Walking Like Enoch

The other day when I was making my long drive into work, I was listening to a radio program called “Thru the Word with Dr. J Vernon McGee”.  He was going through Hebrews 11 and came to the part about Enoch.  He then referenced the story of Enoch as told in Genesis 5:21-24.  Verses 23 and 24 say, “Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God.  Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.”

Dr. McGee then told a story he had heard a little girl tell summing up Enoch’s life.  This little girl was explaining to her mother what she had learned about Enoch in her Sunday school class.  She said that a man named Enoch lived a long time ago.  One day God said to Enoch, “I would like to take a walk with you everyday.”  Enoch agreed, and so they walked with each other each and every day.  One day God came to Enoch and said, “I would like to take you on a very long walk today.”  So Enoch grabbed his coat and his lunch and they set out.  They had been walking for a long time when Enoch noticed that it was getting late out.  He told the Lord, “it’s getting quite late; we had better start heading back.”  And God replied, “You’re a lot closer to my house than you are to yours.  You should just come to my house and stay.”  So Enoch went to God’s house to stay.

I really liked this illustration because it got me to thinking.  How great would it be to walk so closely with God, and for so long that you are closer to His house than your own?  Then he just says, “How about you come stay at my house instead of returning to your own?”

You see, too often we set out on a short little trip in our walk with God and then we return to our house.  We probably walk with him everyday for a few weeks, months, or even years, but then we miss a day or two. 

That reminds me of a story I had written about years ago.  Jesus had come to a man’s house and said I would like to come in and meet with you every morning, and the man agreed.  They met every morning in the man’s front room and talked and drank coffee together every morning for several months.  One day the man came in and said, “Jesus, I’m really sorry but I’ve got a really important project at work.  Is it ok if I take a rain check for our meeting today?”  Jesus says, “Of course.  I will be here tomorrow waiting to sit and talk with you.”  The man then walks out and goes to work.

The next morning the man comes and says the project is still on going and that he needed to skip out on their meeting again.  He promises that once the project is over, he will meet with Jesus again.  Jesus graciously agrees and tells him he will meet him whenever he is ready. 

The next morning he apologizes to Jesus as he rushes by the front room and out the door.  This goes on for several weeks until he starts rushing by without even glancing in the room.  This goes on for quite a while, and then one day as he is rushing by he notices someone is sitting in his front room.  He goes back in to find Jesus sitting right there.  He asks Jesus, “What are you doing in here by yourself?”  He replies, “I told you I would meet you here everyday.”  The man then asks him how long he has been coming in there and how often.  “I am waiting here all day every day.  I look forward to the day that you can meet with me.  I understand you are busy, but I am still right here and I always will be.”

How many times have we done that?  I know I have done that more times than I would like to admit.  What if we walked with Jesus every single day, and at the end of the day, all we did was stop and rest for the night before picking right back up the next morning?  One day we realize that we have been walking with Jesus for a long time, and we say to him, “Gosh, Jesus, we have been walking for a long time and it is getting late.  I should head back to see if I need to take care of anything.”  All he says is, “You are so far from home, and so close to my house.  How about you just come on to my house and stay?  I’ll take care of the rest.”  In Luke chapter 9, one person that is going to follow Jesus says he wants to return home to say goodbye to his family and Jesus said to him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”  If we have come so far with Jesus and then want to return to our old life, friends, or family for any nostalgic reason, we have wasted the trip. 

We should all strive to get to the point in our walk that everything else will seem insignificant.  That is, certainly, where I want to be.  I want to walk for so long and so far with Jesus that I lose track of all time, and I don’t even recognize where I am.  The only thing I am aware of is the fact that I am in a new place with Jesus. 

I really am tired of these ‘out-and-back’ trips that I find myself taking.  How about you?  What kind of walks are you taking with Jesus?  Are you walking around the block and going back home?  Are you walking to the end of the street and coming home?  Or maybe you are just walking to the end of the driveway and back. 

Are you like the guy that has allowed your personal and work life take up so much time that you are neglecting your daily meeting and chat with Jesus?  Ask God to forgive you for your spiritual ADD.  I know I certainly suffer from it, do you?  Ask God to help you walk him, and that he will convict you in your spirit when you miss.  Maybe one day we can be like Enoch and not taste death, because we have come so far with God that he just takes us on home with him. 

Have a great day, week, month, and year.  Let’s spend some time walking and talking with Jesus.  He’s right there waiting on us.

Stolen Valor and Status Symbols

If you have spent any amount of time online in the last year or two, you have most likely heard about “Stolen Valor”.  You may have read an article, seen a YouTube video, or a Facebook post about a person impersonating a member of the armed forces and walking around in public.  They are dressed up in authentic looking military uniforms.  They have been spotted in shopping malls, amusement parks, the street, and the airport.  They look and sound legit to the average person, but the one exposing them is not fooled.

