My mission today is to tell people that I rely on a foundational relationship with Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
I worship a Person, not a system of thought, not a set of rules, not a repressive world view. Worshiping anything other than the Person of Jesus is merely chiseling a stone god for oneself out of the limestone of our culture.
It took thirty years for me to realize this Person was for me, not against me. I grew up in church, but intentionally or unintentionally, the system which formed me was largely mysogynistic and hypocritical. As soon as I was old enough to make a stand, I ditched pointless religion.
The 12 Steps brought me back around to the idea that maybe God wasn't poised with His finger over the Smite button. The 12 Step programs talk a lot about "the God of my understanding." I began to realize that I possessed no true understanding of God as He really is.
In searching to know Him, I did two life changing things. First, I prayed for the faith to believe. Secondly, I picked up my Bible and opened it at random. Time after time, as I opened my Bible, and read the first thing I saw, my eyes fell on the same words: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Each time I read those words, my eyes blurred with tears. I realized God was not out to get me. God was not mad at me. God did not hate me. God desired to nurture me; He only wanted to shelter me, not cause harm.
Thus began the journey of great adventure. God is real, and he doesn't hate you. Pray for the faith to believe, and receive the grace and peace He is sending you.
Acts 17:22-27 (The Message)
22-23So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. "It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows. I'm here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you're dealing with.
24-29"The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn't live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn't take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don't make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him! One of your poets said it well: 'We're the God-created.' Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn't make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
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