My time with Jesus at the park

I sat with Jesus in the park.  It was warm, but not too warm.  Just enough breeze.  Overcast.  We sat under my favorite tree.  He sat directly across from me in the grass, comfortably.  I always tried to classify his style, but I couldn't.  He didn't seem to dress in any style, neither in nor out of style. 

I hate my life and everything in it.  Everyone in it.  What’s the point?  Go to work.  Get paid.  Pay bills.  Look for love and never find it.  Never getting ahead in life.  It’s all a big waste of time, energy, money.  And then I go to church and waste more time and money.  Like Your Father needs money.  The bible is so boring!  Church is so boring.   Why aren’t you saying anything?  Why are you looking at me like that?

Like what?

I don’t know.  You’re just looking at me.

I’m listening.

Well it’s just weird.

It’s weird for me to listen to you?  To give you my complete and genuine attention?

I paused.  I never thought of it like this.  Why was it weird to be looked at and listened to?  It didn’t feel bad weird, but good weird.  He saw me, through me, the real me.  Complaining and unthankful.  I felt loved, and thus ashamed.  His look wasn’t condemning.  I felt his love.  But His love showed me I was guilty.  Guilty of ignoring him, never giving him my full and genuine attention. 

I’m sorry. 

I forgive you.

Help me to be like you, to listen and love like you do.

Be with me.  My love will fill you and overflow from you.  You will love me and everyone else with my love overflowing from you.  All you have to do is let me love you.

It’s weird being loved, but good weird.

I understand.

The letter that changed his life (Part 2)

What if I lose the card?

You can't really "lose the card" because you can't lose me.  I am the one with the resources.  The card is the means to the end.

What if I can't bring myself to depend on you?  After all, I'm an American.  Independent.  I work for what I get.

If you choose to work instead of trust me, then you'll have to do it all on your own.  But where did that lead you before?

Hopelessly in debt.

That's right. Now that your debts are cancelled, where will you get the resources to fulfill your identity and destiny?

I'll work for it. 

Alright.  Is that what you want?

I have my pride.

Have it your way.  But you still have the card.  I won't take it from you.

Why are you doing this?

Why do you have a hard time accepting it?

It's too easy.  I don't like getting things that I don't work for.

But I didn't work for my wealth either.  Do you feel like I don't "deserve" to be my father's son?

No, it's not really that.

Then what is it?

It's hard to explain.  I don't feel as good about myself just taking your money.

Why?

I didn't work hard for it.

So you define yourself by what you do, or your accomplishments?

Who doesn't?

I don't.

Of course you don't.  You're a billionaire.

I am Joshua, son of Joseph.

But Joseph is a billionaire.

Joseph has billions of dollars.  But that's not who Joseph is.  My money doesn't define who you are.  It is a means to the end of you being what you are and doing what you were made to do.  So who are you, Adam?

I don't know.

This money won't tell you who you are.  And your work won't make you who you are.

The letter that changed his life (Part 1)

I sat in despair.
There was no way to pay off my school loan debts, or to get out of default.
No way at all in America or on earth.
Not bankruptcy.
Not deferment.
Not forbearance.
Eventually, I'd have to pay.
But I couldn't.
No matter how hard I worked, tried, saved, or even borrowed, I would be in debt for the rest of my life.
I could play the lottery or write Oprah Winfrey.
But beyond these two options, I had no hope.
Until I got the letter.

Dear Adam,

You don't know me, or about me, I'm sure.  I'm one of the world's billionaires, in the top 40 billionaires of the world.  I've changed my name, so that no one really knows who I am.  But that won't be the case for you.

I know all about your debts.  I have so much money that I'm sure it would be hard for you to imagine or believe.  Put it this way.  It would take 274 years to spend 1 billion dollars if you spent 10,000 dollars a day.  I am worth 10 billion dollars.

And now, you are worth 10 billion dollars.

Enclosed is a credit card.  It is black with gold letters, real gold.  Go to the site enclosed and enter the card number, expiration date, and security number on the back.  Enter your full name.  That's it.

I've paid all of your debts, so much so, that it's like you were never in debt.
Not only this, but you are as wealthy as I am.
Why?
My only joy in life is giving.  It is better to give than to receive."
Why you?
I didn't earn this wealth.  I was born wealthy.  My father gave all he had to me. 
I chose you as a simple act of love.  You don't need to do anything to "repay" me.  How could you?
Accept this gift, and use it to be free to fulfill your destiny, to experience your truest identity.
I'm sure you've asked yourself, "If money were no option, what would I do?"
Now money is no option.
Do it.

I give this gift, and write this letter, in pure love.
If you are willing to trust me, go to the site, enter your name, and live by my name.

Sincerely,
Joshua Joseph

P.S.  I will be just finger tips away for the rest of your life.

GOD: In the room. In our bodies. (Part 2)

What’s the difference between being actually conscious of God’s presence and being actually conscious of the truth that He is present?

Think about that for a moment.

What is the difference between being actually conscious of the presence of germs, and being actually conscious of the truth of the possibility of germs?

I hate to put God and germs in the same thought.

But they are both invisible and deserving of our respect, though they are intangible.

With germs, we actually hope we don’t experience them, or the results of their presence.  We try to avoid being infected by them, so we do what we must to prevent infection. 

