There are many reasons why people preach and teach the gospel of God's grace and peace, and why people want to evangelize the church with the message of God's grace and peace. One of the big reasons is this: It makes people free. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, and yet many believers are bound up and are far from free in Christ.
Next month marks the 10th anniversary of the weekly Growing in Grace podcast that I do with Mike Kapler. The reason we've continued to do it each week is because it continues to help people find and stay in the freedom of Christ. Over the years we've received many emails and comments from people, sometimes simply asking questions about grace and other times pouring out their hearts and souls to us. In this video I share a couple of these emails, as they go to show the bondage that people have found themselves trapped in through what they've been taught in the church, and then the freedom that they've found through hearing the good news of God's grace and peace!
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Grace Roots Blog
Showing posts with label fear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fear. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
God's Discipline - Loving Teaching and Correction, Not Punishment
In this week's GIGCast Mike and I look at the words "chasten" and "discipline" in Hebrews 12, and discuss how these words don't mean "punish," as the words are often wrongfully taken to mean. As legitimate children of God, He teaches us and corrects us in His love - not impatiently and not fearfully or out of anger - to help us to know His love and to trust Him and to walk as the children of God that we truly are.
It's interesting that the writer of Hebrews, leading up to this, would write so many words to help get people rooted and grounded in Jesus Himself bearing the sin of the world, being the once-for-all perfect sacrifice,that we're not under the wrath of God, that we should hold fast our hope in Him, and that we look unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith... and then suddenly, according to various interpretations of this, the writer tells us God is angry and impatient with us, and beats us and punishes us???
If God's "perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us" (1 John 4:18, The Living Bible), then we must know and be encouraged that He never harms us or punishes us. He disciplines us (teaches us, corrects us) in loving ways, for our own good, not as a display of anger or wrath.
gigcast.graceroots.org
Sunday, December 14, 2008
No More Guilt and Condemnation
Latest Growing in Grace program is ready for downloading/listening. Jesus came to take away our sin, leaving us without guilt and without condemnation. If you're experiencing fear (being afraid) of God, or if you're experiencing guilt or condemnation in your Christian life, be assured - that's not from God! This week we talk about all of this, and about how we need to "rightly divide" the word of truth, not mixing together the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and calling it all "Christianity." Jesus said to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. Just a little bit of legalism can mess up the whole batch of dough! Take a few minutes with us and be encouraged as you grow in grace!
gigcast.graceroots.org
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
My vote: On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand
63+ million people waking up today enthused and refreshed. 55+ Million people waking up depressed and perplexed. So many hopes and fears hanging on the results of an election that just happened to take place during the short time they lived on this earth.
Don't get me wrong... I understand it all! I'm in no way naive about or oblivious to the issues or the candidates. I've paid close attention for several years now. And I don't think it's wrong to work hard for what you believe in, even in the political realm - if and when the Lord leads through His life in you. And so... this post isn't about what you should or shouldn't do, politically speaking, according to what you see going on in this world.
Rather, I'm simply hoping to draw the focus away from trusting in politics or the systems that are in place in this world... to trusting in One Person. The three in one. The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit. There's been a lot of talk about hope and change. There's been a lot of talk about fear as well. What is your hope really in? What do you fear and why are you afraid?
Perhaps let me put it this way. Lets to go the extremes. The President-elect of the United States of America is Barack Obama. On the one hand you have people who believe this country is now on a path that leads from the frying pan into eternal fire and destruction. On the other hand you have people who believe this country is now saved and is on a clear path to healing. Again, I'm talking 'extremes' here, so please bear with me on that for the sake of discussion. Indeed, people have all kinds of hopes, fears, expectations, feelings of disappointment, etc, in regards to this election.
So... what if one of those scenarios turns out to be absolutely true? What if the election of Barack Obama leads to the absolute worst conditions the people of this country has ever seen? Or what if everything is restored and we see the best possible conditions come about?
Is our hope and/or fear to be in these kinds of things? Again, I'm not trying to make a case for sitting still and saying "C'est la vie" or "Que sera sera," and burying your head in the sand until Jesus returns. "Action" (no matter how you define it in a political sense) is not what this post is about.
I'm really trying to point out that ever since the eternal God (Father, Son and Spirit) created man, God has always remained God. He has always remained sovereign. He has always been Lord of all. The world and everything in it belongs to Him. He has never missed a beat. There has never been a king, a president, a leader or an authority of any sort, who has been above Him or has been able to usurp His power or thwart His plans. The fate of the world, on the one hand, has been influenced negatively by every living person since Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but on the other hand has never really been in our hands because God has made redemption and restoration to Life His mission and joy - and His mission cannot and will not fail... no matter WHAT!
