Don't let the love grow cold...

Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.  At that time many will  fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.  Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.  Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole  world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
                                                                                                                -Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:9-14)

Man, I can't tell you how powerful the words of Christ is in my life... He always knows how to reveal new amazing ways of how much I don't deserve His forgiveness, yet He gives it freely... so much grace and mercy...  

So I have been going through a slight season of apathy... you know what I mean... when you just don't have any reason to do what is healthy for you... or others... You are more concerned about yourself and what your desires are... those things that are not the best...  when you've let your love grow cold...  

This doesn't mean that you don't have love, but when depression or some realities in life just hit you like a ton of bricks... sometimes you are overwhelmed... then the love just passes through your heart and it is replaced with apathy or worse... hate, anger, despair, hopelessness... 

Now I am not experiencing all of those things... but when the love of Christ is not overflowing out of you... it just leaves room for those things in your heart... Don't let hatred and betrayal fill your heart... let the only lasting unconditional love fill every action you have... I was listening on the radio today and the speaker was saying that we ought to "sweat the small stuff"   In the Kingdom of God there is no small stuff... everything matters... yeah we are probably more concerned about the "big" things in life that most likely occupy our minds and actions, but sometimes it's the really tiny things in life that really steal our love... 

So when we are living life... the day to day, moment by moment sort of life... pray and seek out ways to love in the small and big and everything in between... then when the inevitable small and big things hit us like freight train we will be ready... soak up the love of Christ... ignite it everyday... every moment... 

Let Jesus empower you as you are sent to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom to all nations... In His love is the freedom of the world... and His forgiveness breathes life into their hearts... and clears the way for a new ancient eternal fire to burn through the hate and bring real love...

Love today... let it burn in your heart... 


Blessings,


Sam
 

Heavy Lifting

Recently after a longer than expected hiatus from working out I've begun the long and sometimes arduous regimen of cardio and weight lifting.  I know many of us so called "I'm in great shape" people out there usually put this off until small hamsters start to look more beefy than us, but in this case I really thought I was in better shape than I really was.  From my perspective I was in "ok" shape and could probably hold my own in a scrappy street fight, yet after working out today with a good friend I realized that I could probably hold my own with a few of those afore mentioned hamsters.

Ok, enough with the silliness (can there really be too much).

I've been thinking that maybe the church (myself included) could possibly be thinking we are stronger than we really are.  Maybe in the past we used to lift the huge bar bells and were capable of taking on the world with nordic like faith and spiritual connection with God.  Yet I have to pause and really question whether I am a weight lifter in my faith and in my relationship with God and with others...  let me restate that... am I capable of really loving God and others and operate with a genuine faith?

Sometimes I don't want to do the heavy lifting in my own life when it comes to faith and really making it a reality in the day to day.  Lifting weights really isn't the most glamorous activity, especially when you are rebuilding or just starting out.  Who is impressed when someone is lifting the 5 lb. weights, practically no one.  Yet when you see the nordic people just smashing away the really impressive weights sometimes it really causes you to pause and say "man, what was he/she drinking and how can I get some."

I want my faith practice and life to be that way... don't you... to be a nordic follower of Christ who has such faith, trust in God, and willingness to take up the heavy issues in life... to work through the failures, to overcome the desire to just throw in the towel and head for the vending machine, hit E3 and pick up your fresh candy bar... I can't tell you how many times I've done that in my faith journey...

That's what I believe faith is... a journey... we've been learning about Abraham's journey of faith in church recently and man this guy really had a journey... BUT guess what, your journey can be just as great or even better... not out of comparison, but I have a funny feeling that God wants to use and bless the socks off His creation and make their journey amazing...   Abraham took his time in his faith journey, he wandered for years, he started with the 5 lb. weights adn worked hard, methodically, and sometimes even fell of the wagon, and ate a king sized snickers...

For me I am currently in the middle of journey, but not the fun picture taking kind of journey... I am in the middle of one of those grueling marathon races where you are on mile 16 and you just can't believe you have 10 miles left... you can't even fathom the finish line but all you have is just the few feet of pavement in front of you... it's painful and hard, but it is real...

Real faith, real love, real journey, real pain, real failures, real blessings... God is real and empowers us to do so much, just in His timing and in His ways...

Wherever you are in your faith journey, be lifting 300 lbs. or lifting the remote, start the journey... you have to start somewhere, why not now, why not today, why not this second...

Love like Christ, live with Him, share in the journey...

Blessings,

Sam

Life without Shame...

Shame... a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior...

Wow... that's a mouthful... but let's face it... at times all of us have been in that boat where we feel like we are the worst sinners in the world or we feel as though we need to hide in a corner... maybe it's a hidden feeling of shame... like a subconscious hole we crawl into... or maybe it is a self induced shame because of situations beyond our control... In whatever form... shame should not be a continual state in our life...