But how do we know we’ve succeeded?  By not getting sick?  In some ways.  But there are germs with us and in us that don’t make us sick.  Of course we could get microscopes and other instruments to detect them.  But how do we know that what we're seeing under a microscope is a germ? We trust scientists or experts, those who have studied and observed them.

We should do the same with God.

There are those who’ve gone before us who have experienced God directly, who lived in actual consciousness of God’s presence.  They tell us that God is with us and in us who believe in Christ, and everywhere at once, whether people believe in His presence or not.  Just as we act upon the knowledge of scientists and doctors who tell us there are germs we must protect ourselves against, whether we’ve experienced them or not, we should act upon the knowledge of those who know God, whether we’ve experienced Him as they have or not.

GOD: In the room. In our bodies.

To put ourselves in the presence of God, or to live in the presence of God, as spiritual writers express it, means to become actually conscious of God as present, or at least so to live as though we were thus actually conscious.  Catholic Encyclopedia, Presence of God

We live by faith, not by sight. The Apostle Paul

Everyone who follows the Lord Jesus believes two things about God:

1.  He is actually and literally present everywhere.

2.  He is actually and literally present inside of each believer’s body.

What interests me in the Catholic Encyclopedia’s words is the idea of at least living as though we were actually conscious of God’s presence.  Why shouldn’t we do this, since we know that God is actually and literally present, in us and with us who believe? 

When we wash our hands, we act as though there are literal and actual germs present, though we can neither see, hear, taste, touch, or smell them.  We know that they can and will act upon us if we don’t respect their presence.  But do we know the same of our Creator?

How would we think if we knew God heard every thought, or saw all we imagined?  We know that He does.  How does this knowledge affect our thoughts?

If we know God is in the room with us, listening to what we say, and watching what we do, how does this affect our words and actions?

If it doesn’t, either we don’t know God is with us and in us, we don’t believe He is with us and in us, or we simply don’t care that He is with us and in us.

The issue isn’t consciously feeling God, at least at this moment of our discussion. 

The issue is how we would act, or should act, KNOWING that God is really in the room and in our bodies. 

 

What made the bully afraid

The thin golden brown skinned man stood tall, facing his enemy.  His penetrating dark brown eyes focused on the neck he planned to strike.  Calmly he spoke this warning: 

Step back. 

His voice could be heard, but barely.  It had the same attitude as the words “Excuse me.”  He wasn’t angry or threatening or commanding.  There was the same certainty as when you say your name after being asked. 

The bully, the enemy, saw two possibilities, as certain as memories, as final as history:

1. He steps back, and the golden man passes.
2. He steps forward, and he struggles to breathe, folded over in what seems to be his last moments on earth.

But how could he step back?  How would everyone see him from that moment on?  Who is this skinny scrawny "boy" to strike fear in this massive mountain of manhood!?  Shouldn’t the strong intimidate the weak?  “How dare this boy make me afraid!”

Yet the bully knew that there was more to lose than his reputation, or even his breath.  In the skinny boy’s eyes the bully saw a fury unlike any he had ever seen.  He saw a fire that inevitably consumes its fuel.  He felt like ice in mid air before landing in hot tea. 

Something, or someone, behind the boy’s eyes made the bully feel helpless.

But why?

The golden boy (who was really a man) didn’t strike the bully as especially strong.  Yet his body looked plantedly agile, as if no one could move the “boy,” nor stop the boy from moving.

This still didn’t capture the fear. 

There was in the boy’s eyes the silent confidence of the hawk before capture, the moment when the prey sees his end, the first time and last time.

“I’ll let you pass…this time!  Punk.”

The golden boy passed, and the bully felt like going home and going to sleep.  He breathed more slowly, and wiping the sweat from his forehead, he thanked God, for saving his life.  (He thanked God for sparing his life.)

And from that day forward, the bully made sure he would never be the object of the Immortal Gaze’s anger.  He now feared The One behind the “boy’s” eyes.

 

To Men (and Women who want Men) Part 3

If you are a man, God is for you, so who can be against you? 
He wants to see Christ formed in you. 
He loves you. 
He likes you.

So often you receive little to no encouragement, only corrections and admonitions. 
Receive honor and encouragement from me in the Name of our Lord and Brother.

To my sisters who read, we love you.  Your honor, and the look of admiration in your eyes, is like heaven on earth.  We seek to be genuinely your glory.  In Jesus' name, pray for us as we pray for you.

God is for us.  Both men and women.

To the men who read, if you haven't done so, start now to control your words. 
In this way you put aside childish speaking, thinking and reasoning.
I know as a father of 7 that children have little to no self control, expressed in their constant chatter. 
They are learning and growing, practicing words, gaining vocabularies.  Yet they talk, talk, talk, talk, talk!

As men, our words should be measured by truth and love. 
This isn't an issue of being introverted or extroverted, talkative or quiet. 
It's an issue of self-control, so that the talkative are not too talkative, and the quiet are not too quiet.

How do we know when we talk too much or too little?

Love and truth.

We should not say more than we know, as it is written of Christ,

"He speaks what He knows and testifies what He has seen and heard."

Every word should be motivated by love, as it is written,
"Speak the truth in love."

With love as our motivation, and truth as our limitation, we will not say too much or too little.
We will be perfect men, able to control our whole body.
You are God's image and likeness and glory.

May you be encouraged, and may you encourage.
Amen.