God was still in control when Herod had all the children under two years old killed. When the king sent Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego into the fiery furnace. When Daniel was thrown into the den of lions. When the crowd yelled for Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus. When Stephen was stoned to death. When Jerusalem was destroyed.
God was in control when the children of Israel were mighty in battle. God was in control when they escaped Pharaoh's army as the Red Sea was parted. When David triumphed over Goliath. When people sought to kill the Apostle Paul and yet the disciples let him down through the wall in a large basket. When Jerusalem was rebuilt.
There are so many billions (and billions and billions) of examples throughout history that testify to the sovereignty of God and His commitment to His purposes, and His ability to carry them out no matter what!
Say what you will about what I'm saying here, but I'm convinced that our lives have never been in the hands of politics, governments and political leaders, but have always, without fail, been in the hands of the Loving and Grace-ful God who created us and works endlessly to restore people to true Life, which is found only in one place, in one way, in one Person - Jesus the true and only Messiah. And this has always been true no matter what the circumstances have been.
Is the U.S. government system something that God set up? I won't answer that question directly, because I honestly don't know (no matter what the founders said), but I want to point out one huge difference between the Kingdom of God and the "kingdom" of the United States and its government. The U.S. government is (supposedly) "of the people, by the people, for the people." Can God work in and through the people of that system? Certainly. BUT... when it comes to our ultimate hope and trust, we are part of a Kingdom that is of God, by God and for God.
If you're happy today because of the election, then please enjoy your happiness! If you're sad, please remember that there is One who comforts. However, I will say that if our emotions go up and down all our lives, based upon our hopes and fears in MAN, then I believe we have somehow misplaced our trust. No matter what, please remember that Christ Himself is the solid rock on which we stand. ALL other ground is sinking sand! That's the point of this.
I'm just being honest with the way I see things after having come to this point in my grace journey. If you're happy today because of the winner, that's all fine and dandy but quite honestly my hope with this post is to DEFLATE your euphoria that has come a result of a leader who will govern for a BLIP in comparison to all of eternity. And if you're sad today, my hope is to bring you back around to TRUSTING in the only one who can give you - and the world - true hope and salvation. Imagine if you laid down all these fears and hopes that were based upon the promises of mere human beings, and instead your true hope, joy and peace was in the One who created you and loves you and has the ENTIRETY of your life in his more than capable hands!
Don't get me wrong... I understand it all! I'm in no way naive about or oblivious to the issues or the candidates. I've paid close attention for several years now. And I don't think it's wrong to work hard for what you believe in, even in the political realm - if and when the Lord leads through His life in you. And so... this post isn't about what you should or shouldn't do, politically speaking, according to what you see going on in this world.
Rather, I'm simply hoping to draw the focus away from trusting in politics or the systems that are in place in this world... to trusting in One Person. The three in one. The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit. There's been a lot of talk about hope and change. There's been a lot of talk about fear as well. What is your hope really in? What do you fear and why are you afraid?
Perhaps let me put it this way. Lets to go the extremes. The President-elect of the United States of America is Barack Obama. On the one hand you have people who believe this country is now on a path that leads from the frying pan into eternal fire and destruction. On the other hand you have people who believe this country is now saved and is on a clear path to healing. Again, I'm talking 'extremes' here, so please bear with me on that for the sake of discussion. Indeed, people have all kinds of hopes, fears, expectations, feelings of disappointment, etc, in regards to this election.
So... what if one of those scenarios turns out to be absolutely true? What if the election of Barack Obama leads to the absolute worst conditions the people of this country has ever seen? Or what if everything is restored and we see the best possible conditions come about?
Is our hope and/or fear to be in these kinds of things? Again, I'm not trying to make a case for sitting still and saying "C'est la vie" or "Que sera sera," and burying your head in the sand until Jesus returns. "Action" (no matter how you define it in a political sense) is not what this post is about.
I'm really trying to point out that ever since the eternal God (Father, Son and Spirit) created man, God has always remained God. He has always remained sovereign. He has always been Lord of all. The world and everything in it belongs to Him. He has never missed a beat. There has never been a king, a president, a leader or an authority of any sort, who has been above Him or has been able to usurp His power or thwart His plans. The fate of the world, on the one hand, has been influenced negatively by every living person since Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but on the other hand has never really been in our hands because God has made redemption and restoration to Life His mission and joy - and His mission cannot and will not fail... no matter WHAT!
