Change happens. Sometimes it holds great promise and improves the lives of those experiencing it. Other times, it brings sorrow and distress. Rarely does it affect us in no way. And it almost always holds some aspect of fear, and anxiety even when it is change for the good.
One of the hardest things in my journey from guilt to grace has been the change. I have left old ways, and I am embracing new ones. But I spent the better portion of fifty years in those old ways. They are familiar and sometimes cozy, and well . . . . easier to handle because they are so familiar. I made only a few major decisions and left the rest to the leaders I had chosen to trust. Actually that trust in leaders was one of the decisions. They already had studied the Bible, they were in an authoritative position, and I could trust what they said with no question and apply it to my life and be a good Christian and be submissive and . . . go to Heaven based on what they taught. Right?????
Not really. Our relationship with God is personal. A biblical pastor's prayer during a service is not our own prayer. Our leaders do not speak to God for us, we must do that ourselves. He longs to hear OUR voices praise HIM. He uses Godly leaders to teach us, but He wants to have our hearts and our ears for Himself. We are God's very own. Each of us who believe Him. That just makes me shiver with delight.
So, as I realized that not all of the teaching I received was Biblical and might indeed have been only the personal opinion of a fellow sinner, I started on this rather frightening journey. The familiar landscape of fundamentalism fell away, and the narrow road of God's grace rose ahead of me in what seemed to be a glorious, but formidable and steep climb. I felt weak in my beliefs. I was unsure of what I actually did believe, and I wondered if I could truly break away. As I've said before, I've almost turned back several times. But that glorious road rising ahead and the warm light of God's grace shining on me, a sinner that He loved and wanted, beckoned me forward, and I can't look back.
Some of you are wanting to break away into the freedom of God's grace, but you are afraid of what your church friends will say, what your pastor will think, what your parents will do. You're right, this is scary. It really, truly is. We're human and most of us want to please others. But our main goal as Christians must be to please Him and develop our own relationship with Him. All those people must make their own personal decisions, and they may not like the path you chose, but if God is in this change, He will guide you. I would say "I promise" but I don't have to, because God already said that He promised.
If the Lord leads in some of my next few entries, I'll get into some of the specifics of things that frightened me as I have journeyed these last few years. Some are funny, some are considered controversial, and others are still, frankly, scary. Since I won't be perfect until I reach Heaven, I guess that's how it will be until then.
Look into your own heart, seek out wisdom from God's Word, talk with those who have started the journey before you and ask questions. It's okay to be frightened, but don't let fear keep you under cloud of guilt. When you're ready, come join me and others on this glorious high road to Heaven and grace.
Warming on the narrow way in the light of God's Grace,
Teapotjan
Friday, June 28, 2013
Steeping in the Scriptures
One of my closest friends shared a post earlier with me concerning how many pastors and leaders in churches tend to rehash old sermons and thoughts that they have had scribbled in their notes for years without revisiting the Scriptures sited and current applications.
Many lay persons, including me, do much the same. We live day in, day out applying principles learned months or years before, complacent in our practice. While I can't really authoritatively label this a sin, it is certainly a shame. God states that the Bible is the "Living Word" and that Christ is the Word (Jn. 1:1). I take this to mean that each time we look to Scripture for guidance we can apply it anew to the situation. Problem is many of us, particularly me, forget this and struggle needlessly to apply old solutions to new problems.
I know a few people who reach deep into Scripture. They have a certain peace and wisdom about them that can only come from God. There are others that may not reach as deeply, but they reach often and gain new knowledge for each new situation. They also possess a calmness, and eagerness for God's word. I know some dabblers as well, in fact many, many people I know may fall into this category. Actually, I think most of us dabble in the Scriptures from time to time applying what we want and kind of looking away from those things we don't want to deal with at that point.
Let's think about a tea bag and its uses. If a person buys a tea bag and never opens it, and never uses it for its purpose, they will never get tea from it. It won't help them grown strong, stay awake, and it won't really be anything to them. If that person takes the tea bag, opens it and kind of dabbles and dips it into water, they will get tea perhaps, but it will be very weak, and they may not feel like they've had any tea at all. Next we have a tea drinker that doesn't have time to let that bag steep for long, but they go back for another bag, and another, and another each time they want a cup of tea. It might not be super strong, but it is a steady supply of their favorite drink. Finally, we have the super steeper. They use the hottest of water, and the longest of time to steep that bag of tea.The tea bag gives all of its flavor to the tea, and the drinker savors the experience and plans to make the next cup the same and looks looks forward to yet another cup.
