Today's Psalm Passage

Besides a constant read through Proverbs, we could also be drinking regularly from the incredible engagement with God that is the Psalms. There we will find, not "theology" in the Western sense, but a real-life interaction between saint and savior.

Todays for me was, of all things, psalm 119. it's way too big for me to just read through one time one day, so I'm going to take it in it's own acrostic division. (acrostic means that each section's first lines start with a letter of the alphabet, in order)
Today's acrostic section was the first one, Aleph. (bet is the next one aleph-bet/alphabet)

In it I had v. 6 jump out.

"6 Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all your commands."

there's a presupposition here--a pre-existing condition: SHAME, when the saint considers the commands of God.
Does shame grab you when you read the Word? Do you steer clear of the Law or the old testament because you"don't understand them"? does "don't understand them" really mean that you don't like the feelings you have when you read them because they make you feel fear and shame?
and that confuses you?
that has confused me, too.

In this Psalm, we get permission to let the shame abide with you for a bit. The saint here is ashamed, and he's powering into the Word anyway. That shame is an honest shame, not a condemnation, but a humility before God.

He feels shame when he reads the commandment of God. In Romans it says that the Law is our tutor to bring us deep into Christ. Elswhere, it says that the word the Law, or the sayings of the wise, ar elike "goads".

"goads" are things that poke the oxen when they're attached to a cart, to keep them from kicking, or backing up on you, or getting out of line. Shamgar, one of the judges, used an ox goad (like a sharp stick--not attached to the cart) to kill a bunch of dudes...

If you feel "goaded" (we all do from time to time), don't pull away. push through. there's good news on the other side of that shame.

Those goads will keep you on the Path (who is Jesus), in the Way (who is Jesus).

So consider the Ancient Path, spoken of in today's Jeremiah passage on the Jeremiah study site (ch. 18).
Check out Jeremiah 6:16
Prov. 12:28
and that song, as well.

One thing I want

One thing I want, as Lew--the so-called "Leader" among the saints of Just some Jesus People here in Northside (i'm just your brother: a servant)--is to have a lot of jesus' people in the scripture, regularly, together.

One simple way I want to equip that is to commend everyone to the Proverbs, daily. These are the sayings and riddles of the wise, inspired by the Holy Spirit. There are 31 Chapters, so you only need to follow the enumeration of the calendar to all be together.

Today is the 28th, and among today's proverbs I found v.25.

"He who is of a proud heart
stirs up strife,
But he who trusts in the LORD
will be prospered.



I thought, "Hey, if you have strife and interpersonal tension surrounding you all the time, as many of us experience in our lives, maybe this proverb contains a secret for you." Did you ever wonder why, during some seasons of our earthly sojourn, we are met with strife at every turn? Sometimes it's the fruit of our own heart and lips. We are proud, sometimes, and during those seasons we reap that fruit in strife.

Do I have a proud heart that is stirring up strife around me? Very interesting. I know that this question has been helpful to me today. I pray it will build you as well.


And I'm challenged at the balance of the proverb--that trusting in the LORD will bring a prosperity. I can see so many places in my heart where I haven't trusted the Lord. I need to. So do you. It will smooth the way, as people push us and poke us, stab at us...
...as circumstances that terrify our inner child rise up, and we trust the LORD, we'll have peace and our gentleness will be evident to all.

Gentleness replaces defensiveness. It takes trust in the LORD. The solution to the strife that surrounds us isn't in resolving the relationship with that person, sometimes. (usually) The solution is in deepening our surrender to Trust Jesus.

...and that's good news.

The View Cohost on Evolution and "Is the world flat?"

click the title to see something kind of sad. People all over the world are mocking the lady who didn't care about the shape of the world, and has no love for the high-minded science community's push for dominance...

There's something funny, something sad, something beautiful to this lady's moment in this spotlight. Turn it, like a diamond, and catch the sparkles. Then pray for a lady whose life in the spotlight could well kill her.

Pray for Brittney, Nicole, and Paris, too, eh? Shoot. Three generations o f hollywood have proven the repeated experiment: American Fame Kills. Destroys and poisons.