Feeling guilt for actions and words we do is not a bad thing... guilt is the stuff that puts that twinge in our hearts that reminds us that what we have done is against the order that God created to govern us... God loves us so much that He gives us access to a life free from Shame... free from the eternal consequences of sin... freedom to be a healthy worshiper before His throne...

I've lived in shame before... I've lived in constant shame because of past sins, choices, or the actions of others toward me... it's a prison for your heart and soul... it's not how God created me to live or to be... I am not my shame... you are not shameful... The Bible says that there is no condemnation for those who accept the forgiveness and free gift of life of Christ (loosely put)... for those who love God...

Yet I lived in self inflicted condemnation... why? because it was what I perceived as normal... what is your perception of normal? of shame? Shame can drive people to accomplish great things... feats of courage... huge acts of philanthropy... Yet behind all of these things lies a real person... not living in freedom, but in bondage...

Sin and the evil one... the Satan... loves it when we live in shame... yet quite frankly I don't think he notices us... humanity does a great job inflicting shame and tempting ourselves on our own... yet when we notice that we are free from shame... when we step out in faith recognizing that we have new life in Christ there is something that changes... maybe for an instant, but it is there...

We... are... free...

Free to worship without boundaries... to share faith... to love... to walk without fear... to have joy in Christ... to break down walls between family members... between friends... to walk in freedom from addictions and unhealthy patterns in life... to be free from anger and envy... to breath in new life everyday...

Shame is broken by the forgiveness of Christ... Shame is broken because Christ lives in us...

Life... without Shame...

... it's possible... right now... this second...

I hope and pray that shame is broken in your lives... (in my life)...

Blessings,

Sam

Noticing God...

Have you ever noticed that if you are really wanting something... like a particular car or are thinking of a color, or maybe you really want to be in a relationship and all you see are those cars, that color, and those people in relationships...

That happens to me all the time... I get the "grass is greener" syndrome and then I have to get a reality check and notice that there is so much love and blessings in my own life...

Recently I have been contemplating several different things and seeking after God and sadly my own intuition to try to find out what I should do... When I would give in to my own reasoning, to my own intuition my thought life, the patterns through which my brain processes information would start to notice what I wanted and/or what I didn't have... Yet when I would zero in on God... seeking Him, sometimes desperately (because I want the answers now, not later) and not only read the Bible, pray more, but actually be more obedient in the small things (you know those little things that prick your heart at the moment and you know you should do better or be acting differently... even if you say the right things)... then the beautiful reality of God's direction comes... in His timing and according to His plans... (not my plans... and I have lots of those...)

God answers us when we seek Him... sometimes not in the ways we would hope, sometimes in a whisper or what one could call coincidences... Even Gideon had to lay out the fleece a couple of times... It says in James 1:5-8:

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

So I pray, asking for generous wisdom, seeking after God. I even pray against my own doubt (doesn't everybody do this?) Sometimes I get a few coincidences that relate to what I'm praying about, some glimpses of God's direction unknowingly given by complete strangers... maybe it's because I am looking for them... but maybe I am actually seeking out the voice of God... His direction is more clear because I am not ignoring Him... or at the very least still living life according to how I perceive it, according to my own understanding, my flawed wisdom... a double-minded wisdom...

A great friend once told me that there are no "coincidences" with God... I think that's true... a sovereign God doesn't govern the universe all "wishy washy" His commands and desires are firm and crafted in unimaginable power...

So when I notice the power that is already working in my life and others... the beautiful masterpiece of creation living and breathing according to His plans my own life seems fresh, because I am active part of this creative story... this "epic novel"

Stop... breathe... take in the refreshing light and wisdom of the Holy Spirit washing over you... notice God working in your life... take great joy in Him...

Seek God with me... life isn't boring when you seek after God... when God resides in you and you live in Him... when you notice Him...

Until next time... love you all...

Sam

Be more...

Piano... check... Mac... check... headphones... check... soul ready to write... check... er... sometimes

Not many people know that I write songs occasionally and there is usually a tune rattling around in my head... It's just the way I was made... with a song in my heart and an extreme passion to just lay it all out and share with others...

Recently I have been making a little bit of headway and have been writing a bit more frequently... and I love it... often I ask myself if this was what I was supposed to do... then I go back to work on Monday and start the race again... wandering through life just trying to survive...

Does anyone else have dreams or desires like this? Why don't we pursue them fully?

One of the lines in my most recent song goes like this:

Be aware there are people

Living to survive

Hoping for their dreams to revive

Make room in your heart

I want to be a person that goes beyond survival... don't you?

I firmly believe there is a yearning deep inside everyone that wants to be more than they are... I have that feeling all the time... like life is wasting away and that I'm too old to do or start anything significant... but I know there must be something more...

The more I find is often found in God... more specifically God is the root of the "more"

Maybe "being more" is the same thing as "being more like Jesus" I'm not talking about being a deity... but rather believing fully in the promises that Christ came to bring redemption for everyone and everything... that includes your dreams... it includes you...

So today I'm gonna write a new song... not only because it makes me happy... but because it connects me to the "more of Christ" in my life...

