MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL

Is the mirror your friend or foe? Before hurrying to the safe answer, "it depends on what day it is," let's set the record straight. The mirror hangs on or sits up against a wall. It has no personality. It has no voice. It can't even excuse itself when ignored or as it helplessly hangs in front of a very angry human hopeful, who has indulged and wasted life in riotous living, only to return to the exquisite wall piece expecting it to be nice and kind anyway. The mirror is a specially prepared piece of glass designed to simply reflect whatever is placed in front of it. It shows what we really are in spite of what we want and wish it would show. What is seen is what we are; what we brought to it. Hair, face, pimples, marks, wrinkles, height, weight, six pack, one pack, have all succumbed to the truth of "Judge Reflector". If one wants a more kinder, gentler ego stroking "look at yourself here material friend," perhaps the view seen in the side of a car that can stretch you where you want to be stretched, or maybe your shadow that can make you taller than what you really are can be momentarily helpful. But none dare to offer Mr. Mirror any amount of money or gift of worship that will alter ones reflection perfectly the way wished for in the minds' eye. That mirror doesn't hang anywhere close to a wall. It's on the panoramic screen of our mind.

How we see ourselves determines our level of confidence to move forward, stay in the same place, or return to the past. What we already tell ourselves negatively or positively will or will not prevent us from: 1.Moving forward; 2.Taking on giants like situations, or people on our way to a destination; 3. Taking over new territory for our own expansion; 4. Experiencing the new and different fruit of the land, that will provide cleansing of internal toxic waste, and a sustaining strength to live with energetic focus; 5. Getting rid of a slave mentality, that locks us into others telling us when and how high to jump, move, talk,or behave. Self esteem can kill us or propel us. The messages we tell ourselves reflect in the way we treat others and in the decisions we make anywhere from our choice of friends, to what drives our passions in life.

If we look in the mirror and see self hatred and don't like ourselves, we will take down others or keep them from advancing. We will even project our sins and faults onto them, blaming them for our defects physically and emotionally. To keep our own insecurity from showing we will seek to control their achievements or direction in life. Others who are moving at a different pace will feel the wrath of our fear and lack of confidence in the constant criticisms we hurl at them or the little fights created to prevent our deep issues from ever getting addressed. If we are not careful we will come to a place where it will always be someone else's fault as to why we are so self destructing and mean. Self esteem lowers when we tell ourselves negative messages about ourselves and that message gets embedded or matched by the innocence of what others say regarding a subject that can easily be interpreted as fairly close to our conclusion about our self. For an instance, if you buy a new dress or suit and the morning you planned to wear it, it doesn't fit like it did in the store, our negative message may be "I'm too fat or I'm never gonna be a certain size" Now we have to wear option number two, something we didn't prepare to wear; so no matter how well we look in it, the negative message has already taken root. Now when a friend or acquaintance greets us after this self judgement and asks innocently are you pregnant, or are you gaining, that message matches what you've already told yourself. The result is your self esteem, or self worth is lowered. Only when there's no match will your esteem remain in place believing "I'm not fat, or yes I've gained a pound or two but soon to come off" will you keep your drive to improve going.

When the Lord delivered Israel out of the house of bondage, and they arrived at the threshold of a new experience, the Promised Land, spies were sent to survey the new territory already promised by God they would have. How can two people look at the same thing(s) and see something different?? The answer is certainly not the mirror on the wall. It's the high definition screen of our own thoughts. It becomes clear who we are when confronted with a new and challenging opportunity. Moses listened to the two reports given to Israel after special appointed surveyors evaluating a land of progress share their findings. The attitudes and views ring down through centuries and movements right up to this writing:

"God spoke to Moses, 'Send men to scout out the country of Canaan that I am giving to the people of Israel. Send one man from each ancestral tribe, each one a tried-and-true- Leader in the tribe.' So Moses sent them off....
'Look the land over, see what it is like. Assess the people: Are they strong or weak? Are there few or many? Observe the land: Is it pleasant or harsh? Describe the towns.... And the soil: Is it fertile or barren?....
After forty days of scouting.... they returned home. They presented themselves before Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation.... then they told the story of their trip! We went to the land.... and Oh! it does flow with milk and honey.... THE ONLY THING is that the people...ARE FIERCE, their cities are . WORSE YET we saw the descendants of the giant anak. Caleb interrupted, called for silence....'LET'S GO UP AND TAKE THE LAND---- NOW. WE CAN DO IT....
But the others said, 'WE CAN'T attack those people; THEY ARE WAY STRONGER THAN WE ARE.' They spread scary rumors among the people of Israel.... 'we scouted out the land.... it SWALLOWS PEOPLE WHOLE.' Everybody we saw was huge. Why we even saw the nephilim giants.
Along side them WE FELT LIKE GRASSHOPPERS . And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers.'" Numbers 13  1-32. bold applied.

The progress of movements, self achievements, and projects, are too often halted and stalled by those who look at an apparent or real obstacle and say we can't. They bring to the table a fear of failure or an attitude of  jealousy toward the positive thinker.Those with unbending faith get on their chicken revealing nerves. The agenda either wasn't their idea, so they seek to kill it, or their focus is not progress but regress. Egypt, by their assessment, was better than anything they have seen on the trip up to this point. The need to go back was the majority vote, after the negative leaders shared the challenges. Often times the dagger of regression is speared into the very heart of the gospel or plans to seek out justice by mobilizing people to move forward. How many times have you gone around the same scene too long because you didn't move when the opportunity presented itself? So for Forty more years, those who didn't want to move forward, kept those who did from progressing. It will happen in your church group, your social club, your organization, company, family, marriage or community. A negative spirit will spark the God of Heaven to simply halt forward progress, and wait for the esteem killers to die off. Then new leaders will take the next group into the promised land.

When you look in the mirror in your house or office, what do you see? When you look into the reflection of your upbringing or life programming, who do you see? Reader today evaluate whether it's prestige, money, comfort, family, friend, enemy, car, house or climate that may be keeping you from something even better. I encourage you jump, move, at the beckoning of God, and you will never be disappointed. Time to move forward.

Revive Me Again!

WHY YOU ARE GOING THROUGH A STORM

Perhaps as a child, the world looked so safe and perfect. No matter what environment you started your life in; poor, rich, or middle class, as a child, dad and mom are the best. Or if you didn’t know your father, there was no one like mom on the earth! How many men can remember confidently saying to another boy, “My dad can beat up your dad!” or having the solid belief that our parents could do any and everything! Our favorite sports teams were the best ever. Mom’s cooking could not be topped by any other human on the face of the earth.

Childhood is given to us to dream big. We start out life knowing that we can make a difference in helping to ease the burdens of others by aspiring to be a doctor or lawyer, or major league baseball player, why even president of the United States. Childhood is the energy at the start of life to reluctantly get to bed only to awaken eagerly to accomplish our dreams. Childhood is the safety of the sand on the shore where we build castles and make tunnels; where we play with other children without fear of their futures good or bad. After all they are just other cool people to play with. But one day we look up and see an ocean.

There’s something about looking beyond the shore that stirs our dreams. High school, college, Major League Baseball, or the NBA; or simply driving a car. The horizon calls out to us. And then we step out into the boat of life. We grow up. The unexpected meets with regularity. The path to becoming that successful doctor is paved with potholes, and detours...a storm. 

Storms are never respectful of a planned journey. They just come. When we are able to admit, we often bring a few storms on ourselves. But for most of life’s journey, storms come from unexpected people and places and things. Most storms cause us at some point in the midst of them to ask a serious question. “Why Me?” That is a great question that in human terms won’t present a ready made perfect answer. But here are two quotes that may give us encouragement while going through a storm.

 “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass.... it’s about learning to dance in the rain....” ~ Vivian Greene

“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm is all about.” ~ Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

Stop and reflect while in your storm, “What is my purpose and what will I become because of this storm?”

There is an inspiring phrase in the midst of a song explaining going through troubling times. It says with boldness, “... Please be patient with me..... I shall come forth as pure gold....” 

