How do people feel when you walk in? (Part 1)

You embody a feeling that you are known by, generally and situationally. You know what I mean by experience. Think of somone that you consider annoying. She makes you feel annoyed. She is the embodiment of annoyance! Irritation's personification! Or think of someone that makes you feel calm. When he walks in the room, your breathing rate decreases. You feel your shoulders relax. You can't wait to feel his big warm hug. Now, think of how somone feels when YOU show up! Wow. What word, or words, come to mind to summarize you to him or her? Negative? Energizing? Encouraging? Boring? The good news I found out recently is that we have complete control over how we make people feel around us, at least in terms of the emotion we embody. In other words, if you want people to be excited about a new idea you have at work, YOU have to be excited about it! If you want people to be more focused, YOU have to be the model of focus. Think of how you want people to feel when they see you, or hear you speak, or after they read your email/text/blog. Then, intentionally and GENUINELY, think in line with that feeling. Again, if you want people excited, you have to be genuinely excited about something, and then share that something with whomever you want to feel excited. Be the emotion you want people to feel. I want you to feel like you can do that. Try it right now. Then tell me what happened.

Quiri, The Demon, and the Spirit

Quiri felt anxious but didn’t know why. She just woke up from a deep and pleasing sleep. The kind where she finished a pleasant dream and remembered it entirely. So why the anxiety? He husband slept soundly, and she looked at his chest rising and falling. He always took such deep relaxing breaths! She smiled and touched his fore arm. But still felt unnecessary worry. Quiri couldn’t think of anything in the day ahead that made her feel afraid. Nothing at all. “It must be a spirit,” she thought. A spirit of anxiety. “In the name of the Almighty, leave me,” she whispered. It did. Peace entered. “How many times have I felt things and went with the feelings, not knowing why I felt them?” she wondered. Feelings. Can they be trusted at all? “Yes. When they point to a person or situation in front of you right now.” “How can I make sure this is the case?” “Conscience. I gave you conscience to know what I feel and why I feel it. Listen to your conscience always. When what you feel agrees with it, agree with the feeling.” “Spirit of God, I honor you,” Quiri prayed. “Because you honor Me, I honor you Quiri.”

Where is Danella?

Tain liked Danella because she talked in a whisper. This was her voice, her “handicap.” No one knew why she couldn’t speak. But he didn’t mind. Tain liked Danella. In fourth grade boyfriends and girlfriends hold hands. That’s all. But they never got to intertwine their fingers. Because he broke up with her. Again, he didn’t know why. (He didn’t know much of anything at that age.) Danella whispered, “I don’t care.” But she did. He knew it. He regretted it, even as a boy, and now that he’s a man. He doesn’t know her last name, or how to find her. Tain remembers she was in the band in a different high school. Drums. Like him. It would’ve been nice to play drums with her. Go on band trips with her. Hold her hand. She was one of the only nice girls he knew then. Where is Danella? How can Tain find her? It should be simple enough these days with all of the technology and social media stalking abilities. But he knows what we all know: things aren’t easy in 2013. Ease is an illusion. In his mind, Tain’s only hope was this: Maybe in eternity she would be with God. Maybe she’d be with him. Then he’d say he was sorry, though she would have a voice and not a whisper.

Half of my journey (Today I'm 40)

40 for me is the end of fantasy and the embracing of reality.
This is mature masculinity:  To see me as God sees me.
I am His son, His brother, His slave.

I want one thing:  for people to see clearly God with me.

This alone is my ministry.  This alone is my glory at 40 and for eternity.

How can this be?

How will you see God with me?

I first must clearly see that God is with me, praying ceaselessly.

My every thought is a prayer, a constant conversation connection.

When two are locked in deep eye contact, they create an energy that is felt between them.

So it is with God and me.

This you will see in me.
This is what it means to me to be 40.

I’m thankful for the honor of knowing God, more so being known by God.

To be seen by Him.

His presence is my significance.
I am His lost sheep that he left 99 to find.
I am His lost coin that He rejoiced to locate.

I embrace the loneliness of Holiness, of belonging to Him alone.

I want only the love that He receives.

I only want to be where He is for the rest of this life.

I’ve gone half the journey.

For the rest of the way…I am God’s.

