Has God gone crazy or have I?

Hello Gang, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. There certainly is a lot to be Thankful for. I myself could go on about all God has done for me this year. Set me free from a career that was holding me back from experiencing him in so many ways. Has continued to provide financially from that time (Mid April) till now. Has given me the road trip of a life time, helped me to grow in understanding and faith by leaps and bounds, Still have more about him to learn than I’ve learned (Life would be boring otherwise right.), Incredible friends, and much much more. Ahh but that is a side point to what I have to chat about today. Today I want to talk about my absolute favorite topic in the whole wide world “ME!” ;-). Ok, I hope that’s not true. But I am going to talk about myself for a moment anyway and hopefully that will lead to what I really hope to say.

As I’ve grown up over the years I have had many different viewpoints of God and the type of relationship one should have with him. I remember as a little kid I was very open to God and what others had to say about him. I would go to church listen to my teacher and go home talking about what I had learned that day. I would have a question about God and I would ask my parents or a teacher at church. They would answer and I would trust that answer. As I grew older I probably like most teenagers began to question. My teachers would say something and if it didn’t make sense to me I would challenge them. They would explain what they were saying and I would continue the challenge. I’m not sure I remember my teachers ever really winning a debate with me. Class would let out and the discussion would end never to be brought up again or one of us would see the other wasn’t going to change and would just end the discussion (Usually it would be me) In college even though my teachers in High school had never convinced me I decided that they were correct and it just took a step of faith to believe them and live that way. God would bless it even if I didn’t understand. I remember watching someone in church one day raise their hands as they were worshiping. Rather than asking her why she did that I looked at my experience and belief in God and decided that the only logical reason she was doing this was to draw attention to herself. I think I was in high school at the time. I never mentioned this thought to anyone. Didn’t even take much time to think about it. I just looked at her and came to an instant judgment. A few years later I go to a church that’s a completely different denomination and I see most everyone lifting their hands not only that but I think I remember seeing people dancing in worship. The church also has a full band leading worship. Suddenly I realize maybe there is more to this God thing than I realized. For the first time since High school I begin to ask questions. I spoke with people about why they worshiped that way and instead of judging I tried it out I found I was able to connect with God easier If I hadn’t judged that person years earlier maybe I would have experienced God in worship sooner. But no I had my God in a box and I was keeping him there. Fast forward a little bit about 5 - 10 years. My view on God has changed a lot. I now believe that my mind has opened to who God is. I still have a bit to learn but have now let my God out of his box. I step into a church for the first time and someone comes up to me and asks “Are ya ready?” That should have been a cue. Worship begins people begin running up and down the aisles, falling on the floor in convulsions, I hear these voices beside me that are not speaking in any form of intelligible language. It is CRAZY! As soon as that service was over I was out of there never to go back. I didn’t give it a chance. I didn’t ask any questions. I was just gone. Since then I have heard the reasons behind quite a bit of what I experienced that day. Some I agree with some I’m not so sure. But I can’t tell you if this was a good church or not because I ran. You see I had given God a bigger box but he was still in a box. In my mind that church was all about emotionalism and not God. Maybe I was right maybe I was wrong but that is between them and God. Many other things have happened over the years some I have embraced others I haven’t. I’ve experienced others praying for healing and dismissed it with a God doesn’t work that way anymore. I’ve heard people say “God told me” and dismissed it with “That’s an easy excuse” or “God doesn’t talk to us like that