Archive for May 2009
It is Friday, You are Overwhelmed
It Friday and instead of looking forward to the weekend you are overwhelmed with an insurmountable pile of work, all of it urgent, all of it depending on you, people’s money, time, and possessions are on the line. Not to mention that those who hold you accountable are breathing down your neck. What you must complete in the next few hours is essentially impossible. But that doesn’t matter, you must do it. There is no other way, there are no other options. All this plus you have all your personal issues to deal with, kids, spouse, bills, shopping, the air conditioning is out, the pool is broken, the car “service engine” light came on, you got a ticket, you started your period, it is the hottest day of the year so far, your hair went south, you spilled coffee all over yourself, you can’t find your phone. Where is the wine bottle?
You can’t complain, but you do anyway. Some well meaning person tells you it could be worse, “so get over it.” You want to hit him or scream, but you just think about it. You think about crying, but you’re a man, the boss, don’t want to be a whimp, you’ll ruin your makeup. You give in and think about those who do have it worse, but it doesn’t help. You can’t scream on the outside but you’re screaming on the inside. “It’s Friday, damn it! It shouldn’t be like this.”
But it is. This is your world and there is nothing you can do about it today.
You start in, deal with it, take it one step at a time, one crisis at a time, sometimes two at a time. You work through lunch. You deal with the screamers, you get only mildly upset. That’s good. You work through one issue, then another, only 4732 more to go, but, that’s okay.
You think, “God, is this what you have planned for the rest of my life?” And you realize that in spite of all the craziness, there is something good, you’re just not quite there yet, but it is there. You think about your kids, your friends, the people you love. In fact, why don’t you take a second, right now, and text someone that you love them… that would be real nice.
You remember that some one told you that God won’t give you more than you can handle, your not sure about that, but you haven’t lost your mind… yet. You think, “Why do they always say, ‘there is always someone worse off than you. Think about _________ (fill in the blank with the default person who has it worse than you).”
Yes, it is Friday and you are overwhelmed. It is Friday, but Sunday is coming. Maybe you can find a little peace in that.
I love you, Bryan
Speaking in Tongues, Acts 2
“Zaaba, zaaba, zaaba,” Stan repeated, over and over again. It hardly sounded like another language, but Stan was speaking in tongues. It was Thursday morning at 6:00am and better than one hundred men gathered in the fellowship hall at Melodyland Christian Center, my home church.
We all were on our knees praying, worshiping, and I cautiously looked up, violating what I perceived to be a rule of prayer time, to watch and listen. Some men had their hands raised in the air, eyes fix on heaven, ecstasy in the faces, worshiping God. Stan’s monotone bi-syllabalic utterance sounded more like stammering compared to the beautiful romantic flowing verse that rolled off the tongues of others.
Suddenly one bearded man began to sing in that language that sounded so foreign but so familiar. Soon another, then, like fire, the song spread; everyone was singing, harmonizing, like a thousand angels, most in undistinguishable words, other praising God in English, punctuated by random “Hallelujahs” and “Praise the Lord.” Louder, and louder the sound grew, then, suddenly, as on cue… it stopped. There was a brief moment of silence… then…the prophesy came, forceful, bold, powerful…
“Thus saith the Lord… I am about to do a new thing in the world and amongst you. I am pouring out my Spirit, like in the days of old. No longer will your hearts be heavy in you. No longer will you wonder, ‘Where is the Lord,” for my power will be revealed in you and through you. You will be my Warrior People and your words will strike the hearts of men and women. Indeed, you will be like giants among them. I will mark your forehead with love, so that all people will see and know that you are my servants, my agents of power and love. And when you speak life will flow from your mouth. Demons will flee in your presence. Sickness and disease will disappear. I will make my home in the hearts of people and my Kingdom will be fully released in your lifetime. This is my will, this is my doing, I am the Lord and I will accomplish it, Thus saith the Lord!”
Shouts of praise and adulation and songs of praise would follow. Then the pastor would speak a few words of encouragement and we would be dismissed to go to breakfast and begin our day.
Those days seem so long ago to me, yet I can remember them with such clarity. I remember how strange and how wonderful it seemed. I remember wishing that God would use me like that. I know that he has.
This coming Sunday is Pentecost Sunday in the Christian Church calendar. It is the day we celebrate the coming and the abiding of the Holy Spirit among us. And I wonder what the Holy Spirit would say to the world, the church, even to you? I wonder what powerful thing the Spirit will accomplish in your heart? I want to encourage you to look up, look around, and see what God is doing, who he is doing it through, and to open your heart to the new possibility that God’s Holy Spirit will move through you.
I love you – Bryan Martin
Holy Spirit in the Information Age
Acts 2.
How do you explain the role of the Holy Spirit in the information age? There is no way to prove the existence of the Holy Spirit outside of Biblical understanding. Many would be tempted to point to unexplained activity as proof of the Spirit’s presence, as if since there is no other plausible explanation then it must be the Holy Spirit.
Similarly, I listened to a Public Radio about consciousness. Philosophers were talking about how consciousness was a function of electrons firing in the brain. But, it was argued, that experience and feelings can not be explained as merely chemical reactions. There exists a gap between what we know about brain functioning and experience. Does God live in the gap?
