Is the Pope Catholic

On Sunday night I asked a good friend if he wanted to stay and eat Pot Roast with us. He quipped "Is the Pope Catholic?" I jokingly replied, "From what I've seen and heard, I actually think he may be Nazarene!"

I've heard a lot of good things about the man who is now Pope Francis. He refused to live in a mansion provided for him while Cardinal in Buenos Aires. He refused to ride in the Limo provided and instead took the bus to work. He cooked his own meals. When he was announced as the new Pope he bowed his head to the crowds in St. Peters square and asked them to pray for him. He went back to where he had been staying to personally pay his bill. On the way to his Inaugural ceremony he refused to ride in the bullet proof 'Pope Mobile' and instead rode in the back of a jeep. He was quoted as saying "The Pope is not the center of the church, Christ is!" Now I read he will not live in the Pope's residence but in the residence with the rest of the priests where they all stay. All things that make him appear very humble and sincere.

 It was the moment pictured above however that struck me to the core, because it was in that moment that I recognized somebody. On the way to the inaugural ceremony he made them stop the jeep, he got out and kissed the face of the disabled man in the above photo. It was that moment that the spirit inside me leapt in recognition. Recognition of the same spirit inside of this man. The spirit of a man who over two thousand years ago stopped on his way to somewhere important to take the time to touch the face of a lowly leper.

So take your criticisms, your conspiracy theories, your doctrinal arguments, your negativity, and your fault finding to some other person. I refuse to listen any longer. Drop your stones on the ground and go home, for you are not without fault yourself.

Is the Pope Catholic? Yes, he is a member of that denomination or he could not be their pope. More importantly, he is a Christian, and as a man the whole world is watching, has the ability to show Christ to that world. I suggest we pray for him.

"I Hope You Dance"

'Dancing with the Stars' has recently become a big hit and many people have discovered the beauty and grace that can be found in ballroom dancing. I heard a quote not long ago that said ""The reason we love God is He has "acted upon" us and we have responded to Him. It is "The Dance" where He moves and we respond" (John Juneman; Saturation Study part 1 session 7)

We love God because he has 'acted upon' us. We hear of God's love for us, realizing that He loved us so much that He would stop at nothing, even the death of His only son on a cross, to win our heart. When the realization of that love and His great sacrifice takes hold of our mind and our heart, it is then that He approaches, curtsies and holds out his hand; the invitation to the dance.

It is up to Him to lead, He is a strong and confident leader, His arm is strong and mighty, yet His hand guides us gently. His fingers apply gentle pressure to our shoulder blade to show us which way to turn and his steps are always perfect, never too fast and never too slow. It is an exhilarating dance, making our heart beat faster and putting color in our cheeks, yet it is never too much, too fast, or too dizzying for us to keep up.

When we respond to his leading the dance becomes graceful and beautiful and the bystanders watch with rapt attention, mesmerized by the beauty of the movements, some imagine themselves in your place, dancing in perfect step with the perfect partner, and some will long to be the next one asked to dance.

In ballroom dancing these are the instructions given to the man on how to lead his partner:

“Using your right hand as the guiding force of the lead:

• a gentle pull will move her toward you
• a cup in and gentle push will move her backward
• a gentle scoop and pull with the fingers will pull her to your right
• a gentle push with the heel of the hand will push her to your left”

So it is with God as he guides us through life. A gentle pull, a gentle push, a gentle scoop and pull with the fingers, a gentle push with the heel of His hand, as He gently guides us forward and back, to the left and to the right.

The instruction for the woman on following are as follows:

“Women, your responsibility in dancing is to follow your partner and adapt to any rhythm or style he dances. To do this, light resistance must be maintained. If you are too relaxed, leading becomes very difficult. Arm and shoulder contact with the man’s upper right arm and shoulder should be maintained to provide more resistance and stability.”

It is up to us to respond to God’s leading, to follow where he leads us, to adapt our lives to His rhythm and style. We must not get too relaxed, thinking He will do all the work and we need to do nothing. We must maintain firm contact with His right arm to provide stability.