In our country, we have Bibles everywhere. We can stack them up. Download them. Upload favorite passages and toss about common stories that most people can at least reference, if not recite. But if those Bibles are never used, they might as well be doorstops, or computer glitches. If we reference Scripture only in stories, and give a nod to the literary value of a historic book, we have little or no knowledge of its power. Growth begins when we look often to the Living Word for wisdom and strength, even if we cannot spend hours at a time in its pages. We are still tapping the resource God gave us, and we will consistently be led by its words.
Finally, when we have the chance, we should steep ourselves in Scripture. Pastors, preachers, and counselors should always do this before sharing with others. Lay people should do it whenever they have the chance. God's word is rich and deep and living. He gave it to us in such a way that we can apply its principles in one way to our lives now, and in the future apply them again in a new way revealed to us as God sees our need. If more Christian leaders, and more Christians steeped in the Scripture, our churches would be stronger. Our testimonies would remain untarnished. It's hard for me to believe that a Christian steeped in the Scripture could have an affair, abuse another person, or willfully sin without immediate and fierce remorse.
Lord, I pray that you will call all of us to steep ourselves in your Word. Help us to bring our leaders and fellow Christians before your throne in prayer. Thank you for your Living Word. Thank you for grace. Thank you for your Son. Please bring reminders to our hearts and souls that you have provided the strength to go through trials, and answers to our questions through the Best of Books.
Trying to steep and not dabble,
Teapotjan
Many lay persons, including me, do much the same. We live day in, day out applying principles learned months or years before, complacent in our practice. While I can't really authoritatively label this a sin, it is certainly a shame. God states that the Bible is the "Living Word" and that Christ is the Word (Jn. 1:1). I take this to mean that each time we look to Scripture for guidance we can apply it anew to the situation. Problem is many of us, particularly me, forget this and struggle needlessly to apply old solutions to new problems.
I know a few people who reach deep into Scripture. They have a certain peace and wisdom about them that can only come from God. There are others that may not reach as deeply, but they reach often and gain new knowledge for each new situation. They also possess a calmness, and eagerness for God's word. I know some dabblers as well, in fact many, many people I know may fall into this category. Actually, I think most of us dabble in the Scriptures from time to time applying what we want and kind of looking away from those things we don't want to deal with at that point.
Let's think about a tea bag and its uses. If a person buys a tea bag and never opens it, and never uses it for its purpose, they will never get tea from it. It won't help them grown strong, stay awake, and it won't really be anything to them. If that person takes the tea bag, opens it and kind of dabbles and dips it into water, they will get tea perhaps, but it will be very weak, and they may not feel like they've had any tea at all. Next we have a tea drinker that doesn't have time to let that bag steep for long, but they go back for another bag, and another, and another each time they want a cup of tea. It might not be super strong, but it is a steady supply of their favorite drink. Finally, we have the super steeper. They use the hottest of water, and the longest of time to steep that bag of tea.The tea bag gives all of its flavor to the tea, and the drinker savors the experience and plans to make the next cup the same and looks looks forward to yet another cup.
In our country, we have Bibles everywhere. We can stack them up. Download them. Upload favorite passages and toss about common stories that most people can at least reference, if not recite. But if those Bibles are never used, they might as well be doorstops, or computer glitches. If we reference Scripture only in stories, and give a nod to the literary value of a historic book, we have little or no knowledge of its power. Growth begins when we look often to the Living Word for wisdom and strength, even if we cannot spend hours at a time in its pages. We are still tapping the resource God gave us, and we will consistently be led by its words.
Finally, when we have the chance, we should steep ourselves in Scripture. Pastors, preachers, and counselors should always do this before sharing with others. Lay people should do it whenever they have the chance. God's word is rich and deep and living. He gave it to us in such a way that we can apply its principles in one way to our lives now, and in the future apply them again in a new way revealed to us as God sees our need. If more Christian leaders, and more Christians steeped in the Scripture, our churches would be stronger. Our testimonies would remain untarnished. It's hard for me to believe that a Christian steeped in the Scripture could have an affair, abuse another person, or willfully sin without immediate and fierce remorse.
