I think something is missing.

 

I like art.

I am the kind of person that it "speaks" to. We used to live near the St.Louis Art Museum and I loved just going and looking at the paintings. Yep, I am one of those guys and I enjoy playing chess too! I could spend hours at a gallery just enjoying understanding how an artist may have been feeling or what the artist was going through internally by the colors used and stroke patterns they selected to express themselves.

There are some artists that seem to capture so much about life in their work and those are some of my favorite pieces. One of those artists is the sculptor Bruno Catalano.

The French artist Bruno Catalano was born in southern France in 1960. Though he had admired art since his youth, Catalano didn’t start sculpting until he was 30. He taught himself and with remarkable talent. Since starting with clay, more than a hundred of his trademark "travelers" have come alive under his capable hands. Since then, he’s had numerous exhibitions in France, the United States, England and China.

Bruno Catalano’s bronze sculptures have one thing in common: they’re drawing a blank, literally. Where there should have been a body, a shirt or an arm there’s, well, nothing.

Regardless of whether one calls the series by its original name, “The Travelers” (“Les Voyageurs” in French), or as sometimes suggested, “In Search of Missing Pieces”, the viewer always has to fill in the blanks. Sometimes, that might not even be necessary as the sculpture  shows. The picturesque landscape that they are placed in seems to add what’s missing. Maybe a message to all of us to become a bit more transparent?

Other sculptures in the series, however, grip the viewer and throw up a seemingly endless string of questions: Where is the man portrayed off to? Why doesn’t he seem to care about his missing piece? Is he in a rush?

But what’s behind his desire to leave out parts and to portray people traveling?

One also has to admire the perfect balance these imperfect travelers have attained. Though they might be missing something, they are in perfect harmony with the air around them. The incredible lightness of being after all? Only one thing seems sure with Bruno Catalano’s work: The more information one gets, the more questions one seems to have. Not even considering the biggest of all – are the sculptures half full or half empty?
 

People nearly complete with something obviously missing and the killer part of all of it is that as the person observing, you can tell them just what is missing!

King Solomon to me, first expressed the artwork of Bruno Catalano long before this artists ever picked up a lump of clay and began to sculpt.

"Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought , and on the labour that I had laboured to do : and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.:" ~Ecclessiasties 2:11



He had done as much as a human being could do on this earth and when he looked back in reflection on his lifetime of achieving, he saw that life lived to simply achieve the "Next level" was empty.

It is not material things nor is it the level of busyness in your life that fills you.

So many people are rushing back and forth trying to scratch out a "life" and find significance and they find in the end that the emptiness that they were trying to fill was unable to be filled. It is only Christ that can fill the void. He fills in the blanks!

Here is what Paul said about being empty.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseeml, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we knowin part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we seethrough a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I knowin part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abidethfaith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." ~ 1 Corinthians 13

They walk all around you. People with their baggage that are empty and wandering in search of fulfillment. The thing about being empty on the inside is that you can spot someone who is filled when you see them. When you spend your life feeling alone, you recognize the presence of The Comforter.

If people cannot see Him in you, then they do not want what you have. He is life, and people are looking for life all around you.

If something is missing in your sculpture may I suggest the one who fills completely! Life is not found in a program it is found in a person and His name is Christ!

The best day of my life was the day that I set down my baggage of busyness and just asked to meet Him. He absolutely has made me whole!

Climbing With you,
~Dan

The Prince's Bride

 

I did something that I probably will regret.

I introduced my daughter to the story of "The Princess Bride".

If you are not familiar with the story, I guess I might as well introduce it to you as well.

A sick boy is told a story by his grandfather called the princess Bride.

The princess Bride is the story of  a young woman named Buttercup who lives on a farm in the fictional country of Florin, and seemingly lives to torment the "Farm boy".. 
Whenever she gives her farm boy Westley  an order, he answers "as you wish" and happily complies. Eventually, she realizes he loves her and admits her love for him. Westley leaves to seek his fortune so they can marry, but his ship is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who has a reputation for never leaving anyone alive.