The Christian Life Summed Up in Two (or Three) Words

Follow me. ~ The Lord Jesus Christ

As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the children of God. ~The Apostle Paul

We all want to follow a person with a purpose, or to be the person with a purpose that others follow.

Jesus is that Person, and His Purpose is perfect.

He says to you and me, “Follow Me.”

If we follow Him, we will find Him and His purpose perfectly, no matter what happens around you or me.

If we are leaders, our followers will feel Him leading, and we will confidently say to them, “Follow me as I follow the Lord.”

So the Christian life, the Christ imitating life, is summed up in two words:

“Follow Jesus.” 

It is written,

"He is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

As He said when He was on earth, He says right now to us, “Follow me.”

But how, now that He’s in heaven at the Father’s right hand?

His Spirit.

He sent His Spirit to be with us and in us, each of us, all of us.

If you don’t yet follow Jesus, do so now.  Start following Him now.

You feel Him in these words saying to you, “Follow me.”

The Christian life, the Christ imitating life, can be summed up in three words,

“Follow the Spirit.”

But how?

How do you know if the Spirit leads you?

Jesus promised that those who seek the will of God will know if His teachings are from God.

In the same way, I promise you, if you seek the will of God, and only His will, you will know whether my words are from God or not; and you will know without doubt that the Spirit is leading you.

So what do you need to do?

Two things:

1.       Devote your entire life, from this moment forward, to only one purpose:  The Will of God.

2.       Ask the Spirit to lead you right now.

You will experience incomprehensible perfect peace covering you like a blanket. 

This is the Spirit of God upon you.

From this moment, and at each moment-

Follow the Spirit.

The Reason Love Is Difficult

Google Images

Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real.  ~Iris Murdoch

God is love.

To love Him is to know Him as completely unlike anybody or any reality, being Reality.

To love our neighbor as we love ourselves means we love them because they are not ourselves, yet are still equally valuable.

For example.

I like cheesecake.

To love you as I love myself doesn’t mean I shove cheesecake down your throat based on the assumption that any SANE person SHOULD NOT ONLY LOVE cheesecake, but find my act of cheese cake shoving intensely loving!

To love you as myself means I accept the kinds of cake YOU like, if you like cakes at all, or even better, that I accept that you may indeed HATE cheesecake, and because of this, I only seek to give you the kind of cake YOU LIKE, just as I’d want to be given the kind of cake I like.

I love you as I want to be loved.

I want to be free to be me.

So I let you be free to be you.

You.

Not me.

God is the ultimate YOU, the ultimate NOT ME.

You are you.

I am me.

I have to accept you as not me to love you truly.

 

When home is heaven

(Google Images)

Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called the children of God. The Lord Jesus

Peace is the tranquility of order. St. Augustine

"Everyone please be quiet."

All of the children obeyed their father.

"Please pick up all of your toys and put them in they toy box."

Again, they obeyed.

When they finished, he said, "Your room looks very nice and neat. You did a good job."

"Thank you daddy."

Now let's go outside and play!

They eagerly followed their father and played freeze tag until they couldn't catch their breath. They liked playing with their dad because he made the rules very clear and easy to remember. Games were a lot more fun when they knew the rules. They're even more fun when everyone follows them.

After play time, they went back in, washed their hands, and got ready for dinner.

"Please set the table everyone," their mother said.

They talked one at a time while they put the plates and silverware on the table.

"The table looks beautiful. Thank you so much for your help."

"You're welcome mom!"

"Bow your heads please," Dad said.

They bowed. They prayed with him.

"Our Father in heaven, thank you for this food and for this time. In the name of the Lord. Amen."

"Amen."

Thank you sweetheart for making dinner.

You're welcome darling.

Thanks mom.

You're all welcome.

They all talked about their day, listening to each person express their thoughts and feelings, and responding to each person with genuine interest. Jazz playing in the background. Laughing and enjoying each other.

God will always respond to you.

Imagine a World 4 - Jesus Creed

Imagine a World 4 - Jesus Creedblog.beliefnet.com 

This is eternal life:  That they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent.

 John 17:3

To be dead is to be unresponsive.

God is life, eternal life, supremely alive.

Therefore, God is supremely responsive.

In other words, God will always respond to you.

Have you ever left a message, sent a text, or sent an email, and you didn’t get a response?

Not just any message, text, or email, but one that expressed deep feelings you had?

How did you feel when you got no response?

Ignored?

Unappreciated?