God was still in control when Herod had all the children under two years old killed. When the king sent Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego into the fiery furnace. When Daniel was thrown into the den of lions. When the crowd yelled for Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus. When Stephen was stoned to death. When Jerusalem was destroyed.
God was in control when the children of Israel were mighty in battle. God was in control when they escaped Pharaoh's army as the Red Sea was parted. When David triumphed over Goliath. When people sought to kill the Apostle Paul and yet the disciples let him down through the wall in a large basket. When Jerusalem was rebuilt.
There are so many billions (and billions and billions) of examples throughout history that testify to the sovereignty of God and His commitment to His purposes, and His ability to carry them out no matter what!
Say what you will about what I'm saying here, but I'm convinced that our lives have never been in the hands of politics, governments and political leaders, but have always, without fail, been in the hands of the Loving and Grace-ful God who created us and works endlessly to restore people to true Life, which is found only in one place, in one way, in one Person - Jesus the true and only Messiah. And this has always been true no matter what the circumstances have been.
Is the U.S. government system something that God set up? I won't answer that question directly, because I honestly don't know (no matter what the founders said), but I want to point out one huge difference between the Kingdom of God and the "kingdom" of the United States and its government. The U.S. government is (supposedly) "of the people, by the people, for the people." Can God work in and through the people of that system? Certainly. BUT... when it comes to our ultimate hope and trust, we are part of a Kingdom that is of God, by God and for God.
If you're happy today because of the election, then please enjoy your happiness! If you're sad, please remember that there is One who comforts. However, I will say that if our emotions go up and down all our lives, based upon our hopes and fears in MAN, then I believe we have somehow misplaced our trust. No matter what, please remember that Christ Himself is the solid rock on which we stand. ALL other ground is sinking sand! That's the point of this.
I'm just being honest with the way I see things after having come to this point in my grace journey. If you're happy today because of the winner, that's all fine and dandy but quite honestly my hope with this post is to DEFLATE your euphoria that has come a result of a leader who will govern for a BLIP in comparison to all of eternity. And if you're sad today, my hope is to bring you back around to TRUSTING in the only one who can give you - and the world - true hope and salvation. Imagine if you laid down all these fears and hopes that were based upon the promises of mere human beings, and instead your true hope, joy and peace was in the One who created you and loves you and has the ENTIRETY of your life in his more than capable hands!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Politics and worldly troubles - Where is our hope and trust?
I found an excellent blog (from what I've seen so far), and an excellent blog post on that blog that I wanted to share. The blog itself is called New Life Design, and it seems to be a very grace-based blog.
The specific blog post I wanted to share is called Perilous Times. It echoes a lot of what I've been thinking about lately. With the U.S. presidential election a little over 2 weeks away, and with the various economic conditions around the world - and with all other kinds of troubles and trials and negative circumstances in the world - many people are worried, sad, fearful, perplexed, distressed and depressed, along with many other negative thoughts, feelings and emotions. The Perilous Times post is a great encouragement to all that our hope and trust is in God, not man or circumstances.
It seems so very easy for some people to put a lot of stock in politics, politicians, political parties, the political system, etc. I mean, we say they're all liars and cheaters, but yet of course the ones we're voting for are the hope of all mankind! ;) So we form strong opinions, we hold rallies and man, oh man do we talk so bitterly about "the opponents." (Come on, is that really the life of Christ speaking through us?) And when it comes to worldly affairs, it seems so easy for us to live as if our very lives are dependent upon the circumstances of the world - when the circumstances of the world have been so very up and down and unstable ever since the Fall.
Don't get me wrong - What I'm not saying here is that "politics" are to be ignored. (But whatever your "politics," do let it all be an outflow of the life of the One who indwells you, and of faith, not sight, just as with the rest of your life). What I am saying is that in the midst of all this it's so easy to forget the One who truly does have the whole world in HIS hands. AS IF the fate of the United States and the rest of the world has ever really been in the hands of Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, G. Bush, Clinton, G.W. Bush (the presidents in office since my birth) or any other local or national leader in all of history - or yet to come. Sure... God has worked in and through them, as He has with all of mankind, but the world's fate has never been in their hands. Never.
Check out what Jesus said to Pontius Pilate when Pilate asked Him, "Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?" Jesus' answer was, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above." (In other words, "Sure, Pilate, you indeed have a lot of power. But AS IF my fate is in your hands. This is God's plan"). In the very same way, isn't it also true that the whole of history - all the leaders, all those 'powerful' decision makers - were and always will be in God's hands?
