Easter is just around the corner, and it always gets me.
I will cry this Sunday in church.
The overwhelming magnitude of its significance will flood my heart, which will then result in mascara cascading down my cheeks.
I'll look like a mess by the time it's all over.
And that's okay.
We're all a mess anyway.
I'd say Easter is the one day we might as well embrace it.
Amen?
I mean, have you ever really meditated on the fact that God came to down to us through the incarnation of a man?
Ever actually let that sink in?
Or at least imagined, "What if...?"
That He physically walked this Earth.
Breathed our air.
Burped after a meal.
Got splinters working as a carpenter in His dad's wood shop.
Hugged His friends.
Went to the bathroom.
Laughed.
Cried.
Loved.
Became one of US.
It's absolutely mind-blowing when you take the time to even attempt to process it.
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A dear friend of mine shared on Facebook that this book was free for download one day on Amazon.
So, I figured I'd download it. (Why not, right?)
And it turned out that this book put into words some of the very things I had been wrestling with since reading the Bible in its entirety a few years ago.
One of the main takeaways from that year for me was the realization that Jesus and what He taught is scarcely seen in professed "Christians" today. More specifically, it is RARELY seen in ME.
I feel like God has been telling me to be more INTENTIONAL.
Intentional with my family, with my friends, and with people God puts into my life unexpectedly.
To not be in such a hurry, but to see people through His eyes.
Not with judgment, but with compassion.
Really get to know what's going on.
Know their struggles.
Strengths.
Situations.
Set-backs.
And then serve them right where they are.
However that looks.
Each person / relationship will be different.
I'll be honest, there are days / months / years when I do a super crappy job of being intentional.
We had a neighbor in Oklahoma who was a retired, never-been-married woman with not many (if any) friends or family around. She lived all alone, and I went and visited her one time.
We lived there for four years.
I was home every single day.
She was home every single day.
I never invited her over.
Not once.
In this book, Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth, the author highlights the God incarnate life of Jesus on Earth. The God-Man literally walking our streets. How He interacted with people. He was SO intentional -- particularly with "big sinner" people. The way He treated them is so vastly different from how most "Christians" treat them today.
There were several quotes from this book that I feel like said exactly what I've been thinking...
Jesus was teaching that godliness is not about trying to hide our humanness and appear more like God. That always comes off smelling like inauthenticity and reeks of hypocrisy -- and neither God nor the observing world buys it. Worse, it doesn't work anyway.
People are not pagans to be converted, projects to be preached at, or demographics to be reprogrammed. Humans should never be generalized, categorized, dismissed, judged, or underestimated. Every person is a story, rich with history, experiences, creative potential, strengths and weaknesses, clarity and blindness.
You must learn to respect people's lostness; you must become a deep listener and learn to dignify people's spiritual journeys. And when you hear what has happened to them or not happened to them regarding spiritual matters, you must identity with them or put yourself in their shoes so that maybe someday you can help them see Jesus ans separate from those bad experiences. You've got to help them see the real face of God.
Jesus transcended all the dilemmas, arguments, trite judgments, and religious expectations simply by not picking a side. He neither condoned nor condemned, and yet people felt accepted by Him...and they felt conviction.
People of every sexual orientation miss God's design for marriage. In fact, they miss His design for just about everything. It's called sin -- missing God's mark. But for some reason, God looks past that and still shows up at our parties, our ceremonies, and our dinner tables. He wants to talk. He did way back then. I believe He still wants to talk today. Jesus shows us that there's never a change of mind unless there's a change of heart, and there will never be a change of heart without a conversation between trusted friends.
We have to remember that how we treat people influences what they may believe about God, and if you look like you've got an agenda other than loving, listening, or blessing, your God will look like a conquistador instead of a compassionate King.
If any of this resonated with you, I highly recommend you read this book.
It's written in a down-to-earth / conversational way.
It will encourage and demonstrate how to live more than just skin deep life.