Insignificant?

This is never the case with God.

He wants us to converse constantly with Him, as it is written, “Pray ceaselessly.”

He wants us to think about Him all the time, as it says, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.”

We will never go to God and find Him unresponsive.

Never.

He’s never too busy to respond, or tired of hearing from us.

He supremely values our thoughts of Him, our love for Him, and our need of Him.

So you never have to worry about being needy with God.

God will respond.

The perfect church service (Part 2)

Create an environment where focus is possible.

Leo Balbauta

 

I entered the church building.  There was a pleasant silence, though no one directed this.  True, there was a sign on an overhead that read something like this,

 

“Honor the presence of God.” 

 

And those present did just that.  Though the church was large, somehow, all agreed to focus on God.  I was aware of no distractions.  No one coached me to praise God or worship Him.  All around me seemed to do so of their own free will.

 

Then it happened.

 

For seemingly no reason, I felt overwhelmed.  I began to cry and worship God.  His presence filled me and the large auditorium.  Some cried with me.  Some sang.  Some prayed.  I only noticed because I felt a connection with everyone in the room, though we didn’t speak to or for each other.

 

I contrast this experience with a time in which I tried to focus on God and a woman next to me said,

 

“You don’t look like you’re praising God!” 

 

I didn’t know (or care) how someone was supposed to look whilst praising God. I was more curious as to how and why she noticed me, when she should have been noticing God!

 

She distracted me that day. 

 

But on the day of silence, where God was honored, though many praised in variety, none distracted me.

 

The leaders created an environment where focus on God’s presence was possible.

 

The perfect church service

The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God.  C.S. Lewis

 

6 gather. 3 men.  3 women.  All God’s children. In his name. Under his authority. For his glory.

One mind.  One will.  One purpose.  One focus.

Silent.  Sitting.  Praying.  Seeking.

 

The home owner speaks.  “The Spirit led me to sing this song.”

The others heard the same, or felt peace, knowing the Spirit gave them nothing…yet.

 

He sings.

 

They feel God in the room.  They bow and worship.  Some cry.  Some clap.  Some praise.  Some remain silent.  Some stand. Some lie face down.  All focus on one purpose:  God’s presence.  Felt.  After the moment of praise, silence descends again.

 

They pray.  They seek.  She speaks. “The Lord Jesus is leading me to share what I learned yesterday.”

 

All agree.  She shares. A man receives exactly what he needed to hear to make the move of his life.  A woman receives exactly what she needed to converse with her mother.

 

“I feel led to speak as the Spirit leads me.”  All agree.  He speaks a spiritual language.

“I feel led to interpret this language.”  The speaker of the unknown language agrees.  The other four agree.  The interpreter speaks.  The Presence is felt.  All receive wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, individually and collectively.  They praise The Presence.  He responds in them and with them.

 

They sing, pray, dance, stand still.  Each acts freely.  None contradict the Presence or each other’s presence. 

 

The time ends. 

They talk freely. 

 

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

 

 

 

 

God. In you. In your room.

God is in your body and in your room if you believe that Jesus came. 
Died. 
Rose. 
Ascended.

What else matters?
What else is worth focusing on and living by?
Unless you don’t believe it.

Why do I believe it?

I feel Him in me, listening to me, with me, responding to me.
Just as I felt Him the day I trusted Jesus.
Like a blanket of peace covering me.
Like power flowing over my mind, enabling me to speak for Him.

God is in my body in this room right now.
Nothing else matters.
Nothing else is worth focusing on or living by.
I believe it. His Spirit is why I believe it.

How can you know this is true for you?

It is written,

“The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”

If you want to feel God near to you, call on Him in truth.

In total helpless honesty and vulnerability, talk to God right now.
You will feel His listening ear, like when someone looks you in the eyes while you are talking, as if you were the only person in the world to him.

Because of the amazing omniscient mind of God, this is how He listens to you…if you’ll call on Him.

Getting our deepest NEEDS and DESIRES MET!

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”― C.S. Lewis

Only God can touch us all of the time.  This is a revelation of affection.  If we seek constant affection, to constantly touch and be touched, then we seek what is inherently an impossibility physically.  Our bodies can't always touch other bodies, or be touched by other bodies.

But the need remains.
The desire lingers.

For hunger, food exists.
For thirst, water exists.
For sexual arousal, marriage exists.