he uses the bible” box, Box, BOX, Guess what… God talks to me. Ya know what else. I think it was 3 years ago I sat in a church as this young healthy woman STOOD in front of the church and talked about how she was in a wheel chair the day before. In the past week I have sat in a church service and the watched a woman sitting beside me get healed of a Degenerative jaw disorder. How do I know? Simple, she had pain before the prayer and no pain after. I watched as a woman’s leg grew two inches (Really her hips went back into alignment) and I’ve heard numerous testimonies of healings. But Larry these could just be emotional healings are they still healed a week later? I haven’t seen them so I don’t know but my money is on YES! Let me tell you of something else. I was sitting in a prayer room last Saturday someone stood and said “There is someone here that has problems with your left ankle.” As some of you know 10 years ago I fell 17 or 18 feet off of a latter. I shattered the left heel of my foot. Praise God my Ankle bone after it broke was long enough to still use and I didn’t have to have it fused together. But, I have only had about half the normal range of motion and the pad of my foot just under my toes has remained numb. I am not going to complain and have always been thankful that this is all. I can still do everything I could before. My ankle is just very sore after and I limp until the muscles can stretch out. Someone prayed for me two and a half days ago. She prayed and after I moved my Ankle back and forth. As I said before it was only about 50% range of motion. As I move it to point I can’t say it’s 100% but it is at least 90% I can barely tell a difference between the two. She prays again and I can feel a flushing coming through my foot I have feeling on the pad of my foot that I haven’t felt in 10 years. GOD DOES HEAL TODAY!!! (No pun intended) I wish I could say it was 100% but I can say I have continued to have feeling in my foot that I haven’t had before. I believe it is still healing. On Saturday November 28^th God restarted the heeling process that had previously stopped. I believe at some point I will suddenly realize it’s 100% But even if it isn’t. I am happy. I’m better than I was and I didn’t even ask for it. Now you may have a whole bunch of why’s coming to mind. Stop right there! I don’t have the answers and I don’t think we will until the day we are face to face with him (Then we wont care) Rather than asking why not? Lets just praise him for the current miracles. But that’s not my point. Here is my point (If ya haven’t already figured it out). We all have God in a box it’s just a matter of human nature. Granted some boxes are larger than others. Remember my very first experience as a little kid? I asked and I accepted the answer. Remember my next stage (The High school kid) I challenged my teachers. I want to challenge you to take the two stages and combine them. If you see or hear something of God that is just too crazy for you to accept be open to it as a child. But don’t forget that we are warned to “Test the spirits” 1 Thessalonians 5: 19-22 Do not quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of evil. But how do we test the spirit? 1 John 4: 1 – 3 Beloved do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God… So are we supposed to ask every leader their belief and where in scripture they support what they are doing? Why not? Also look at the atmosphere around you. Is God being glorified in what’s happening? Are there examples of this in scripture? If it is in scripture and you are questioning it perhaps your God is in a box. I’ve seen people stumbling as if they were drunk claiming they were drunk in the spirit. Acts 2:13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine” combine that with Ephesians 5:18 and do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the holy spirit. And you have a pretty good argument for it. Just because I haven’t experienced it doesn’t make it wrong. But it sure looks like they are putting on a show plying for attn. Maybe but that is between them and God. Scripture supports it even if it’s not what I picture when I read it. In these cases it’s time to pray. “God I don’t understand this and I don’t know what I think about it but I don’t want to miss out on any aspect of you because of my ignorance. If this is something that will draw me closer to you then BRING IT ON!” God meets you where you are, where you are willing to be, and where you need to be. Lets break those boxes open and see “Who” God really is.

