Awakenings: What We've Been Hearing

Psalm 90--a song of Moses
Isaiah 40--pay attention to the grass image
Ecclesiastes 12--we're all gonna die, but not till we get real crusty, some of us...
James 4--eschew arrogance

In Meeting this week, I asked Mr. Weiss if he considered himself "Lucky" to have reached 80+ years. Dude, you guys should pay attention to the look on his face. "No", he replied. Did you see the sincerity? The loneliness? The frustration at losing his strength, focus, memory, life-partner and friend?

Honestly, I don't know why we are so obsessed with living so long and so well. It's this whole "american dream" thing, I guess.

Think about it, How few of Earth's inhabitants get as Rich, Healthy, strong and Knowledgeable as the descendants of Those Dutch and Scots who got this America thing started? Granted, we're evening the score with a diet made up of almost entirely fat, grease, oil sugar and meats, which spawns a curve-leveling rate of diabetes, gout, heart disease and general malaise...

But seriously, how many of earth's inhabitants are offered the opportunity that even the poorest of us Americans is afforded? Check out Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia... Now scoot on through the USSR or Russia or whatever that great mass of splintered nations and cultures (Gog? Magog?) is gonna be called on the new maps this year... and check out Greece, Macedonia, and France and Italy...
Dude, a kid in Italy? the mafia so has things held down there. get serious. You can't get anything done in Italy. In america, you can start your own skateboard company and give it to your friend and he can make something of it with God's help. In Italy, it sucks.
Now check out England? They had the world taken over. Blew it.
Foget about Africa? Forget about south America? forget about that "world as a village" book that shows us that we are KINGS in the history of the earth, if we have a cup of coffee to read this by?

So as Christians among an amazingly affluent society, we are so often decieved, like a frog in an ever-heating pot doesn't know he's about to boil, into a quest for immortality that is a direct affront to the ways of God!
We neglect those parts of the Message that pertain to the fragility of our lives, the sureness of our decline and demise in this world, and the eternality and thoroughness of God's Judgment at the end of it all.

here in Isaiah, Psalm 90, and Ecclesiastes 12, we have solemn reminder to hold loosely the things of earth, though they are entrusted to our stewardship for the moments strung together that we call "Our lives". Consider that it is the breath of God that withers the strength and achievements of mankind, not some aberration...

Consider Romans 8, which speaks of God, who is love, subjecting the world to frustration in hope of it being liberated...
Consider the smallness of our perspective and the greatness of His, described in Isaiah 55 "...my thoughts...my ways...your thoughts...your ways..."

Think about the liberation that humility before Him brings, and consider the fear that is due Him. Consider that fear, that very terror as resolved and transformed by the Murder of our Lord on that day... He has proven that He loves you more than His very own life!!! And embrace that fear, letting it do the work in your heart...
Consider Matthew 10, where Jesus calls it as he sees it, once again, saying something like, "...don't be afraid of those who can only kill your bodies, but be afraid of the one who, after killing your body can throw both body and soul into HELL."

I can't imagine how ridiculous all of the vampire/witchcraft lore of this world is to God. This "ooh, the witchdoctor stole your soul! ooh the satanists are going to steal your soul in some out of body warfare..." have you ever encountered those beliefs? Maybe something like Buffy the Vampire slayer or something. Man that's wack!

...and I can't imagine how ridiculous all of the christian-esque religion of our land's churches is, either! Because you won't get drilled with these scriptures in a month of sundays, lambs! I'm serious. These are the Scrips that make wise and make faithful, and they get relegated to some "fire and brimstone" label and softer fare is offered...

and the fire is gone from our pulpits, and the churches have become pawns of so much that they were meant to shine light on.
and they have grown fat with numbers of people who don't actually believe in the Jesus who is described faithfully in Scripture...

so it would be great to be up this morning pressing out a fresh, sweet encouragement to all of you, or diving deep into some massive Old Testament shadowing and imagery of Christ... but the Spirit is calling us to a contention for the truth.

The gloves are off. There is a Jesus. he is faithfully and authoritatively described in Scripture. Get Into Him...

Awakenings: community/communion, and the Murder

Many of you know that I can't sleep a lot. Coffee? maybe. but I think it's primarily the THOUGHTS I have while lying awake...

Lately, I've been hit with some strong vibes that I want to put out there for you to consider...

I hardly know where to start, feeling that there's almost no hope of avoiding some perplexity and confusion along the way, but I'm going to start sharing and let's see where we end up...

First off, I'm Lew, and for years and years, I've been part of what we've come to call Just Some Jesus People, a neighborhood church community in Northside, Cincinnati, America. I began my journey with Jesus in the Latest Eighties and early nineties. I got crushed and my mind got opened and I got wicked saved.