But what about a hunger we still feel after we eat?
Or a thirst we still feel after we drink?
Or an intimacy we still need after we marry?

Jesus is the bread of life.  He fulfills our deepest hunger.
Trusting him quenches our deepest thirst.
In his presence there is complete joy and eternal pleasure; eternal life is intimacy with him.

Some gorge themselves on ice cream when they are depressed.
Some smoke or drink to relax.
Some watch pornography for fantasies of intimacy.

But it is written,

"Taste and see that the LORD is good."
"Don't be anxious about anything but pray about everything.  And the incomprehensible peace of God will guard your heart and mind."
"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Instead of drunkenness with wine, God offers the fullness of His Spirit.
Instead of an intoxicating adulteress or adulterer, he offers an intoxicating wife or husband.
Instead of lies and slavery he offers the truth which brings liberty.

These exchanges are the keys to rebirth by faith in Christ.
Worship the Creator instead of creation.
This is our salvation.

This is how we get our deepest needs and desires met!

God's First Question (Part 2)

Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going.  John 8:14

And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 
Matthew 3:17

“I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” Eric Liddell

Jesus knew His origin and destination, the answers to God's ultimate questions: 

"Where have you come from and where are you going?"

In knowing these, He felt God's pleasure, the smile of God from the heart of God.

When you fulfill your purpose, when you live according to your origin and destination, you will touch the heart of God and feel God's pleasure in you!

Imagine that!

Imagine being a singer.
Imagine singing your heart out, pouring out your life in your heart song.
Now imagine touching God.  Imagine tears filling the eyes of Jesus.  Imagine overwhelming the Spirit with deep emotion.

This is what it's like when you know and live according your origin and destination.

Imagine being an artist who paints a tree with the moon in the background.
Imagine the sense of fulfillment you have when what you felt when you saw this mysterious scene is perfectly captured in the portrait.
Now imagine God whispering to you, "Finally, someone understands me.  Finally someone sees what I see."

I believe this is what it meant for David to be a "man after God's own heart." 
I believe God finally found someone in Israel who really understood Him, that David alone understood how God felt.

As it is written by the Prophet Jeremiah,

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

 

You are made in the image of God in such a way that you understand and know Him like no other creature. 

 

In this you will feel Gods pleasure. 

This is your origin and destination. 

This is where you come from. 

This is where you are going.

God's first question

But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9

Here we are.
Writing and reading.
Why?
What drew you to me and me to you?
What draws me to you is the truth.
The words of God.
The first question of God:

Where

are

you?

Right now.
In life.
You know where you are geographically.
But where are we eternally?
Where are you in life approaching death?
This is the first question God asked the first man.
The question He asks you right now.

Where are you?

 

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  Genesis 4:6-7

 

What are you feeling right now?  And why?

Why are we unhappy?  Why are we angry?

Why do we feel rejected?  Or why don't we care whether we are accepted or rejected?

Do we care to do what is right?

The penetrating questions of God must be answered.  Will be answered. 







The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur.  The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?”  Genesis 16:7-8

 

God's first questions, and all of God's questions come back to these two questions:  our origin and destination.

 

What are we doing and why are we doing it?

Sooner or later we must answer.

On the day we die we will answer, once and for all. 

But why wait until it's too late?

 

Where are you? 

Where have you come from?

Where are you going?

 



There are only two options in life

There are only two options in life:  Submission to God or Rebellion against God.

The nature of volition is liberation.  Your will should be free.  Free will.
The reason shows options to volition.  The mind distinguishes options or choices.
The emotions fuel volition.  Emotions make us want to take action.

Oppression seeks coercion of volition.  The oppressor forces the oppressed against their wills.
Mental confusion paralyzes volition.  Too many options, noises, voices, or choices make wise choice impossible.
Overwhelming emotion seeks manipulation or seduction of volition.  When there is passion, volition feels it must take action.

But as it is written,
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

The Spirit of truth is truth, and he guides us into all truth.  There are only two mental choices or options of focus:  The True or The Untrue.

The Lord is the Spirit.  There are only two options:  His will or our will--Submission or Rebellion:  Obedience or Disobedience.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  There are only two emotions:  Peace or No Peace--  God's pleasure or God's displeasure.

The essence of self control is our will.  The nature of volition is liberation.  Reason reveals options.  Emotions fuel volition towards action.

