forgiveness

I had asked a brief question about whether we really have to ask God for forgiveness anymore. Obviously, as i have gone through the teaching series that we are currently in, I do not believe that those who have been forgiven have to continuously go back for "more" forgiveness. Either his blood atoned for it...or it didn't.

So...maybe the question is more one of why we believe that we do. I believe that it is for many reasons:

* we like to control things...including our spiritualgrowthrelationshipwithgodthing.
* we feel like we have to "do" something.
* we have been infested with Catholic teaching that is so unbiblical it's not even remotely funny...esp. considering how many people fall for it.

Oh...I'm sure there are so many more reasons...but I need to head for home so may finish this later...or not...we'll see

simple question on forgiveness

If you are "in Christ," if you are a follower of Jesus - do you still have to ask god for forgiveness?

true gospel

So...been a long while. As we go through a series of teachings, I am amazed at how much the original gospel of Yashua (Jesus) has been altered, changed, tweaked by the church and various teachers over the years. I have to hope that its simply because of ignorance, but I have sneaky suspicions (based off history and knowing human nature) that a large part of the reason is because of control issues from various elements throughout history.

For instance...here is the truth. The Old Covenant is toast. Don't have to follow it. Toss it into the creek, followed closely by those precious 10 commandments. Realize that once you cross the line and begin to follow Jesus - you are a new creation. That means that you are not a sinner anymore. "Yeah - but what about those things I do that are sin...?" not you. not your fault (Romans 7). So...celebrate. Everything is forgiven, has been forgiven, and you don't need to ask God for forgiveness ever again.

Don't believe it? read the bible and discover for yourself what it says.

Thanksgiving thoughts

Just a few things I am thankful for. (in no particular order)

* Healthy and loving (most of the time) immediate family - wife - three kids.
* Healthy and loving ( most of the time) extended family that generally gets along really well
* Very good friends - you all know who you are.
* A God who does not condemn me when I am bad (often) and who loves me unconditionally.
* All the people who make up The Point...and those who someday will.
* The blessings we all have - at least those who are blessed to live in this country. no complaining today...we are blessed.
* The fact that I have never participated in the Black Friday mania.

Hope everyone has a great one.

Coming off the Mountain

So I have spent the last two weeks in the mountains of Oregon chasing the elusive Wapiti. Found one named Ed who liked a good cigar so he joined us and contributed to the camp.

Now, while being in the mountains is always a good time for me as it allows me get away from everything, it is ultimately only a reprieve, an escape if you will. Life in the valley doesn't go away. It remains...whether you want it to or not.

So life in the valley - once again - is the life I must face. A church struggling to find its footing in a difficult town. A economy that is requiring me to find a job to help pay the bills...but even though I have a Masters degree, most employers would say that I am not a good fit because they can't see past their preconceived notions.

Hmm...maybe I need to find a job in the mountains!

Been a while - so basic random and non-random thoughts

For a lot of reasons I have not blogged for a while. So...to get some things off my chest:

* Gotta love the DUCKS!
* OK - got that out of the way. Now on to other things...

* Now...while I love the Ducks...can't say that I always feel that way about God's creation - human beings. Especially those who claim to follow the way of Jesus. Many times in Jesus' life he had opportunities to judge people...yet he never did. Instead he said "I have not come to judge...but to save." AND YET people who claim to follow the way of Jesus have mastered the art of judging others.

* Jesus always thought the best of people and forgave people unconditionally... people who claim to follow the way of Jesus? Uhm...not so much.

* Jesus took the high road against people who attacked him and defamed his character. Followers of Jesus? Not so much...though to be fully honest, I am really trying to hold on and stay on the high road when every part of my natural being wants to rip away.

* What is it about "christians" that allows them to point out others "perceived" sins and yet COMPLETELY ignore their own sins and issues. In fact, Jesus says something along the lines of don't call out the speck in someone else's eye, while completely ignoring the FOREST (log) in your own eye. This would be a really good thing for "christians" to think about.

So - no wonder most of the unchurched world tends to want to avoid churches and Christians like the plague. They find unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace outside of the church while seeing the exact opposite inside the church. It's also no wonder why so many pastors leave the ministry.

So...why do I write this? Because its my blog and its about venting for me so that I don't vent on people. Because I want to try to be like Jesus...not just act like him.

Fried Pastors

So…taught two weeks ago on fighting and conflict within churches. Chatted with some people I met that day, one of them a former pastor, and it got me thinking. If being a pastor is about taking care of people and guiding people…and it is supposed to be such a noble thing, then why do so many pastors ultimately burn out and drop out of ministry? Why do so many suffer from pain, and from loneliness, and from heartache, and from feelings of failure. If the church is ALL THAT…then it ought to be a joy to work as a pastor within the church. While it is for some, for many (if not most), it is anything but a joy.

So...in my opinion, something is inherently wrong with what the church has become (at least in America) when its leaders become joyless and loveless and lifeless because of having to deal with all the stuff that goes on - the fighting and the conflicts and the selfish agendas and all that other crap.

As one who has done it for 20 years - it annoys the heck out of me that it has become this way. Why is it this way? I can think of a number of reasons:

• having to deal with crap from people who are supposed to be like Jesus (cause they call themselves "Christians") but who are really nothing like Jesus.
• Having church "leaders" tell them what to do, how to do it, what to think, what to teach...when these so-called leaders basically have a Sunday School education in the Scriptures and in dealing with people.
• Having people who only have the aforementioned Sunday School education in the Scriptures, tell them how wrong they are in their interpretation of the Bible. "So...I know you can read the Greek and the Hebrew languages and that you have devoted your life to studying the backgrounds and the world of the Scriptures; and I know that you have enough schooling in theology to choke a horse...but the book I read by Tim Lahaye says differently so YOU NEED TO CHANGE!" (whatever)
• not being able to have friendships within their faith community because they are afraid of the possibility of offending someone.

So...perhaps here is the million dollar question: What has to change in order to make being a pastor something that can be a joy rather than a curse?