The majority of the time, the person that is calling them out and recording them is a current member or retired member of the branch they are pretending to be a part of.  It starts off with the person asking the imposter some general questions, “How long have you been in?”  “Where are you stationed?” and other questions like that.  Then they start getting more specific, asking about their platoon, their regiment, their ‘MOS’, (I won’t pretend to know all about this stuff because I never had the honor to serve) and this is where the wannabe’s story starts to unravel.  The actual military person then pounces and makes them look like a fool.  It is usually a breach in protocol that any active duty or reservist would know and follow while in uniform.  It could be something like a contradictory patch or medallion that blows their cover.  Or it could be they prove that they do not know what they are talking about outside of some well researched and well rehearsed lines.

Most of these people are looking for recognition of some kind.  They want to get the admiration and respect that our military members rightly deserve.  They want the glory without the sacrifice.  Some of these people are looking to gain special privileges by dressing this way.  Perhaps they can get a discount on a cup of coffee or meal, like a recent fake soldier did in an airport.  Some are looking to score free merchandise, food, or other items.  This is where their lie gets them in trouble.  It is actually a crime according to the ‘Stolen Valor Act of 2013’ to present yourself as a medal recipient or military officer with the intent to obtain free or discounted goods or services, or other monetary benefits. 

Despite the fact that the federal government has passed a law that makes this pitiful practice illegal, and the fact that just about every person in America has a camera phone glued to their hand at all times, these people continue to take this chance.  Maybe they got away with it for a long time prior to the prevalence of cell phones and Twitter accounts.  Or maybe with the surge in popularity of military members thanks to high profile events like the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, and movies like ‘Act of Valor’, ‘Lone Survivor’, and the recent release of ‘American Sniper’ makes them want to be apart of something they never could do on their own.  Whatever the case may be, it is foolish and risky.

Wannabe combat veteran is not the only type of impersonation that goes on in America, and it is certainly not my main point of writing this.  I came across a person the other day at a fast food restaurant that really got me thinking about this whole thing.  While the kid behind the counter (I say kid, he was probably in his early 20s) was getting my order ready, I noticed he was wearing an ‘I Am Second’ bracelet.  If you don’t know what that is, it’s a black rubber bracelet with white letters that say ‘I Am Second’.  It is a product from the website of the same name.  They produce short films of celebrities and average Joes giving their testimony about how Jesus rescued them from their life of sin and that they are now living ‘second’ to Jesus. 

It really is a neat website, and I admire their program.  They have resources for small groups and give you the information on how to start an “I am Second” small group.  Since I am a fan of the program, I asked him if he was a part of a ‘Second’ small group.  He got the most confused look on his face for a couple of seconds before he realized what I was talking about.  He said that he just got the bracelet for Christmas and didn’t really know much about it.  He had just seen a lot of people wearing them and liked it.  I was just about to dig a little deeper and ask him if he knew what it meant to be second, but the restaurant had gone from nobody at 2:30 in the afternoon, to line almost out the door.  I got my food and left.  As I drove away, I was upset with myself for not talking to him about Jesus and what living second to him means, but I was also a little confused about why someone would want to wear something that gave the impression that they were a Christian if they really weren’t.  You certainly don’t gain a lot of respect and monetary benefits by wearing a rubber bracelet, or even a cross. 

Then I thought a little more and realized that “Christian memorabilia” is a very popular fashion accessory.  There are celebrities and people that wear crosses and other religious symbols when they are not practicing Christians.  The biggest one that comes to my mind is Katy Perry.  I have seen her wear a cross on several occasions in interviews and performances.  Despite being the daughter of an evangelical pastor, she has said that she is no longer a Christian, and does not believe in Heaven or Hell.  So why wear the symbol that is almost exclusively Christian if you do not believe in it?  If that cross represents the instrument that God used to help save mankind from eternal punishment in Hell, and was where Jesus was offered up as the once and for all sacrifice so we could go to Heaven, why wear it if it means absolutely nothing to you?  To be fair, I have also heard her say that she prays before every show, but it is a prayer to no god in particular.  So I am only assuming that the cross means absolutely nothing to her, but if she doesn’t believe in Heaven or Hell, I don’t think it represents the same to her as it does to most Christians. 

Katy Perry is just one of many celebrities I have seen wear Christian jewelry as a fashion accessory.  But I have seen countless people on the street wear something that refers to Jesus or God that does not appear to let that which it represents affect them.  Please do not think I am being judgmental in saying this, I am just saying that their life does not appear to be producing ‘fruit’ like the Bible talks about. 

In John chapter 15, Jesus is talking and He talks about how he is the true vine.  He says that he is the vine and we are the branches.  In verses 4 and 5 he says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.  Yes, I am the vine you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.”  In verse 8, he goes on to say, “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples.  This brings great glory to my Father.”