Thanks Gang, Hope you are having a great week and once again “Lets live it upside down.”

Oh yeah, The God I knew a year or two ago would have kept me working my job and not trusting him to provide. He never would have given me this trip as a gift, and since it wasn’t life or death wouldn’t have done a thing with my ankle and foot. Is your God holding you back? Then either he’s too small of a God or your not setting him free to work.

King of Distractions

Being a person that has to the most part made his living in entertainment I know a thing or two about the wonderful art of “distraction”. Magicians use this to accomplish a trick. A slight of hand magician will find a way to get you to look one direction while he hides his “Magic Coin” somewhere else. You know what he’s doing and insist that you wont let him distract you yet he still does. Actually a good magician will use that against you. I have a magician friend that uses that as a part of his shtick. He will tell you exactly how he does the trick and insist he can still fool you every time “He does” An Illusionist uses the same technique except he employs the use of mirrors and lights so you think you’re looking at one thing when you are really looking somewhere else. A good haunted house will trick you into looking at one thing while the scare comes from somewhere else. “Distraction” you insist you won’t be yet it gets you every time.

I want to tell you about someone else that is great at the art of distraction. Actually I don’t think anyone is better. You know what he’s doing yet somehow he fools you into looking anyway. I think you can probably guess where I’m going. The one I’m talking about is non other than Satan himself. As mentioned before some of his techniques are pretty in your face. Gossip is a good one, An argument as you walk into church, Singles how about those times you notice a cute guy or girl as you’re walking into church? You get the idea. Others are a little more subtle. These are the tactics that take your focus of off God. For example: Each time we sin Satan is pretty good at getting us to focus on the sin and trying to overcome it instead of focusing more intently on God. He even distracts from that distraction with thoughts that say… “I’ll never be able to beat this” “Why do I even try” or We go to read our bible and think of something we have to do first (It’ll just take a sec) It’s one of his more subtle distractions that I want to talk about. I personally think it’s one of his better distractions but only one he employs after the other distractions have become less effective.

I’m not sure what to call this distraction so I’ll just use one of the sentences he may whisper in your ear. “Wouldn’t it be great to receive the spiritual gift of ___________ (Tongues, prophecy, healing, helps, etc…) You see Satan’s ultimate goal is to get our focus off of God himself and onto ANYTHING ELSE. What’s wrong with pursuing these gifts? Absolutely nothing! It’s just not the prime focus God wants us to have. 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 “Though I speak with tongues of men and of Angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love it profits me nothing.” Speaking in tongues could possibly be known as incantations as well. Prophets today could also be called “fortune tellers” I’ve known more than just Christians that volunteer at homeless shelters. I’m going to be so bold as to say that none of these people have “Love”. Oh, Larry you’ve done it now. Are you saying that only Christians can love others? No I’m not. I’m saying that there are a ton of Christians that do this without love as well. I’m saying that Satan has so distracted us that we don’t even know what love is anymore. We look at love like it’s some inanimate object. Lets continue 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 (The first part of 8) Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek to own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (The rest of the chapter goes on to speak of what does fail.) I don’t know about you but this description does not sound “Inanimate” to me. It sounds like love is a living, breathing thing. We are told to pursue this living, breathing thing above all else. “Wait a minute this is beginning to sound familiar.” I certainly hope so! Who else do we know that carries all these attributes that we are suppose to pursue above all else. Hmm, lets go to 1 John 4:7-8 (Actually just read all of 1 John it’s a great book) “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, FOR GOD IS LOVE.” This is no big surprise of course we are to pursue God above all else. If that’s the case and we know it why do we pursue these other things first? My thoughts, because when we hear pursue God we don’t truly know who God is or how to do that so we are tricked into pursuing what we see instead (The Gifts). If that’s the case let me throw out another suggestion. Actually I’ll just throw Paul’s suggestion at you. PURSUE LOVE! In so doing we are pursuing God. What does that look like? Lets figure it out together. Here is where I’m going to begin at least. Remember those WWJD Bracelets (What would Jesus Do)? I’m going to try and follow that model but instead it will be “What would Love do?” When I’m faced with a choice I’m going to ask “What would love do?” and then try to do it. But then ask another question. How did I feel about doing it? If I’m more begrudging than loving I will ask one more question. “God help me to become you in this area of my life.” You see living this way will help us to recognize where we are close to God and where we are clinging on to ourselves. That knowledge will help us to pursue love and in so doing pursue God who is love

Alright Gang, sorry to be so long on this one. Hopefully it was worth your while. Have a great week and as always lets “Live it Upside Down”

What is your Egypt?

