Idol.
God is jealous.
He’s not a big fan of anything taking His place as the captivator of our hearts.
Even good and holy things.
Yeah, read that one again:
Even good and holy things can become idols.
Anytime we place greater value on the gift than on the Giver, we’ve seriously overstepped some boundaries.
And He will strip us of these precious gifts.
Because, like I said…God is jealous.
Seriously.
Jealous.
His words, not mine.
Look it up, I’ll wait…check Exodus 20…
Back?
Okay, good.
See, that’s no new concept that I’ve come up with.
It’s not something hidden away for deep thinking theologians to discover.
No, He comes out and says it. Point blank.
“I am a jealous God.”
He doesn’t even hide it somewhere in the middle of Obadiah, or some other book that just gets skimmed over.
No, He puts it in the midst of the Ten Commandments.
Where even the most casual of Bible readers is sure to stumble across it.
There are a lot of things that tend to take His place.
Some come and go with the seasons (i.e. sports, the War on the War on Christmas, etc.)
Some stick around for a while.
Stories.
I share a lot on this blog.
A lot of deeply personal stuff about my own shortcomings, even.
Transparency is not something you’ll find lacking here….
Which is where the problem comes in.
You see, I was a student pastor for a couple of years at a church back home.
There is even a “Reverend” in front of my name in the Baptist circles.
One year was all fine and dandy, and the second year was as Rocky as a Squirrel.
Heh. Rocky…Squirrel…get it? #lamejoke
Anyway…
There was a multitude of reasons why I left that ministry…and very few of them have been talked about here.
Read more…
Underlined.
I read a lot.
But only since starting to meet weekly, and read through the Bible with a friend of mine, have I begun to underline in books.
Mostly, I just do this for passages in Scripture that really stick out, or that I have overlooked before.
Though, occasionally I run across something in a book that strikes me for one reason or another.
Maybe an idea I’d never really considered before…
Maybe some quick synopsis that ends up being tweet-worthy…
Or maybe, something like this…
This week, I saw one sentence in David Platt’s Radical that made me absolutely
Want.
To.
SCREAM!
For a number of reasons.
What kind of statement could get me so fired up this week, you ask?
This kind:
“Disciple making is not a call for others to come to us to hear the gospel but a command for us to go to others to share the gospel.“
Seems like a pretty legitimate statement, right?
I mean, it does make sense…and it is Biblical…right?
Skeletons.
Maybe Eminem was on to something.
Yes… THAT Eminem.
So, tonight, I’m cleaning out my closet.
The content of his music isn’t exactly what anyone would consider “family friendly.”
But for now, I can’t seem to get around that basic idea of cleaning out my own closet.
Airing out dirty laundry, so-to-speak.
Authenticity and transparency is what is needed in ministry.
Too many ministry leaders and pastors put up a facade that they have it together because they believe in Jesus.
And those that do acknowledge struggle tends to be a surface-level, not-that-big-of-a-deal kind of issue.
No one wants their junk exposed, and I can certainly understand why.
The culture of the Church seems not to be as much about acceptance and support, but condemnation and judgment.
And how can you share your heart with someone you don’t trust with it?
Example: I don’t remember what the thing was, only that it was a conversation that had taken place between myself and the pastor of a church.
Then I remember months later being asked about whatever the thing was by his wife…
Do you think I would have the trust to go to him with anything deeply troubling my heart?
Unlikely.
That is why the broken try to find healing in things that will ultimately bring more pain.
And I really believe that is why most people who are hurting tend to turn a cold shoulder to the Church.
They are tired of cliches, one-size-fits-all answers, and being gossiped about under the guise of “prayer requests.”
I know that’s why I never sought help from the Church.
Because somewhere along the way, the attitude of the church parted ways with the heart of Jesus.
Cycles.
This is a weird and difficult season for me.
I feel like I’m fighting to keep my head above water.
Things keep happening, going wrong.
Before I can work through and get over one thing, another comes up.
And quite frankly, its a bit overwhelming.
The sudden breakup.
My grandmother’s passing.
Speaking engagement cancelled.
Possibile career change into a full time ministry position dashed.
Everything happened in a whirlwind, and I’m still trying to get my feet back under me.
Just a thought of one sends my mind racing through the gauntlet again as I force back tears and find myself literally gasping for breath.