In Matthew 7:20, Jesus says “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

Seeing this contradiction is what I am most concerned about.  I am not concerned with the people that choose to wear crosses and ‘Jesus fish’ as a fashion symbol and are open and honest with the fact that they do not believe.  (I am truly concerned for these people, because I do not want any person to suffer eternal punishment due to a refusal to believe.  I am just not talking about them in this post.)  I am concerned about the people that wear the uniform and can talk the game (much like the fake servicemen above), but are not taking up their cross daily (Luke 14:27) and fighting the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12 & 2 Tim. 4:7).

These are like the Pharisees that Jesus rebuked in Matthew 23:27-28, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees.  Hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs-beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.  Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

How horrible would it be to have Jesus call you out like that?  To have Jesus Christ, himself, compare you to a tomb, a whitewashed tomb at that would be devastating.  Especially if I had been trying to come across to everyone around me as a good little Christian boy by the clothes and jewelry I wore and the empty words I spoke.  This makes me think of the church at Laodicea that Jesus is talking to in Revelation chapter 3.  He says, “I know all the things you do, that are neither hot nor cold.  I wish that you were one or the other!  But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!”

I don’t know about you, but I really do not want to be puked out of Jesus’ mouth!  The people that flat out say they do not believe, but only like the bling of the diamond studded cross around their neck, are cold.  They are honest and direct.  There is no trying to guess where they fall on this spectrum.  The people that are just as clean and pure on the inside as they are on the outside are also easy to figure out – they are the hot ones that Jesus refers to in Revelation.  It’s the others that are, probably, the bigger population.  These are the ones that are trying to fool those around them, and even themselves.  Despite their dress and their words, their actions and lifestyle betray them.  John’s first letter says in chapter 1 verses 8-10, ‘If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.’  This slap to God’s face leads to him spitting us out onto the ground. 

So let me ask you, where are you in all of this?  Are you the one that is truly on fire for God and wear your faith on your sleeve?  Do your words, actions, and thoughts honor God?  Are you the hot one that Jesus was talking about? 

Are you the non-believer that just wants to accessorize your wardrobe with an occasional cross?

Or are you the poser that likes to wear religious status symbols and the Christian combat uniform, but does not produce any kind of spiritual fruit in you life?  Are you a whitewashed tomb that looks the part on the outside, but is spiritually dead on the inside?  Are you in danger of being spit out of Jesus’ mouth?

If we could strip away all of the religious status symbols and spiritual rhetoric, would you look any different from everyone else around you?  I urge you to really take a look at your life and evaluate where you are in all of this.  Please do not continue to fool yourself, or attempt to fool others into thinking you are better off than you really are.  You may not like the eternal consequences.  If you are on the outside, and have never really given any of this serious thought; maybe you are an unbeliever but have questions, please do not wait to ask.  Find someone that can give you the information you need.  I am more than happy to help in any way, but if not me, please find someone soon.  We are not guaranteed tomorrow.  A recent acquaintance lost a loved one in an instant.  In an attempt to enjoy a common hobby, this person lost their soul mate.  You really do not know how much time you have.  Take this opportunity to get your questions answered.

Have a great day, week, and New Year.  Thank you for taking the time to read the Thoughts of a Sleepless Man.

Thoughts of a Sleepless man Part 2 - "Why I am a horrible fireman"

I’m a horrible fireman.  I am.  I am a horrible fireman.  Now, I do not mean that in a tactical sense.  I do not mean that I am not good at my job, because I think I am.  No, I mean I am a horrible fireman because I do not eat, sleep, and breathe the fire service. 

I do not hang out in fire service chat rooms and forums.  I do not subscribe to FIREHOUSE Magazine, nor do I read every single article that is written about the fire service.  I do not look up every single fire related video on YouTube. 

I do not think of 9-11 as a firefighter day.  I do not have all 343 names of the firefighters that were killed that fateful day memorized.  I think it is absolutely tragic that those guys died while doing what they loved, and that is helping people; but I do not elevate those guys over the some 2,000 other people that were killed in those towers.  September 11, 2001 is a day that forever changed this great nation of ours, and it changed the fire service; but in no way, shape, or form is it a day that is all about the 343.

I do not keep my class-A uniform at the ready to attend every single firefighter funeral that is within a 100 mile radius.  In fact, I have only worn my class-A uniform, and that was for department pictures.  I have only been to one firefighter’s funeral, and that was my first fire chief when I was brand new.  It’s not that I don’t mourn the death of firefighters, or feel sympathy for them and their families/crews.  I just don’t like funerals.  I don’t like them for anyone.  I would rather never go to another funeral again, not out of fear of death or dying, either.  I just do not like funerals.

I don’t mean to sound cold-hearted, hateful, or even judgmental towards those guys and gals that do all of the stuff I mentioned.  I’m really not any of those things.  I say all that to point out that I am a different kind of fireman.  However, the death of the two firefighters in Boston yesterday (March 26, 2014) really hit me.  I cannot explain why it impacted me the way it did, it just did.  It truly broke my heart to hear it.