Five years later, believing Westley dead, Buttercup reluctantly agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck ,heir to the throne of Florin. Before the wedding, she is kidnapped by three outlaws and is relentlessly pursed and rescued by a mysterious man in black (Not Johnny Cash).
Unknown to Buttercup, Prince Humperdinck actually hired the three outlaws to kidnap her and kill her, leaving her on the shores of Guilder, a rival country, in order to manufacture a war between the two countries.

 

The man in black catches up to the outlaws and rescues Buttercup. When he tells her he is Roberts, she becomes enraged at him for killing Westley  but she realizes he is Westley himself when he replies "As you wish!" to a command that she gives him.

The evil prince catches them and tricks Buttercup into returning with him to the castle and captures Wesley with plans to torture him because of the true love that he has for Buttercup. There is a wedding, sword fights, monsters, romance, and some really great lines being tossed around that can be useful in so many areas of life.
The grandfather then closes the book and prepares to leave, but the boy asks him to read the story again the next day. The grandfather smiles and replies, "As you wish."

When my daughter saw this movie for the first time i could see the wheels turning in her little head.

"I'm the princess" was what the look in her eyes said loud and clear and from the way that she was absorbed in the story I could tell that this story had just become her story.

In the movie, the lead character, Buttercup would request all sort of things from the "farm Boy" Wesley, and to each request she would make of him, he would answer "As you wish".

What the "as you wish" meant was really , "I love you".

It did not take long for it to start at my house.

My daughter went to don her "princess dress" and would come up to me and say, "Farm boy, fetch me some cereal."

Please understand what was happening. She was not suddenly being rude and disrespectful.

 She had just picked me to be her "farm boy"!

I would respond with "as you wish" in a classic Wesley character accent and she would giggle with delight and scrunch up her nose each time that I would say it.

This little game literally went on for hours.

"Farm boy, help me brush my hair" or "Farm boy, read me a story", or "Farm boy, dance with me". To each request I would respond, "As you wish" in a classic Wesley character accent.

Occasionally I would respond with a more traditional, "Yeah you betcha!" in a North New Jersey accent and she would quickly say, "No Daddy, you need to say As you wish, because every time the farm boy said that, what he was really saying  to the princess was, I LOVE YOU!!!"

And the game would continue. Farm boy requests followed by "as you wish" followed by a princess giggling and thinking up new requests.

It is going to be a matter of time when this "farm boy" will be replaced by another "farm boy" and this "farm boy" may find that he woke up one day and had suddenly been recast as the villainous king in the story. The king that seeks to destroy the princess hope for "True love". But that day is a long way off and until that day comes, I will relish each "farm boy" request from my princess.

I guess that it just sort of hit me as we were playing this little game that it is very similar to our responses to the Holy Spirit in our life.

He speaks, and we have the freedom as to how we will respond.

We can choose to just pass His voice in our hearts off as "Just a random thought, or "wishful thinking" or we can look to Him and say, "As you wish!"

Because in all seriousness, whenever we tell Him, "As you wish" isn't it the same as saying, "I love you?"

It is the willing choice made to act on what has been requested that speaks the love.

What has the Holy Spirit asked you to do?

If we have the same Spirit in us that raised Jesus from the dead, then what is it that He would ask that we could not do?

Today i just want to challenge you with this passage.

"I can do ALL things THROUGH Christ which strengtheneth me." ~Philippians 4:13

All things?

We can do all the things that He asks us to do no matter how great or how small THROUGH Him!

God's will is like Christ. We live from His will, not for His will.

 

Does there really need to be a battle?

 

What ever He brushes your heart to accomplish with Him today, would you look up to Him and say (In a classic Wesley Accent), "As You Wish!"

Because as it has been previously noted, every time you say, "AS YOU WISH", what you are in all actuality saying is, "I LOVE YOU."

We are The Prince's Bride after all, are we not?


Climbing with you,
~Dan

Misplaced Pity for "The man on the tree".

He deserved to hang there!

He deserved to hear the crowd taunting him and asking if he was "comfortable". He deserved to be cursed and he deserved to receive the abuse that led him to this dismal exit from this life. Don't pity him, because by his own admission he made the choices neccessary to bring him to this end. Some might have called it his "destiny", but i disagree. He made his bed, now he needs to lie in it.