What do we have to worry about?
The specific blog post I wanted to share is called Perilous Times. It echoes a lot of what I've been thinking about lately. With the U.S. presidential election a little over 2 weeks away, and with the various economic conditions around the world - and with all other kinds of troubles and trials and negative circumstances in the world - many people are worried, sad, fearful, perplexed, distressed and depressed, along with many other negative thoughts, feelings and emotions. The Perilous Times post is a great encouragement to all that our hope and trust is in God, not man or circumstances.
It seems so very easy for some people to put a lot of stock in politics, politicians, political parties, the political system, etc. I mean, we say they're all liars and cheaters, but yet of course the ones we're voting for are the hope of all mankind! ;) So we form strong opinions, we hold rallies and man, oh man do we talk so bitterly about "the opponents." (Come on, is that really the life of Christ speaking through us?) And when it comes to worldly affairs, it seems so easy for us to live as if our very lives are dependent upon the circumstances of the world - when the circumstances of the world have been so very up and down and unstable ever since the Fall.
Don't get me wrong - What I'm not saying here is that "politics" are to be ignored. (But whatever your "politics," do let it all be an outflow of the life of the One who indwells you, and of faith, not sight, just as with the rest of your life). What I am saying is that in the midst of all this it's so easy to forget the One who truly does have the whole world in HIS hands. AS IF the fate of the United States and the rest of the world has ever really been in the hands of Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, G. Bush, Clinton, G.W. Bush (the presidents in office since my birth) or any other local or national leader in all of history - or yet to come. Sure... God has worked in and through them, as He has with all of mankind, but the world's fate has never been in their hands. Never.
Check out what Jesus said to Pontius Pilate when Pilate asked Him, "Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?" Jesus' answer was, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above." (In other words, "Sure, Pilate, you indeed have a lot of power. But AS IF my fate is in your hands. This is God's plan"). In the very same way, isn't it also true that the whole of history - all the leaders, all those 'powerful' decision makers - were and always will be in God's hands?
What do we have to worry about?
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Rest Easy
Late last year I posted about a song from the early 90's that I really love called "Rest Easy" from Audio Adrenaline. At the time I posted the lyrics and a link to a short snippet of the song because I couldn't find a video for the song.
But yesterday Matthew posted a video for the song (no visuals, just audio) that was added to YouTube this past March, and it's well worth the listen! Check it out here on Matthew's blog or here on my post from 12/13/07, which I updated today with the video. Thanks MD!
While I'm at it... Let me link to this really great post of his called Believing the Invisible. It's about not putting faith in ourselves, or even putting faith in our own faith, but about putting our faith in its true object, Jesus.
But yesterday Matthew posted a video for the song (no visuals, just audio) that was added to YouTube this past March, and it's well worth the listen! Check it out here on Matthew's blog or here on my post from 12/13/07, which I updated today with the video. Thanks MD!
While I'm at it... Let me link to this really great post of his called Believing the Invisible. It's about not putting faith in ourselves, or even putting faith in our own faith, but about putting our faith in its true object, Jesus.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?
I don't suppose I can bring anyone along on the emotional journey I just went through as I watched this video... I'm sure it was an experience unique to me... but I can at least share it with you.
And really... all in all it's just a song from Pink Floyd!
Watching this video, I was brought back to my boyhood. This video somewhat reminds me of my school days in England in the late 70's / early 80's. I attended a private all-boys secondary school that was just behind our house. The school seemed dark and old, and a little run down. I was somewhat scared of some of the teachers. Everyone was to rise when the headmaster entered your room. Canings were still very common, although I never got into the kind of trouble that warranted a caning. I guess I'm painting a pretty bleak picture here, but it wasn't all that bad (and definitely not as bad as in this video!). Overall it was an "ok" experience... but I will say that I wouldn't ever want to re-live it!).
Also... the darkness of fear, conformity, rules, authority, religion, legalism, isolation, abuse, rebellion, are all represented in this video (from my perspective, anyway), and overall in Pink Floyd's 1979 concept album The Wall and in the 1982 rock opera film that came from it. Where do I get all these anti-authority videos from? I grew up with them!
On a more comical note... or actually, on a confessional note... During my teen years I was at a party one time when someone was playing this very Pink Floyd record. People knew that I lived in England during the time this song was recorded, and I began telling them that I had been part of the school choir that sang on this song. :) I said they picked our school out of many schools, and came to our school and recorded us and edited us into the song.