Maybe it is because for the first time, I heard the radio traffic of the scene the same day of the incident.  And to hear that scenario play out with my own ears really struck a nerve in me.  Without going into the details of it, out of respect of you non-firefighting people, it really messed me up to hear that transpire.  I thought about those guys.  I thought about incident command.  I thought about the dispatcher that was communicating with them on the radio.  I thought about the driver and other crew members of their engine company.  I thought about their brothers that were on scene, at the other stations, and on the other shifts.  I thought about their families.  One of the guys had a wife and 3 kids under the age of 10.  I thought about all of that stuff, and it really affected me.

On a small level, I thought about my past experiences.  I have been in a house that was burning and I ran out of water.  I couldn't see anything but the faint glow of fire in the next room, but I still knew exactly where I was.  I had plenty of air, knew how to get out if the situation called for it, and the heat was not unbearable.  Nevertheless, I had a brief moment of anxiousness there.  It seemed liked an extremely long time to be in a burning house without water, but I was assured that it was only a few minutes.  After calling on the radio for water, what seemed like a dozen times, I felt the hose fill back up and we proceeded to fight fire.  We got the fire knocked down and then exited to building to rest in the 110 degree heat.  The fire ended up spreading through a crawl space that we did not know about, and we burned the roof off of that house, but nobody got hurt. 

I was also in a situation that I can honestly say that I could have died in my rookie year.   It was a training fire, of all things, but it took a dangerous turn.  We were burning in a house that was scheduled to be torn down, we could do that kind of thing back then, and I was caught in a situation that I actually lost my bearings.  I got separated from my partner in a large room and could not find my way out.  The heat pushed me down onto the ground, and it got to the point where when I tried to crawl, the hot bunker gear was very hot against my skin.  It caused me to pause a few seconds.  I remember briefly opening my eyes as I was flat on my belly and seeing nothing but glow.  It seemed that everything around me was on fire, and I knew that it was not long before my gear was on fire.  I remember thinking two things:  one was I wanted to dig a hole through that tile floor, concrete, and earth to escape the heat; the other was I thought I was actually going to die right there on that floor.  I had a pregnant wife at home, and thought I may not see her again.  In a desperate attempt to feel the door, I stuck out my arm and found the jamb.  I dove out of the door and exited the building extremely fast.  After crews drowned that house with water, I went in and saw that square inch from floor to ceiling was charred.  I ruined my gear that day, but I made it out unscathed.

I don’t tell those stories to sound cool, or macho; only to say that I can relate on a very tiny scale.  Those stories pale in comparison to what those guys went through today.  Me trying to elevate my experience to their level would be like a kid racing his hot wheels and thinking he was Mario Andretti.  My time and experience does not hold a candle to those guys, or any firefighter from places like New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, or even Arlington.  I have only caught a small glimpse of what those guys have done.

I can only begin to think what it must have been like to be trapped in a burning basement, with no water, not knowing where you are exactly, and not knowing how to get out.  I cannot imagine the terror those guys had to be experiencing.  You could hear it in their voice on the radio, but even that doesn’t really say what they were thinking or feeling.

I cannot say why this tragedy got to me the way it did.  I can only pray for those guys and their families, friends, and coworkers.  I can also pray for God to protect me, and everyone I know from ever having to go through that.  But, should I, or someone I know, go through something like this in some way; I pray that God will help me to count it as joy.  I recently heard a message on James chapter 1 verse 2-4.  In the book of James, Jesus’ little brother urged fellow believers “when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, in chapter 5 he writes, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment.  For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.”

That has to be our prayer as Christ followers.  That when tragedy strikes, and we experience hard times, as great as they may be, that we will count it as joy.  That we make it through those trials with endurance, or steadfastness, and that develops good character in us.  And that that character will give us stronger hope.  When we can find joy in the true hardships of life like Paul talks about in Colossians, then we are showing what it means to be a true disciple of Christ.

I leave you with this, Jesus said in John 15:13 that, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  So let us thank God for the love and sacrifice these two brave men made today.  Let us also pray for their family, friends, and coworkers.  Finally, let us pray that God will fill all of us with joy, hope, and peace that only comes from Him.

Will you pray with me?

Father God, I lift up these two men to you.  I pray that they are resting in the palms of your hands right now.  I also lift up their loved ones, their friends, and their coworkers.  Please surround them with your Holy Presence, and let them feel your love.  Give them a peace that surpasses all understanding.  Help them, Father, to be able to count this tragedy as joy for your sake.  Help them through this grieving process, and let them never forget how brave these guys were.  I pray, Lord, that you will be glorified through this.  I pray that people will give their lives to you, and put their trust in you.  Help every single one of us to be like Jesus when we are faced with tragedy.  Even though we may be hurting, and scared, and sad; let us count it all as joy.  Thank you for your love Father, thank you for your joy, thank you for your peace.  Let us always honor and glorify you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray.  Amen.

Have a blessed day and week.  Please keep everyone affected by this event in your thoughts and prayers.  Take care.