He hung there in complete agony and heard the insults from the crowd about the "Messiah" and "so-called Savior" and he knew deep down in his heart that he had chose this death when he first made the choice that started him on this calvary road.

I can see him struggling to adjust his body against gravity's pull and as he gasped he turned his head just enough to bring into focus the one who was out of place. It was the man who hung next to him that puzzled him. He looked into the swollen eyes of Jesus and made his final plea in a hoarse and whispered prayer. "remember me...".

We are left to speculate so much about the thief of the cross that, in his final breaths, made the show stopping request of the Savior. I have heard many sermons about the " good thief" and so have you, but i just want to drop a thought into your foxhole that was dropped into mine this week.

Look at this request for just a minute, and then look at the answer.

"And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left." ~Luke 23:32-33
"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."    ~Luke 23:38-42
Notice the request, then please take note of the response.

"And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." ~Luke 23:43

Why did Jesus not offer the kingdom and instead tell him he would be with Him in paradise?

It was too late for the man to see the kingdom of God. That was something that Jesus had brought with Him. That is what we now have the ability to take advantage of or pass up on.

How many people will reach their last breath and desire to see something that they could have had while they had thier breath? God's kingdom is something that Jesus was speaking about His entire ministry. His Kingdom is now!

When was the last time you asked God to manifest His kingdom in any circumstance, conversation, or area of life? It is more than just an expression that He used when He taught.

If the kingdom of God was something that Jesus came to introduce us to here on earth, why would we want to live life to it's finality and miss out on it?

At leat sixty eight times the phrase "Kingdom of God" is mentioned in the New Testament. Fifty three of those mentions were given by Jesus himself.
 
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

There are some who say that the kingdom of God is just another name for Heaven. That sounds nice, but it goes against scripture to say that. Jesus reffered to this Kingdom of God as something you enter into through the Spirit.

"And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question." ~Mark 12:34

"And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent." ~Luke 4:43

"And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God."~Luke 6:20

If you are a child of the King then you need to recognize that God is your Father!!! Ask Him to open your eyes to the kingdom that you were born again into, and see it for what He made it to be. YOURS!

 

"And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." Luke 9:2

 

"And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing." ~Luke 9:11

 

"But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God." Luke 9:27

 

"Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." ~Luke 9:60

 

"and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." ~Luke 10:9

 

"Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."

                                                                                                           ~Luke 10:11

 

"But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." ~Luke 11:20

 

"But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you."

                                                                                                                     ~Luke 12:31

He hung there beside the thief who missed the kingdom in order to extend to those who are willing to see it, the opportunity to live in and experience to the fullest His kingdom!

How do i do that?

You ask Him to make His kingdom manifest in your life!

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." ~John 3:5

Your passport to the kingdom is provided, you just need to step into it. Don't get to the end and miss out on what He provided to you from Calvary. I believe that so many Christians will get to heaven and find out that they completely missed His kingdom. Read what Jesus said about the Kingdom and ask the Holy Spirit to teach or even re-teach you about the reality of His kingdom being here right now!

In the end, the thief left without taking the one thing he should have. What will our choice be?

Climbing with you,
~Dan

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! Its a Tax Man in a Tree? (Part 2)

 How do you see God?

 

That was the question that was presented to you in the last post, "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Tax Man in a Tree?"

 

The answer to that question is a very powerful factor in what I do with what I see.

 

I posted this cartoon from Gary Larson, not because I necessarily enjoy cartoons about God, but because it is a very powerful reflection about how we tend to look at God. We see Him as distant and unconnected to us at times. He loves us yes, but He also has a high expectation of demands for us to live up to. He "throws in" pain and hurt randomly to see what we will do with it when we receive it, and sometimes He just adds elements that hurt us because after all we have done something at one time or another to offend Him right?

Wrong!

He is our Father! His purpose and not His fairness dictates the circumstances of our life. He is all consuming, powerful and almighty! He is altogether lovely and He is not distant or silent. his voice booms in our life in a tone that is at times beyond audible!!!