The truth is... my elementary school choir really had recorded a couple of albums right around the same time (strickly "choir" songs)... but being in Stockport, England, we were far away from the North London secondary school that was actually chosen, having been right around the corner from the studio! This was simply one of those things that I made up to make myself appear to be someone I wasn't. Years later, after having all but forgotten about it, I finally "fessed up" when my friend Carianne mentioned it in an email one time. "Oh, yeah... about that..." :D
Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall
And really... all in all it's just a song from Pink Floyd!
Watching this video, I was brought back to my boyhood. This video somewhat reminds me of my school days in England in the late 70's / early 80's. I attended a private all-boys secondary school that was just behind our house. The school seemed dark and old, and a little run down. I was somewhat scared of some of the teachers. Everyone was to rise when the headmaster entered your room. Canings were still very common, although I never got into the kind of trouble that warranted a caning. I guess I'm painting a pretty bleak picture here, but it wasn't all that bad (and definitely not as bad as in this video!). Overall it was an "ok" experience... but I will say that I wouldn't ever want to re-live it!).
Also... the darkness of fear, conformity, rules, authority, religion, legalism, isolation, abuse, rebellion, are all represented in this video (from my perspective, anyway), and overall in Pink Floyd's 1979 concept album The Wall and in the 1982 rock opera film that came from it. Where do I get all these anti-authority videos from? I grew up with them!
On a more comical note... or actually, on a confessional note... During my teen years I was at a party one time when someone was playing this very Pink Floyd record. People knew that I lived in England during the time this song was recorded, and I began telling them that I had been part of the school choir that sang on this song. :) I said they picked our school out of many schools, and came to our school and recorded us and edited us into the song.
The truth is... my elementary school choir really had recorded a couple of albums right around the same time (strickly "choir" songs)... but being in Stockport, England, we were far away from the North London secondary school that was actually chosen, having been right around the corner from the studio! This was simply one of those things that I made up to make myself appear to be someone I wasn't. Years later, after having all but forgotten about it, I finally "fessed up" when my friend Carianne mentioned it in an email one time. "Oh, yeah... about that..." :D
Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall
Friday, March 07, 2008
Perfect love drives out fear
Saw this article, Perfect love drives out fear, over at GraceCreates. Lots of great stuff.
Fear leads to defensiveness and being less trusting. Fear comes out as criticism, manipulation, rejection and so many other things.
On the other hand, God's love casts out fear. It results in encouragement, edification, peace and so much more.
Fear leads to defensiveness and being less trusting. Fear comes out as criticism, manipulation, rejection and so many other things.
On the other hand, God's love casts out fear. It results in encouragement, edification, peace and so much more.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
On the radio again...
A couple of months ago I shared how I overcame a fear. The "fear" that I overcame had to do with talking on the phone - especially in regards to calling into a radio program - and I've recently had a small victory in this area again! I know there are some people in this world who would say, "What a wimp!" :) On the one hand, I admit that this is a very strange and wimpy thing for me, considering that I spent eleven years on the radio and for three years I've been recording a weekly internet program with a friend! On the other hand, most of my on-air time was prerecorded and for the most part I was able to avoid the "pressure" of live radio. If I messed up, I could start over. Same with recording our program (we generally don't stop and start over, but I am able to edit our recording afterwards as needed).
Thinking about all this, I'd have to say that my main fear of being "live" is either saying something stupid or else losing track of what I'm saying, and fumbling and mumbling while grasping to get back on track. It's so very different from writing, which I love doing. I can take as long as I desire to write and it's no big deal if I stop and start up again at a later time. But when it comes down to it, when fear is set aside I really do love communicating through speech, and I really do think that the Holy Spirit is slowly providing these opportunities for small victories in that arena.
Why blog about this? I wasn't going to, but I do want to be vulnerable here and share some of these things because I do think that at least some people will relate in one way or another. And part of the overall gist of "grace roots" is the idea of a life of slow-cooking (digging our roots into Jesus and growing in Him over a period of time, rather than thinking one has to have it all together right now). I've grown a lot in my life and I have a lot of growing yet to do, and when I have a "victory" such as what I'm going to share here sometimes it's worth bringing up.
I do indeed think that the Lord has really been changing my mindset in this area (from fear to faith) and as a result I've called in to live radio programs again, twice in two days! This past Saturday I called in to WHO Radio's "Saturday Morning Live" program (1040AM, Des Moines). They were having people call in with strange names of rock 'n roll bands and artists. I was enjoying listening to the program, and I knew I had a couple that I could mention, but as usual my shyness and fear kept me from picking up my phone - at first. But then I suddenly said, "what the heck," and I called. It started ringing right away and my heart started beating faster, but not as much as I thought it would. In less than a minute I was on the air, and when I was done I said to myself, "What was so hard about that? That was fun!"