State of the Union (Part 1)

You better duck, there is some free speech flying at your face right now.  Who would have thought that in 2013 one of television’s most popular stars would be “suspended indefinitely” for giving their honest opinion, upon request, in an interview?  Very interesting times we are living in.

Of course I am talking about Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson, and A&E’s decision to suspend him after he answered an interview question about his thoughts on sin.  Phil gave his opinion on homosexuality based on his Biblical worldview.  He then roughly quoted 1 Corinthians 6:9 – “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God?  Don’t fool yourselves.  Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people – none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.” (NLT)  It should come as no surprise to anyone that has ever watched the show, seen or heard an interview of one of the cast members, or even been exposed to any form of media in the last year that Phil is a Bible believing Christian.  He ends every episode with a prayer in Jesus’ name, for crying out loud.

No sooner had his words stopped echoing in the cosmos had a loud mouth from the LGBT media watchdog, GLAAD, started railing against Robertson and his ‘vile’ remarks.  The spokesperson said that his statement was “littered with outdated stereotypes and blatant misinformation.”  Not long after this statement was put out, A&E released a statement saying that Phil was out, because the network has “always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community.”

If the network has always been such strong supporters of the LGBT community, why did they put out a TV show of a family that is very outspoken about their Christian faith?  Bible believing Christians have shared this same belief for two thousand years.  Before Paul had written this letter to the church at Corinth, Jews held the same belief about sexual sin for several thousand years.  The network knew going into the show where the Robertson family stood.  They knew they were not ashamed of the Bible, of Jesus, or to share either one with the world.  They had to have known that this would eventually come up; especially in this day and age of hyper political correctness.  After the Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-a media and PR storm, and the fact that there is some kind of LGBT story in the news every single day, and just that this is the hottest topic out, they couldn’t have been so naïve to think that this would not come up. 

The suspension of Phil Robertson is not my biggest concern.  The attack on free speech in America is not my concern.  The apparent war on Christians, whether real or not, is not even my concern.  My concern is the spiritual side of this whole mess going on in the world right now.  We do not have a gay and lesbian problem in the world.  We do not have a freedom problem.  What we have here, is a full blown sin problem.  We have had a sin problem since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, but now it seems to be at a fever pitch.  That is what I am most concerned about.

If you are easily offended, you should keep reading, even though you are going to be offended.  If you are a non-believer; atheist; agnostic; or somewhere along those lines, you should keep reading.  If you are a Bible believing Christian, you most definitely should keep reading.  This has been building up inside of me for quite some time, and I feel now is the time I have to write this.

First, I ask you to keep an open mind.  Please read this to the end, reflect on what I have to say, and then you can formulate an opinion and respond.  I beg you, please do not stop here, call me a bigot, hypocrite, homophobe, and start hating on me.  I have put too much thought and time into this whole thing for you to fly off the handle and not give me a chance to voice my thoughts and concerns.

Let me start off by saying that I am in no way, shape, or form a homophobe.  I am not scared by someone who is attracted to someone of the same sex.  I am certainly not scared of some guy thinking I am attractive.  I can honestly say, I’m not even worried about a woman thinking that about me.  I am too bald, and too overweight, for someone to make a move on me.  I thank God that my lovely wife of 14 years is still blinded by love, but I digress.

I could give the cliché statement of, “I have gay friends so I can’t be a homophobe”.  I do, in fact, have friends that happen to be gay; but that is not the point.  No, I have a family member that is homosexual.  Not just any family member either.  My big brother came out as gay over thirteen years ago.  That has not changed the way I feel about him. 

When I was a kid I looked up to my brother, like most kids.  Even though we had different mothers, were 12 years apart, and we didn't live in the same state; I still admired my brother.  On two different occasions in school (once in middle school the other in high school), I had to write a paper on who I looked up to.  I wrote about my brother.  I always thought he was so cool.  When I was in high school, he was married and living in Austin.  He was a very successful furniture sales rep.  He lived in a beautiful home.  And he was married to a wonderful lady.  He had accomplished all of this with very little college education.  I thought that was so impressive.  I wanted to be like him.  I even thought, very briefly, that I wanted to sell furniture when I grew up.

Fast forward several years.  I had just graduated high school and had moved to Dallas for college.  Every time my brother came to town, we would get together for dinner with our sister.  I absolutely loved this time with them.  On occasion, he would bring his wife, but it was always good to get to see him.  A couple of years later he came out.  I will admit that I was shocked and upset.  I just didn't believe it was true.  The guy that I have looked up to, and wanted to be like for so long, was somebody completely not who I thought he was. 

Due to life and schedules, we did not see each other for several years.  It was family illnesses that caused our paths to cross again.  I eventually met his partner, and I realized that he was a great guy too.  I truly love them and admire them both.  They are both such successful people at just about everything they do.  They are so incredibly talented and smart.  Even though I only see them every couple of years, I still brag about them and all they have accomplished.  I am amazed at the things they have done, and the places they have been, the people they have met, and the business they have built.  It is really neat to think that that is my brother, and my “brother-in-law”.   My kids love getting to visit with their uncles.