SOMETHING YOU CAN'T SEE

I'm inspired to re-post this message I wrote almost four years ago. I believe someone is needing to move on with the power of God from a trapping past or memory of the past. May God bless you as you read, and remember His message to us in Isaiah 43:18-19 " Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." (NIV)

Friday, December 24, 2010

SOMETHING YOU CAN'T SEE

October 16, 1955, I changed the world. My mother releases me from a secure and safe womb of nurture; nine months where the hands that shaped the first man and woman from the black dust of earth, now intricately formed with Divine detail, a delicate bundle of His image. He breathes His breath into the blessed human incubator and ignites the heart to pump. Riding on this "God-wind" entering the fetus is the assignment for a life's mission that is intended to reflect His character. God seeing Himself in the new creation, accompanies the doctors hands as they guide the anointed babe for arrival into the arms of the awaiting small company. The place chosen for this presentation is Memphis Tennessee. A leader is born. What a climate!


The segregated south is struggling over its definition and practice of equal rights. The rumblings of a civil volcanic explosion are minutes apart. The world is summoned to be a witness to its most powerful nation ever, being exposed of an infrastructure that favors white supremacy at its worst, and passively accepts the reality of a second class citizenship, labeled and marked by the Creator's paint job, at its best. Up to this point the emancipation had only been proclaimed, getting blacks off obvious plantations, but failing to release many, black and white, from the plantation of hatred and fear. Staying and accepting your place seemed the best strategy to just make it to the next day. But the Volcano cannot hold the pressure of ignorance and injustice any longer. It erupts; sending the lava of civil rights justice down from it's angry top to cities and communities needing a foretaste of hell fire cleansing. The smoke of racially induced mental war ascends for all the world to see. This ain't no joke. People are choosing to die over this ultimate fight for freedom, teaching that proximity doesn't guarantee respect, one's view of himself as a child of God does. All men are created equal. All men don't buy that. Some men must die to prove it. There are remarkable accomplishments in the year 1955, as other parts of the country seem to just go on.

In January of that year, Marian Anderson is the first African American Singer to perform at the metropolitan opera in New York City. The same month provides the debut of the board game scrabble. February 1, Ray Kroc opens a McDonald's fast food restaurant-- the company's ninth since it was founded in 1940. He later takes it over and oversees its worldwide expansion. In April, Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and there is an Asian-African conference set. July proudly marks the opening of Disneyland Theme Park in Anaheim, California. And the news heard around the world on October 4, the Brooklyn Dodgers finally win the world series defeating the hated New York Yankees 2-0 in game 7. Meanwhile, back at the disturbing farm-- the south-- March 2, a fifteen year old girl, Claudette Colvin, refuses to give up her seat on a Montgomery Alabama bus to a white man after the driver demands it. She is carried off the bus backwards while being kicked, handcuffed and harassed on the way to the police station. A powerful announcement to teens today that you too can look at culture and the way things are in the face and refuse to give up your seat of dignity. In December, the more famous refusal, Rosa Parks, is arrested for not giving up her seat to a white person, and the national civil rights movement begins. Four days later the American Improvement Association is formed in Montgomery Alabama, by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and other black ministers to coordinate a black people's boycott of all city buses.

Other people the reader may know who joined me in this world to make an impact of change, not necessarily needing my counsel, although I make myself available to provide guidance should they need direction; after all, the world is not balanced if they leave me on the sidelines. Bruce Willis; Edwin Moses; Bill Gates; Maria Shriver; and Whoopie Goldberg to name a few will also turn 55 this year. The year we were born, the average wage in a year was $3,851 and the minimum wage was$1.00 an hour. The average cost of a new home? $10,950.00. The average monthly rent was $87.00. If you wanted to buy a new car in 1955 the average chariot took you for $1,900.00 and it was 23cents a gallon to fill it up! You see, Bill and I got together and jumped started this economy! One of the only things that seems to have remained the same is the black and white TV set that was and has returned to $99.95.