Lord, I pray that you will call all of us to steep ourselves in your Word. Help us to bring our leaders and fellow Christians before your throne in prayer. Thank you for your Living Word. Thank you for grace. Thank you for your Son. Please bring reminders to our hearts and souls that you have provided the strength to go through trials, and answers to our questions through the Best of Books.
Trying to steep and not dabble,
Teapotjan
Friday, June 14, 2013
Teapot's Resignation
For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God. . . .that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. (2 Corinthians 1:12-14, ESV)
I'm starting a new chapter in life. Due to circumstances I will not completely fathom until I reach Heaven, I no longer have a regular job. I spent the last two months or so at that job feeling like a square peg being pounded into a round hole, and I guess my employer saw the same thing. I left in good standing in character, but the consensus was that I did not "fit." Because of this, I was not fired, but rather allowed to resign. It truly could have been much worse.
Those of you who know me, or have read my blog probably already know my initial response. I cried. I also did not really experience all of the five stages of grief, but I did grieve. My pride suffered injury and is still recovering. The loss of income bears heavily upon me since we had a goal of becoming debt free in the next few years. And I became overwhelmed at the prospect of having to look for another job and source of income.
On the up side, some of my friends immediately contacted me, and wanted to catch up on some of the changes we had gone through in the last few years or so. I've had some great conversations, and brought away from all of this a renewed appreciation for Godly friends. I'll have another post soon about the value of that shortly.
But today, I want to consider the verses I placed at the start of this entry. I mentioned that I left my job with a good standing in character. Even those who felt I did not fit felt that I was a loving and caring person. I don't say that to boast of myself, but of the gift God gave me and of His continuing work of sanctification in my life. I had opportunity to share the Gospel with some of my coworkers, and I prayed each day for help to glorify God in my actions and speech. I did make mistakes even though I prayed I would not, so it seems that God used this adverse circumstance to move me from this job into another new phase of life.
And so I write this entry not guided by earthly wisdom, but by the grace of God. I "boast" of my actions not because I am proud, but because when I stand before Him, I want others able to say of me that I served God simply and sincerely. And I want to be able to say the same of many of you. Use the grace God gives you. Do not deny the talents or gifts that God provided you. Embrace them and use them to glorify the Lord and share the Gospel. It isn't "boasting" in the selfish sense if you realize that all of your skills and talents are from Him, and you are merely the vessel He uses.
All in all, I'm doing much better. I guess I've hit the "acceptance" stage of the grieving process. I'm sure I'll regress from time to time because there are still scars from this and other hurts, but God willing I'll continue striving to live simply and sincerely for Him.
Unemployed by man, supported and loved by God,
Teapotjan
Monday, June 10, 2013
The Prodigal Teapot: Loving the Unlovable-Part 3
The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 provides the frame for many lessons and sermons. The prodigal son takes his share of his father's money, leaves home, and spends all of his wealth committing every sin that occurred to him. He, in essence, became unlovable. He was a shame to his father. He had sinned against God, and squandered all that was given to him. And then, when he had reached the very bottom of existence, he returned home.There he encountered two reactions from loved ones. One was Christlike, and one was. . . well. . . typical of many of the Christians encased in their own Bubble.
I'm sure that the father had often thought that his son was gone forever. The father grieved that all contact was gone and that his chance to influence him for God had ended. Perhaps, he prayed everyday that this lost son would return. Maybe after he finished praying, he would step out of his home and look down the path looking for the familiar gait of his lost son's walk. And then one day, he rose from his prayer, walked out to look once more, and saw him: his unlovable, bedraggled, smelly son returning to beg from his father. Just as Christ welcomes us dressed in our filthy rags of self-righteousness, this father held open his arms, embraced his unlovable son, and loved him anyway. The son came looking only for a servant's position, but the gracious father accepted him back into the family, and prepared a grand feast in celebration. His whole focus centered around God's goodness in returning his son to him. He was not worried about his own lost riches, only that his son was safe.