I will cry this Sunday in church.
The overwhelming magnitude of its significance will flood my heart, which will then result in mascara cascading down my cheeks.
I'll look like a mess by the time it's all over.
And that's okay.
We're all a mess anyway.
I'd say Easter is the one day we might as well embrace it.
Amen?
I mean, have you ever really meditated on the fact that God came to down to us through the incarnation of a man?
Ever actually let that sink in?
Or at least imagined, "What if...?"
That He physically walked this Earth.
Breathed our air.
Burped after a meal.
Got splinters working as a carpenter in His dad's wood shop.
Hugged His friends.
Went to the bathroom.
Laughed.
Cried.
Loved.
Became one of US.
It's absolutely mind-blowing when you take the time to even attempt to process it.
A dear friend of mine shared on Facebook that this book was free for download one day on Amazon.
So, I figured I'd download it. (Why not, right?)
And it turned out that this book put into words some of the very things I had been wrestling with since reading the Bible in its entirety a few years ago.
One of the main takeaways from that year for me was the realization that Jesus and what He taught is scarcely seen in professed "Christians" today. More specifically, it is RARELY seen in ME.
I feel like God has been telling me to be more INTENTIONAL.
Intentional with my family, with my friends, and with people God puts into my life unexpectedly.
To not be in such a hurry, but to see people through His eyes.
Not with judgment, but with compassion.
Really get to know what's going on.
Know their struggles.
Strengths.
Situations.
Set-backs.
And then serve them right where they are.
However that looks.
Each person / relationship will be different.
I'll be honest, there are days / months / years when I do a super crappy job of being intentional.
We had a neighbor in Oklahoma who was a retired, never-been-married woman with not many (if any) friends or family around. She lived all alone, and I went and visited her one time.
We lived there for four years.
I was home every single day.
She was home every single day.
I never invited her over.
Not once.
In this book, Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth, the author highlights the God incarnate life of Jesus on Earth. The God-Man literally walking our streets. How He interacted with people. He was SO intentional -- particularly with "big sinner" people. The way He treated them is so vastly different from how most "Christians" treat them today.
There were several quotes from this book that I feel like said exactly what I've been thinking...
Jesus was teaching that godliness is not about trying to hide our humanness and appear more like God. That always comes off smelling like inauthenticity and reeks of hypocrisy -- and neither God nor the observing world buys it. Worse, it doesn't work anyway.
People are not pagans to be converted, projects to be preached at, or demographics to be reprogrammed. Humans should never be generalized, categorized, dismissed, judged, or underestimated. Every person is a story, rich with history, experiences, creative potential, strengths and weaknesses, clarity and blindness.
You must learn to respect people's lostness; you must become a deep listener and learn to dignify people's spiritual journeys. And when you hear what has happened to them or not happened to them regarding spiritual matters, you must identity with them or put yourself in their shoes so that maybe someday you can help them see Jesus ans separate from those bad experiences. You've got to help them see the real face of God.
Jesus transcended all the dilemmas, arguments, trite judgments, and religious expectations simply by not picking a side. He neither condoned nor condemned, and yet people felt accepted by Him...and they felt conviction.
People of every sexual orientation miss God's design for marriage. In fact, they miss His design for just about everything. It's called sin -- missing God's mark. But for some reason, God looks past that and still shows up at our parties, our ceremonies, and our dinner tables. He wants to talk. He did way back then. I believe He still wants to talk today. Jesus shows us that there's never a change of mind unless there's a change of heart, and there will never be a change of heart without a conversation between trusted friends.
We have to remember that how we treat people influences what they may believe about God, and if you look like you've got an agenda other than loving, listening, or blessing, your God will look like a conquistador instead of a compassionate King.
If any of this resonated with you, I highly recommend you read this book.
It's written in a down-to-earth / conversational way.
It will encourage and demonstrate how to live more than just skin deep life.