In my 55th year on earth I have become more reflective. I have much to be thankful for. My parents Sam and Claudine Paschal, who in June of this year turned 90 and 80 respectively. They still are an inspiration to me, and are responsible for all the good qualities people see in me. Unfortunately, this rebel and revolutionary son of theirs has caused many a moment of embarrassment along this 55 year journey. I love them. I can still go home to Compton California, and just be Anthony. The place is still peaceful and allows me to center and refocus. I'm thankful for Sylvia, now my ex - wife, but the years and days that were enjoyable like; hiking and biking and plays and dinners; Camping and laughing, movie watching, softball playing; provide pleasant and appreciative memories to the good days of our relationship. I'm thankful and applaud her for the excellent sacrifice and love she gave in raising the three most precious gifts God gave to this Compton rebel. Thanks Syl. My, (I guess) ex Father and Mother and brother in law Kennedy, I'm speechless because not once was there a horror moment of in-law tragedy or war. You should be bottled up and sold to the many basket cases of family feuds around the globe, to help bring civility to family..... My children: Anthony Jr.; Jennifer; Timothy. These humans God shaped to fix me as a Dad, counselor, a pretender of being a math teacher; a fellow student of late night... early morning... science projects... The laughter and sheer joy of watching you from fetus to adults. My heart skips and beats faster at your many accomplishments and the thought of you every day of my life. I love y'all to the max! Teiko and Kecia, God gave me the best daughter in laws!! watching you light up the eyes of my sons is a thrill in itself. Thank you for your love to them. Thanks Noel for doing a fantastic job with Isaiah. You've always treated me with respect. Isaiah; Kaori; and Zion. My three grandsons. You have caused my life to start over. I'm in another zone when I'm with you. Watching and hearing you laugh, I feel a sense of re-creation,  your presence is priceless.

It would appear my run in the employ of the Seventh Day Adventist Church is over. But oh what a run! God gave me a front row seat to power and glory and tons of miracles. There were moving anointings, seminars, crusades,baptisms,board meetings and business meetings. God did more to me through it all. I'm humble to think He allowed me this privilege to serve Him in this capacity. Thank you church of the living God.

Friends and best friend forever. You can't trade the connection. Though the storms kept raging to destroy me, You never left. You are irreplaceable. Thank you friends.

In my 55th year, some close to me may wonder how much darker can it get. Divorce, a resignation from my job, and a child serving time in prison. Now I'm unemployed, and the bills keep rolling in. Many have asked, "How are you making it?" There are days of pain, uncertainty, fear for sure. But God is doing something you can't see. While the sun has set on a certain part of my journey, and as some of you are going through moments where you can't see how you can go on, God awaits for you to come to Him. He waited for me. Like Nicodemus, you can go to God at night. No matter how dark it gets, God is still there waiting. John 3 reports that this Sanhedrin intellectual, found our Master still available while other counselors clocked out and are now unavailable. His family is sleep. His spouse is tired. His children are running with their friends. The dog and the cat aren't willing. Friends have retired. He cannot see an available ear to hear him out. He wants to know is he still useful; valuable. Something is not quite fulfilling. Look everyone, when you get to this point in your life, Jesus is still awake. While I recognize this post may be getting long, it gets better; we find that John let's us in on a portion of the dialog:

"How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re-enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this 'born-from-above-talk?'" Jesus said, "You're not listening, let me say it again, Unless a person submits to this original creation-- the 'wind hovering over the water', creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life-- it's not possible to enter God's kingdom.
When you look at a baby, it's just that: A body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch-- The Spirit -- and becomes a living spirit.
so don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above' -- out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next.
that's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, The Spirit of God." John 3:4-8

As with me my friends, when God wants to do a new thing in you and take you to a level where you've never been before, He offers three things: A new start; new growth; and new direction.

Born again is simply a new start. Stop now and submit to the original creation. Life may be confusing, and in a chaotic state for you. You may be contemplating suicide or even homicide. While in this night time of your life, delete your agenda, delete your plans and your direction. Delete even your suicidal thoughts. God is saying that the Spirit is hovering over your mess. Like the beginning. The earth is formless, void. That's when God works best. He shapes when we return to a formlessness. His Spirit hovers over me and you. We just have to submit and say SHAPE ME. This is the new birth. Now He's ready for new growth.