Do I like the fact that my brother is gay?  No.  Do I think that homosexuality is not a sin because someone I love is living that lifestyle?  No.  I do believe that homosexuality is a sin because the Bible says it is.  But you know what?  I have done a whole lot worse.  Did you know that out of control anger is a sin?  Guilty.  Did you know that lusting after a woman that is not your wife; or that sex outside of marriage is a sin?  Guilty.  Taking the Lord’s name in vain?  Yup, you guessed it, been there and done that.  I have lied.  I have cheated.  I have stolen.  I have broken laws.  More importantly, I have broken many of God’s laws.  I, Jason Martin, am a sinner.  I do not condemn anybody else for being a sinner.  In John chapter 8, a crowd brings a woman that had been caught committing adultery to Jesus trying to get his opinion if they should stone her as the Law of Moses said.  They are looking for a way to catch him by his response to use against him, but he tells them “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.”  If I was there in that crowd with a rock in my hand, I would have been the first one to drop my stone and sneak away with my tail between my legs.  I am no better than the next guy that has sinned.  That means I am no better than someone that commits the sin of homosexuality. 

The difference is, I have acknowledged that I am a sinner and I strive to live a life that reflects Jesus’ teachings.  Does this make better than the next guy?  Absolutely not.  Does this mean any gay person is going to hell for their sin?  I don’t believe so.  I personally do not believe that being gay buys you a one way ticket to the lake of burning fire for all eternity.  Then again, I am not God.  I do not know what is in each person’s heart.  Only He knows.  The only thing I know for sure is this: the Bible says explicitly that homosexuality is a sin.  It also says in Romans 6:23 that “The wages of sin is death”, but it goes on to say that “the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord”.  Just like the crowd that brought the girl to Jesus said when they were quoting Moses’ law, we deserve to die as a result of our sin.  But like then, Jesus stepped up and offered us a pardon.  With a simple action and a gentle word, he was able to calm the rage in that crowd towards that woman.  Then a short time later, through a major action, his death on the cross; and the simple words, “IT IS FINISHED”, he paid the price for our sins.  All we have to do is accept the free gift that Paul talks about in Romans. 

Accepting the free gift of life that we receive from Jesus is not just simply saying, “Thanks, I’ll take my free life now” and running off to continue living my old life.  It takes commitment.  It takes buy-in.  I can’t walk into McDonald’s and order a large Dr. Pepper and have a couple of sips and leave, and then come back every day for eternity expecting to fill up that cup that I bought that one day.  Those free refills are for that visit only.  The same goes for Jesus’ gift of free life.  I can’t order a large side of free life and go on living any way I want, and just come back and flash my free life cup and expect the same refill.  I have to stick around and sit at his table.  I have to live in that establishment for the rest of my life.  I may stumble out the door from time to time, but I am still on the premises.  I quickly come back in and run to that counter (altar) and get some more of that cool refreshing grace. 

I know that there are so many counter arguments to what I have said here.  I have heard pretty much all of them.  I will address those in my next piece.  I wanted to lay the foundation of my statements before I moved on.  I hope that you will continue to follow along.  This may be a long journey, but I feel I need to get this out.  God has been really putting this on my heart for a long time now.  Please come back.  I look forward to hearing any thoughts, comments, or rebuttals you may have.  Please feel free to send them my way.  Also, feel free to send me any prayer requests or concerns you may have.  I want to stand with you in prayer, and support you in any way I can.  I truly love people of all types, and I love to help them through lending an ear, offering an encouraging word, or praying with them.  Thank you for your time, and I will be writing again soon.  Take care.

Thoughts of a Sleepless Man

As I lay here awake in the early hours of the morning after a run I can’t help but think about our country.  I look at several posts online about things that are going on in our nation and the only thing I can pray is, “Lord, please heal our nation.”  Nothing else needs to be said.  And I’m not talking about healing our nation of diseases like cancer and any other physical ailment, those are horrible and I would like to see people healed from them, but I am talking about something even bigger than that.  Our nation needs to be healed from the spiritual sickness we are suffering from.  This sickness is so advanced that we as a nation are almost spiritually dead. 

I know that there are millions of people in this country that truly love God, but even we are sick.  How has the church in America allowed the nation to go down the path of destruction that we have traveled so far?  How have we gotten to the point of so much hatred and disdain for fellow man that young men will go into a school and kill beautiful little children?  How has the hatred of truth and light become so prevalent that we allow there to be no accountability in every level of government?  How are people leaving the faith in droves to live a life of self-above-all-others?  The blame falls on people like me. 