For so many years I was miserably content to retain a head knowledge full of His greatest hits from the old testament and I was convinced that somehow I had offended Him and that I had chased away any hope of ever appeasing Him. I loved Him, but I was afraid of Him. I just lived day to day with the imagined reality that He and I would never or could never be on the same page. He moved in other people's lives, but He was silent in mine. I struggled with things that I should have had the victory in, and asking God for help was like talking to the popcorn finish of the ceiling...nothing. This was God?

I asked in the last post, "How do you see God?" because the answer to that question determines what you do with Him.

Maybe you have never had moments when you could not see Him like the people around you seemed to be able to see Him? If that is so, then I want to encourage you with this second question.

 

WHAT WOULD IT BE WORTH FOR YOU TO SEE JESUS DIFFERENTLY?

 

I am amazed at the amount of people that want change, but not enough to change.I am amazed at the people that i talk to who are really upset that they cannot seem to get anything out of their Bible reading... and get frustrated because, "Bro. Dan i just do not see God that way."

I remember working at a warehouse in Illinois and God brought Ms. Charlotte across my path. My identity In Christ was unknown to me and my view of God was very hindered by my own pride and flesh walk. I did a lot of good things to appease God, but very little through Him. I did not know how. I just knew that because of all of the boxes that I checked on the old "Service list" that I was a step ahead of the other people clamoring for a view of Him as He passed by.
That's when He brought Charlotte into the crowd that I tried to jump to look over. She walked the truck dock every day on He r lunch break and talked to herself and touched everything she came to, literally with her hand. I found out later she was talking with Jesus and speaking the Kingdom to be present in that place. Charlotte knew more than ABOUT Him, she knew Him in a way that I did not. he was close to her and He listened to her. He filled her and He spoke to her.
What frustrated me the most about this was that nothing appeared to be manufactured with her. Everything I saw displayed in her was like it was natural, and it impacted everything around her.
I had solidified in my heart that since she was not a Baptist then she was wrong, but even my solidification crumbled a bit when God used her to speak into my life. How could this be? She was not a Baptist, and in fact she was not an anything! I asked her what she was and she said, "I am a child of the king!" Was this a new denomination?
I could stand it no longer and one day I just approached her and asked, "How in the world do you SEE God?"

God used her to teach me that the Holy Spirit was there to teach me and that He wanted me to know who I was to Him! That was a change for me because I was so paranoid about other denominations that the act of "Speaking to the Holy Spirit and not Jesus or the Father" seemed like it could be dangerous. I remember the first time I got alone with my Bible and asked, "Holy Spirit? Is it OK if I talk to you?"

It was more than OK, and then I discovered that He spoke back! If I asked Him who or what  to pray for, He would place a name on my heart or a need on my heart. If I asked Him who I could encourage and then got quiet, He would put a name on my heart.
 

 

Zack decided, "I am not getting anywhere like this. I am just getting more frustrated listening to others describe the way that they see Jesus... I have to do something about it!"

Sometimes you have to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and experience if you want a better view of God.

Zacchaeus was willing to put himself "out on a limb" of familiar terrain to see Jesus and it was the best thing that could have ever happened to him.

 

Sometimes, looking at Jesus from a different angle makes all the difference in the World. He climbed a tree.

How embarrassing is it for a grown man to be in a tree? How much does it draw attention to the fact that the only way for him to see Jesus would be to climb a tree because he was so short?

He did not care. He wanted to see Jesus the way that others saw him.

He did not ask what others would think about him, he just did it. If this will change my view of Jesus than I will do it!

"And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." ~Luke 19:4-10

Jesus looked at Zacchaeus with all of his faults, and said here is a man who was frustrated about how he saw me, and did something about it. He was willing to change what he was doing to get a glimpse of me, and I can work with that!

Not only do I notice you, I am going to speak with you, but i am going to fellowship with you, and spend time with you, and you are going to come to see me in a different way than you ever thought you could.

After spending time with Jesus, Zacchaeus was able to do something that he never would have believed he could ever do.He changed.

Jesus does that because Jesus is LIFE!

Trees were made to give us a better view of Jesus. That is what Golgotha shows us and because of that tree, we now have  the best view that we could ever hope to have.

Climbing with you,
~Dan









 

It's a Bird! It's a Plane!.... It's a Tax Man in a Tree?

This is not only an absolutely incredible event that takes place in the Bible, this is also one of the stories that I have never gotten tired of hearing or reading about even since I was a boy. 