Repost

What is your Egypt? (The first half is a repost of an earlier blog please read this and the comments after then you will understand why I felt the need to repost.)

Ok, I felt the need to share this with you. I am sitting here this morning thinking. "Here we go my first day of unemployment" Then I thought "Wait I'm not unemployed I have a task so what should I call it?" Then I thought MY FIRST DAY OF FREEDOM! "I hope I don't go running back to slavery" It's clear God was leading me to the old testament his children Israel. As they were roaming through the desert every time a struggle or trial would come along they would start complaining to Moses. "It would have been better to stay in Egypt (In slavery) but now you have led us into the desert to die." How often are we on the verge of being set free only to run back to Egypt before giving God a chance to show up? I know I have quite a few times over the years and now that God has given me another chance to escape I pray that I don't run back out of fear.

I feel I must ask. What is your Egypt? I'm not saying it needs to be as extreme as leaving your job. But what is it that is holding you in bondage, afraid to break free? Has God given you the opportunity to escape only to run back for fear of what lies ahead? I pray that God gives each of us the strength to break free and the courage to live in that freedom.

The above post came after reading through the book of “Exodus” and the thoughts it prompted. It is what Israel was dealing with as they were wandering through the desert looking for the “Promised Land” Now I have just finished reading through “Isaiah” and it has been over seven hundred years since entering the promised land. What could the two possibly have in common with 700 + years separating them? While in Egypt they saw God bring plagues, famine, and death to Egypt to entice Pharaoh into letting them go. While wondering through the desert God led them with a cloud by day and fire by night. He gave them Manna daily, parted the Red sea, Water from a rock, etc… Yet each time something went wrong they wanted to go back to Egypt, back under pharaoh’s protection back into slavery. Despite everything they saw God do for them “They trusted Pharaoh more than they trusted God.” Now lets fast forward a few years they have now taken control of the promised land (I wont even go into all God did for this to happen.) They have made it through the time of Judges (Again God showed up big time with each and every Judge) and into the time of Kings. Lets sit and camp on David’s reign for a while shall we. During this period David killed a giant with a slingshot, Jonathon (Saul’s son) and his Armor Bearer killed an entire division of Philistines (Both before David became king) In David’s army we have “The mighty men of David” (2 Samuel 23: 8-37) Josheb-Basshebeth who killed 800 men at one time, Eleazar who attacked the Philistines by himself and won, Shammah who defended a field against the Philistines and won, Abishai who killed 300 men at once, the list goes on. Certainly these men were skilled men of war but there is no way they could have accomplished any of this without God on their side. God has a history of proving himself to Israel. Lets move on to Isaiah 30: 1-3 “Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, who take counsel but not of me, and who devise plans but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin (Here it comes) Who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked my advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, And trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be your humiliation.” Do you see that? They are depending on Egypt for protection. Not God who has proven himself time and time again but on Egypt the country that held them in slavery. Did you know that while Pharaoh had given Solomon his Daughter in marriage he was also sheltering two of his enemies (1 Kings 11: 14- 25) Edad, Pharaoh gave him his Sister in Law as a wife. And (1 Kings 11: 40) Jeroboam. It seems ridiculous when you read it. EGYPT!! Israel is depending on EGYPT!! The country that has been a thorn in their side from the beginning. EGYPT is their chosen protector over GOD who had proven himself. Why? What is it that continually brings them back to Egypt? Egypt was a “Super power” The obvious power house of the region so when you look with your eye’s it only makes sense. But God gave them something else to view their world with. He gave them his “Covenant” and he gave them prophets to remind them of the covenant and the consequences of ignoring it. Yet it seemed easier to chose Pharaoh. I think it was because Pharaoh didn’t ask anything other than money. God asked for their lives. We can see the consequences of that choice. Later on Egypt was destroyed and Israel was brought into slavery.