Be more...

Blessings,

Sam

Tabloid or Epic Novel...

Every good book has a great title... the same could be said about one's life... If the title of your life is "Get money" or "Get sex" or "Be successful" and all that you did in your life was to pursue those primary superobjectives then what was a masterpiece crafted by God is turned into a tabloid magazine...

When we start recognizing that everyone is born with a great God given title and the chance to tell a great story then we will start living what one could call a "page-turning" life... There were times in my life where I can look back and believe that I was living life to the fullest... There were other times where my life looked more like a tabloid and less like a masterwork...

I've learned in my theatre studies that good stories and plots have conflict, something that propels the protagonist toward righting a wrong, to establish an equilibrium... to bring everything back into order.

Conflict resides in many aspects in life... big and small. Yet the beautiful truth for those who are Christ followers is that Christ already re-established the equilibrium... He has already righted all the wrongs... Christ stands as the mediator between God and man ready to forgive our sins if we would only believe, ask, and make the choice to live an obedient lifestyle...

So the real problems that we have in life are just echoes of the battle that was already won through Christ... That doesn't mean that they are diminished or that their effects are lessened, but that the eternal outcome of the life of those who follow Christ is rooted in the unchanging grace, mercy and forgiveness of Him...

Paul in Galations 5 called the root of our conflict "the flesh" or the carnal sinful nature of humanity both in yourself and in others... This flesh has all kinds of descriptions: "immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these" All of these are the roots of most conflict evident in the world today... It is when we allow ourselves to be overcome by the desires or will of our own flesh that our story stops being what God created it to be and turns into something twisted and dark... and that dark story not only effects us, but also others around you... That is why there are Hitler's and Stalin's in the world, why there are hate crimes and mass murders... why people have addictions and why the world is not in a state of utopia... the conflict inherent in sin... the flesh destroys our story...

The awesome thing is that God has the power to rewrite and rework our stories... we cannot change what we have done in the past and the responsibilities and consequences we have in our present and future... but what we can do is seek out and listen and learn from the Author of the universe... Allow God to write your story, follow after His leading... I know that when I have done that in my own life it has always been the best choice for me... sometimes it wasn't the most pleasant, but it has always been the best...

So start today, this minute, this second... begin the first few pen strokes of the rest of your life story... seek after God and make Him your guide and inspiration...

I hope this resonates with you like it has with me...

Blessings,

Sam

Holding On...

When it comes to the important things in life what do you hold on to? I mean really, when you peel away everything, all the cliché’s and the nice sayings and get down to the nitty gritty what is it that you make a priority in your life? Maybe it’s your career, or your favorite hobby or sports team, maybe it’s even more than that… Maybe your favorite pet, or even your family? Is God the one you are holding on to? Is He your #1 priority?

I know that I struggle with this all the time. I say in my head and out loud that God is my #1 priority, but in reality He is often put on the top shelf of my life, sort of like a distant memory or toy I like to get out every once in a while. So when do the “words” become “faith actions?” Our relationship with God is sometimes very easy to neglect. Maybe it is easier to live life a little less like Christ and a little more like a selfish child. I mean really, who doesn’t like to have their cake and eat it too? The reality is that sometimes sin is pleasurable at the moment, why do you think it is so alluring to so many people that they sometimes are trapped in sin for decades… for whole lifetimes…

In James 3 God brings up the perspective of a person with selfish ambition. Let’s look at these words for a moment or two… “Selfish”… that is easy… or is it… it means to be “concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure” combine that with “Ambition” which means “a strong desire to do or achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work” So there are people out there who are working very hard at attaining personal profit, pleasures, dreams, desires, happiness, lust, sin… They are holding on with an iron fist to their selfish dreams… to their selfish desires… even now as I write this blog I am thinking, “am I writing because I want to help others and to explore life or am I writing for recognition for people to say to me ‘great blog Sam’” This reality scares me a little…

So yes, sometimes I’m scared that I am making the wrong moves in my life… maybe I am holding onto the things that enable my own sins and struggles. Yet I cannot let this fear rule my life… paralyzing me from going forward or even making healthy choices (even the small ones). The Bible says that we should fear the one who can destroy us eternally… we should have a righteous fear of God. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. So take the risk to let go of sins… even if you can only muster deciding not to sin once… make it the first step of many. Let the righteous fear of God give you wisdom and help during your times of need.

Holding onto the temporal things… without a clear and defined dependency and iron like grip on God will never really satisfy you. It might bring about temporary happiness and goodness… but the real joy found in Christ is only found in Him and through Him. This joy, the love and forgiveness, the peace, patience, self control, God’s kindness is the real “needs” that God promises to provide. Hold on to Christ, let go of everything else… the important God given life giving things that God promised like I mentioned above will be the result… maybe it won’t be apparent at the beginning… but have faith and trust in God…

Blessings, Hold onto God... He will never let you down in what you "really" need...

Sam