Comments for The Journeyman

Comment on Kingdom of Treasures and Pearls by Doug the old

Doug the old — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:11:57 +0000

You have chosen the better part…and it will not be taken away from you. This is the beauty, isn’t it, of what God gives us. There is no earthly gift…that cannot be taken from us. There is no earthly relationship, as unbelievably dear as it may be, that can meet the deepest needs of the soul. And, God forbid, the truth is that love doesn’t always win and relationships can be broken forever. But what God is to us…what He will be to us…what He shows us…what He teaches us through all our life’s journey…what He accomplishes through us…is forever. He must be our all-in-all. I could not love my beloved as well as I do (though they may judge my efforts to be paltry), if the priority relationship of my life wasn’t my God and me.
I was blessed by the reading of what you shared here, son. “You are my beloved son…in whom I am well pleased.”

Comment on Reading 1 John – “Do Not Love the World” by camille

camille — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 05:45:34 +0000

Thank you for this word. It spoke to what was weighing heavily on my heart. How do I maintain my friendships with non-christians while growing my relationships within the church? How do I share God’s love & gospel with non-Christians who are gay, lesbian, etc. without being accepting of their lifestyle (esp when they ask me for relationship advice). These are all questions Christians face; but as your blog aptly conveyed, we are not to segregate ourselves. Mary Magdelene was a prostitute, Paul persecuted christians. Jesus called them both.

Comment on What Language are we Speaking? by oakesclan

oakesclan — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:22:52 +0000

I think your objective is right on target. It rings true for me in both my head and my heart. I really believe we have been so much about
“separateness” that we have become “separatists.” In our zeal to be perceived as different and as good examples for Christ (surely a needed emphasis) we turned inward and became exclusive. And it is just so very convenient and enticing to over-emphasize what we “know” about the Bible rather than actually practicing it and being true neighbors to the needy everywhere about us. I recently asked our church, “Do you think Jesus ever heard any cussing?” We all agreed that He did. That’s because He didn’t require people to first clean up their act in order to be in His presence where they could learn how and why they should clean up their act for real. It’s the cart before the horse thing, isn’t it? Personally, I believe your finger is on the pulse of the matter. I hope the class is highly successful in bringing needed change that honors Christ and blesses the lost.
By the way…I love you, son. I miss you daily.

Comment on The Power of Hope (Illustrated) by John

John — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:49:48 +0000

Yes, I completely agree…it is one of my favorite movies (minus the language) because it speaks of hope and redemption on such “human” levels. Of course, the greatest example of that on a “human” level occurred when God become flesh…now, that was the best drama!
And yes, thanks for reminding us Doug.

Comment on The Power of Hope (Illustrated) by oakesclan

oakesclan — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:52:32 +0000

This clip is truly movie making at its best. It helps us want to be better and live more nobly with more courage…and certainly with hope. And all this in a prison drams. Thanks for reminding me, son.

Comment on Reading 1 John: “Everyone who has this hope” by oakesclan

oakesclan — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:16:55 +0000

I love His wonderful ability to be in the moment. He came from eternity…and was headed back there. Yet He was able to so fully be in the moments of His earthly life that He could actually enjoy a meal with His friends while the pressing needs of the world around Him continued. He could lay down His head (even though He often didn’t have a fit place to do so) and rest in this world of scattered, distressed sheep. He knew how to put His hand to the plow and give it all His strength and attention and then could bend his knees to scoop up the little children…to laugh and play with them…to bless them…to enjoy that time. I envy that. I seem to often miss the present opportunities by escaping to the past or the future or by getting lost in the details.
And this is only one area where I wish I was more like my Lord.

Comment on Reading 1 John – “Do Not Love the World” by thedougout24

thedougout24 — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:50:36 +0000

Dad, your story speaks volumes. I’m grateful for the ego-stroking the church gave you though. I think it might have been a needed part of your spiritual development. Thank goodness we never stopped growing for that’s certainly not where God wants us to be. Though we have both missed numerous opportunities in our lives for doing good…His grace has shown us immense patience and continues to teach us still.

I struggle mightily to make this transition back to the people who need Jesus w/out ostracizing myself from the church. I find myself caught between two worlds. Though the church has meant well…a major portion of the body are driving people away from Christ in their good intentions. How do we re-educate and balance our frustrations over ineptitude with the grace and favor that Christ illustrated? I fear my impatience gets the best of me sometimes, leaving me quick to judge the failures of the church rather than working with them to advance the kingdom.

I love you dad. Thanks for sharing this piece.