God's will or our will.
We choose which of these we focus our minds on.  We choose God's pleasure or displeasure.

Being like God: Knowing and Enjoying It!

Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. The Apostle John

Practice makes us righteous in experience.  Not just righteous, but just as righteous as Christ.

Really righteous.

Whoever practices patience is patient, just as patient as Christ. 

Think about it.

If I’m practicing patience, practicing waiting before I speak, what is the difference between what I am doing and what a “patient person” does?  Patient people can wait, and do wait.  If I am waiting, then I can wait, and I do wait, at least at that moment.  But what other moment do I have than right now?

Not only are these things true, but they can be fun!

I remember band practice and choir practice.  What we did in practice, we did on stage.  It was fun on and off stage. 

Or put it another way.

What if you went to school to learn something you enjoy, but needed the degree or diploma or license for a job.  And what if the professor said to everyone in the class, “You all pass.  You all have an A.  You will have your diploma at the end of this course.  Now simply enjoy learning and applying what you are learning!  You're already A students!”?

That’s like what God did for us.

When Jesus died for our sins and rose for our justification, we could become God’s children, if we accept what God did for us in Christ.  Now that I am a child of God, already perfect in God’s eyes, I can simply practice perfection!  Not to gain perfection, but to EXPRESS the perfection that I am!  Just for the fun of it!

After all, I’m sure it’s fun being  God!

Why shouldn’t it be fun to be like God?!?

How to CHANGE and STAY CHANGED

You are children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  The Apostle Paul

As many as received Him, as many as believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of human will, but of God. 

The Apostle John

If anyone is united to Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.  The Apostle Paul

We all have default settings, or automatic habitual responses that we learned and practiced to the point of skillful identity.  When we are angry, we have an automatic response.  When we feel anxiety, we react like we always have in the past.  We learned these responses in our families and upbringing, a combination of temperament and environment.

How do we change our default settings?  Our automatic habitual responses?

We must be born again, become new creations, given new default assumptions.

The default setting of believers is belief.
The default setting of unbelievers is unbelief.

Put this another way.
The default setting of unbelievers is SELF TRUST ALONE.
The default setting of believers is GOD TRUST ALONE.

As it is written,

Trust in the LORD with all of your heart and lean not to your own understanding.  In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

Unbelievers trust in themselves with all of their hearts, and totally lean to their own understandings.  In none of their ways do they acknowledge God, nor do they seek Him to direct their paths.

But those who were born again were born again by faith in the Lord Jesus. 
And their lives are characterized by this very faith, or complete God trust, as it is written,

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

The believer's new, changed life begins by faith and continues by faith.  It is the defining principle of their lives, the new default setting, the new automatic response, the new habitual reaction.

When  believers disbelieve, or do not live by the same faith that changed them, they are not being true to who they are, to their new identity.  This is why they feel convicted by the Spirit in them.  That is what conscience is, consciousness revealed to the soul.

R.A. Torrey said these powerful words,

Every act of sin is an act of distrust in God.  Trusting God deprives sin and temptation of all their power.  The one who trusts God will do right though the heavens fall.

Whatever your default vice is if you are a believer, it is not in agreement with the new principle of your life:  God Trust ALONE.  You used to live by self trust, and thus respond or react accordingly.

How did you express faith in God?  Prayer!  You confessed your sin through prayer, and you accepted God's Son through prayer.

Now live by the same expression of faith.  Pray before, during, and after every action and interaction as an expression of total trust in God and total distrust in yourself; totally seeking God's direction and not your own.

The prayer of faith is your new default setting.

God Addiction

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  Psalms 16:11

"Taste and see that the LORD is good.  Blessed are those who take refuge in Him."  Psalms 34:8

God is better than sex.  Better than drugs.  Better than drinking and smoking and getting high.  Better than money and jewelry and beauty.

Not just theoretically, hypothetically, philosophically, or theologically.
Really.

How and why?
Why and how?

Everything comes from Him and is a reflection or glimpse or likeness of Him.
There is something about God that men and women resemble.  Something about worshiping him that is orgasmic and intoxicating.  These things, orgasms and intoxication, are like the feeling we have when we are with God.

But God is not sex or drunkenness.
He is not Cupid or Aphrodite or any other sex god or goddess.
He is not wine or opium.
He is who He is.  He is what He is.