And then there is the other son, faithfully doing as his father asked. A good boy in every sense of the word. He obeyed, he stayed, and he conformed to his father's wishes. This is honorable. I think he really was a good son. But, he did not grasp the concept of grace, and loving the unlovable as his father did. His reaction at learning that the great feast was in celebration of his wayward brother's return speaks volumes about how he felt about forgiveness. He exhibited a bitter, jealous spirit, and contempt for his father's joy. His focus centered on himself. "I have done what my father asked. I have stayed right here and didn't waste money, and I don't stink like pigs. But he has never killed a fatted calf for me. Where's my feast?" He had no thought for the welfare of his unlovable brother's return. He saw the unloveable, and continued to reject him.
So at the end of the parable, the father still had a prodigal son. But, it wasn't the one who had slept with pigs, but the bitter one who couldn't forgive and rejoice in the return of his brother.
It's easy to love those who are nice and cooperative and that think and act like us. It's Christlike to love those whose lives are ruined and who now need grace and forgiveness.
Once a prodigal,
Teapotjan
I'm sure that the father had often thought that his son was gone forever. The father grieved that all contact was gone and that his chance to influence him for God had ended. Perhaps, he prayed everyday that this lost son would return. Maybe after he finished praying, he would step out of his home and look down the path looking for the familiar gait of his lost son's walk. And then one day, he rose from his prayer, walked out to look once more, and saw him: his unlovable, bedraggled, smelly son returning to beg from his father. Just as Christ welcomes us dressed in our filthy rags of self-righteousness, this father held open his arms, embraced his unlovable son, and loved him anyway. The son came looking only for a servant's position, but the gracious father accepted him back into the family, and prepared a grand feast in celebration. His whole focus centered around God's goodness in returning his son to him. He was not worried about his own lost riches, only that his son was safe.
And then there is the other son, faithfully doing as his father asked. A good boy in every sense of the word. He obeyed, he stayed, and he conformed to his father's wishes. This is honorable. I think he really was a good son. But, he did not grasp the concept of grace, and loving the unlovable as his father did. His reaction at learning that the great feast was in celebration of his wayward brother's return speaks volumes about how he felt about forgiveness. He exhibited a bitter, jealous spirit, and contempt for his father's joy. His focus centered on himself. "I have done what my father asked. I have stayed right here and didn't waste money, and I don't stink like pigs. But he has never killed a fatted calf for me. Where's my feast?" He had no thought for the welfare of his unlovable brother's return. He saw the unloveable, and continued to reject him.
So at the end of the parable, the father still had a prodigal son. But, it wasn't the one who had slept with pigs, but the bitter one who couldn't forgive and rejoice in the return of his brother.
It's easy to love those who are nice and cooperative and that think and act like us. It's Christlike to love those whose lives are ruined and who now need grace and forgiveness.
Once a prodigal,
Teapotjan
Saturday, June 1, 2013
The Prodigal Teapot: Loving the Unlovable - Part 2
Last time, I asked for stories of anyone who reconciled with God and their parents due to a hard-nosed, not-in-my-house attitude. I didn't receive any, but I'm still willing to share them if I do.I'm also aware that there are loving, Godly parents whose children chose to break away from them and the Lord to never return. Those kind of instances will also play into what I have to say.
I have three children, two daughters and one son. This means that I often hurt my feet by stepping on a mix of Barbie shoes, small cars, AND Lego's I also learned that girls and boys are innately different, and that all kids have their own personalities, quirks, and issues. One child is far more compliant than another, and the third seems to be a puzzling mix of compliance and rebellion depending on the day. They are each my favorite, and I beg them not to tell the others that I have chosen them as my "number one." Two of them love and serve the Lord and go to a church that preaches the Gospel, and another stands on the brink of being an atheist. But I love them all equally and unconditionally (most of the time-I'm not perfect either).
That child on the brink, that rebellious, almost atheist child--where did I go wrong? Did I teach that child differently than the others? Did my husband and I treat that child with undo harshness? Did we fail somewhere? The answer to all three is a resounding "yes!" But these are trick questions because we failed at some point with all three of them. We're human, and our parents failed at some point with us and their parents with them all the way back to Adam and Eve. The point is as Christian parents we taught them God's word, put them in God's hands, and now we must leave their relationship with God between them . . . and God. I can't force salvation upon them as much as I want to. I have to leave it up to the work of the Holy Spirit and God's divine will.