A few years ago I wrote a blog based on a song called “Camouflage Soul”.  It was about how we as Christians tend to allow our faith to blend in with our surroundings.  Romans 12:2 was the main scripture focus.  It reads:  “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  Now even though I wrote that blog a few years ago, I still do not live as boldly for the Lord as I should, as I would like.  But I think it goes beyond that even.  Over the last few decades the public has risen up against the Church.  We as the body have been shouted down by people in the media, Hollywood, even in the courts and government.  Now is it an all-out war against Christianity?  Not yet.  We do not get locked up or executed for our faith.  If you believe the Bible, that day will come, but it’s not now.  No when it seemed our neighbors were against us in mass, we retreated to the safety of our Church walls.  We venture out on covert recon missions, and even wage small scale battles.  But I do not feel the Church, the body of Christ as a whole, has been standing on the front line boldly proclaiming God’s message.  Over the years we have stood by silently so much that some have even began to join the fight for things that are blatantly against God and His will.  We have Church leaders that stand up and fight for sin and the right to commit them.  We have believers that engage in debate in online forums and spew absolute filth.  There is so much anger and vitriol in their words that the love of Jesus cannot be seen or felt; when we do have someone that stands up for the truth, there is not much force behind them.  It is like the enemy is firing mortar rounds, and they are lobbing water balloons in retaliation.  We as a nation have leaders in place that lack honesty, integrity, or accountability.  We as believers continue to voting for them and not demanding more from them.  We have teachers that indoctrinate our children to worldly ideas.  They plant the seeds at a very early age that grow into ideas that are antithetical to Biblical teachings.  But what do we expect?  Since the church has taken a soft handed approach to fighting the devil and his army of lies, he has marched his lines right to the church’s front doors.  Every sin is becoming mainstream, and it is considered hate to say otherwise.  Prayer has been banned from school functions; the very mention of the God of the Bible is not allowed, but we have classes that teach and promote the ideas of Islam.  The Ten Commandments are being removed from court houses and other government buildings.  The “leaders” in Washington are bowing to winds of political correctness, and not wanting to push Judeo-Christian principals on people.  But now the enemy is making his way into the church buildings by using laws that force the support of sin on the Church.  I just read yesterday that there are “scholars” that are rewriting the Bible to change the language used towards homosexuality.  They are calling it the “Queen James Bible”.  And the Church lobs another water balloon.  Leaders don’t want the IRS to come down on them and take away their tax exempt status.  They don’t want to be labeled by the world as hatemongering judgmental hypocrites.  They choose to look to the world for guidance on how to run their congregations, but ignore what Jesus said.  I think the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are very relevant today.  In the letter to the Church at Ephesus, Jesus is saying that he sees the good works that they are doing but that they have lost the love they once had.  I think it’s the letter to the Church of Laodicea that is the most convicting.  He nails them on their complacency.  He says they are neither hot nor cold, and that since they are lukewarm he is going to spit them out of His mouth.  In verse 17 of chapter 3 Jesus says, “But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”  Has the church as a whole become lukewarm?  Are we blind to that fact?  Are we telling the world, even ourselves, that we are fine?  That we are rich in love and works, but are really just middle of the road dwellers that Jesus is waiting to spew out of His mouth?  Perhaps, if the entire church body was banded together and showing the true love of Jesus, the world would look a lot different.  I’m not talking about going out and hitting people on the head with our Bibles, condemning them for their sins, and then claiming ‘Jesus loves you’.  This did not work in the ‘70s, ‘80s, or ‘90s.  I’m pretty sure it won’t work now.  What we need is the love that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 22.  The word in both verse 37 and verse 39 are the same: ‘agapao’.  This is a verb that means to welcome, to be fond of, to love dearly a person.  Verse 37 says to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  Verse 39 says to love your neighbor as yourself.  This is an action of love that is supposed to go UP to God in Heaven, IN to us, and OUT to our neighbors.  This love is the exact same love that is used in John 3:16: ‘For God so loved the world, that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.’  This is a love of sacrifice.  God, who the Bible says loved us while we were still sinners, sacrificed His Son on our behalf just so we could be saved and live with Him in eternity.  That is a HUGE sacrifice for some pretty mean and ugly people that spit in His face on a daily basis.  To love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind is a sacrifice on our part, but it does not stop there.  We have to accept the love that God pours out on us, we have to accept that and love ourselves with same love and adoration that He has for us, and then we have to turn around and love everyone we come in contact with the same way.  If we can’t love ourselves, we cannot truly accept God’s love for us, and we certainly project that love onto others.  If we claim to love ourselves, but can’t love others, we aren’t grasping that love of God either.  This is a love triangle, so to speak, of epic proportions.  The part of the equation that is constant is God’s love.  We mess the rest up.  That is where we get off track and the world gets the way it is today.  If we are truly loving God, ourselves, and others with this type of sacrificial love, lives can and will be changed.  

Hope

Romans 5:2b - And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.


The other day, as I was reading this verse, a scenario popped in my head. From beginning to end, the entire scene played out just as I read it. I figured I should share it with whoever reads this. Maybe it will be a blessing to someone else. I will reference myself, but picture you in my place.