Jesus describes that when a baby is born, we only see the body. We look up one day, and the body has stretched! Teeth appear. Hair grows. The baby doesn't stay the same as he was at birth. He [Jesus] says it's another person inside forming and shaping something you can't see or touch. We take care of the teeth, but we didn't make them grow. We buy new clothes for a more stretched out body, but we didn't have anything to do with the stretching. Another person inside is responsible. When we allow God to re create us from our chaos, He then places His Spirit in us and we grow. He shapes us. This is why people notice change but can't put a finger or date or time on when it happened. There is no YouTube demonstrating how the growth took place. We can't instant replay it. There's no replay booth to slow it down and look at it from several angles to show an awaiting church or family where it took place. It is because the camera can't get inside of the changing you!! Even babies can't explain how they got teeth, or how they need a new pair of shoes. When a situation occurs where we once cursed up a storm and we now don't, we can't explain it. All we can say is we remember a day when we would have let it fly!! The Spirit is shaping us on the inside. Even our direction is different.

The invisible is moving the visible. We hear the wind only because it hits something to let us know it's doing something. We know its direction only when we see the leaning of the tree. We can't see the wind, nor where it came from or where it's going until we see the tree or the flow of our hair. The blowing of our loose clothes gives us an indication of the direction of the wind. "God-wind" is His leading in a direction He chooses. We simply ride and glide with God. When God is moving us in a new direction we are to let stubbornness go and ride the wind. It may be a new set of friends; a new ministry; a new church. He may lead you to write a book or a song. He places an idea in your head; you wind up in some mission field. You do something your family thinks is crazy and doesn't make sense, all you know is you can't stop going in this direction! It's not even the way you use to think or do. Maybe it's something you said you would never do, but it's new direction time.

I'm 55 years old now. By most standards, I'm suppose to be setting my sights on retiring. I'm suppose to put it in cruise control. But I've come to Jesus at night. I've experienced a new birth. Watch out something you can't see or touch is happening. THE WIND IS BLOWING.

GET OUT OF YOUR WAY

There is nothing more disconcerting and yet hilarious as tripping over yourself. It is perhaps more amusing to observe the calisthenics and creative dances done to prevent falling on your face. Books fly everywhere, shoes may fly off, arms wave estactically all in an effort to keep from going down in utter shame and humiliation. It transforms into true art when reviewed in slow motion, attempts to break a fall. Even looking back after you trip as if an invisible obstacle selected you to momentarily entertain the now focused audience all around you holding back laughter while offering to help you up from your special trip, provides a sound bite for the archives of comedy. Our own knowledge and self worth can be amusing to God. Our experience can be so trusted that it gets in our way of progressing to something better and we wind up tripping and falling on our faces. "This is me" and "I've never done it another way," or, "You just got here, you know nothing of the way things run here." Here's a news flash: Don't look now but tradition can kill success. Tradition can wipe out fresh ideas, and in the long run, can prevent a company or institution from advancing. By doing things the same old way, it demonstrates that we are more secure in our knowledge and  those "feel good moments" of historic success caused a sensation brought on by accolades that we keep playing over and over in our minds, than we are exploring, considering and doing anything different. In order to keep the stimulation of the drug of ego massaging going and looking for that original high, we fight those who would dare come up with something different and threaten our hallucinating experience of sameness.

It was my fourth year participating in the annual high school track meet held in Glendale, California. Various Academies would converge here to compete in track and field for ribbons and trophies. The highlight of the event was the four by four relay. The school that won this event three times in a row, kept what other wise was a rotating trophy, forever. I can still see this large and beautiful masterpiece of symbolic pride. This was the talk of our school to bring home a victorious memorial to our mastery of this event. But God at times will arrange a set of circumstances to measure your knowledge up against a new approach. Sometimes the only thing in the way of  victory is a stubborn traditional way of thinking. One of our fastest runners couldn't make it to the meet. We had to select a substitute. The choices seemed simple to me. There was a black student and there was a white young man anxious and confident to help us win the trophy. Now I'm ashamed to  tell you that my well informed but limited knowledge of fast runners did not include white people as naturally gifted in the area of speed. My teammates were trying to get me to see that this young man was fast. He was. But my experience at 17 years of age, informed me of the impossibility of that being true at least, in this instance, not fast enough to outrun the competition for a victory. Their specialty is cross country, ours is speed. So I chose the black student. (I'm sensing that you know where this is going). The gun sounded and the first man on our team got off to a good start. We had the lead, my knowledge was looking good so far. But then my choice of replacement was second. Let's just say, that by the time the third leg recipients were moving with the batons, our team was dead last. As anchor, I ran with all my might, but came in third. We lost the race and with it the symbol of pride.