To experience God as the supreme ultimate pleasure and satisfaction, we must not seek supreme ultimate pleasure and satisfaction in anything or anyone but God.  How?

If you are addicted to anything, how did that addiction begin?
Or if you simply love doing something, how did you come to love it?
How did your addictive habit become a habit?

The first time.
Somehow, you were introduced to sex, drugs, smoking, drinking, money, whatever.  You were told that these things are really fun or feel really good. You took a LEAP OF FAITH and tried it.  Now notice this.  With some things, the reward is immediate, like those who smoke crack once and are addicted.  But for things like smoking (or even sex) or drinking, there may or may not be immediate pleasure.  There may actually be displeasure, like the body rejecting cigarettes--coughing, the green sick feeling shown on cartoons when someone smokes, nausea.  The same with drinking.  There are some who genuinely enjoy the taste of beer, and there are those who hate it--AT FIRST.  But they keep doing it, BELIEVING, that it will get really good.  And it usually does to some extent.

But do you see what happened?  We were told something or someone would be really fun or feel really good.  We took the person's word for it and tried it.

The same thing happens in scripture.
In the Psalms, men of God consistently say things equivalent to  "Try God!  He will supremely please you and satisfy you.  There is nothing and no one better!" 

They do the same things we do when we experience something really fun or exciting.  If we see a good movie, we can't wait to tell someone, to praise the movie. Key word:  Praise.  The joy of seeing the movie isn't complete until we tell someone about it, and take someone with us to see it.

The very same thing is true with God

If you want supreme, ultimate, constant, and eternal happiness, you will find it in only one place:
God Himself.

As it is written,

Taste and see that the LORD is good.

Try God!
REALLY TRY HIM!
Don't give up until you experience Him!
As much effort as you put into whatever you are addicted to, put at least that much effort into finding and feeling God. 

The only worthy addiction is GOD ADDICTION.

Vulnerability: The Risk We All Take When We Love Someone

Bruce:   How do you make people love you without affecting Free Will?
God:  Welcome to my world, son. If you come up with an answer to that one, let me know. From the movie "Bruce Almighty"

"I'm going to make you love me."  Morris to Apollonia in the movie "Purple Rain"

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." From the song "Nature Boy."

I wanted a guarantee that when I loved someone, that someone would love me.

But I had no such guarantee, except from God, who is love, who first loved me, who loved me when I was His enemy.

Love is vulnerability.
Risk.

So be it.
It's worth it.

God regretted making people before He flooded the world.
Think about that.

Think of pouring your heart and soul into someone, knowing  in advance that before you gave him your all, he would spit in your face.  And, knowing what would happen, you give him your all anyway.

Jesus came into the world He made, to the people over whom He'd be king, and was rejected, spit on, and crucified like the worst criminal.

This was God's defining act of love for us. 
He couldn't give any more than He gave when He gave His Son, and later on, His Spirit.

Everyday we spit in God's face.
But He loves us.
He takes the risk.

His calling in our lives is to take the risk with Him.
To love people as He's loved us.
Unconditionally.
Graciously.
Mercifully.
Forgivingly.

The next time you feel hurt, tell the person that hurt you how you feel.
Not in anger or vengeance or with attitude.  But with sincerity and vulnerability.

"I really wanted you to call me back.  I was waiting by the phone and would have picked it up on the first ring.  When you didn't call back, I was disappointed and hurt.  I felt like I wanted to connect with you more than you wanted to connect with me."

You may get hurt even more.
The person may apologize, but be lying.
Or she may sincerely regret hurting you and cry real tears of remorse, never hurting you again.

You don't know.  Love is a risk.
God knows.  He takes the risk anyway...with me...and with you.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  1 John 4:10

 

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8

 

God is love.  1 John 4:16b

How to determine the impression you make on GOD

Positioning...the way to create an impression in the...mind.  Wikipedia

Though this definition focuses on marketing, it applies to my thoughts.
It refers to the first thing that comes to our minds when we hear a brand name or see a symbol for a brand.

It also refers to the first thing that comes to mind when people hear your name and mine.
Impression management deals with controlling that impression, determining how people will see you.

But Jesus said something that very much impacts me:

"I do not receive honor from man."

Jesus' focus was, and is, and forever will be, on the impression He makes on the Mind of His Father. 

