for what purpose, reason, or cause; with what intention, justification, or motive?” Asking “why” is intrinsic to being honest, in fact, the Hebrew word for knowledge has six adverbs which are derived from it, who, what, where, when, how, and why. So, i figure, if we want to have knowledge as God sees it, we’ve got to be brave and venture off into the word “why” and all which comes with it.

In referring to ourselves, the word seems to get right down there under the surface of where we live. Do i avoid the inquisition of “why” because i am uncomfortable to see my real motivations, or is it more that i don’t want to be responsible and accountable if i did realize my real intentions? Maybe i’m not sure of my real motivations and i fear someone will find me out?

According to Simon Sinek, there is a golden circle made of an outer circle and two inner circles. Each is labeled, starting from the outside in, “What, How, and Why”. Mr. Sinek says almost everyone knows what they do, only some know how they do it, but very very few actually know why. Why is the fuzzy center which many never quite get to. They figure if they know what and how, then why isn’t all that necessary. Really? God thinks why is every bit as important, maybe even more important, than what and how many times.

i have come to a question within myself that i find quite ponderous, and that is – WHY is it that asking the question “why”, when it comes to our intentions and motivations, why is it so difficult to face for so many? What is it about ourselves which we fear so much that we hide our heart away, then we cover up our hiding, and then we cover up our covering up and maybe even manipulate the facts of ourselves, all in an effort to avoid the discussion of “why”?  How is it that asking “why” is, often, seemingly a much easier conversation with unbelievers and even criminals than it is within the walls of a church? Honesty is such a difficult commodity to possess for many. Sometimes, it appears the inquiry into behavior and motivations is far more honest with the world and far more dishonest with believers. i believe that ought not to be so.

What is this very disturbing word, “Why”?

It is a word used as an interrogative pronoun, or, so to say, a word used to set the stage of interrogation, like the words “which, when, what, how, and where”. We use them in an interrogative styled question, as an example, to glean information, like “What is this place?” or “Where are you going?” Do you get my meaning? In fact, “why” is one of the six adverb derivatives of the Hebrew word for “knowledge”, meaning, to actually possess knowledge as God gives it, not only as the gift of knowledge He gives, but He also empowers us to be inquisitive to use the words “who, what, where, when, how, and why” in order to glean information for righteous decisions.

Why is used, approximately 600 times throughout scripture. From Matthew 1:1 to John 21:25, the word is used 72 times, and 102 times by the end of the N.T.. The four gospels have 3779 verses, and in those 3779 verses there are 630 questions. That means that a little more than 16% of those 3779 verses are questions.

“Why” is a key word to getting understanding, as the writer of Proverbs suggests in Proverbs 2:2 “turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding...” i believe we are clueless as to just how clueless we really are, which is probably the reason the Lord calls to us to get wisdom. i figure, God is not calling to us to get understanding and knowledge just to hear Himself talk. Truly, i just don’t think we can get understanding without asking “why”, it’s almost like saying, if you’re not willing to ask “why” then you must not be willing for understanding, OR, maybe only willing for enough understanding to make your agenda to work, but not quite enough to actually be accountable and responsible. God want’s me to be better than i am, and in order to get there i must ask “why” and actually answer “why”, and that can feel pretty intimidating, especially when i don’t want to hear the answer.

Take note of God’s teaching methods. Throughout the Bible there is the obviousness of sentences which ask a question, they reflect the clarity of God’s methods of teaching. The idea of asking a question was used in order that people would think for themselves, and we can trace this pattern by the way Jesus asked questions. By using the word “why”, the Lord was saying, search your heart; He was saying I want you to see your motives and understand your intents. It was a word He used to prompt us to think, to ask Him for wisdom and understanding.

As we’ve said before, Jesus didn’t ask questions because He was ignorant as if needing an answer, He was bringing issues to light, it was meant to prompt people to “think about it”.  Jesus asked “why” and used interrogative or inter-rogating-type words to lead us to an understanding of our circumstances, to cause people to draw their own conclusions from His parables, or to inspire someone to consider what they were doing … as seen in John 1:38 when Jesus turned and asked, “Why are you following me? What do you want?”