I depended on my own information. I would not listen to new information. My limited and self absorbed information resulted in no progress for me or the team or the school. When you hold on to the way things used to be and not consider that new information or new ideas can move a church or community forward, you not only hold yourself back, but your team and the entire group. We have to get out of the way of ourselves and let the Holy Spirit bring in the new and improved knowledge and methods. Not all things new are appropriate or timely, but wise consideration of them allows the mind to be open for dependence on a power outside of ourselves. Too many church goers become comfortable with their drug of tradition. We often hear how many things we've accomplished; how many people we've gathered; how much money we have raised doing it a certain way, that when that way has run its course, we miss the next road that will lead us to an even better experience.We enjoy ourselves and our ways so much that it becomes euphoric and addicting to keep the traditional high going. Religious masturbation is when we are the only ones talking and stroking what we have, to the point we end up being the only ones satisfied and amused by what has taken place. No one else is affected.

Peter tried to lay his experience on Jesus one day and found out that he was about to miss out on a lucrative catch and the call of God on his life. Luke 5:4-11 :

"When He finished teaching, He said to Simon, 'Push out into the deep water and let your nets out for a catch.' Simon said, 'Master, we've been fishing hard all night and haven't caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I'll let out the nets.' It was no sooner said than done-- a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. ' Master, leave. I'm a sinner and can't handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.' When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him.... Jesus said to Simon, 'There is nothing to fear. From now on you'll be fishing for men and women.'

They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed Him."

The word of encouragement today is, when Jesus is telling you to launch out into deep waters, He's asking you to leave the comfort of your informed mind, and your experience taught wisdom, and trust that He is leading you to a greater assignment. One that will overwhelm your boat and ministry of mediocrity. He wants you to leave that regular, comfortable boat and nets, and follow Him to an unknown but far more powerful ministry. Ask God to show you where to lay down your nets. Trade in tradition for a journey with Jesus to catch humans. Know your creative thoughts that don't always fit the normal way of thinking, may be God himself saying don't rely on the accolades or regular practice of the group. Step out and trust Him. Take that job. Apply for that university. Get involved in that ministry over there, where others say from their experience it won't work. Leave your trusted tools of comfort and sameness. Follow Jesus and finally get out of your way.

CYBER MURDER

"I'm a killer", said a friend of mine describing a circumstance where an angry person was becoming more intense with his misunderstanding of the role my friend played in the eventual demise of his marriage. "You don't know me, I'm a killer," my friend retorted. I wasn't there, but I think it's safe to say that the discussion or the irritating accusations soon subsided into more civil conversation. What I learned from this individual was, that one who has murdered, most times, will acknowledge that the next moment of intensity will move killing to the front of possible options for solving a threatening situation.

The New York Times Opinion section July 4,1991 from a June L. Aulick, in her response to the Topic of the Day:" Death Penalty Speaks Society's Moral Outrage: To Murder Again," brought out this passionate response: 'Murderers -- Jack Henry Abbott, freed from prison, shortly thereafter he killed again.'

 "Whatever inner drive causes this behavior, nobody knows. But one convict aware of his tendency, said on television, 'I know that if I am let out of prison, I will kill again', Let's forget costs of executions, and give thought to the cost in human welfare." 

This publicly shared opinion  is deeply carried by many a church villager. The quiet but often acted out belief that once an evil action is done, the evil doer cannot really get rid of the drive to do it again. Much documented research reveals that the root cause of one who murders, is anger. Simply put, unresolved and cultivated anger will eventually lead to destruction of another person's life. Whether out of revenge, bitterness, or power to control, anger unchecked, will cause humans to do some crazy things, the ultimate to take a life. Murder has come to church and propped itself on the front pew. It hangs out with the deacons, elders, and even the pastor of the flock. We don't see people being shot or beaten to death within the holy confines of the sanctuary, but the tongue can certainly ruin and devastate a saint or sinner for that matter.