Then three days ago (Monday) I was listening to a program on Christian Radio called "Along the Way," hosted by Kim Jeffries. Kim was talking about a woman who is waitress at a restaurant and she has to serve alcohol to customers but she doesn't feel right about it. This woman wondered what she should do. Quit her job? Or what?
It's a controversial subject, I know, so of course the types of "advice" from people ranges vastly. But as I listened, it seemed as if a lot of callers were focusing in on one thing in particular that I didn't agree with: the assumption that since this woman's conscience is telling her that she was in a bad situation, then it must be that the Holy Spirit is telling her to go find another job somewhere else. I want to say right now that I don't know how the Holy Spirit is leading this woman. But as I kept listening to the program, I kept thinking about how sometimes our consciences have been programmed by legalistic preaching and teaching, rather than by the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Word of God. I thought about what I might say if I called the show, and I knew it wouldn't be my intention to make a case either for or against drinking, but I thought it would be neat to make a point based partially upon Romans 14, that no one should judge another for the freedom or lack thereof that their conscience allows them in regards to food and drink.
The point of this part of my post isn't to discuss drinking, but rather to talk about this phone call that I hesitated to make, and how the Lord is working in me at this point in my life. Again, perhaps someone can relate in one way or another. The reason I hesitated to make the phone call is because of what I've previously mentioned. Fear. What if I fumbled and mumbled while trying to make my point? The heart of what I wanted to say was clear to me, but what if it didn't come out right? And so on. But again, I really do think the Lord is doing something specific in me, and in the end this wasn't so much about making my point and speaking eloquently as it was about overcoming fears. I ended up calling, and to tell the truth I had a harder time explaining my thoughts to the call-screener than when I was actually on the air!
The neat thing about this (for me) is that I was not only able to make my brief point, but I was also given an opportunity to "stay on the line" and further elaborate after a commercial break. In the end, it was quite fun and I simply rested in Christ and didn't worry about whether or not I said everything perfectly. Kim is a very gracious host, and rather than wanting to get out of the conversation as soon as I could, I was wishing I had more time!
NOT that anyone really gives a rip whether or not I was on the radio, but the program is archived here (Hour 2) if you are interested in hearing it. (They have a typo - it says "January 13th Podcast," but it was the 14th). It's a 23MB mp3 file. My part starts around the 40:25 mark, although you may want to back up a bit if you want to hear more of the context and more of what the host and other callers had to say, including the story of a man's teetotalling mother who knows that Jesus turned water into wine, but who wishes He hadn't. It's, um, interesting to hear what others have to say!
Thinking about all this, I'd have to say that my main fear of being "live" is either saying something stupid or else losing track of what I'm saying, and fumbling and mumbling while grasping to get back on track. It's so very different from writing, which I love doing. I can take as long as I desire to write and it's no big deal if I stop and start up again at a later time. But when it comes down to it, when fear is set aside I really do love communicating through speech, and I really do think that the Holy Spirit is slowly providing these opportunities for small victories in that arena.
Why blog about this? I wasn't going to, but I do want to be vulnerable here and share some of these things because I do think that at least some people will relate in one way or another. And part of the overall gist of "grace roots" is the idea of a life of slow-cooking (digging our roots into Jesus and growing in Him over a period of time, rather than thinking one has to have it all together right now). I've grown a lot in my life and I have a lot of growing yet to do, and when I have a "victory" such as what I'm going to share here sometimes it's worth bringing up.
I do indeed think that the Lord has really been changing my mindset in this area (from fear to faith) and as a result I've called in to live radio programs again, twice in two days! This past Saturday I called in to WHO Radio's "Saturday Morning Live" program (1040AM, Des Moines). They were having people call in with strange names of rock 'n roll bands and artists. I was enjoying listening to the program, and I knew I had a couple that I could mention, but as usual my shyness and fear kept me from picking up my phone - at first. But then I suddenly said, "what the heck," and I called. It started ringing right away and my heart started beating faster, but not as much as I thought it would. In less than a minute I was on the air, and when I was done I said to myself, "What was so hard about that? That was fun!"
Then three days ago (Monday) I was listening to a program on Christian Radio called "Along the Way," hosted by Kim Jeffries. Kim was talking about a woman who is waitress at a restaurant and she has to serve alcohol to customers but she doesn't feel right about it. This woman wondered what she should do. Quit her job? Or what?