I think the reason why this story is one of my favorites is because I see it as a powerful story of perspective and perception.


The little man that climbed a tree so that he could see Jesus as he passed by.

How awesome is that? I mean he climbed a tree!

It seems that as many times as I have heard this story taught, and heard sermons with this story there seems to be a endless amount of different truths that can be seen here.

 "And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 

And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 

 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 

 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." ~Luke 19:1-10

 

I would like to bring a truth out of this event that I have never seen before. I want to talk about an aspect of this story that really reached out as I read this passage and that I find has an transforming ability. I believe that we have more in common with this man Zacchaeus than we have ever considered. There are seasons in our life that we share with this wee little man, and I believe that even someone who is reading this blog at this moment may have more in common than they think.

Not only do I find relate ability with him from time to time, but I also find that Zack provides solutions to my circumstances that I share with him.

 

Lets look at the story for just a moment and remember what we know. The Bible promises to prosper Bible meditators NOT Bible memorizers. We tend to think just because we know the stories that we will be fine. That is not the case.

"GOD PROMISES TO PROSPER BIBLE MEDITATORS"

 

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." ~ Psalms 1:1-3

If I am going to prosper in the Christian life it will not be just because I know more Bible stories than the average bear, it will be because I take the time to look at the Bible stories that I know and ask the Holy Spirit of God to teach me His truths from the stories that I know.

 

Let's break this story down to funky town shall we? We need to notice something about the characters involved.

JESUS: Jesus was passing through. I love this part because I cannot help but be reminded that Jesus is always available. It does not matter if you were expecting Him to show up, or deny that He exists, He is there! And He is passing by.

ZACCHAEUS: Zack was chief among the publicans. He was a TAX MAN. The Romans occupied the land at this time and they had Jews collect taxes from their fellow Jews to pay to the occupying Romans. These tax men were not held in high regard and they had a set standard amount that they were to collect for Rome and anything else they got was theirs to keep. As long as Rome got its share, it did not matter what else happened. It was government enforced robbery. Sound familiar? yeah, they felt the same about it then as we feel about it now.

We need to notice that he was chief! He was the top dog, and it was evident from the comment that are made about him later on in the chapter that he was known for his mistreatment of those around him, and that he used his status and position to inflict pain on others.

He was physically short, and I am not sure if this played into his attitude or not. There may have been part of him that was very happy to use his position to inflict pain in order to get vengeance on people that had mistreated him in the past. It may be that he used this position to demand respect and somehow elevate himself to others. That usually is the worst kind of tax collector. The short one who was picked on as a kid.

He was frustrated, not that Jesus was passing through. He was frustrated because he could not see Jesus the way that others saw him.

I can see him jumping around behind everyone just trying to get a look at Him as he passed by. "Who is this man that everyone is talking about. He changes lives, and he does miracles. He answers prayers and makes people who were blind able to see I just want to see him the same way that those around me are seeing Jesus."

So Zack does more than just hop around behind a crowd that refuses to let him through, he goes off and climbs a tree.

That is something that you notice. Tennis shoes on the phone lines and IRS men in the trees are pretty strong signs that the neighborhood is going down the tubes.

We need to see also that Jesus saw more than a tax man in a tree. We need to notice that Jesus saw Zacchaeus.

God notices us. God sees you!
 

"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour." ~Psalms 8:3-5

Why does Jesus respond the way that he does? Here we find the story of a man who decides to do what a lot of people would not do.

This story prompts me to ask a few questions of myself and of you. and I believe if we can see our answers in front of us it could be a tipping point in our lives transforming with God!
 

HOW YOU SEE GOD WILL AFFECT WHAT YOU DO WITH WHAT YOU SEE.

HOW DO YOU SEE GOD?

I did not what you do for God, I asked How do you see God?

I did not ask if you sing in the choir, how long have you been saved, or how many times have you attended church within the last six months, I asked How do you see God?

Most people view God in the same way that they viewed their father.

If Dad was absent, God tends to be seen as absent.

If Dad was always to busy, then God ignores, and was bothered when I requested time with Him.