"I'm a killer" is not just the self description of one who has taken the life of another. It has become the description of angry church goers. Their weapon of destruction today? Cyber space. No longer do self proclaimed Christians have to embarrass one in person; or confront an adversary on the phone or in the pastor's study. An office, home, library will do, so long as there is a computer innocently awaiting the fingers of religious assassins, controlled by bitter rage toward another human being.The combination can be deadly. A saint can let it fly becoming trigger happy, not with the hard material of mass destruction; but with one push of the send button, and can murder another humans' reputation, character, and opportunity to serve community or church. Murder of the ugliest kind, is fueled by intent and premeditation. 

Heaven sees, but deeper still Heaven knows the motive. Once again, like most murderers of physical life, when you have killed once, it's easy to do it again. Good people can take justice into their own hands and "fix" a person or a situation by being "real and open about truth." But in the end when every one's life has moved on from the shock of a situation, in the wake lies a corpse. A child of God who has made mistakes and needs forgiveness and restoration, has been placed in a coffin of ridicule and shame, never to rise again. The murder takes place with an attempt to be inconspicuous. Like the powerful, called and appointed leader, Moses in the book of exodus. He describes himself when faced with an Egyptian in an altercation with one of his people, as having "looked this way and that way," before killing and burying the Egyptian. He sought to kill secretly.  It's easy to look this way and that way when in the comfort of your room and then secretly press send. And a successful erasing of one who has disappointed you or caused you stress and frustration has been accomplished. 

Or has it? God has been watching all along. He is never about destroying a sinner, but providing an opportunity for redemption. Galatians 6:1 points out that if a brother is caught in a fault or sin, "ye which are spiritual restore him".... A vibrant church acknowledges sin, but spiritually sets out to restore the sinner.

Anger harbored, lodges itself in the mind and like a growing tumor, brings corrosion to its host. A church goer filled with anger unchecked, will filter everything about life through the dulling eyes of rage. Ministry becomes nearly impossible, and is less spiritually impacting by an angry saint. Fellowship is altered. Too often, many marriages find one partner attempting to move forward on a foundation of unforgiveness, but waiting to spring hatred by any means necessary til the object (spouse) of their rage is completely destroyed.

Matthew 5:19-22 reflects Jesus attitude about justifying our rage to the point of killing another person: "Trivialize even the smallest item in God's law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom.

Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom...

You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder', I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill"

The appeal in the village today is for the reader to address personal anger. Check and see if you are consumed with the suffering of those who have caused you pain. Ask God for His character which hates sin but loves the sinner. Erase the cyber messages aimed to prove you're right by pointing out the evils of others. Remember that a day will come when you will cause pain to others, and the train of cyber murder will recklessly head to your own house. Place the people who have caused the deep hurts at the top of your prayer list; asking God to give you the disposition of Christ while looking down from the cross on his stabbers and mockers, interceding for their salvation. Finally, pray that God removes the anger so that you can be used by him in a mighty way. Turn cyber murder into cyber restoration and witnessing to the glory of God in your life. The village will rid itself of evil doers and be populated by kingdom seekers.

DINNER WITH JESUS

What qualifies one to have dinner with a powerful and popular person? Is it prestige? Money? War hero? Sports champion? Entertainer? A political figure? Perhaps any or all who have one or more of these media loved positions of influence and VIP status can get you a seat at the President of the Country's table, or certainly will keep you from standing in line at any restaurant. But making it to some one's dinner as an invited guest is a special privilege not many get in their lifetime. The phrase, "it's not what you know, it's who you know" is now updated and upgraded to, "it's not what you know or who you know, but who knows you." In the business world it is an accepted practice that many deals get done on the golf course, and often over a meal. Who you eat with says a lot about you. There's something that qualifies people to take the time to sit down and share this personal and yet fulfilling occasion with another. Very few people pass up a prepared meal, and still fewer pass up an already paid for meal. If our table partners are people we like, our fellowship feast is more relaxing and more often than not more palatable. But what does it say about us when we openly eat with the "thems" of the world?  How much of our trustworthy stock goes down when our dinner companions don't measure up to the community approved "good and acceptable" standards? Ex cons, prostitutes, pimps and crooks.