There have been and still are many tears and sleepless nights centered around that child. Once I was accused by a rather self-righteous school administrator that I was dragging my child down the wrong path. My heart broke because I knew that I was fighting to drag that child down the right path. I also knew that I loved my child and that this administrator did not. He saw this child as a problem and a bother. It showed in his speech and in his actions when dealing with any problem child. He literally cooed over well-behaved, cookie-cutter kids, tolerated the quirky, artsy ones, and disliked and avoided the unruly ones with all the questions until it was time for disciplinary action. I also know that as his children and nieces and nephews grew older, some rebelled and others complied, and others led double lives. And each of them has their own decision to make concerning God, just as my children do.
All of that to say, as Christian parents we have a responsibility to teach our children about God, to train them to love others, and to be helpful and kind to everyone. We teach them to do their best, and to work hard. They may or may not learn all of these things, but we should still love them. After all, God loves all of us. Christ did not die on the cross just for the cookie cutter Christian kids, the well-behaved, and the ones who never rebel. He died for my child on the brink of atheism, my compliant child, and the one who waffles between compliance and rebellion. He died for my children's imperfect parents, and that self-righteous administrator, and his children--even the ones leading double lives.
Christ loves the unlovable, the prodigal, the obedient, the whiny, the atheist, the homeless. His arms are open to all of them until they make their final decision to love or reject Him. He is the perfect parent, and he has never turned away one repentant child.
In the next entry, I want to cover the parable of the prodigal son in Luke, and share a few ideas a friend brought up about the son who stayed home.
In His Love,
Teapotjan
I have three children, two daughters and one son. This means that I often hurt my feet by stepping on a mix of Barbie shoes, small cars, AND Lego's I also learned that girls and boys are innately different, and that all kids have their own personalities, quirks, and issues. One child is far more compliant than another, and the third seems to be a puzzling mix of compliance and rebellion depending on the day. They are each my favorite, and I beg them not to tell the others that I have chosen them as my "number one." Two of them love and serve the Lord and go to a church that preaches the Gospel, and another stands on the brink of being an atheist. But I love them all equally and unconditionally (most of the time-I'm not perfect either).
That child on the brink, that rebellious, almost atheist child--where did I go wrong? Did I teach that child differently than the others? Did my husband and I treat that child with undo harshness? Did we fail somewhere? The answer to all three is a resounding "yes!" But these are trick questions because we failed at some point with all three of them. We're human, and our parents failed at some point with us and their parents with them all the way back to Adam and Eve. The point is as Christian parents we taught them God's word, put them in God's hands, and now we must leave their relationship with God between them . . . and God. I can't force salvation upon them as much as I want to. I have to leave it up to the work of the Holy Spirit and God's divine will.
There have been and still are many tears and sleepless nights centered around that child. Once I was accused by a rather self-righteous school administrator that I was dragging my child down the wrong path. My heart broke because I knew that I was fighting to drag that child down the right path. I also knew that I loved my child and that this administrator did not. He saw this child as a problem and a bother. It showed in his speech and in his actions when dealing with any problem child. He literally cooed over well-behaved, cookie-cutter kids, tolerated the quirky, artsy ones, and disliked and avoided the unruly ones with all the questions until it was time for disciplinary action. I also know that as his children and nieces and nephews grew older, some rebelled and others complied, and others led double lives. And each of them has their own decision to make concerning God, just as my children do.
All of that to say, as Christian parents we have a responsibility to teach our children about God, to train them to love others, and to be helpful and kind to everyone. We teach them to do their best, and to work hard. They may or may not learn all of these things, but we should still love them. After all, God loves all of us. Christ did not die on the cross just for the cookie cutter Christian kids, the well-behaved, and the ones who never rebel. He died for my child on the brink of atheism, my compliant child, and the one who waffles between compliance and rebellion. He died for my children's imperfect parents, and that self-righteous administrator, and his children--even the ones leading double lives.
Christ loves the unlovable, the prodigal, the obedient, the whiny, the atheist, the homeless. His arms are open to all of them until they make their final decision to love or reject Him. He is the perfect parent, and he has never turned away one repentant child.
In the next entry, I want to cover the parable of the prodigal son in Luke, and share a few ideas a friend brought up about the son who stayed home.
In His Love,
Teapotjan
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