What Sort Of Tale Have You Fallen Into?

There are two scenes from a movie and a book that I wanted you to see something from this morning. The first is the opening dialogue from the movie Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, and it is a wonderful movie. And the second is from The Lord of the Rings book, The Two Towers.

This is one of my favorite stories of all time, even though it begins in a basement. I'm going to tell it the way it was written by this guy - Bellini - who lives underneath the amazing, the remarkable...Mr. Magorum's Wonder Emporium. And, yes...he sleeps with a dolly.

Bellini's job is to build all the books for all the kids who come to the Emporium. But is also to chronicle the life of Mr. Magorium himslef. Mr. Magorium once made toys for Napoleon, beat Abraham Lincoln at hopscotch and holds the current record for time spent upside down.

There were those who called Magorium a genius. My mom called him an eccentric. And this one guy inexplicably called him"Steve." But Magorium's story was reaching its final chapters. That's okay, all stories, even the ones we love, must eventually come to an end, and when they do it's only an opportunity for another story to begin.

"I don't like anything here at all," said Frodo, "step or stone, breath or bone. Earth, air and water all seem accursed. But so our path is laid."

"Yes, that so, " said Sam. "And we shouldn't be here at all, if we'd known more about it before we started. But I suppose it's often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that say in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually - there paths were laid that was, as you put it. But I expect hey had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn't. And if they had, we shouldn't know, because they'd have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on - and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. You know, coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same - like old Mr. Bible. But those aren't always the best tales to hear, though they may be the best tales to get landed in! I wonder what sort of a tale we've fallen into?"

"I wonder," siad Frodo. "But I don't know. And that's the way of a real tale. Take any one that you're fond of. You may know, or guess, what kind of a tale it is, happy-ending or sad-ending, but the people in it don't now. And you don't want them to."

"No, sir, of course not. Beren now, he never thought he was going to get that Silmaril from the Iron Crown in Thangorodrim, and yet he did, and that was a worse place and a blacker danger than ours. But that's a long tale, of course, and goes on past the happiness and into grief and beyond it - and the Silmaril went on a came to Earendil. And why, sir, I never thought of that before! We've got - you've got some of the light of it in that star-glass that the Lady gave you! Why, to think of it, we're in the same tale still! It's going on. Don't the great tales never end?"

"No, they never end as tales, " said Frodo. "But the people in them come, and go when their part's ended. Our part will end later - or sooner."

"And then we can have some rest and some sleep," said Sam. He laughed grimly. " And I mean just that, Mr. Frodo. I mean plain ordinary rest, and sleep, and waking up to a morning's work int eh garden. I'm afraid that's all I'm hoping for all the time. All the big important plans are not for my sort. Still, I wonder if we shall ever be put into songs or tales. We're in one, of course; but I mean: put into words, you know, told by the fireside, or read out of a great big book with red and black letters, years and years afterwards. And people will say: "Let's hear about Frodo and the Ring!" And they'll say: "yes, that's one of my favorite stories. Frodo was very brave, wasn't he dad?" "Yes, my boy, the famousest of the hobbits, and that's saying a lot."

"It's saying a lot too much, " said Frodo, and he laughed, a long clear laugh from his heart. Such a sound had not been heard in those places since Sauron came to Middle-earth. To Same suddenly it seemed as if all the stones were listening and the tall rocks leaning over them. But Frodo did not heed them; he laughed again. "Why, Sam," he said, "to hear you somehow makes me as merry as if the story was already written. But you've left out one of the chief characters: Samwise the stouthearted. "I want to hear more about Sam, dad. Why didn't they put in more of his talk, dad? That's what I like, it makes me laugh. And Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam, would he, dad?"

"Now, Mr. Frodo," said Sam, "you shouldn't make fun. I was serious."

"So was I," said Frodo, "and so I am. We're going on a bit too fast. You and I, Sam, are still stuck in the worst places of the story, and it is all too likely that some will say at this point: "Shut the book now, dad; we don't want to read any more."

"Maybe," said Sam, "but I wouldn't be one to say that. Things done and over and made into part of the great tales are different. Why, even Gollum might be good in a tale, better than he is to have by you, anyway. And he used to like tales himself once, by his own account. I wonder if he thinks he's the hero or the villain?"

These two instances tell me that we are in a story that is being told, and has been being told for a very long time. And we don't really get to choose the story, or even the parts that we play in it. And whether or not we play our parts well all depends on how we interpret what is going on in our lives.

Do we look at life as a challenge to be overcome, or do we just slump our shoulders and succumb to the pressure of the story and give in? I like what Frodo says to Sam about the people in the story, how they don't know what is going to happen, and you don't want them to. Life is like that, you really never know what you are going to get do you? To borrow from John Eldredge's book Epic, you have to enter into the day to find out what your part is. Good or bad, that part is actually immaterial, it is how we participate in the story that determines the outcome.

Life is unpredictable. And for those of us who want to control our environment, that can be very frustrating. But I think that's why God set it up the way He did. Because truthfully the unpredictable life is the one that is an adventure to be lived. Knowing the outcome of every moment of every day would eventually become boring, and people do not want boredom.

I watched the behind the scenes portion of a DVD one time and the actors told how they only received the part of the script that they would be acting the next day, and only their part in the scripts too. That's kind of how things are in the Kingdom of God, you get up each day, pray and seek the Father for what your part is going to be to play for that day. This is why Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day, our daily bread." Not, "Give us this day our allotted bread for the month." It's all a part of God wanting desperately to be in our lives and share them with us.

So what sort of tale have you fallen into? Mine is a great one, one that has been being told for all eternity, and is still being written new each and every day. Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Who's A Sinner?

I fell into sin yesterday, and I was wondering this morning about that and how it's the little things that trip us up. You know the sins that don't really seem like much, but end up hurting our relationship with the Father. Jesus told us that if our eye offends us we should pluck it out, well that seems a little extreme doesn't it? Yet there it is, a command from our Lord. So what are we to do with that?

One thing that I've come to realize in Christianity is that we as a people group try to rate our sins or categorize them into various degrees of evil. Murder is at the worst end of the spectrum, while gossiping may end up on the "little sin" end of the scale. One of the things that I find really funny, is the fat Christian who points his finger at the person who drinks or smokes and condemns them as one of those really big sinners. The truth is, gluttony is just as much a sin as what they are pointing out, but lets don't talk about that, after all a person's gotta eat, right? And don't you know that we are told to fellowship with other believers, and we do that around meals. Yeah I know, just next time skip the third helping and two deserts, how about that? (And I've been guilty of this so don't stone me).

There are no degrees of sin with God period. Sin causes separation from God. It breaks the fellowship that we have with Him, and that is why it is bad. Regardless of what sin you commit, this will hinder you in your relationship with the Father. This is why He hates sin, not because He has this big list of do's and dont's, but because He knows that when we sin it keeps His best from getting to us, and He is all about doing good for us. Remember, "For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11"

And that is the point really, the relationship I have between me and God. So when I sin, and we all do, this barrier raises up which keeps me from receiving God's best for my life, and the devil knows this. He works very hard to trip us up in this area. Now before you come to the conclusion that we are just pawns in some big cosmic chess game, I'm not saying that the devil can "make" us sin. What he does is plant thoughts in our little pea brains to see if we will act on them. Take a look at James 1:14 - 15 in the Amplified Bible:

"But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death."

"Baited by his own lust and passions". Hmm, now this is interesting, we are not driven along by the devil and his minions with pitchforks prodding us to do wrong. No, it is the lust and passions within us that cause us to sin. So, while the enemy has a part to play, we can no longer just blame him for our short comings can we? I think not. You know the bait covers up a hook, and it is the hook that causes the problem, for it snares us and brings the destruction of our fellowship with God.

So what are we to do then? If it is our lust and passions that trip us up then we need to learn to control those things. But how do I do that Dave? I'm glad you asked. You have to have a working knowledge of God's Word. We can no longer take a casual approach to the Bible and it's teachings, to do so allows sin to have it's way with us. We must master those things that would try and trip us up. Now before you go any further, just because you read the Bible does not mean that you will magically never sin again. You may read in the Word that you should not do something, but just having that knowledge won't save you, you have to act on that knowledge.

Just as sin starts as a thought and then you act on that thought. God's Word is a thought which you must act on too. The key here is that we have to do the acting, either for good or for bad, it is our choice. No longer do we have the right to say that we couldn't help ourselves because that is a lie, we can..."IF" we make the decision to do so. So get a Bible reading plan and start it, then act on those things that you learn there and you will see the things that once tripped you up will begin to have less and less ability to entice you.

Now I wonder as you read this today, did you get the point I've been making this morning, or have you just been trying to decide which sin I committed yesterday? Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

When Things Don't Make Sense

What do you do when things don't make sense? I know that confusion is a tool that the enemy uses to try and distract people from the promises that God has given them, and that God never uses confusion at all. But from time to time I have found that this life I'm leading doesn't make sense to me. For instance, who would have thought that at forty-eight I would begin a completely new career path? Don't misunderstand me here, I'm not upset that this has happened, it actually may be one of the best things to have happened to me in years, but I can say that it wasn't on my radar at least.

Listening to my Pastor this past Sunday he was talking about Noah and the building of the ark. The comment that made my ears perk up was about how we know the story of Noah, how he built the ark, brought all the animals on board and was saved from destruction. But, Noah didn't know all of that until after it had happened. He had to believe God's word to him for that day, and God didn't show him a power point presentation of what all was going to happen either. Noah had to take it one day at a time, walking by faith and trusting God.

I remember a time from my past, which seems like an eternity ago, when Cheryl and I were newly married and working two jobs. We had a little debt back then (man I wish I only had the debt I had back then now) and I was lamenting to the Lord on the way to my second job about how if He would just drop me a check from Heaven for the amount we owed, then we could get on with working for Him more. This is the only time I have ever experienced actually hearing an audible voice from the Lord, not just that still small voice in my heart, and He said, "If I did that, you'd quit walking by faith." I must admit, I actually turned around to see who was sitting in the back seat of my car, it was that clear to me. I know that it was the Lord, because those nine words brought a peace to my heart that up until that time I had not known.

Well that is where I'm at today. I'm not wanting the Lord to drop money from Heaven to me (although I wouldn't refuse it either) but there are some things in my life that are going on right now that I don't understand. And while the Lord hasn't spoken to me like He did so many years ago, I can still hear Him telling me to hang on, and keep walking by faith. After all, it is when we are walking by faith that we truly please Him, and that is something that I really want to do.

I watched a movie that I have been anticipating for several months now, called

The Way. It stars Martin Sheen, and is a film by his son Emilio Estevez. There was one line in the movie that captured my heart, and actually fits in with what I'm writing about today. It said, "You don't choose a life, you live one." And that is where I find myself in life, not so much choosing it, but getting to live it each and every day, wondering what each day will bring. And that's not a bad thing, it's just a new way for me, probably the one that God has wanted for me all along.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Going To Pick A Fight

I was reading this morning and came across a passage in the book of Mark. A man with leprosy came to Jesus and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."

Every time I see Jesus dealing with the religious leaders of His day, I am reminded of that scene in the movie Braveheart where William Wallace rides off after the noblemen of Scotland who are going to parlay with the English officers. He is asked by his oldest friend, "Where are you going?" to which he replies, "I"m going to pick a fight."

In this story, if you just casually read it, you will miss what Jesus was getting at with the man who had leprosy. God had set up through the law what the person with leprosy was to do. There were steps that he was to take that would insure his healing. But things had gotten so out of whack over the years, that the priests were more about show than actually doing. Jesus wanted this man to go back to the priest and do what Moses commanded in the law as a way of showing them how much they had missed what God had instructed them to do.

Jesus was picking a fight with the religious leaders. He was trying to get them to see how they had missed it. Unfortunately for them, they missed the message time and time again. Instead of allowing the things that Jesus was doing to move their hearts in the direction towards God, they instead went the opposite direction because of fear of losing what they had.

How many times have I moved away from God because of that same thing, fear? Fear that I am going to somehow lose out on something I have attained, instead of letting the Holy Spirit move me into the direction of true blessing He has for me? What about you? Have you let fear motivate you in opposition to the Lord? What does that stir in your heart when you read that?

I for one want to go with what Jesus has for my life. I don't want to be like the religious leaders in the Bible, stuck in my own little story, living out what I want for my life, and missing out on the actual assignment and purpose that was set out for me from the beginning of the world. How about you? Let's lay aside our desires, those things that we are so desperate to see happen, and begin to seek God for what His purpose and desire is for our lives. I really think that in doing that, we will find true and total happiness and joy.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Lest You Entertain Angels Unaware

Hebrews 13:2 tells us that we can experience angels in our lives. Now I believe that the angels of God exist, but this morning I want to talk about the people that we run into in our daily lives. They may or may not actually be angels, but they can bless our lives too, if we are watching for them to do so.

There is a man that I met at work a while back that I always thought had a great outlook on life, and I wondered what it was that made him be able to have that upbeat and positive attitude. Then one day as we were talking, he mentioned Jesus and then I knew. This man is a brother in Christ with me. Talk about some exciting news, it was awesome to meet another Christian and have something in common besides the fact that we both worked in the same factory.

Now truthfully, I may or may not have had much interaction with this fella based on the jobs that we both do, but now find myself looking for opportunities to engage him in conversation. Derek asked me one day, "Hey what's your name? I like to know the names of the people that I work with." That was refreshing to me for some reason. I think that on that day I was a little down about my job and place in the Kingdom of God, and this little kindness really brightened my day.

We really never know what our words or actions can do for another person. To him, introducing himself to me and asking my name wasn't really that big of a deal probably, but to me it was like a lifeline thrown to a drowning person. It really helped me that day, and our short conversations since then have continued to encourage me in my walk with the Lord. I know that Derek is not an angel in the literal since, but just like Hebrews says, some people have actually interacted with angels and didn't know it, and missed out on the blessing that God had for them. I'm glad that I didn't miss out on what God had for me in my friendship with Derek.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Life Is Worth Living, Ain't It Grand?

What does the title of my blog stir in your heart? Do you find yourself agreeing with it, or perhaps it causes foreign feelings or an attitude of resentment? Why those feelings I wonder? Could it be that you think that a life worth living is for the other guy and not for you? I'm here to tell you that life is worth living, and it is for anyone who is willing to reach out and take it. But you will have to take it by faith.

Faith. This word is not a descriptive word to let people know which denomination you belong to, like, "I'm of the Baptist faith." No, faith is actually a spiritual substance. Scripture states that faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. Yet so many times people will put the blame for why their life is not where they want it to be onto God. They will say things like, "If it's God's will, then my life will be better." That way if things don't go the way that they want, they can blame God and say, "Well, I guess it wasn't His will, that's why I don't have this life worth living."

Okay, let me say right here and now that if you don't know what God's will is for your life, then you need to start reading the Bible, because this is where you will find the will of God. Also the Bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. Now isn't that amazing? Faith is what we need to operate and have that life that is worth living, and it comes by hearing the Word of God. I think we've found a clue to why some people have a better life than others.

One thing that has always bothered me is to hear people make excuses for their lives. If only my childhood had been better, I'd be in a better place. Or if I could catch the breaks that other people do, I would be able to increase my life. Those are all excuses and they need to stop. God says that He is no respecter of persons, which simply means that he doesn't like one person better than another. What He will do for me, He will do for you...IF you access it by faith.

I hope that you haven't felt that I was picking on you or anything. The one thing that I know about myself is that I love to encourage people and to help them grow in their walk with the Lord. My desire for you is to taste and see that the Lord is good, and in order to do that sometimes we have to think about things that are a little tougher. I hope this has helped you, I know it has helped me.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King.

Capital Punishment? I Think Yes!

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!" Well maybe not really unto the breach, but another blog. I was back in my Bible this morning and came across this passage in Deuteronomy, "You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid." And it dawned on me once again why I believe in capital punishment; because it works. Now I don't plan on debating the pros and cons of capital punishment, I do plan on sharing my opinion which is one of the reasons that I actually blog. What I found this morning was that if evil is purged from the country, then the people will hear about it and be afraid, thus causing them to not do the evil that was purged.

When I was a much younger man and in high school, one of the things that my parents instilled in me was a healthy fear of law enforcement. I remember, and still to this day have a tendency to clinch my butt cheeks whenever a police cruise pulls up behind me in traffic. I was very afraid of spending a night in jail, and that fear kept me from doing a lot of things that would have been bad.

The problem that we have nowadays is that there is no respect for the law. Violence and theft is a huge blemish on society as a whole. People just aren't afraid of getting into trouble with the law anymore I guess. And I think that is partly because of the unwillingness of judges and other elected officials to make a stand. I saw where the average stay on death row for a prisoner in Florida was 12.9 years. Really!?! I mean, the person was arrested, put on trial, convicted and sentenced, and yet 12.9 years goes by before the execution takes place? Herein may lie the problem.

Please understand me here, I am not a blood thirsty barbarian who loves to see people killed, not at all. But I do understand the fact that we need to have laws in order to govern the people mainly because where there is an absence of law, there the people will run a muck. And boy do we seem to ever have an absence of law in the times we live in. Not to mention that the "do what feels good to you" attitude is prevalent in today's society as well.

We read in history of nation's that followed the hedonistic lifestyle and say to ourselves, "Wow, they lived horrible lives, no wonder their society fell apart." But the day and age that we are now in sees a much more hedonistic lifestyle than any of those ever before in history, and yet we (as a people group) think because we are more enlightened that our society will prevail where others failed. How arrogant. How deceived.

God instructed the Israelite nation to purge the evil from them, and then they would be afraid to do that evil. Yet now in this generation, we celebrate evil and wonder why things are the way they are. Could it be that God was right all along? Hmm...I think so. Let's get back to doing what is right, and calling those out who won't do it. Like Edmond Burke said, "All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." And I'm afraid that is what has been happening for quite long enough. I for one will stand up and make my voice loud and strong in the face of the evil that I see, how about you?

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Who Are You Following?

"Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." The apostle Paul made this statement in the book of Romans, and it makes me wonder where have I been living? I mean, where have I set my mind each and every day? Who is in control of Dave, his flesh or his spirit?

There is this war that wages in my members daily. It is a constant battle to see who is going to come out on top too. Will my flesh win today, or my spirit? Jesus told us that our spirits are willing, but that our flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41) This is not to say that our flesh is stronger than our spirit, not at all, but it can be stronger if we choose to let it. We must decide daily which we will let lead us. Sometimes we must decide hourly or even minute to minute. But the really awesome thing is that we get to decide.

Flip Wilson coined a phrase back in the day, "The devil made me do it!" in his comedy routine.

And while this is funny the way he tells it, it really isn't true. The devil can't make us do unless we choose to follow the leading of our flesh and decide to do it. This is one of the things that I think the devil has put over onto people's minds for such a long time, that we just can't help ourselves. Well we can, if we choose to put our flesh under and be led by our spirit man.

I won't lie though, it can be a challenge, this is why Jesus told us to take up our cross and die daily to our flesh. And it wouldn't kill you to say no to your flesh once in a while. Show it who's boss so to speak. Instead of eating that sugary, delicious piece of chocolate cake for dessert, decide to pass on it and spend that five minutes in the Word of God. When your spouse asks you to do something, instead of letting your flesh decide for you, follow your heart and make the decision to choose to love them and offer yourself to go with what they've asked.

If you will begin to follow your heart (spirit man) instead of your flesh after a while you will be amazed at how much more powerful a Christian you will become. Just don't get discouraged if you fail, go to 1 John 1:9 ask God to forgive you then get back up on that horse and ride him again. You can do this, otherwise God lied, and if God lied then why are we wasting our time huh? Mercy Me did a song a few years back that kind of reminds of what I've been talking about today. Check it out.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Are You Over Salting?

Jesus said in Matthew 5:13 that we as Christians are to be the salt of the earth. So I’m wondering, have you ever set down to eat, grabbed the salt shaker and over salted your food? Too much salt can actually leave a bad taste in your mouth. That’s not very pleasant is it? Then why is it that so many Christians feel the need to get all up in people’s business when it comes to presenting the Gospel?

We are commanded to preach the good news to a lost and dying world, and I get that. What I don’t understand is how some people go about it. The people who use doom and gloom, or hellfire and damnation as the tool to win the lost don’t make any sense to me. I mean, yeah they put on a pretty good show, but I thought it was the goodness of God that leads man to repentance, (Romans 2:4) not just the fear of going to hell.

God’s plan for mankind is a good one. Jesus himself said that he had come to bring the good news to the poor, set the captives free, heal the blind and proclaim that God’s favor had come. (Luke 4:18 – 19) Even a casual look through the Bible will reveal that Jesus never preached a hellfire and damnation message to the lost. Those types of messages seem to be full of anger, and the only people that Jesus ever seemed to be angry with were the religious people.

I think that it is so important that we reach the people who are in our sphere of influence; we are commanded to do so. But we will do that so much better if we develop good solid relationships with them first. Through those relationships, they will see how good God is in our lives, and then they will desire that in their lives too. This is when they will ask us about the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15), to which Peter says we are supposed to share this information with them in gentleness and respect.

So I think it’s time that we stop over salting the lost, and instead start to build relationships with them. Taking time to invest in their lives and not be so concerned with another notch on our Christian belt. Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!