Today, I reflect on these facts of a past season in my life: after nearly thirty years of being in ministry leadership as a pastor, teacher and administrator, I have concluded something about myself, at least temporarily. Reflecting back and seeing inclement weather in recent moments of leadership life: one of my children served time in a state prison; He ran away from home at sixteen; I was removed from an administrative position as a result of an investment project that didn't go well; After twenty eight years of marriage, I went through a “testing of my faith,” divorce, resulting in an untimely resignation from ministry. I had a little talk with myself and gave myself permission to share; that in 2010 I boldly declared that I was a living bonafide crook. A white collar con man. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!! TRUST ME, (OK you can't trust a crook), bear with me. Your jewelry, money, stereo, big screen TV, car, and women are all safe. I'm not in the business of ripping off stuff or people, although a seemingly life long investigation  by those who have declared me officially dead, are trying to prove otherwise. What I'm getting at is that in evaluating my ministry and life journey, I wish that I could have some decisions back. I wish that the appearance of evil, would have been more avoided. I wish that apologies would have been more timely. But the truth is it didn't go that way. Like a crook, it just seems like very few people remember anything good you've done. Thank God for the five people left in this world who don't mind eating with me still!! They are reflectors of Jesus.

"After this He went out and saw a man named Levi at His work collecting taxes. Jesus said, 'come along with me' and he did-- walked away from everything and went with Him. Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. The Pharisees and their Religion Scholars came to His Disciples greatly offended.' What is He doing eating and drinking with crooks and sinners?' Jesus heard about it and spoke up. ' Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders -- an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out'" Luke 5:27-32

It really disturbed the religious church goer, that those who did not know God were collecting taxes from them. This Roman rule was too much for the nation expecting the deliverance from economic and civil slavery by a Messiah. They were waiting and wanting to take over the world and put the Romans in their rightful place, under their feet!! So to pay taxes to this government just got under their skin. But what was more heinous and almost unforgivable was for a Jew to work for the Roman government as a tax collector!!! Treason and the utmost in betrayal was this employment seen among the chosen people of God. To have a key position and then help to advantage yourself financially was white collar con at its best. The self righteous Pharisees saw crooks. Jesus saw disciples.

It would have been easier to say that I'm a sinner saved by grace. That is the true but safe tag we give ourselves in the religious church going community. It keeps us tilted on the heaven side of the scale when we evaluate our works performance of the week. But how does one become a crook? Looking closer at Luke's narrative, we find that the crooks don't call themselves crooks. The Pharisees call them crooks. They are offended that those who they have placed in a lower spiritual position than themselves and only poison the church, are even at the dinner. They want to know why is Jesus eating with the very people they have been trying to keep out of the church, because by their measuring stick, these particular guest don't qualify to be near the front, or top of the ladder of respect and holiness. How dangerous for the church of God. If it's left up to those whose sins are greater but not seen, to label others who don't measure up as crooks, therefore disqualifying them for any hope of salvation, then God will not have a vibrant church to display the good news. Jesus' response is simply, those who need the doctor I'm here for, those who don't need one I can't help. The very ones pushed out are the very ones Jesus eats with.

While driving home one Saturday evening from a church softball game, I humbly sensed that in some way I was on my way to Levi's house. There were times past I've been on the Pharisee side, wondering how can we vote to keep such lowlife and mistake ridden people outside the walls of the church. Other times it felt like I was on the crook side of the table. I imagined a new assigned label, and wondered if  church was the right place to fellowship. But thank God for friends who continue to minister to my family and me during this estranged part of the ministry journey. I'm grateful for prayers and support. I'm grateful for your presence, and your boldness to break bread with this side of the threshold of the church. So what are the qualifications to get a dinner date with Jesus? According to the Pharisees it turns out to be quite simple after all. You have to be a sinner and or a crook.