What have we become?

What have we become?
A self indulgent people
What have we become?
Tell me where are the righteous ones
What have we become?
In a world degenerating
What have we become?
-dc talk

It's so crazy to me that we have strayed so far from what the picture of Jesus and the first church looks like. Jesus called us to reach out to others and to embrace them with a love and respect that people of his generation and generations before had never seen or even heard of. He loved them for who they were. He healed them and bound up their broken hearts just like Isaiah said he would. He brought them physical and emotional healing first and then brought them the true healing. I feel like at times we might scew what this actually means and looks like. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I know exactly what it looks like, all I can do just like you, is to look in the word of God and see what it says about how to live like Christ.
I know that sometimes we have issues with reaching out to others because we don't know how. We say, "How can we help these people? They won't even help themselves. How can we talk to those people? What if someone sees us?" It is really sad but that is just a sample of what the church is coming to these days. We have ceased to believe in the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in us; or at least it seems as though we have in some and especially the Baptist denomination in which I was raised. We look at the Holy Spirit as the crazy uncle that no one really talks about. We've made up so many rules that aren't scripture. We think that we know who God is and what his preferences are simply because we love Jesus and those are our preferences so they must be his. (paraphrase from Matt Mc) We dont' tell people about the good news anymore. In fact, I believe that sometimes we as Christians wonder what is so good about it. It seems that we have to have "events" to bring our lost friends to church or give away $1000 in order to get some "christians" to church. We have to have all kinds of incentives for us to invite people to come to church and hear the gospel. Apparently, the gospel of Jesus isn't enough to attract the ears of a lost and dying generation. At times, our lives reflect the idea, "is it even enough for us who call ourselves followers?"
Please don't take this as a, "holier than thou" speech. It's more of a battlecry. There are several others that I know who have dived into the word of God head first to see exactly what it says about our salvation and being followers of Christ. What we have found is that there is so much more than what we have thought was there. There is a great mystery and a story that is to be told of which we have a part. Although, the story is not about us, we still have a role to play. We are at war and people need to be rescued! Do we leave them among the enemy to be devoured? For years, we the church, have been somewhat content with that. We don't practice the love that Christ showed while in his ministry here on earth. We dont practice the love, faith, and power of a Living God that the new testament church lived out. We dont' read our bible and use it as the sword that it was meant to be.
Read Acts. Read Collosians. Read Hebrews. Read the gospels. See how they lived and breathed and worshiped with everything in their lives. This is who we are called to be. It seems that we have strayed so far from what was originally intended for our lives that we are totally missing the mark. Let's pray that God would do something so amazing in our midst that the only explanation for it, would be that He did it.

Waking the dead...

Me: Good movie, yeah?
Tim: Yeah it was pretty good. Not as scary as I thought it would be.
Me: No, but it was suspensful, kinda like Red Eye.
Tim: Yeah.
Me: Did you see that?
Tim: Yeah, it was good. Dude, why is there pee on the floor of the stall?
Me: It's a bathroom.
Tim: But why pee on the floor?
Me: I don't know. (I was thinking of something crafty to say but nothing happened.)
I think it's time to start writing again.
Tim: Like songs?
Me: Yes, but that's not what I meant.
Tim: What'd you mean?
Me: Stories, stuff...just write.

So here I am writing again. It's been so long. I've asked myself the question, "What do I have to write?" When in fact, the better question would be, "Where do I start?" I have so many thoughts and ideas flooding my mind that I really don't know where to begin. I know how cliche' it sounds to say that, and that emotions are clouding even the simplest of thought processes. I'm rambling, I know. I would apologize but there has to be some starting point at which, hopefully something more than nonsense comes out of my brain.
I've really been struggling with being single and dealing with the decision that God called me (and Molly) to make several weeks ago. Through her, God showed me some amazing things about myself but most of all about him. He showed me, by allowing me to love her, what His loving the church is like. It was incredible. Through her, he showed me the compassionate and caring side of his love; while stirring in me the love of strength and honor. He instilled in my soul the longing to be brave and strong.
Recently of come to grips with the fact that I still long for those things. I long for that love that I felt from her and how it reminded of my God's love for me. I think more so however, I have longed to have someone to fight for and to protect. I felt as though God had intrusted me with this amazing gift to look after and protect. I miss that. Every man wants to be found courageous and brave, strong and noble, heroic. I know that it sounds cheesy to some but deep within our souls, God made us that way. He made every woman beautiful and they all have a desire to know and be told that they are beautiful. Each beautiful woman of God longs to be pursued the way that Christ pursues the church. I have wanted someone to be strong for. I wanted to know that my strength and my courage was needed. I wanted to know that someone needed me to rescue her and to protect her. I finally admitted that to God today, as if He didn't already know.
His answer stopped me dead in my tracks. My head bowed for I felt humbled, shamed, honored, loved, and needed all at the same time. My God, my true love, replied..."Be strong for me. Fight for me. Be brave for me. Love me."