After that, I spent mass time trying to cop a high at churches. I just wanted to feel Jesus close to me. It took years and years for me to get it through my head that Jesus is HERE and he is here NOW. Kind of the "zen" of following the master. So I switched my understanding of what it means to be the church. I used to think of the church as a community. now I see that the church is a communion.

check out the difference between those two words and you'll uncover mass evil, hypocrisy, counterfeit and confusing deception foisted on people in the name of Jesus over the 2 thousand plus years since the Murder. (you know, the Murder--the cross)

(have you considered the Murder? and how we live because he willingly laid down his life for us on the cross in that day? Jesus is the best, most humble ever... if you want to be like Him, you'll live in the Murder and rejoice in laying it down... really you will, because He will be living in you, showing the world himself again and again through you...)

October 17th, Sunday Early.

I'm not sure I'm back. But I want to put out there that I started FickleBoards Ltd. up, with Sam--Sam actually started it--last October. It has been a year and the business aspect is looking good. but in the spirit, I feel compelled to give this a go. to do what I do as the kid God made me. to be who I was made to be without apology to any person, trusting that Jesus really loves me, no matter whether any one thing or another "works out".

So a year ago we stared FickleBoards, and now I run the thing. Thanks for the company, Sam. Now Sam gets to enjoy updates about how the thing is running. And it is running pretty darned well.

In the church, I've stepped up the intensity of my teaching, and have really enjoyed watching so many of the brothers and sisters growing in their faith. Things are really coming together. Yesterday was like a party here at the house. I got home from selling skateboards and having a blast repping Fickle out there, and my house is abuzz with people painting the porch and cooking what turned out to be one of the very best soup meals I've ever had. Props to Judy for mass good soop!

And this, along with millions of children, is typical saturday fare here at 1320.

April...

All I'm saying is that there is always a LOT going on... Here in Northside, especially. I'm typing this out with the 45 seconds I have before I drop Seth at School. Every day is a whirlwind.

Around here, I've been hammering away in the work of getting to the practice of obedience to the Gospel. We are dealing with the natural block between belief and reliance, and the distinction between the old life and the new life... it gets tricky when the old life is religious, and the new life is outside those bounds...

On to the day!

Judging

yesterday at our weekly meeting, we discussed Jesus' teachings in Matt. 7 and Luke 6, where he says, "Do not judge..."

we also looked at the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, as well as the beginning of Romans 2.

There was a word about bitterness, along the lines of Hebrews 12.

So we are on a bit of a journey to get free in regard to this measuring people ungenerously. An ungenerous measure. That's the problem. Why? Because we tend to limit the degree to which we will believe that we are truly loved by Father. I'm sure of it. Dare to believe that He loves you. That you are precious and beloved, and that he is going to take care of all of the layers and levels of "it" that you've got. Let fear give way to love in the Great Displacement of the soul.

Lew Posted!

hey all, I posted something! Click the title and get my status...

Love you all.

Status Qwhat?

Well it has been forever.

If you've known me well over this past year, you'll know that there have been some changes around me... First off, Judy and the boys and I have been joined by Marcus. He is now on full "son" status in the house. We are in a permanent situation, at least after one more court thingy...

Next, I've got my own company, FickleBoards. We wholesale american made skateboard decks with the help of our friends in Pennsylvania. Promoting a company like that is a full-time job, though flexible. Maybe with care it will succeed in covering human costs... It is a labor of love in more ways than one...

One of our riders, Ben, has moved into our home here in Northside and is enjoying a taste of mob-life here with the Jesus people. I can only imagine some of the things Ben experiences among us, one of which is the rising tide of babies.

And on that note: Babies. Oodles and Oodles of Babies. Our little experience/expression of what it means to be the Church, over here, is made up of a pretty fertile demographic. We have somewhere around 25 little kids in our life together. It is amazing to say the least...

So I still teach on Sundays in the church, usually. I still fire up the guitar, too... but there is a greater sense of participation by all the people in the church, in the daily love and care of life together here in Northside... What I mean is, many people are maturing in their walk of love, with God, who says, "God is love". So fewer people than ever "neeeeed" me. They are weaned and on solid meat, which is for the mature, who through constant use have trained themselves to distinguish what is good from that which is eeeevil.

So I'm way less the professional religious man, and am giving my time to trying to work with my hands and make good on the Scripture's commnand to have something to share and take care of my family's needs...

I don't know. It's risky. I might fail, and am not experiencing an ocean wave of success. But best of all, God is with us.

Pray for me. I get anxious sometimes.