If Dad was abusive, physical or verbal, than God was the same and he could not be trusted, because one way or another He would make sure that you knew he was the man in charge.

 

 

While I am not a fan of cartoons that depict God, I do have this one in my study Bible because this is how I used to view my heavenly Father. Not comical by any means but one that had a finger hovering over the "Smite" key and waiting to punish me for "getting out of line" or messing up. He loved me yes, but he was waiting to spank if this kid ever spoke out of turn, had a meltdown, or somehow embarrassed Him in front of company. I recited what I thought would make Him happy and He was an more of a prison guard than a Dad.

 

My view of God was that He was strict, and sometimes tended to over correct us, and I will be very transparent in saying that for a long time I looked at God as someone who had approachable days, and if there were days that I messed up...he was silent, and wanted it to be very obvious that he was upset with me. Getting right with God was something that took weeks for God to decide he would restore fellowship. Confessed sin took awhile to process.

 

How do you view God this morning? Because how you see God will determine what you do with what you see.

Able to work in other peoples life, but not yours?

He can give others the ability to forgive, but not me? He can answer other peoples prayers, but not mine! He heals other folks, but not me.

You may be like Zacchaeus in the fact that you gather with other Christians and feel frustration because they seem to be genuinely happy.

You almost cringe when certain people come around because it hurts just to listen to them describe  a Jesus that you just cannot seem to see no matter how hard you try..

How do you see Jesus today?

This coming Wednesday I would like to ask you the second question that I believe is the most important of the two questions that this story prompts my heart to ask in my relationship with God.

It is the answer of the second question combined with the answer of the first question that changed everything for me!

I spent years hopping behind a crowd, frustrated because my view of Jesus was different from their view and what happened when I found a tree forever changed me! I cannot wait until we meet again in the second part of this post!


Climbing with you,
~Dan

Experience or Sight. Is there really a question here?

I love this picture. It perfectly captures a man who has lived a life in one arena of experience about to make a bold step into a new arena of experience.

It is "change" in the happening.

Have you ever had a change take place in your life that you could not seem to describe quite accurately enough to other people?

I was reading an event in the book of John that I had read before, but this time when I read it everything was different. I was completely able to identify with the person that I had just read about.

The story began to unfold and all of the sudden I began to see "The Man and The Wall" all over this thing!

"And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" ~John 9:1-2

I would like to point out that Jesus passed by. I love the fact that Jesus was always there in my life even in the times when I did not seem to see Him. Your life is chock (southern word to describe just how much) full of the finger prints and impressions of God's presence, guidance, and provision, and when He opens your eyes to that it is amazing how huge He suddenly appears to us!!!

Jesus passed by this man and saw him at an "allowed wall" on his path. Instantly the question is asked that everyone of us asks when we hit a wall in our own path or see others at a wall in theirs. "What did they do that caused this?".

I would like to point out that while there are consequences for actions that we take, there are some things that happen that are out of our control. The one thing that both of these have in common is that there is nothing that happens in our life that is not allowed by God and there is nothing allowed by God that will not be able to work for good. (Romans 8:28)

"Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  ~ John 9:3-5

The answer that Jesus gives is the entire message of "The Man and The Wall". The wall that was allowed into this man's path was allowed there so that God could personally introduce Himself to the man as he faced the wall. The wall was not placed there as punishment, but rather to be a introductory card from a mighty and majestic God who was consuming in His love for the man.

"When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay," ~John 9:6

Once again the God who made man with the dust of the ground reaches back into the ground to create again. This time God is creating a way for His creation to see Him.

"And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing." ~John 9:7

I love the fact that whenever Jesus gives a command, it is always going to result in something happening that could never have happened without the command. If God has opened a door for you and He has clearly directed your path to that door, then you can be fully confident in Him and in His direction. If the events that come with the open door do not seem to make sense please remember that Faith is simply choosing to trust God even when so many other options seem to make more sense.

What has God told you to do in regards to direction or the next step on your path? Look at the results in the lives of everyone around the man who watched him return after stumbling off in the direction that Jesus had sent him.

"The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?" ~John 9:8-10

They watched a transformation in the life and purpose of the man who just a while before seemed destined to live life as he had always lived it.

Blind.
 