I saw myself in the middle of a lake or another enormous body of water without a life jacket on. I was splashing around trying to stay afloat. Suddenly a life preserver flies out from the shore. Jesus is the one that threw it. It lands perfectly on me, and he starts to pull me to shore. I might start to think that all is well and good at this point. I might start to get hope from the flotation device, but I am still in the middle of the lake. There could be some kind of man eating fish swimming around out there. There could be a flesh devouring bug or disease in the water. There could be sunken debris, trees, or even fishing nets/lines in the water that I could get caught up in. So my hope doesn’t come from the life preserver.

I might get hope from the rope. The other end of the rope is on the shore, and it is leading me in to it. But I am still in the middle of the lake, so the rope is possibly hundreds of feet long, if not more. There is a lot of time and space between me and the safety of the shore. That means there is more time for one of those things or creatures in the water to get me or trap me. A storm could blow in on the water, and I could get caught up in the middle of it. I doubt Peter had very far to walk when he was on the water going to meet Jesus, but the Bible says he merely saw the wind and began to sink. A distant storm tripped him up, and he almost became fish food. I can’t imagine being in the water in the middle of a storm. Also, when something is being pulled in the water, it always dips beneath the surface. Think about being pulled by a boat when trying to ski, or what your fishing line does when reeling it in. I could dip beneath the surface and take on a lot of water, possibly even drown. Finally, there is the outside chance the rope could break. So my hope doesn’t come from the rope.

I could get my hope from the distant shore. It is solid ground. It is dry. There could possibly be a towel, dry clothes, food, or even little umbrella drinks. All of that sounds great, but there could be a flip side to that as well. There could be disease or famine. There could be a huge fire, or even a war going on. There could be people there meaning to do me harm, or someone could just shove me back out in the water. I know it is doom and gloom kind of stuff, but still a possibility.

That leaves only one option. I can only get my hope from the one that is pulling me in, Jesus. HE is the one that created the universe. HE walked on water. HE turned water into wine. HE healed the sick and raised the dead. HE made a tree wither by simply speaking to it. HE predicted his own arrest, torture, death, and eventual resurrection. HE was dead for three days and came back to life. Heck, he threw a life preserver from shore, and it landed perfectly on me! I can only get my hope from him, from the glory of him.

The life preserver was my salvation. Salvation is a great thing. It is the one thing that separates us from the water, which was the world. The world is full of things that I may try to get a little hope from, but like the water, it is full of things that are trying to drag me down. It is very easy to get caught up in the things of this world and be lost forever; luckily the life preserver of salvation is there to keep me afloat. But salvation is only the beginning. The rope is my Christian journey. It begins with salvation, but it is long and not always easy. There are still things or creatures in this world trying to trap me and bring me down, but my salvation keeps afloat. The rope can get cut in half. My life could end. Or it can break by own doing. I can do things that separate me from God. I can go drifting back out further in the waters. My salvation is still there, but I am further from the shore. The Bible says my life is like a vapor on the wind, or a drop in the ocean. My Christian life is great, but it’s not the end.

The shore is Heaven. I know there is no death, no disease, or no war in Heaven. I know there is no one there wishing me harm. I know there will be a towel and dry clothes. There will be warmth, food, and maybe even little umbrella drinks waiting for me. I will no longer be in the deadly waters of this world. I will be in paradise. It will be the beauty of Hawaii, the fun of Disney World, and the joy of a family reunion wrapped all into one and multiplied by 10,000. But that is not the prize. Heaven is not the source of my salvation. HE is! Jesus is. If it wasn’t for Him, there would be no life preserver. There would be no rope. Heck, without him, there would be no Hawaii, no Disney World, and no family reunions. There would be no world without His loving creation. He and He alone is the prize, the reward. HE is the source of my hope, joy, and salvation.

I have written in a previous post about something that Ted Dekker wrote in “The Slumber of Christianity”. He says that we as Christians tend to lose focus on what the true prize is at the end of the race. Some churches or believers are satisfied with just getting people saved. That’s like just dropping your child off at the bus stop for a cross country trip. Sometimes we get caught up in doing what “Christians should do”. We have a checklist that we have to get filled out, or we aren’t living right. Some people only care about getting to Heaven. That is it. They’re not necessarily concerned about the trip between the salvation and arriving there. They want their crown, their mansion, and their fancy white robe. The idea of the treasures of Heaven tends to cause us to focus on us. The reason for salvation, our new Christian lives, and heaven is to be with Him. If we don’t get Him, then the rest was for nothing.

Psalms 62:5 says: Find rest, o my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. Jeremiah refers to God as “The Hope of Israel” three different times. There are numerous other verses in the Bible that talk about the Hope that God gives us. Verses 3 thru 5 of Romans 5 say: Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

We could never really appreciate and love Him without the experience of the waters, the ride in on the rope, and the idea of the shore. HE truly is a prize, and a giver of hope, peace, and joy.



Thanks for reading.