The Rabbi & the Porn Star//Changed

Part 4 of a study on John 4:1-42 (Last part)

Sooo...we're still sitting at the well, right??? And Jesus just answered her question and told her what true love and true worship was, right??? Okay...good...we're caught up now...if not, then read the others first lol.

And she responds back to Jesus, "I know that the Messiah will come one day and explain all of this to us--we've been waiting for Him." Now Jesus finally reveals who He is to her, "I am the Messiah." And now it hits her...the one she's been waiting on for soooo long is finally here. He's sitting right next to her and offering her living water (a new start). So what does she do??? She leaves her water jar beside the well and ran back into the city to tell everyone. She came to the well for some water to satisfy her thirst and she leaves without her water jar because she ran into Jesus and that changes everything.

You see the Messiah was the one that everyone was waiting for because He would come in and rescue His people and make all things new. Still today all of us are waiting for something like that too. If you don't believe me, just listen to some music--it's all in it. But when you run into the Jesus--He does make all things new. He was turning a porn star into a Jesus Lover...how awesome is that.

And she runs back into the city to tell everyone. Cause when you find a love like that you can't keep it to yourself. You got to let everyone who will listen know. She went and told everyone, "I found the Messiah, or actually He kinda found me. And He knew everything about me and He still loved me. Come and see." Sooo...the town does come and see and Jesus stays there two more days. And a lot of people believed saying, "He is the Savior of the world."

So when Jesus comes to you...
One...He offers you a new life, a new start (living water)
Two...He knows absolutely everything about you, the good and the bad, and He is still crazy about you
Three...He will teach you how to really love and how to really worship with all that you are
Four...You will not be the same. He changes you. And He will use you to bring a city to His feet, if you let Him use you.

Have you crashed into Him yet???
Cause when you do...this changes everything!!!

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Sources
The Bible

The Rabbi & the Porn Star//Worship

Part 3 of a study on John 4:1-42

Sooo...the story continues and Jesus is still sitting at the well with the tramp. She's been offered a new life (living water) by Jesus and she also just realized that He knows absolutely everything about her (mistakes and all) and He still wants to be with her. When you run into a love like this, it changes everything!!! When you find a love like that you know you can ask anything in the world...and she does, but it's not what you think. She turns to Jesus and asks, "Why do you Jews believe that the only place to worship God is in Jerusalem?" Okay...I don't know about you, but that's probably the last thing that I would think that would come out of a slut's mouth. But it makes you think...

Maybe she was raised in a religious home
Maybe she was the one who always "went to church"
Maybe she was "hurt by the church"
Maybe she had religious rules instead of love
Maybe that's why she went on her wild spree...to find love

And after she has found her love in Jesus, she asks one thing...and it's a religious question. hmmm.

And Jesus answers her, "It no longer matters whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. True worshippers worship Him in Spirit and Truth. He is looking for those who worship him that way. God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and Truth!!!"

I absolutely LOVE this. You know why??? Because Jesus keeps telling the religious people that all their worship is fake because it is without love. And then Jesus tells the slut, the one who has been looking for love her entire life, how to love and how to worship. Jesus is FREAKIN AWESOME!!!

Sooo...worship (love) in spirit and in truth. What does that mean???

TRUTH--that's simple...all that means is...let your love for God be real. Sincerity. Don't be like the pharisee's of Jesus' day and the religious people of our day. Don't be fake. Cut the B.S. and fall in love with God and let that be real in your life.

SPIRIT--this is a word full of meaning...spirit in the greek means "breath." So Jesus is basically doing away with all religious aspects here. No more temple, no more only Jerusalem, no more you have to sacrifice this animal. Jesus says worship is loving God with every breath that you take. Worship is bigger than church walls and church traditions. It encompasses all of life. And we can't do this on our own. We all are dirty. We all still mess up. We all are unholy. That's why He sends His HOLY Spirit. And He BREATHES his breath of life into us because "in Him we live and move and breathe." (Acts 17:28) Sooo...with every breath He gives us we are to love Him with all of it.