To reiterate, do we really think He was asking that because He was scared or lost, or was He asking in order to inspire the two disciples to cross-examine themselves that they would understand more clearly their own motivations? John 10:32, He asking them “Why are you going to stone me?”, do you think He asked that because He was confused and didn’t understand? Not hardly.

Jesus fully understood and knew the people who wanted Him stoned and dead totally didn’t understand the why’s and wherefore’s of their intents and motives. The “stoners” had clarity about what they wanted to do, and they understood the “how” of it all, but they were highly likely completely fuzzy as to “why”, and in this case, “WHY” was the all encompassing, important question.

Is our problem with the word “why” a fear of scrutiny, at our own hand or worse, others? For some leaders, maybe they are weary of constantly being questioned about their motives and intentions, over and over, to the point where they are simply not willing to engage in a discussion of “why” anymore. In game theory there is always the payoff to consider, so, what is their payoff by not engaging with others about “why” they do what they do? The church, most especially leadership, seems to avoid the word “why” as it relates to themselves, as if the word itself were the plague. What is it that we’re afraid of?

Why do you get up in the morning? That may not seem like a nice question, but i do think it’s worth coming to a conclusion about. Is it because you have to? Feed the kids, need to work, or get the house moving for another day in a work-a-day world? Maybe most of us get up in the morning for a myriad of subtle reasons that we don’t even notice anymore. Because you need to? Maybe your body aches if you keep laying there? Possibly motivated by hunger? But if we only get up for the multitude of subtle things that occur in a bland go-along-to-get-along life, after a while it seems, we’re just living a gray-scale life with gray-scale reasons and eventually the wind, rain, and heat of the sun of everyday life feels like the color has been beaten out of our lives, and maybe even stolen the twinkle from our eyes. There is something better. Personally, i want a better reason to open my eyes and see the world i live in. It’s a world none of us designed, yet here we are, every day. For me, i get up to meet with the Lord because i want to, actually, i need to because i need Jesus, and that’s the best reason to get up in the morning. Jesus is my motivation.

Why do many people post on Facebook what they ate or where they’re going when no one has inquired as far as we can see? Maybe people feel generally unseen, unheard, unknown, and no one seems to even be asking after them concerning their well being. i know some folks who, when i asked them that question, said they just felt they needed to keep others posted and updated. i thought to myself, “Who are “others” and why do we assume anyone is interested if we’ve been outside watering the lawn or not?” Do we assume someone would like to know, or maybe we imagine people are interested even though no one has asked a question? It’s possible a pretty honest answer would be that … i would certainly want to know about me, and i like to imagine others are interested too. Maybe the truth is, we as a nation generally feel abandoned, rejected, isolated, and alone, and we really wish someone would inquire, and if no one has, we imagine what we would say if they had.

We often move from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing, often getting lost in the clearest and never quite make it to defining why, the fuzzy part.

“Why” as in what’s your purpose, what is your motivation? How far apart is our presentation face, our work face and our real face, and why is there seemingly an unbridgable gulf for many between who we present ourselves to be and who we really are?

A few years ago i went down town and took a survey, asking a question which actually referred to the chasm between our presentation face and our real face. The question was, “If your character met your conscience on the street would they know each other?” Most all the answers in reply to my question were answers to questions i was not asking. Even more amazing, no one replied “Yes, my conscience and character get along quite well”. One fellow said that his character would throw rocks at his conscience, and a young woman said her conscience would refuse to walk on the same side of the street with her character. One fellow said with a laugh, “My conscience left the building a long time ago.” You know, that’s not funny. i realized most everyone knew what they did in life, some knew how they lived their life, but almost none, almost none knew why. It seemed people were somehow a little afraid of knowing why and didn’t even want to talk about it.

What were the things Jesus asked others to consider more deeply by asking them “why”?