But there is an answer! Turn to Jesus and He will show you the real Life that can live inside to outside. Holiness born of knowing the incomprehensible love of Father God for you.

Set the struggles about evolution, the crusades, "the god delusion", "the davinci code" and all that aside. You know that's just people trippin.
Look at Jesus.
Read the gospels and look at Jesus.
listen to jesus.
He is altogether wonderful.

Here's some Good Reading

Brother Sam's dishing up the good stuff at "heartsburning". download the pdf of that thing. I'm reading it as I type... kinda...

Something you gotta see to believe

You know, living in the city, deep in the "hood" (haha) has given rise to a number of strange sightings.

This one, like the Yeti and the Sasquatch, has only blurry footage to verify my testimony. Please believe me. The sighting is as follows:

a grown man
on a very small child's bike
pink
with white wheels.
very small bike
huge hoodie
and on his head:
a football helmet
with a full face cage mask

I am not making this stuff up.

Maybe its because of the rain. These are the first rainy days in MONTHS.

Blue Tooth, Wifi Phone

Hey, I got a new phone and it's got blue tooth. I do my calendar on it and everything. I already destroyed one in july...
replaced it for free. sweeeeet.

and it connects through wifi, so I use like very few minutes... this wifi thing rules. I just make my calls from the zone at home, or at a cafe... cool stuff...

cincinnatibell.com

20 pounds, six-packs, and McKees

You know what? I've lost 20 pounds since last February. I gained a lot of those pounds from being in "poor health" after a "botched" "elective procedure". I've had a ton of healing this year, through prayer, time, and grace upon grace.

I skateboard just about every day. I almost have a six-pack (of which i've never had one that I know of). Weird.

The rains are setting in, providing me a rest, and making me consider a membership at the McKee Center for the winter months. Maybe I'll do that...

Forbearance (click me)

Last night, during weekly prayer, a word emerged to our little community:

clean out all our unforgiveness and join into Jesus' forgiveness for each other and everyone in our lives...
it was a call of good news to live in the lightness and joy of forgiveness.

We saw that the standard of the Word, who is Jesus, is to forgive and love as Christ has loved and forgiven us. Not just to love as we love ourselves. So we're forgetting about ourselves, and looking intently at Jesus, to learn anew how to live this...

action points emerged:
1. Confession of bitterness/unforgiveness\
2. Willingness to forgive applied
3. perseverance in prayer, intently, for offending persons
4. Doing good, led by the Spirit, to those who have done us wrong.
5. BLESSING those who have cursed us...

When Jesus talked about us being Perfect, He was talking about us loving our enemies! This is the culmination of likeness to Him. Think on these things...

Seth Broke his Arm today

Today, during a field trip at school, Seth fell on some playground steps and broke his two forearm bones, just above the wrist. Here they are in the car while he was sleeping... And at the end of the day, some 7 hours later, he's splinted and ready for school tomorrow, watching Diego's Wolf Pup Rescue.



To be utterly frank, this stuff is really okay with me. I'm his dad, and I'm so grateful for the lightness of such trials. We played Nintendo DS Spiderman and watched Tak on the TV at the hospital. We prayed for the baby who fell, and I got to share life with people behind the counters and behind the scenes in our city. Seth has an amazing tolerance to pain. He just kinda winced when we moved his hand this one way. Both bones were broken.
We're slated for a full casting dealio in a couple of days. No biggie. Isn't it wonderful? Makes me remember how kind our Father was to us around Aaron's double arm breaks in 2006. Love to all who love. Love to all who hate.

don't forget my Flickr.

Click on the Flickr bar to see new stuff, or browse old stuff... what a greaat way to share photos...

I'll keep dropping them there... enjoy...

New Meeting Times

With the new season of Fall comes a change in our meeting style, here among Jesus People: Northside... that's not an official title. We're still essentially nameless outside the Name above all Names.