Comment on Reading 1 John – “Do Not Love the World” by oakesclan

oakesclan — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:14:58 +0000

Well said, son, very well said! I need to share something of my own experience here…when I was about 12 years old, I started going back to the church I hadn’t attended since my parents stopped going about three years earlier. I went back and I loved being in church…loved the sermons…the preacher…Bible study…the people. They helped me focus on God. I was baptized at 13. As I entered high school, my agenda was to “serve” God and be different from those who weren’t Christians. I was detached from my high school and from those who had been my friends in elementary and junior high school. A fear had somehow been instilled within me that I couldn’t any longer associate with these people. They might drag me away from Christ and the church. As a result, I helped no one in my school. I shared my faith with no one. If I was not in the church culture, I was nearly a non-entity. At church, I was nearly a hero. I was a young man interested in song-leading and preaching. I got lots of ego-strokes. I was the poster boy for how to live as a teenage Christian. The fact is…nothing could have been further from the truth. I was eaten up by sins I couldn’t turn loose of. I wasn’t better than anyone else. And I’m sure others in my school would have said I was arrogant in my religion (though I didn’t intend to be). And, most of all, I wasn’t helping anyone toward faith.
To this day…it seems many in the fellowship I have loved and served for so long would rather stand aloof from the world. Our first message to the world seems to be that “we” are not like other churches. We are “different.” It is our uniqueness that we like to point out. It comes down to being things we don’t do like so many other religious people do. We don’t use any instruments in our musical worship. And we don’t celebrate…or even say (inside the church building) “Christmas” or “Easter.”
But the Bible gives us completely different criteria for becoming known in our world. We are to bear fruit for Jesus…to be united in Him…and, most of all, to have His love living inside us…for one another…for all.
I do believe in objective, spiritual truth. And I know there are many enemies of truth abroad in our world. But I think some of us (maybe many of us) have unnecessarily made the truth objectionable by our “exclusive and arrogant-looking” stance. I know that I have done that. I don’t see that being Christ’s way…and I know it has not been successful in terms of advancing the Kingdom cause. I’m convinced that if some of us were to approach the gates of Hades to storm those gates for a heavenly cause, we would hear voices from with saying, “Jesus…we know. Paul…we know. But who are you?”
You sound a wise and needed word to us, Doug. I agree that it’s time for changing our attitudes and approach toward others. It’s time for serving in love, admitting and approving of good wherever we find it, and trying to build bridges by going about doing good for others in our world just as our Lord did and does.

Comment on Reading 1 John – “That you may KNOW” by thedougout24

thedougout24 — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:00:20 +0000

I think you hit the nail on the head when you say that the “changes themselves cannot be our focus” in our spiritual journey. I believe John would say the same thing based on my readings. Its kind of like those who take the fruit(s) of the Spirit and try to pick them apart to determine which one they are “good” at and those they need to work on. The misunderstanding inherent in such logic is that a child of God could pick and choose to begin with. There is obviously no choosing necessary for the child of God…this fruit is the natural outflow of the life lived in Christ.

I was speaking with one of our shepherds the other day about the challenges of learning how to live and act as Christ in the oilfields and how early on in my transition I would second guess myself at the end of the day regarding the nature of my influence. Jesus was accepted by these people when he walked the earth. If I was to live the same ‘ol huber-religious Christianity in the oilfields, I knew I would find no acceptance. For a while, I second guessed my actions b/c I felt that maybe I was too relaxed around the work environment. But the logic dawned on me…that I love Jesus…I really love Jesus. Not nearly as well as he loves me, but I certainly love him. I don’t see how I can go wrong if this statement is the first truth about my life. I may not live the perfect example, but I have come to realize that even the world will not fault the Christian who makes an honest attempt at loving Jesus. Our concern has to be this first…and this only, doesn’t it? If we start digging too deeply into the particulars…our focus is inevitably diverted from the one thing that matters…keeping our eyes fixed on the author and perfector of our faith!

Comment on Reading 1 John – “That you may KNOW” by oakesclan

oakesclan — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:26:11 +0000

So you see John making the point that there’s a difference between knowing and KNOWing. And the kind of knowing we need in order to be fortified for life’s challenges is the second kind, i.e., the KNOWing, is it not? And involved in this KNOWing is a loving, committed, growing intimacy that inherently changes us…changes everything about us…and would be clearly visible to anyone who knew us prior to our journey of KNOWing God. The changes are wonderful and real and ever growing…but they are not and cannot be our focus, can they? If we were to stop focusing on His loveliness and start obsessing over our “level” of obedience or growth…as in “Did we gain enough ground yesterday, or last week or last year?”…we begin to drift away from Him. On the other hand, if we keep our eyes on Him, He comes into our lives along the lines of that kind of devotion in such a way that He cannot be hidden in us. Neither He nor we will have it so. And isn’t it His wonderful knowing of us that bids us come to KNOWledge of Him? We KNOW because He first KNEW us. It gives us permission…it inspires us to come boldly…it even makes us urgent…it draws us as His vast deep calls to the deep in us (however shallow that may be). The servant of Christ is so because he/she wants to KNOW Christ. Wasn’t it the hardest working apostle of all whose quest in life was all about that?
You asked what kind of challenge does John’s conception of knowing we have eternal life bring to us. For me it’s the challenge of keeping the horse before the cart. I often seem to allow my focus to drift towards the pathetic record of failure my life reflects in so many ways rather than to so focus as to keep growing in the grace and knowledge of my Lord Christ. If I don’t trust in His grip of my life, rather than my grip on Him…if I don’t rely on His grace, rather than on anything or everything good I have ever done or will ever do…if instead of placing my foot into the next step of Jesus Christ, I am satisfied with the journey thus far…I find a distance increasing between me and my Lord Who continues to walk in the pathway of humble service in our world today. It is as easy…and as difficult…as watching our Lord as we follow His steps. A successful day in the lives of disciples has a potentially endless variety of portrayals…for one it may be that they successfully resisted all their inner impulses to quit trying and to give up…for another they may have been Christ’s hands and feet to some tired traveler who for the first time in his life caught the aroma of Christ. And both of these KNOW Christ in the way that invests them with eternal life both now and beyond…and with an inner resolve to unceasing conflict with everything that tends to add distance between humans and their Savior.