This also my focus.
If it's yours, then how do you control the impression you make on God? 
What do you want to come to mind when God thinks of you?

This is the impressin God had, and has, and forever will have, of Jesus:

"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

That's how God saw, sees, and forever will see Jesus.

If you want God to see you as His son or daughter, with whom He is well pleased, there is one simple way to do this:  

Have faith in Jesus.

As it is written,

"You are children of God through faith in Christ Jesus."
"Enoch had this testimony:  that he pleased God.  And without faith, it is impossible to please the Lord."

By faith in the Lord Jesus, we become children of God with whom He is well pleased. 
If we choose to have faith in Jesus, this is the impression we will make on God.
This is the position we will have in God's mind.
This is what will come to mind when He thinks of us.

Is there any better impression or position?

My time with Jesus at the park (Part 3)

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed are those who take refuge in Him.

Let’s look at your feelings in light of real experiences.

Alright.

Did you constantly feel as intensely about Mark as you imagine?

No.  Not all the time.

How much of the time?

I don’t know…when we were really connecting and understanding each other it was intense…

But this wasn’t all of the time?

No.  I’m sure if it was I would have married him instead of Samuel, right?

Exactly.  So why are your feelings so intense about Mark when you remember him, or imagine a future with him?

I believe it’s because I focus only on when we connected deeply.  I don’t focus on the fights, or all of the pain we caused each other by being immature or selfish, or just plain not right for each other. 

Do you remember Richard?

Yes, I do.

Do you remember how you didn’t find him very physically attractive at first?

 

Yeah!  I actually do!  I decided to focus only on what was physically attractive about him, and to especially emphasize his personality, which was awesome!

And by doing that, he actually became physically attractive to you, and his personality became intensely attractive. 

That’s what I was doing with Mark.

And what you aren’t doing with Samuel…or Me.

But there’s nothing negative about You!  There’s nothing I have to emphasize or look past in our relationship.

No there isn’t.  So why doesn’t it feel as intense when you think about Me, or when you’re with Me?

Because I don’t focus all of my attention on you.

What would happen if you did?  Would it arouse you physically so that your face is red? 

Maybe, but not for the same reasons.  but i’m seeing that arousal is not the same as…love…or deep connection even.

What do you have with Samuel that you can never have with Mark?

Ten years of faithful friendship…of committed marriage…of seeing each other at our best and worst.

You’re leaving something out.

I know.  I’m leaving out how intense it is when we make love.

Why is it so intense?

Ten years of being one.

Ten years of oneness with each other and with Me.

My feelings for you, and for Samuel, are intense, but in a different way.

How so?

They are intense like the sun is intense…constant, alive, energizing, comforting…at times too hot to handle, but most of the time comfortably unnoticeable.

They're real.

Very real.

 

My time with Jesus at the park (Part 2)

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?  Mark 8:34-37

It was summer time, so the sun was still out, though going down. Jesus sat across from me at a picnic table.

I looked down at the table, avoiding eye contact, foolishly hoping the red in my face went unnoticed by Him.  He sat quietly.  His presence, His silence took, the red out of my face, and brought my eyes to His.  Then it all came out.

“Sometimes I don’t know if I really love you or my husband.”

“Why don’t you know?”

“I don’t know, it’s just that I sometimes imagine being with my first boyfriend.  I imagine what it would be like if we were married, and my feelings are so strong when I imagine us together.  I was very connected to him, emotionally and physically, as you know of course.  He was my first true love, the first man I gave my body to.”

“Do you regret marrying Samuel?”

“I don’t know.  My feelings are so strong when I imagine Mark that I don’t know if I think Samuel is the best man I could ever be with.  But there’s something else I’m feeling.”

“What else?”

“Sometimes I think I have stronger feelings for Mark than I do you.  When I’m with you, it doesn’t feel as intense as when I imagine Mark.”

“Think about this.  Imagine that your thoughts and feelings for Mark are completely and utterly real.  That if you were with Mark, it would be exactly as you imagined, even better.  Would you leave Samuel to be with Mark?”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“I do love Samuel.  He is a wonderful husband. He’s my bestfriend.”

“What about Me?  Would you leave Me for Mark?”

“Never.  I love you more than anything and anyone in this world or any world.”

“Then what do you make of these intense feelings for Mark?”

“I don’t know Lord.  You do….please tell me what they mean, if they mean anything.”