God’s right hand and arm have always been symbolic of His power. The power to dance this dance comes from Him, from His right hand and arm. He leads us gently into His will and it is up to us to respond to him. The more we dance with Him the more we anticipate his moves, we become more sensitive to the gentle pull of His fingers and the cupping of His palm. The more we respond the more responsive we become. The more we dance with him the more we become one unit, in sync, in rhythm, gracefully and beautifully moving across the ballroom of life.

When others see us gliding across the floor of life it will ignite in many of them the desire to dance too, and this will lead them to seek out our partner for themselves. Normally this would be a problem, but not with God, He has many dance partners and room in his heart for many more. 

A popular country songs talks of the singers desire that her daughter not miss out on the good things in life by singing “When you get the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.” Similarly I say to you, “When you get the chance to reject Him or accept His invitation to the dance…… I hope you dance.”

A Mighty Rushing Wind

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Acts 2:2

The wind, you cannot see it, yet it blows. It sends its coolness across hot sweaty skin and brings comfort and pleasure all at once. It moves my hair, and the branches of trees, and flowers growing in the fields. It pushes clouds and affects weather patterns. When it is blowing hard, you can hear the roar and whistiling of it moving through the things it touches; you can see the changes it leaves in its wake. It takes the pollen and seeds of plants and blows them where it will; so that new life can be created. It blows in rain clouds to water them. We cannot see it, but we can feel it and hear it, and  we can see the effects of it all around us.

So it is with the Holy Spirit, we cannot see it but we can feel it. It blows on my heart and life and brings comfort, joy, and peace all at once. It moves my cold dead heart with the things of God; it pushes my hand in the air toward my God and causes my soul to reach for him. It changes the patterns of my life, it blows away the clouds of despair and guilt, and though it may bring the clouds of testing and trial from time to time, it is only for a season, and then it blows them out again. When the spirit is really moving you can hear and see the effects of all it touches, you can see the drug addict set free from addiction, the hopeless sinner's character completely change, the nature of a liar turned to truth. You can feel the guilt being lifted off, and see the difference in others when it is lifted off them. It takes the seeds of hope and salvation and blows them ahead of us. It comes behind, waters, and nourishes those seeds so that new life is created. We cannot see the Holy Spirit, but we can feel it and we can see the effects of it all around us. He who has ears to hear let him hear, and he who has eyes to see let him see.

Streams of Living Water

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:37-38

I was thinking earlier about the different elements that the Holy Spirit is compared to. All three of them living and moving things. You have the wind, fire, and water. The wind can be a gentle breeze; it can be a tornado, or a hurricane that decimates entire cities. Fire can be the flame of a single candle or it can burn down entire forests. Water can be a single drop of rain or it can be a tsunami that decimates part of a country. All these things are very interesting and I have many thoughts about them, however today I want to focus on water.

Have you ever been thirsty? I mean REALLY thirsty, your lips dry and cracked, your tongue sticking to the roof of your mouth, and that little hanging thing at the back of your throat called a uvula sticking to the back of your throat. Have you ever just wanted to plunge your whole head under the faucet or into a pool or river so you could suck in as much water as possible, or maybe guzzled down a whole glass of it without stopping to breathe? Have you ever tried to quench your thirst with something other than water, like a soda, and then after you’re done felt even more thirsty than when you started? I can't help but recall a Bugs Bunny episode I watched with my dad where Daffy was lost in the desert, and he saw a mirage and tried to dive into it, only to discover it was only sand.  It made me laugh so hard, but have any of us ever really felt that thirsty? Have we ever been lost in the desert like that? Have you dove into a mirage hoping for water, only to find that all it was is sand? Probably not.

Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:37-38 and in the Sermon on the Mount he said, "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled" Matthew 5:6. We covered hunger yesterday; today I want to talk about thirst. Have you ever really been thirsty? I mean really thirsty. With your heart dry and cracked and hard, and your cries for mercy sticking in your throat? Have you ever just wanted to throw yourself down at the feet of God and beg him for mercy? Have you ever wanted to run into his arms or climb into his lap and just be enveloped by him, to get as much of him as you can? To drink your fill, guzzle it down until you’re satisfied? Have you ever tried to quench your thirst with something else and come away even more thirsty than when you started? Have you ever run full tilt toward a mirage and dove in only to find all you gained was a mouth full of gritty dry sand?