Blind to the world, the people, and every opportunity around him. They all passed him by because he was not able to see what it was that was passing.

When he was questioned about what happened, all he could say was what was bursting from his heart.

"He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight." ~John 9:11

I have been here in my life before.  Have you?

Blind.

Blind to the world, the people, and every opportunity around you. They all passed you by because you were not able to see what it was that was passing?

I lived my live in a driven pursuit of making God pleased with me. I looked at everything that I did for Him as a notch on the gun belt and a comparison rod against others. If someone else had "lower" standard in an area of life than I did, it was an automatic disqualification of their spirituality.

God was a boss who needed production from me in order to see me as a valuable member of the corporation. If I was not on the prowl to witness and give out a tract then I was not a dedicated enough Christian, and if I chose to travel or visit with a family member from out of town on a Sunday, well let me tell you, I was a disappointment to God and I had elevated people over Him.

Blind.

Blind to the world, the people, and every opportunity around me. They all passed me by because I was not able to see what it was that was passing?

I was mean, judgmental, critical, and stubborn and it did not matter how I treated others as long as the job got done. The show needed to go on and the image of the "ministry" was everything and it did not matter what or who got trampled as long as the image of the "ministry" plowed through the waves in triumph.

Then one day, after years of learning about Jesus, I feel like I truly met Him.

It was like He passed by me and saw me struggling in my own zealous efforts to produce, be accepted and valued in the "work of the Lord" and He just stopped and saw me.

He reached out His hands and touched me and my Spirit shook. He spoke and I heard Him in my heart. He gave me a direction that pointed away from where I had been sitting and when I walked into that new direction everything changed.

It truly does not matter where I am employed or who I work for because He showed me that His children do NOT have jobs, only assignments. A work for such a time as this.
He showed me what my purpose was and what the message was that He intended for me to speak with my life!

It was as if for the first time in my life I could truly see.

It may sound silly to some who read these words, but I do not know any other way to say it. The burden of living FOR Jesus is gone and I never want to ever live FOR Jesus again. I want to live THROUGH Jesus! To live FOR someone or something indicates an effort in my own strength on my part.

Paul would word it this way;

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." ~Philippians 4:13

I no longer have to manufacture a moment for God. Every moment is His and I get to be a part of what He is doing! I cannot help but tell people about Him in the places He leads me to go. I cannot describe it any other way than to say I have never loved Him like the way I love Him now!

This is something that started several years back and over the last four years it has continued to become overwhelming!

It started with Jesus seeing us.

Then He touched us. It was called salvation.

Then Jesus spoke.

This is where I had stopped and where most Christians stop. He speaks to us about a direction He wants us to go in, and if it calls us out of our experience we choose our experience rather than His voice.

What has He asked you to do?

Where has He asked you to go with Him?

See for most of us we have an "experience fence" that surrounds our mind, will, and emotions. The gate can be opened but we choose to stay within that fence.

For some it is God prompting them to reach out to someone who disagrees with them and experience is right there to remind them of all the hurt and disappointment that can come with that, so you remain seated in the yard.

For another it could be that God moves on your heart to speak a word to someone or just to walk up and pray with a person about a situation, but experience tells you that people just don't do things like that.

Maybe God says, "I don't want you here anymore." and it concerns a job, but experience says, "God would not ask you to quit a job He provided would He?"

People stay in the fence of experience of jobs, churches, relationships, and even a way of living and Jesus comes to offer sight and in some cases, sight can only come from following His direction outside of our experiences.

If He has directed you into a new experience and you are in the process of deciding if you should walk in the direction that He has sent you in or remain seated in the comfort of your experience I want to urge you to rise up and step out of experience into Faith!

He is waiting!

I love what happens at the end of this story. The blind man is questioned by the "religious crowd" and when He tells them about his step outside of his experience, they throw him out of the church.

Jesus once again comes by the man and watch what He says!

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?   He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him." ~John 9:35-38

 

Freedom and sight come with a seemingly high price tag that many are not willing to pay. It costs you the comfort of your experience. God moves outside of our experience and our parameters that we set on our life.

If He has touched you, then He wants you to have your sight. He has directed, and deep down in your heart, you have heard Him...

Climbing with you,
~Dan