It's a controversial subject, I know, so of course the types of "advice" from people ranges vastly. But as I listened, it seemed as if a lot of callers were focusing in on one thing in particular that I didn't agree with: the assumption that since this woman's conscience is telling her that she was in a bad situation, then it must be that the Holy Spirit is telling her to go find another job somewhere else. I want to say right now that I don't know how the Holy Spirit is leading this woman. But as I kept listening to the program, I kept thinking about how sometimes our consciences have been programmed by legalistic preaching and teaching, rather than by the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Word of God. I thought about what I might say if I called the show, and I knew it wouldn't be my intention to make a case either for or against drinking, but I thought it would be neat to make a point based partially upon Romans 14, that no one should judge another for the freedom or lack thereof that their conscience allows them in regards to food and drink.
The point of this part of my post isn't to discuss drinking, but rather to talk about this phone call that I hesitated to make, and how the Lord is working in me at this point in my life. Again, perhaps someone can relate in one way or another. The reason I hesitated to make the phone call is because of what I've previously mentioned. Fear. What if I fumbled and mumbled while trying to make my point? The heart of what I wanted to say was clear to me, but what if it didn't come out right? And so on. But again, I really do think the Lord is doing something specific in me, and in the end this wasn't so much about making my point and speaking eloquently as it was about overcoming fears. I ended up calling, and to tell the truth I had a harder time explaining my thoughts to the call-screener than when I was actually on the air!
The neat thing about this (for me) is that I was not only able to make my brief point, but I was also given an opportunity to "stay on the line" and further elaborate after a commercial break. In the end, it was quite fun and I simply rested in Christ and didn't worry about whether or not I said everything perfectly. Kim is a very gracious host, and rather than wanting to get out of the conversation as soon as I could, I was wishing I had more time!
NOT that anyone really gives a rip whether or not I was on the radio, but the program is archived here (Hour 2) if you are interested in hearing it. (They have a typo - it says "January 13th Podcast," but it was the 14th). It's a 23MB mp3 file. My part starts around the 40:25 mark, although you may want to back up a bit if you want to hear more of the context and more of what the host and other callers had to say, including the story of a man's teetotalling mother who knows that Jesus turned water into wine, but who wishes He hadn't. It's, um, interesting to hear what others have to say!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
"Don't think about it so much"
Sometimes our thought-lives can be quite humorous! One day when my son was 4 years old he had sort of a puzzled look on his face and finally he said, “Daddy, I try to stop thinking but I can’t.”
I wasn’t exactly sure if I’d heard him right so I said, “What???”
He said, “I try to stop but it keeps doing it.”
I replied, “What keeps doing it?”
He said, "My head."
:D
There's no such a thing as a switch to turn off our "thinker." But again, we want to take our thoughts captive rather than being captive to our thoughts. In the past I've shared how I overcame panic attacks through scripture and through turning my trust over to God. Through a counselor who I met with in my late teens (shortly after my panic attacks began) I had come to see that my panic attacks were partly due to thinking about things too much and especially worrying about things. I didn't realize that I was over-thinking things and over-analyzing things, and worrying about things so much. Unfortunately, although my counselor did help me to see the cause of my problem, she didn't speak the truth that I needed to hear to overcome my problem. It wasn't until 2 or 3 years later that I overcame by the truth of God's word.
This post is mainly just a reminder to us all (including myself) that we can turn all our thoughts and worries over to God - all of our thoughts and worries - and walk in the truth of His word. He loves us and cares for us. We can cast all our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). We don't need to endlessly think about all these things. If we simply include God in our thought lives (He is, after all, One with us, as 1 Cor 6:17 says), then we can think restfully rather than anxiously. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Cor 14:33), and He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7).
I've been thinking about some of this lately, and my thoughts were highlighted through a conversation with a lady who works in housekeeping at some of the places I visit daily for my job. This lady has shared with me lots of times about how she is a worrier and how she really thinks way too much about things. A few days ago we were talking about this again and she told me that most of the time she'll focus in on one thing and she'll be obsessed with that one thing and she can't let it go and she'll let it bother her all day long. She says that occasionally that one thought will turn into several thoughts and she'll be overwhelmed by many thoughts instead of just one. Can anyone relate? :)
Well, on Sunday evening here at home, my daughter opened the wrapper of a little Dove chocolate. Each individual wrapper has a saying on the inside, and my daughter read hers out loud. The wrapper says:
"Don't think about it so much."