Come to Jesus, and he will give you living water, so that you will never thirst again. Not only will you never thirst again, you will be so filled that streams of living water will flow from within you.

All who are thirsty

All who are weak

Come to the fountain

Dip your heart in the stream of life

Let the pain and the sorrow

Be washed away

In the waves of his mercy

As deep cries out to deep

Kutless "All Who are thirsty"

Biblical Chocolate Cheesecake

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every

Word going out of the mouth of God." Deut. 8:3

When it comes to the bible, you don’t want to go on a diet, you want to get fat. That is the goal. My husband likes to describe the kingdom of God as an upside down kingdom. Here is one more way that is upside down. With physical food, you can eat too much. You can eat the wrong thing. Sometimes what you eat can make you sick, or give you a tummy ache, or give you gas. Sometimes food can spoil. If leftovers sit too long in the refrigerator they will eventually grow mold and have to be thrown away. Physical food has an expiration date; it is recommended you eat it by that date. We once got a load of food donated to the mission that had expired 5 years prior. The pasta crumbled to dust, and when you opened cans or jars you would often find black stuff floating in whatever was supposed to be there. People can have allergies to food. If they eat the wrong thing their throat can swell shut and they can die. Sometimes it can give you a rash. Americans are often told we eat too much and we need to cut down. When we do it can make us healthier, it can cause us to lose weight and make us feel better, and make us have more energy. We love to eat, it brings us great pleasure. It is rare to find a person who doesn't like to eat. Most people rarely go a day without eating, and often won’t even go a few hours without eating.

The bible as been described as our bread of life. It feeds us just as physical food feeds our physical body. Without it, we will starve to death. There may be a few more parallels between physical food and the spiritual food of the Bible; but when it comes to all those things I mentioned above, that’s when the kingdom get turned upside down. You can never eat too much of God's word. You will not find any part of his word that is bad for you. All of it makes you spiritually healthy; no part could make you spiritually sick. It won't make you feel bloated (pride). It never spoils, the leftovers will always be as good as the first time you tasted it. It will never grow mold, we never have to throw it away. It doesn't expire; the recommended date is today, tomorrow and forever. The only people who may have an allergic reaction to this food are the ones who choose to reject it and the God who spoke it. It brings life and not death. You can't eat too much.  You will never be told you need to cut down. If you eat less of it, it will never improve your health, give you more energy, or make you feel better. Do you love to eat this bread? Does it bring you great pleasure? Do you ever go a day without eating it? Are you suffering from spiritual malnutrition? Are you settling for stale bread left on somebody else’s plate once a week; or are you getting your own fresh hot loaf to enjoy daily*?

What is your favorite meal? What is your biblical chocolate cheesecake? Please share.

*From Dan Bohi; Revival at Central Church of the Nazarene, Flint, Mi.

Revisiting the Widow's Mite

I wanted to say that it started out like any other sunday, but that just is not true. Our children's director and her family; as well as another helper; were on vacation and so Pastor Bob had to go across the street to run the childrens dept. A guest Pastor came in to deliver the sermon for the adults.

Things started out a bit rough. Pastor Bob had asked one of our congregants to officiate the service. He was supposed to welcome everybody including the visiting pastor, invite the congregation to come to the altar for opening prayer, then close the prayer time by praying out loud. Then he was supposed to ask everybody to stand for our time of praise and worship. I don't know if it was because of a stroke he had that resulted in short term memory loss, or if it was because he was nervous, but things didn't go as planned. He invited everyone to stand and worship straight off and said we would pray second. We have prayed first for a couple of years now and he is a faithful attender, not sure how he messed that one up.  I suppose I should explain why we pray first. We are an inner city mission church, many who attend our church are not regular attenders and not living holy lives, we believe that in order to worship in spirit and truth there will most likely be some business with God that may need to be taken care of first. The altar is generally full at the opening prayer, confirming our belief that it needs to be done first. God is good and no matter how rocky our start I believe he was still working and we continued as planned.