So I must ask once again “What is your Egypt? Despite God showing his love to you time and time again what is it you find yourself running to continually for protection, provision, comfort instead of God? Is it your job? Maybe parents, boyfriend/girlfriend, mate, savings account, Intelligence? What is it? We all have an Egypt in our lives! It’s time to identify it and ask God to move in and PERMANENTLY replace it. Israel couldn’t seem to do it. But we have something they didn’t. We have Gods ultimate proof of love, provision and protection in his son Jesus Christ who came to this earth his death offered up a permanent shield against Egypt will you chose to use it?

"Freaks and Gawkers"

Ok, so I’m walking down the boardwalk of Venice beach the other day and enjoying the sites (people watching). For those of you that don’t know anything about Venice beach it’s pretty much a no holds barred area that hosts vendors all along the boardwalk. Some very established with their own storefront, some just a table and chair, while others walk around hocking what they’ve got. It’s also a great place to catch some pretty cool street performers, dancers, singers wrappers, glass walkers, etc… Mix that with professional panhandlers that even have their begging down to a science (For example: The man wearing wine bottle sunglasses holding a sign that says “worlds greatest wino”, or the group holding a sign that says “Help keep grass on the boardwalk donate now”) Combine all of that with “Muscle Beach” and you have Venice beach. Of course as you walk up and down this particular stretch of the boardwalk you see all types of people, Homeless, skateboarders, psychics, potheads, bodybuilders, alcoholics, hip hop artists, tourists, etc…) Really you can divide all of these groups into two different categories “Freaks” and “gawkers”. Now I use the term Freaks only because this is the phrase I so commonly hear others use when talking about Venice Beach they are the performers putting on a show for the Gawkers and in many cases making a nice little living doing it. You see the gawkers love to come to the beach to watch and laugh and ultimately feel better about who they are. The Freaks know this is what’s happening and have learned to exaggerate an effect for gain. Personally I like to call them Caricatures. Why? Because I believe they are in real life just who they claim to be at Venice Beach they’ve just learned how to exaggerate it. The sad thing. I noticed an overwhelming number of almost every type of person you can imagine except one. I didn’t see any “Christ Followers” I have seen that caricature in the past (The Jesus bus, The street corner barker) and maybe there are one or two on the beach and I just missed them. I was there but I would be more in the “Gawker” category. Suddenly my heart really begins to hurt for these people they are so lost. How can we reach them? Then I realize what I’ve been talking about, what is happening in Venice beach is everywhere it’s just that anywhere else we are not willing to be that caricature. It’s hidden, in Venice beach they hide nothing! I spend the day trying to process this information and decide what to do with it. When I join a friend and her family to go to the BIG Halloween party in W Hollywood. While we are there it’s Venice Beach times 100. Wow is this crazy! Shannessy and I are walking and talking about what we are seeing and I begin to tell her about what I’ve been processing. Her brain had pretty much begun the same thing (I just got a head start). I asked something along the lines of what do we do? How do we respond? I was overwhelmed not seeing any sort of answer and realizing that this was a caricature of what’s happening everywhere. When a light went on in her head. I was thinking of “The Grand Scheme” when she excitedly said “We be light” No big plan, no making ourselves a “Christ Caricature” just plain and simple “Be Light” in this world wherever you are. Is that enough? Of course it is! Jesus is light (One man) look what happened around him. He’s permanently marked in history because of it. Every time we use the year we are talking about him (B.C. now it’s A.D.) Look at Matt 5:14 – 16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to “ALL” that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.” My friends it is time for us to be light to stand on a Lampstand (Use the gifts God has given you) and declare the light. Otherwise it’s common sense. The less we shine our light the darker the world will be. I don’t know but maybe that is one of the reasons Jesus in Mark 8: 38 says “For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the son of man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with the Holy angels” If we are ashamed to admit we love him how can we possibly be light in this world. I would like to leave with this question. Is there any reason to not shine the Light of Christ other than being ashamed? I can’t really think of one.