Ha ha! I really got a kick out of that. I'm saving the wrapper to give to my housekeeping friend. And to top it all off, as my innocent and naive little daughter was reading the wrapper again, she looked somewhat confused and she asked, "Don't think about what so much?" "What is 'it'?" We laughed and we explained that "it" means "anything that you may be thinking about too much!"
I'm pretty positive that this saying will not help anyone to automatically stop over-thinking things. In fact it's one of those things that we could easily and unintentionally turn into a law or rule that in the end works the opposite of what we intended. However, I do think that it can be used as a good reminder that in our lives in Christ, we have been made free and we shouldn't let our thoughts control us and take us over.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Rest Easy
Post updated 6/3/08 (see update at end of post)
This song by Audio Adrenaline has helped me through many times of fear, uncertainty, restlessness, anxiety... you name it... in my walk with Christ, and I would guess it has done the same for many others. Why? Because I think the verses of this song, as well as the bridge, state many of the thoughts, fears and negative emotions that many Christians deal with... and the chorus addresses the simple, biblical, truthful answer to all of it: Rest Easy.
And here's the thing... We can't deny that each of us, in different ways, deal with these thoughts, fears and negative emotions at times while we're growing in grace. Raise your hand if you rest in the fullness of the perfect truth all the time. I didn't think so. :) These things seem very real to us while we're going through them. However, since they're not based upon the truth of who we are in Christ, we don't want to stay in them. Rather, we want to displace them with the truth of our identity in Christ and with the truth of who God really is. This takes time and patience, but all the while we know that we can rest easy.
There's no video for this song (that I know of) and I couldn't find a full audio version of the song online but here's a 30 second Windows Media or Real Player snippet of the song. If those links don't work, or if you want to sample other Audio A tunes, here's their website. (Make sure your speaker volume is low... a song starts playing immediately). Highlight "MEDIA" and click on "DISCOGRAPHY."
-----
6/3/08 update: Matthew posted a YouTube video for this yesterday. It's simply a blank screen but it includes the full audio. So here it is:
This song by Audio Adrenaline has helped me through many times of fear, uncertainty, restlessness, anxiety... you name it... in my walk with Christ, and I would guess it has done the same for many others. Why? Because I think the verses of this song, as well as the bridge, state many of the thoughts, fears and negative emotions that many Christians deal with... and the chorus addresses the simple, biblical, truthful answer to all of it: Rest Easy.
And here's the thing... We can't deny that each of us, in different ways, deal with these thoughts, fears and negative emotions at times while we're growing in grace. Raise your hand if you rest in the fullness of the perfect truth all the time. I didn't think so. :) These things seem very real to us while we're going through them. However, since they're not based upon the truth of who we are in Christ, we don't want to stay in them. Rather, we want to displace them with the truth of our identity in Christ and with the truth of who God really is. This takes time and patience, but all the while we know that we can rest easy.
Audio Adrenaline - Rest Easy
One more mile 'til I lay rest
I have put myself through this rigid test
But the mile has never ended
No distance has been gained
I do not see greatness I wanted to obtain
Where is my embrace from the race that I have run?
I have kept a steady pace, but still I have not won
Chorus
Rest easy
Have no fear
I love you perfectly
Love drives out fear
I'll take your burden
You take my grace
Rest easy
In my embrace.
I am such a sinner
I fear my evil ways
I fear my imperfection
I fear my final days.
I just want to take control
And snap this rusty chain
Drop my heavy burden
It seems to be in vain
Chorus
Rest easy
Have no fear
I love you perfectly
Love drives out fear
I'll take your burden
You take my grace
Rest easy
In my embrace
Bridge
I am not a bold man even though I want to be
I am just a dreamer with a tender history
Scared of confrontations
I fume all through the night
The world has its hold on me and I just want to fly
The sky... the sky... is open wide
But I cant fly...
'Til I step aside
Chorus
Rest easy
Have no fear
I love you perfectly
And perfect love drives out fear
I'll take your burden
You take my grace
Rest easy
In my embrace
Rest easy, rest easy
Rest easy, in my embrace
Rest easy
There's no video for this song (that I know of) and I couldn't find a full audio version of the song online but here's a 30 second Windows Media or Real Player snippet of the song. If those links don't work, or if you want to sample other Audio A tunes, here's their website. (Make sure your speaker volume is low... a song starts playing immediately). Highlight "MEDIA" and click on "DISCOGRAPHY."
-----
6/3/08 update: Matthew posted a YouTube video for this yesterday. It's simply a blank screen but it includes the full audio. So here it is:
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