In Matthew 6:28 “So why do you worry about clothing?” God considered it important for us to know why we are so worried about our stuff. We, in this nation are obsessively concerned about our stuff, all our stuff. Jesus asks in Matthew 7:3, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” And again, think, was He asking this because He was mystified at our behavior, or was His intent more that we would consider our intentions concerning our judgments that are aimed at other people? It appears we have a lot to say about what others do or don’t do, but how rarely we challenge ourselves about our own motivations. Honesty is a key issue with God, but when is honesty just unnecessary bluntness? How about Matthew 8:26 “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” That wasn’t just a question to believers. The grammar there is more universal, as applicable to the “every man” everywhere. How about Matthew 14:31 “…why did you doubt?” In that use of the word “why”, Jesus was asking more accurately, “for what”, or “for what reason did you veer off your faith and re-decide to question God’s intent toward you?” Jesus wasn’t asking Peter because He didn’t know, it was to inspire Peter to look more closely at his own heart and motivations. The Lord’s heart is for us to be transformed, not just change but transformation, and, He wants it to be our idea that we need to stop being like we are and become like He is. For the reason that we desire it, not because He mandated. Yes, people can change their behavior without being transformed in their heart. We can mandate addicts stop their addictive, relationship destroying behavior, but really, the need to stop their addiction needs to come from them because they choose it, not because we require it. We can NOT condemn anyone into being more moral or possess higher ethics. If we pound higher morals and ethics out of people, they may present a face which says they are complying, but their heart is the same.

Jesus is asking us to think about why we have a hard time trusting God, and He’s never “trying to get it across to us”, as if He might fail in His efforts and promises, as if He EVER failed in anything. Why do we have such a hard time letting God be good to us? He was calling us to re-imagine what a nation who does not trust God would look like. Why don’t we trust Him? Romans 3:4, “God is true and every man a liar.” We are all betrayers by nature, God is the ultimate truth teller, the very personification of truth, but yet we often listen more to the liars than God. Why?

In Matthew 20:6 Jesus asked them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” What do you think that was about? Matthew 26:50 when they came to take Jesus away to be crucified, He asked them, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.” Was He feeling like a victim and was playing His victim card, or did He want them to consider their motives and intents, being honest about why they were doing what they were doing? Jesus said, “Forgive them Father for they don’t know what they’re doing”, and maybe He could have added, “… and they don’t even want to consider what their motivations are.”

Let’s get to the bottom of our reasons and be brutally honest. i believe, simply, that we fear and have a hard time trusting God; simple unbelief. We fear someone will know what’s truly at the foundation of where we really live. What will it take for us to face the long dark of our unbelief and resolve the conflict? Are we willing to investigate, or should we just procrastinate and ride the wave of “mindless good times”, meandering along in a fog? What will we do, O, what will we do? If we don’t like what we reap, then let me suggest we change what we sow. Think about it.

This has been another late evening conversation just full of difficult questions. For most, i’d venture that the answers are very uncomfortable in the short run, but totally profitable in the long run. How far are we willing to travel in order to resolve our issues, or are we satisfied to sit, muddled and clueless as to the magnitude of our cluelessness? Are we a nation which only has eyes to see the short-term profit of things? The answers for these questions bring us strength to pivot and gives momentum to our lives for the tipping point towards our destination.

i’m Social Porter and thank you for joining me for a late evening radio-styled broadcast from the deck of a rural cafe over looking the cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, and every evening is pleasant.

This evening was supported by Living In His Name Ministries, Area 22 Guitars, the home of brilliant creativity and dynamic forward thinking, McDowell Electric, International Tile, the Jump Off Rock Gift Shop and Constabulary, and of course, Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

Tonight, i’m bidding us all to take the challenge of digging into the why of our what. Every successful leader and company starts with “why”, not what. Please, be honest with yourself about it all. Open your ears, muster your courage, the phone is ringing, God is calling you. It would be good if we would take His call and answer the phone. Amen.