Sooo...Jesus answers her question, saying places don't matter anymore. To worship, to love...all you need is the air you breathe. And God is searching for those who love him like that.

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO!!!



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Sources
The Bible

The Rabbi & the Porn Star//Known

Part 2 of a study on John 4:1-42

Sooo...Jesus is still sitting by the well with the town slut. He just offered her a new life and a new start and a way to be one with God again (Living Water). And she says that's what she's been looking for and that she wants what Jesus is offering her. She wants living water!!! Then randomly Jesus says, "Where is your husband?" To which she responds, "I have no husband..." Then Jesus tells the girl her life's story, "You right, you've had five husbands and the one you're shacking up with now isn't even your husband." Wow!!! How in-your-face is that???

But it is at this point that she realizes something...

He knows absolutely everything about me and He's still sitting beside me. He's still here with me and loving me for who I am...mistakes and all.

Isn't that what what all of us are looking for? Don't all of us want someone that knows every single little tiny detail about us (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and still love us.

That desire has been God's plan from the beginning. When God created man, He said it is not good for the man to be alone...So God created woman (because the first time the man saw her, he said, "Whoa mannnn!!!" lol) But at the end of that chapter God said that they were "naked before each other and were without shame." (Gen 2:25) This is more than just a physical aspect. It covers everything...they knew everything about each other, inside and out, and they were without shame. All of us want something like that. Because...

To be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known!!!

Known...let's talk about this word. In the Hebrew, the word they used for "to know" is...yada. Which is the same word that they used for SEX...oh yes we're going there. (I'm tired of the church not going there) Since the beginning of time God created us for love and for intimacy. First with Him, then our spouse, and then the world. But at the beginning, when a man loved a women and they made love...they knew each other. Sex wasn't just intercourse, it was having someone know everything about you and still want to be with you and vice versa...You knew every detail about the person you were with and you still want to share your love with that person alone.

As you read the Bible, you can see how we start preverting sex. Instead of knowing each other like God's original plan, we started taking from each other. In Gen 6:2, they stopped using the term "to know" for sex...they started using the term, "to take."

He doesn't really have to know her, he can just take what He wants from her and leave it at that. No commitments...no regrets, right???

She wants to be known by someone, but doesn't believe that kind of love exists. So she settles and starts "giving herself away" so that she can feel loved for at least a couple of moments. But she doesn't know him, she just takes from him so that she can feel better about herself.

It's just sex!!!

But that's my point, when it's just sex then it's that...just sex. There' no love, no intimacy, no connection. We can live without sex, but we cannot live without love. That's why you can be the most popular person at a party, but still be alone on the inside. That's why you can have sex with him and at the end still feel empty. Because sex without knowing isn't sex. Sex without knowing isn't love. Because...

To be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known!!!

Sooo...she is sitting next to Jesus and she realizes what she's found in Him. She's been looking sooooo long for something like this. For someone to know her...REALLY know her from the inside-out and still love her...and still be there with her through it all...And Jesus is still sitting next to her...with her...the rabbi and the pornstar.

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Sources
The Bible
True Story by James Choung
SexGod by Rob Bell

The Rabbi & the Porn Star//Living Water

Part 1 of a study on John 4:1-42

Soooo...Jesus is sitting by Himself near a well and the town slut comes up to draw some water--Awkward. So what does Jesus do? He goes and talks to her and asks her for some water. Now this is not the norm...come on...i mean the rabbi and the porn star--that would make Entertainment Tonight. But He comes up to her despite her label and asks her for some water.

She says, "You're a Jew, why would you ask someone like me for water?" Then Jesus said, "If you would ask me for water, I would give you living water and you would never thirst again." Now let's stop right here for a second.

Living Water--what is that suppose to mean???

To the Jews, this "living water" was a ritual bath, called the mikveh. Before you could come into the presence of God, you had to be made clean. So at the Temple there was a place where you would come and wash yourself with "living water" so that you could be with God.

So Jesus is sitting with this promiscuous women and offering her...
a new life
a new start
to be able to be made clean again
to be able to be with God again

This is funny that Jesus is offering a dirty Samaritan all of this because according to the Jewish tradition, Jesus would have to take a little dip in the "living water" pool himself, because he was drinking from a jar that was handled by a Samaritan.

So Jesus is sitting next to her, becoming "unclean" to the point that he is no longer accepted in the Church, so that this girl can be made one with God again...AWESOME STUFF!!!

So she turns and looks at Jesus and says, "I want this living water. I don't want to keep coming back to this well. I don't want to be thirsty all the time--always looking for something and never finding it. I want to be satisfied."

So...
You who has been searching for that one thing that's missing
You who wants more to this life
You who walks to the well alone because no one wants you

LISTEN TO THESE WORDS...

"Anyone who is thirsty may come to me. Anyone who believes in me may come and drink. For rivers of living water flow from my heart for you."--Jesus
(John 7:37-38)

To be continued...

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Sources
The Bible
Followtherabbi.com

Randomness//I Dare You...

I DARE YOU TO THINK OF SOMEONE BESIDES YOURSELF

I DARE YOU TO LOOK BEYOND YOUR RIGHT NOW, YOUR CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCE OR SITUATION

I DARE YOU TO LOOK INTO THE EYES OF YOUR CHILDREN AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU CANT

I DARE YOU TO GROW

I DARE YOU TO GIVE LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER GIVEN BEFORE

I DARE YOU TO LOVE LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER LOVED BEFORE

I DARE YOU TO COME OUT FROM UNDER THE SELFISH ROCK YOU LIVE AND LIVE FOR SOMEONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF…

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Sources
A blog from fellow church planter in the big ATL...
Lloyd Owens @ Peculiar Place
whatispeculiar.com

Randomness//Center of it all

Here's just some random thoughts and questions from the churchplanters.com conference that Jack and I went to last week. Next week start back my normal stuff...lol

What type of church are you planting? What do you mean...type of church?
--David Putnam

I love this. Types of church???
I thought there was only one church on this earth.
It is international (not made in America).
It is interracial (yes, that means black, white, latino, asian, and everybody else all under one roof).
THERE IS ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISIM, AND ONE CHURCH. (Eph 4:5)
Denominations cut the body into pieces--no wonder people don't want to be apart of His Church...we hate each other according to our denominations. Jesus prayed that we would be one as He and the Father were one. Let's stop all this types of churches stuff and let's be His church.

What this world needs is Jesus, not an impressive church!!!
--Shawn Lovejoy

It's not about the lights, the music, or the pastor's hairstyle. We do everything we can do to entertain people into the church. I'm sorry but that is a sin. We need worship not entertainment. If we offer entertainment, we are offering people the same thing they can get anywhere else. And most "christian entertainment" sucks compared to the entertainment this world offers. But, if we offer worship and love, that is something different than this world offers. And didn't Jesus say, "If I be lifted up then I will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32) So shouldn't we worship so that Jesus can do something, or are we just gonna a settle and entertain and keep Jesus out of it???

Until you can say, "Imitate me," like Paul did...then you have no reason planting a church.
--Bob Roberts Jr.

'Nuff said...How about them apples?

Are you making momentum or making disciples?
--Ed Stetzer

Again...
entertainment vs. worship (worship)
transaction vs. transformation (salvation)
the cool church vs. the Body of Christ (the church)

So basically at the end of all this. Jesus is the center of it all and there is "one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." (Eph 4:6)

Defined//Saved

When the Church first started, people started calling this peculiar group of people "Followers of the Way." People didn't know much about these people, all they knew is that they lived in a way that was totally different than everyone else and that they were offering people a whole new way to live. And this bothers me because...

Are Christians, in our days, offering people a whole new way to live?
Or...
Are we just offering them the "you're saved" title and a promise that one day "you will be in heaven"?

We the Church have not shown this world another way of life. Most Christians look pretty much like everyone else...they just sprinkle a little Jesus in whenever they need it. The question we need to answer is...

What are you saved for???

I am convinced that Jesus didn't come just to prepare us to die (sit in the pew till heaven comes), but to teach us how to live.

People are looking for a new way to live their lives and that's what Jesus offered. Jesus didn't touch the leper so that the leper could say, "I'm saved" and attend Sunday School. Jesus touched the leper so that the leper could dance--so that he now could live a whole new way of life. A life that is abundant (John 10:10)--one full of forgiveness, freedom, grace, and love. That's what being "saved" is all about--it's loving our God for this new life that He offers and loving our neighbor so that they can see that new life that He offers.

"There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them." (Acts 4:12)

You see, in the Greek, "saved" means..."one"--to be made one again. Cause aren't we all broken inside? Don't all of us know what it's like to have our lives shattered? Don't we all need someone to pick up our pieces and put us back together again?

Isn't that what Jesus did--put our lives back together and make us whole (one) again?

And since the Church is His Hands and Feet, aren't we suppose to go out into the world and pick up all the broken pieces in people's lives and show them that Christ can put them back together again?

Salvation is more than the sinner's prayer.
Salvation is more than "with every head bow and every eye closed."
Salvation is more than raising a hand.
Salvation is more than just heaven.

Salvation is being made one with God again and living in that oneness to the point that this world wants to be one with God too.

Cause we all want to be whole
Cause we all want to be one again
Cause we all want to be saved!!!

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Sources
The Bible
UnChristian by David Kinnaman and Kyle Lyons
True Story by James Choung
Irresistibe Revolution by Shane Claiborne

Jesus(Love)//Love Revolution

Everyday about 4,100 men, women, and children die in Sub-Saharan Africa from this preventable, treatable disease...Just 2 pills a day that costs about 40 cents can keep someone with HIV and AIDS alive and healthy.

Every seven seconds, a child under the age of 5 dies of hunger.

One billion people in the world do not have clean water.

More than half the world lives on less than $2 a day and the average American teenager spends nearly $150 a week.

Jesus said that if the Church doesn't cry out, then the rocks will scream (Luke 19:40)... or at least the rockstars because they seem to embrace Jesus' teaching of justice more than His Church.

Rockstars and Celebraties are standing up and shouting...

Bono has started the (Red) Campaign and does whatever it takes to take on AIDS, Poverty, and Third World Debt.

Angelina Jolie not only speaks about poverty and orphans, but she herself has gone for months at a time to start orphanages in places where there are none. She herself has adopted 3 orphans and said that she and Brad have thought of adopting up to 14 kids.

Brad Pitt said, "Let us be outraged, let us be loud, let us be bold."

Nickelback singing about poverty states, "If everyone cared and nobody cried. If everyone loved and nobody lied. If everyone shared and swallowed their pride then we'd see the day when nobody died." And the music video for this song is all about justice fighters that have stood up and made a difference in this world.

Lenny Kravitz sings about starting a new love revolution.

The Church has said...nothing. I haven't really heard the church speak out about any of this. There are a few that are starting to catch on, but as a whole we sit very quietly in our pews and say prayers for them. This world is wanting to start a love revolution. Jesus was the first one to do that...so shouldn't His Church be the one heading up this love revolution.

I've heard many Christians say, "When I get to heaven, I want to ask God why there is so much suffering in this world." I'm kind of afraid to ask that question because I'm afraid Jesus will look at us and say, "I don't know why there is so much suffering in the world because you are my hands and feet. Weren't you suppose to do something?"

Because...

Isn't "faith without deeds dead?" (James 2:26)

Isn't true faith, "Caring for the orphans and the widows in their troubles, and refusing to let the world corrupt us." (James 1:27)

Isn't it true that "If you have faith to move mountains...but not love,"(1 Cor 13:2) then it's worthless.

"Isn't this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice...to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" (Isa 58:6-7)

Jesus' love was absolute insanity to the religious people of the day because He was offering salvation to the "unclean." He would touch the people that no one else would touch. He would hang out with the ones no one else would hang out with. He would fight for the "image of God" that is inside of each person. And this love that has no limits and this love that is for everyone and this love that fights for what is right should be seen in His Church--and should start with His Church.

What are you doing that is showing Jesus' love?
Is the Church changing the world, like Jesus did?
Do you bring love where there is suffering, or do you just pray for them and walk away?
Where is the Jesus(Love)?

"It is time for a love revolution.
It is time for a new constitution."
--Lenny Kravitz

Let us start the love revolution, Church.
Let us cry out.
Let us bring Heaven down.
Let us be the Kingdom of God.

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Sources
The Bible
Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne
Jesus Came to Save Christians by Rob Bell
Joinred.com

Jesus(Love)//Wine

Have you ever wondered.....

Okay Jesus enters the scene for the very first time--His "first miracle." Jesus stops by a wedding and joins in the celebration. Now if you thought that Greeks had a big fat wedding, then you should go to a true Jewish wedding because it is a week long event--they knew how to PARTY!!! So Jesus comes in and becomes the life of the party. For His first miracle, He turns water into wine to keep the party going. Why??? (John 2:1-12)

Maybe He was celebrating two becoming one.
(since He was coming to make us one with God)
Maybe He was celebrating true love .
(since He, Himself, is true love and was coming to show us what love is like)
Maybe He was celebrating the marriage covenant.
(since God was making a love covenant with us through Jesus Christ)

Maybe He thought that love is something worth celebrating.
Maybe love is the miracle.
Maybe the reason He came was because of love and for love.

Now let's fast foward >> >>
From the first thing Jesus did to the last thing that Jesus did before the cross and resurrection...the Last Supper (Luke 22:7-30)

Now in Jewish tradition--when a man loves a women (like the song) there was, of course, the engagement. But they didn't use diamonds like we use today. They did something else. The man would set his future bride at a table and go get a bottle of wine. (and maybe turn on a little Barry White--just joking lol) He would pour a glass of wine and sit down at the table with her. He would then take a sip from the cup and slide it over to her basically saying, "Will you be mine? Will you join me in my love?" She would then take a sip herself and hand the glass back to him. From then on they were engaged. And the man would go off and build a house "to prepare a place" for them to live.

Now the Last Supper...Jesus sits across from His Beloved (His disciples) and pours a glass of wine, takes a sip, and offers it to them saying, "Will you be mine? Will you take of My cup? Will you join me in my love revolution because I'm fixing to show you what true love is?" No wonder we call it communion (two becoming one). No wonder the New Testament church called it the "love feast."

Now let's fast foward one more time>> >>
From the Last Supper to another communion, to another place where two became one, where two Spirits were joined...Pentecost (Acts 2:1-15)

Jesus goes "to prepare us a place" (John 14:2) and God sends down the Holy Spirit to live inside His Church, His Beloved, His Bride. The church starts to PARTY because of this wonderful thing and what does everyone begin to say???

"They must be drunk. They just had a little bit too much wine."

And Peter says, "We're not drunk...let me tell you what this is all about!!!" And then Peter shares the gospel with them. But from that point on the Church, Jesus' Bride, is known for this radical love and this insane joy. They don't have to use wine to get that way because they have drunk of the wine of their Lover, Savior, and God...and they will "never be thirsty again." (John 4:14)

I don't know about you, but I want Jesus' Bride, the Church, to be like that again. Where we are so in love with our Bridegroom that we worship Him to the point that people think that we are drunk, which we are..."drunk in the Spirit." (Eph 5:18)

Let's Celebrate!!!
Let's Worship!!!
Let's keep the PARTY going, like Jesus did!!!

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Sources
The Bible
Followtherabbi.com
SexGod by Rob Bell
Jesus Came to Save Christians by Rob Bell
Reimagining Church by Frank Viola

Defined//Witness

Witnessing...you know the "christian" formula we invented to tell others about Jesus...since we got to make an event out of it. We have to take classes like F.A.I.T.H and know our "Christian Alphabet"--Accept, Believe, Confess--before we're allowed to witness. Yeap, even Jesus did the study Share Jesus Without Fear, because He was scared of Himself. We've made witnessing into this massive thing-to-do and we've totally screwed up what Jesus originally planned.

Jesus said, "you will be my witnesses." (Acts 1:8) He did not say go and witness. It's not something you go and do. It's something You are. Everything you do witnesses Christ to this world. The question is what kind of witness are you? Does your witness--your life--lift Jesus up and allow Him to draw people to Himself (John 12:32) or does your witness--your life--make Jesus want to spit you out of His mouth? (Rev 3:14-22)

If you witness a crime, what happens? Did you do something? No, you just saw it. What happens? You become something. You become a witness. You become a part of a bigger story. Jesus didn't tell people about a bigger story. He lived out the bigger story, God's story of redemption. Then whoever came in contact with Him witnessed it and they became a part of God's redemption story because of it.

This world is looking for a bigger story, a redemption story. They are wanting to witness that there is more to life than this. They are wanting to witness that there is such a thing as faith, hope, and love.

We would rather show somebody a diagram, than to show them Jesus alive inside of us. We would rather walk the "Roman Road" with them, than walk down life's road with them hand in hand so that they can see that Jesus makes a difference.

We've made this witness thing into something so impersonal. (so we don't have to get close and so we don't have to get our hands dirty) When Jesus walked into people's lives, he was very personal. He didn't go up to Zacchaeus and say, "If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven or hell?" No, he went up to Zacchaeus and said, "Stop hiding up in that tree. Come on down. Let's go eat and hangout at your place. Come follow me." And this changed Zacchaeus' life because no one wanted to hang out with him and now this Jesus dude comes in and shows Zacchaeus what heaven is like, instead of just asking him about it. Now money, which controlled his life earlier, didn't even matter anymore and he gave it all away for he found the "treasure in the field." (Matt 13:44) He found the greatest love ever and he was willing to give it all away just to be apart of that love.

This world is looking for a bigger story, a redemption story. They are wanting to witness that there is more to life than this. They are wanting to witness that there is such a thing as faith, hope, and love.

All we have to do is...
Love God.
Love God's redemption story.
Love people.
Be God's redemption story.
"For you will be my witnesses..."
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Sources
The Bible

True Story//Katie

*Explicit Content--the story is true and real and the church needs to see where the world is at so that we can run to them with the hope that we have inside of us--like Jesus did. It's time to get messy*

The first time I met Katie was the second day at my new job. She was in the back fixing to fall apart as she just found out that her uncle had died the night before in a tragic car accident. Since I was new to this place and didn't really know anybody, I didn't know exactly what to do. But I sat down with her for a moment, let her cry, and then made her laugh. (like milk, laughter does a body good lol) We got off about the same time so we set down and drank some coffee as she told me her life story...

Divorse. Step-parents. Death. Sickness. Cancer. Worry. Depression. Anti-depressants. Poverty. College Full-time. Working two jobs. Cancer again--this time herself (age 20). Weed. Alcohol. Questioning. Broken heart. Empty sex. Sucidal thoughts. Tears. No hope.

At the end of all this she was asking God why??? Her grandfather was a pastor, but her home was filled with a bunch of religious rules and not Jesus' Love. My heart was broken for her. We would hang out after work all the time and she would let me know how her week was going. I'd just let her vent, but she would always come back to asking questions about God and Christians. She was trying to find some kind of answer.

One day while we were talking, she was shaking all over and smoking more cigarettes then her norm. I asked her what was wrong and she rolled up her sleeve. "I just couldn't take it anymore," she said as she showed me her 48 scars where she had cut herself the night before. Then she asked me another question about God that has never left me. In her desperation and tears she asked, "If Jesus is such d@#* good news then why don't it change anything? If it is such f@#*ing good news, then why don't christians act like it is f@#*ing good news? I don't believe a God d@#* thing!!!" She looked at me for an answer and I couldn't say anything.

I went home that night in anger, not at her, but at myself cause I didn't know what to say. Her question haunted me and made me question things.

What is the gospel?
Is it good news?
Why is it good news?
Why don't I act like it is good news?
Why doesn't it seem like good news to other people?
How is the world suppose to see this good news?

I mean really think about this for a moment. When we have something good happen to us, most of the time we tell someone about it and our whole attitude changes. And we have the greatest news ever in Jesus and we're scared to tell people about him and christians are some of the most depressed people i've ever met.

If you were in my situation, what would you have done? What would you have told Katie? Most of us would say, "Well, I'll be praying for you," and then just walk away. Is that showing her good news? Is that showing her Jesus?

"We often ask God to show up. We pray prayers of rescue. Perhaps God would ask us to be that rescue, to be His body, to move for things that matter. He is not invisible when we come alive. I might be simple but more and more, I believe God works in love, speaks in love, and is revealed in our love." (twloha.com)

You see, there is good news...it's Jesus. It's not heaven. (one day there will be...) No, the good news is that Jesus is here...which means...that love is here and hope is here and healing is here and forgiveness is here and it's here NOW!!! We need to show Katie that.

This needs to be our response...

She is ours to love.
We will be her hospital.
We will be her hope.
We will be her healing.
We will be her CHURCH,
the body of Christ coming alive to meet her needs,
to write love on her arms..." (twloha.com)

Now that's good news--that's the gospel!!!

------------------------------
Sources
To Write Love on Her Arms

Prayer//May God Bless You

MAY GOD BLESS YOU…with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU…with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU…with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU…with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

–A Francescan Benediction

Defined//Repent

REPENT--oh yes, the famous "christian" word that we use to bring down hellfire and brimstone. It comes packaged with protesters holding up signs saying, "Heaven Yes. Hell no. REPENT." And the old pastor types screaming at the top of their lungs, "Turn or burn, I say, turn or burn." But the thing is...that really doesn't look a lot like Jesus, but more like the pharisees--the ones who killed Jesus. So this got me thinking (I know scary thought lol)...

What did Jesus mean when HE said Repent?

Repent is not a word of condemnation (do this or die).
It's not a bargaining chip (if you would just do these four things, then God will...).

In the Greek (the original language), Repent translates into "rethink your life." So when Jesus showed up on the scene and said, "REPENT for the Kingdom of God is here," (Matt 4:17) He was saying, "Ok it's time to reevaluate everything. It's time to rethink your life cause the Kingdom of God is here. Yes, the Kingdom of God is here and this is gonna change everything."

And He has changed everything--absolutely everything--he's "made peace with all things." (Col 1:20) So when Jesus was going around touching people's lives, he was not going around and saying, "If you just do this, then God will do this." He was going around saying, "The Kingdom of God is here. I've made peace with all things. Do you realize that you can have peace, REAL peace!!!"

Repentance is not trying to get God to do something (maybe if I just do this, then God will do this...). If you are just doing this "Christian Walk" just so that God will do something for you, then you do not know who God is and what He has done. Cause He's already done EVERYTHING--he's made peace with all things!!! Do you realize what this means??? This changes everything. I don't have to do all these things to get to God, cause God came down to get to me. I don't have to make up for my sins, cause he already nailed them to the cross. Cause He's made peace with all things.

What about turn or burn??? What about the change???
HELLO!!! Who wouldn't change when you come to the realization of what all God has done??? Like Rob Bell says, "Of course you're gonna live in a different way. Of course you're gonna reorder your life. Who wouldn't, when they came to the awareness that peace has already been made." All that is left to do is celebrate what God has done and to trust in it--For the Kingom of God is here!!!

Rethink your life--cause this changes everything!!! Repent.
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Sources
The Bible
True Story by James Choung
Jesus for President by Shane Clairborne
The God's Aren't Angry DVD by Rob Bell