SUN. NIGHTS 6PM:
Our Sunday Night meetings will follow a more open format, with a greater emphasis on whatever the Holy Spirit is doing, but without the meal. All are welcome but be warned, this is a Holy spirit hot spot. "The Stuff" happens here. you may well be found in the "hot seat" or knocked down by God.

SUN. MORNINGS 10AM:
For resident community and committed disciples, we have a Sunday Breakfast and short meeting. If you are committed to Jesus, and you feel drawn to the common mission of our community, this is a good time to share. It is a time focused on the local, committed community--the jesus people who live as family in Northside...

WED. PM 8:30PM:
Our local family/mission has prayer on Wednesday nights at 4200 Chambers (the True House) at 8:30 pm.

check out our Yahoo group and get signed up to get messages and ask questions.

too much to lose?

One time Bob Dylan got interviewed by Time Magazihttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifne. I saw vid of that interview . One of the things Dylly said stuck with me:

"They've got too much to lose by printing the truth..."

in criticism of Time, and explanation of his opinion that it wasn't a source of true knowledge of what's happening in the world.
he thought a pic of a tramp vomiting into the sewer next to a pic of mr. rockefeller would do better at communicating to the world what's really hapening in the world.

What about us, the Church?
In America, we have much too much the same problem.
Credibility? To whom? Whose credibility have we lost?
Bob's.
God's.

Look at our buildings.
Look at our romance with power.
Look at our disconnection and distance from Jesus, in all his guises.
Look at our meetings and member swapping...

I think some of us have a LOT to lose by speaking the truth. Pastors, brothers and sisters, do you fear that loss?

My brother Brian's church is selling their building. They can't justify the inability to do the basics of Christian generosity for the sake of a brick and mortar identifier... niiiiiice. solid.

think on it...

Crime and Darkness

In this neighborhood (check out Lewminator for the news link) we've been having a LOT of crime for the last 20 years. Lately there's been a push from the city and some well-monied groups (glbtq) to nice-ify our area...

The tension on the streets is thick. When I walk with my family down the sidewalks I hear the loud comments about white people forcing out the black people. Cinci is a terribly divided city. What's new on planet earth?

Well, for one thing, Jesus has come. He has brought light to this dark world. When I walk these streets, my imagination strays to the reality that I walk among angels, both good and evil...
...that one day I will stand in judgment of angels and nations...
...that any time He could return...
...that hard times are coming on the churches that love the world...
...that great joy lies before the saints who persevere...

all our bikes got stolen, again (like 3rd time)
a neighbor kid now lives as a son in my house (check lewminator)
five households now call Northside their home as Mission...
we live for His pleasure...

being a candle is precious in such a dark world. this little light of mine...

Since

Since that last post, I've done four months with the Company, resigned to fulfil my work as a pastor in the Body, met other likeminded folks in the church, and seen God moving to get out little band unified and mature, in the 'hood. Check my Lewminator link to see what is up in my head. I'll be dropping more stuff about the hood here...

wisdom teeth out...

Did I mention that I got my last 2 wizzies out? they were sick for years. Now I only taste with 2/3 of my tongue, but my health and strength are much improved. Hopefully feeling will come back, but it's been months... NO problem here tho.

Local store robbed 2x per day.

Nobody's arguing that Northside is that tough a neighborhood. Except for the police, the mayor, the town council, the residents...

Our UDF, the one I skate past every day for coffee and where I stop for chips and whatnot (beer) got robbed twice this week, on the same day. Once around 1am. Once at 830-ish am.

guns!

New Family Member

This kid is marcus. He lives with us, and he believes in Jesus. He also lives across the street, but that's complicated. He sleeps here and he does all his stuff over here, like eat his meals and laundry, showers... pretty much everything.

Keep your eyes peeled for this one to grow into a man. he's 14 now and learning every day!
he's lost about 30 pounds in the last two or three months, and he can almost drop in on a half pipe.

summer off...

uh...yeah. sometimes we take a bit of time off. I'm pleased to see that I can now include some video snippets with my blogging...

I'll post shorties from here on out, to try to get you guys up on what's happening here in our life with Jesus.