The sermon was excellent, exactly as I had predicted. I love it when a preacher gets up and doesn't hold back the truth that people need to hear, but then offers God's grace, mercy and forgiveness to any who would ask it at the end. I myself was reminded of some things God wants me to work on. We ended the service and went downstairs for the meal that is provided every Sunday after the service. We put everyone in the vans and took them all home.

I was sitting on the stage near the podium in the coolness of the sanctuary waiting for my van to be done being used so that I could go home. I was contemplating the day and how things had gone. I was a bit discouraged by the fact that half of our normal congregation hadn't been in attendance that day and was reminding myself of Galatians 6:9 "Do not grow weary in doing good". My husband came bounding into the sanctuary, he is a naturally high energy guy and this is normal for him to do. Then I noticed the man who had followed him in. He was obviously homeless, he looked the stereotypical part, complete with cardboard sign he was wearing on his back that said. "61 year old Veteran. Will Work for food. I am a Christian. God bless you" There was more, but those are the words I recall at this moment. I admit I've been skeptical when I've seen these signs that say "I am a christian" and "God bless you", I always figured them to be a ploy to get people to want to help them. The man put his bag down and handed my husband some money. I could not hear what they were saying. The man thanked my husband and said "God bless You" and he picked up his bag and left, sign still on his back.

Being the naturally curious person that I am I asked my husband "What was that all about" and what he told me blew me away. As I sit here I still hardly know how to react to it. He said "He wanted to know if he could give us his tithe." I'm sure he said more but that's what stands out, and those are the words pertinent to this story. This 61 year old christian veteran who is homeless had been hired by someone to do a job, paid cash, and having probably been blessed by the mission in some way, came here to pay his tithe.

I can't help but think of a time before my husband was a pastor. He worked as a supervisor in the shop, I was a medical assistant. We were considered strongly middle class. We had a home and a mortgage, 2 car payments, a pool in the back yard, cable, the internet and many other toys of a middle class suburban family. We struggled in the area of tithing, there was always an excuse; "we won't have enough for the bills" , or "I don't need to give a full ten percent, the amount I'm giving is more than most people give". I have since learned that tithing is not a matter of "following the rules" it is a matter of the heart. When you have an obedient heart it is not a burden to pay your tithe but one more way to please the one who died to give you eternal life. To thank the Father who blessed you with what you have in the first place. If this homeless man can tithe then what excuse can any of the rest of us have for not being obedient? God bless HIM for his obedience.

Break my heart for what breaks yours

     I went to the Casting Crowns concert last night with a friend, and I was struck by many of the lyrics in their songs. There seemed to be a theme that said "We as Christians need to stop judging and pointing our fingers at the "sinners" and start showing mercy and love". One of the songs contained the line "break my heart for what breaks yours". I was reminded of the conversation I had with a friend about Kaylee Anthony and how surprised she was when I commented. "What I see when I look at Kaylee Anthony is a girl who is broken and lost and in need of God's grace, and who is being condemned by the entire world." Where did this view of her come from? I am a little surprised myself to realize that Christ is changing my heart, and I believe I saw her not through my own eyes but through His.
     Which brings me back to the east side of Flint. When Casting Crowns sang the song "Does Anybody Hear Her?" I couldn't help but picture in my mind the women we come in contact with through ministry there. Broken, hurting, sad, and hopeless women. They are desperate for someone to offer them hope. There are too few of us there offering them the hope they long for. I got all choked up during the song just thinking about all those women, and seeing each ones face as the song progressed.
     It seems God is answering that prayer of my heart; "break my heart for what breaks yours".
     I don't know what else to say except please pray for these women, and if God is breaking your heart for them, get out there and into the frontlines of the mission field; that can be found in our own back yard; and share the hope He gave you.

"Does Anybody Hear Her"

She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And  she's three more steps behind

Does Anybody hear her? Can anybody See?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
with all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?

She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searcing
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away

If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
and we never even met her

He is running
a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction