MEDITATION
COMPASSION

GOOD
NEWS

THE whole chebang IN A NUTSHELL

"‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

JESUS the CHRIST

Nuggets in a Nutshell

Build Confidence
Be Confident

". . . I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it . . ."

Jesus the Christ
(John's account)

{ a "secret" . . . life }
{ a "secret" . . . freedom }
{ a "secret" . . . abundance }

And when they heard Jesus say these things, some said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?

Others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?

What is the thief doing?

stealing - killing - destroying
(blinding - muting - negating)

Let's have a close close-up. Are we (any of us), as it were, being blinded? Muted? Negated? If so that would be theft of soul - death of spirit - being destroyed. Wolves! Whelps! Hired hands. Not shepherds.

How might we have let them sneak in? Perhaps conditioning. Perhaps we were commanded. Perhaps we were required. Perhaps resulted. Wolves! Whelps! Hired hands. Not The Shepherd.

Here is Good News: we are not helpless. Isn't that awesome? You are not alone. We are not alone. The Shepherd protects and preserves. Gives life. Abundant life. As in NOW. Woohoo! Imbues confidence. Rejoice! Lift up! Restore. Love in love! Here is more awesomness. "In him we live and move and have our being . . . We are his offspring." It's a tight relationship. It's personal. We are in direct contact. Confidence.

BUT! TAKE A DEEP BREATH. EXHALE. BREATHE AGAIN.
What about the real stuff - the rubber meets road stuff - the Goliath stuff!!!

You've probably heard (or felt), been reared or warned: be seen and not heard! Mhm. That stuff. Sounds innocent? You are being muted. (It's got wolf-teeth.) Silence is a toll. What must you do?

Your genuine wants and needs are being smacked aside, brow-beated, ignored (re-named for you): flesh, carnal, selfish! Mhm. That stuff. Sounds spiritual? You are being negated. (It's got wolf-teeth. And whelps are learning to chew.) Squelched is a toll. What will you do?

Your tough questioning; your digging; your crying out for understanding; your searching as though for buried treasure; your preference to be wise is denounced, banned, prohibitted (re-classified for you): unbelieving, faithless, of the devil. Ripped scripture-bits tossed to your chest. Mhm. That stuff. It's a warning. You are being destroyed. (The hired-hand is gone!)

Shall I confess? There are times - during a pause - if I look around, I'd grab my breath and gasp at a realization that were Jesus to step into some congregations today and into some communities and into some cliques bearing His name, proclaiming His name, he'd be promptly kicked out, or held captive for conversion, or fleeced of all of his belongings. But then, thankfully, quickly, I breathe again and smile - or laugh out loud - my sweet Jesus, who am I to judge? Then my spring of joy flows again. That wonderful life-giving voice whispers, "Just be you! That's why I came."

Skillset - 07 - creating smart circles & growth communities, living well; (practical - pragmatic - wise)

CRACK THE NUT

Dear Friend,

A Sparkling Gem

Nicolette Sowder

"Give me the wild children with their bare feet and sparkling eyes. The restless, churning climbers. The wild ones using their outside voices, singing all the way home. Give me the wonder-filled, glorious mess makers dreaming of mountains and mud, aching to run through a field of stars."

Isaiah, the Prophet

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners."

Bishop Gene Robinson

"It's funny isn't it? That you can preach a judgmental and vengeful and angry God and nobody will mind. But you start preaching a God that is too accepting, too loving, too forgiving, too merciful, too kind . . . and you are in trouble."

Desmond Tutu

"You may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low.."

- A Sprinkling of Salt -

MOUNTAINSIDE CHATS - CIRCLES - COMMUNITIES
(Unique Strategies, Tactics, Fixes, Techniques)

Dear God, grant me victory today over all that assails. Help me square up to even the greatest challenges and claim authority over them, unafraid. Amen.

Joshua Dubois
PRAYERS

What it Takes to Succeed

Creating Your Best Inner Circle

"It was not enough to come and listen to a great sermon or message every Sunday morning and be confined to those four walls and those four corners. You had to get out and do something."

- John Lewis