Likewise, dark matter exists everywhere in the universe. We know this because we can see the effects of its very very little mass. But we can not see it and we don’t know what it is, yet it is everywhere. Is this realm of the Holy Spirit?
Or, finally, String Theory in physics allows for multiple dimensions, perhaps 10, 11 or even more than the few dimensions of reality that most people know about. Is there a “worm hole” or a fold in the twisted composition of space that would allow for a spiritual dimension existing parallel to our own?
All this points to a fundamental lack of knowledge in the information age. We simply don’t know everything there is to know. Yet we know more now that ever before in history, plus more is being added exponentially.
Pentecost celebrates the experience of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. Fundamental to religion and spirituality is the mystery of life, love and God. We celebrate information, too, but our connection with God probably will never be fully explained by science. Let’s not stop learning, though, searching and growing. AMEN and so be it!
But let our lives be filled with mystery, love, and the unexplainable realty of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We can relax the search and take comfort that some how, some way, beyond the realm of knowing, the power of God, through the Holy Spirit is working. It is working in our world. It is working in our minds. It is working in our hearts. It is working among our families and churches. It is working for the poor and underprivileged. It is working among the old one and the babies. God is working, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
As we rise each day to the Sun soaking light and warmth on the inhabitants of the earth, let our spirits bask also in the ever present glow of the Holy Spirit shining in and through us.
I love you – Bryan Martin.
Ron Howard’s Angels and Demons
I am a Christian and I am a fan of Dan Brown’s Di Vinci Code. Unfortunately the book and movie portrayed the Roman Catholic church as a heartless self serving institution seeking only to preserve and expand its power. The book was indeed provocative, creative, and played with art and theology in ways that captured my interest, so much so that I could hardly wait to see the next one. Angels and Demons did not disappointment. I will admit that the main reason I go to movies is not to relearn theology but for entertainment. It just so happens that this particular genre, a religious action thriller, entertains me much.
I was very satisfied with the action, drama, and twists and plays. Having read the book I also enjoyed the liberties that Howard took in making it more interesting in just over two hours. For me the most interesting aspect is the favorable way the Roman Catholic church was portrayed. It was not the diabolical institution seeking to expand its power by any and every means possible, as in the Di Vinci code. The church was portrayed as a human institution, brave in the face of danger, courageous in making decisions, humble in the face of a changing world, coming to grips with science. I enjoyed the change immensely. These were two completely different movies. Angels and Demons does not have the bite that the Di Vinci Code did, and it will not make as much news either, but it was fun nevertheless.
Pentecost is next Sunday. Pentecost marks the birth of the Church. Let me give you the prescribed readings for Pentecost so that you can get a jump start on it.
Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21; John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15.
Red is the color of Pentecost so I want to encourage you to wear red to church next Sunday.
If you have not seen Angels and Demons it seems appropriate to me that you do before Sunday morning. There are many overlapping themes.
I love you – Bryan Martin
Choosing Your Replacement
Suppose you are suddenly taken out of the picture… who would you want to replace you? Who would you choose to take your job, love your spouse, raise your children, finish your book, song, composition, feed the dog. What kind of characteristics should they have? Which personality style would be best? Would you choose a man or a woman to replace you? How would you know that you got the right one?
Today I am thinking about young men and women who have gone off to war leaving behind loved ones and normal lives. On the plane, as they are traveling to hostile environments, they start thinking about what would happen if they don’t return. What an awesome thought process. Ultimately they conclude that there is nothing more to do than to trust God to be with, help, and finish the tasks they left behind.
Unfortunately for many families that is exactly what happened… the ultimate sacrifice was made and life tasks where left undone, in God’s hands, and someone else had to step in. The thought of it just moves me in the deepest way.
Jesus disciples were left with a void and they had to choose one to fill it. I find their story amusing and insightful. First, they prayed. Next they decided on candidates. Finally they practiced what can only be called “divine gambling” … they threw dice… no kidding… check it out. To be honest there is a little more to it than I can write about here, but the point is the same.
I like that they threw dice. It shows the humanness and uncertainty of their process. It is sort of like saying, “We are not quite sure how to do this, HELP! GOD!” I like the dependency on God.
Isn’t that exactly what those brave young men and women did when they went off to war? Weren’t their actions saying much the same thing, “God… I’m not sure what to do about my family, my unfinished business… I’m depending on you!”
While we honor and remember those who never finished their life tasks this Memorial Day weekend… let us remember that we do indeed have choices that can and must be acted upon. Let us be disciplined in completing the tasks of love and faithfulness in our life time, even today. Let us work together with God in the mission to bring more love and grace to our world. Let us be the person that we would choose to replace us so that the world will never again have to send young people off to war, to wonder who would replace them. We can, we should and we ought to work diligently and with the same discipline and purpose as those valiant ones who sacrificed it all for our freedom.
Honor and remember them by living faithful lives changing the world through the love of Christ.
Love and Peace- Bryan Martin
3 Reason Why Church Works
The Church is the main vehicle by which people come to meet, love and learn more about Christ. It is the primary place of proclamation of the life giving message of God. It is the community of Christ; it is the loving place where good Christian people gather to empower each other.
The Church is also the main tool for freedom from oppression. Too many people live under the power of something other than love. Oppression is a form of evil and the personification of evil is the devil. Freedom from evil, fear, darkness, oppression, sin, death, is found, from the Christian perspective, at Christ’s Church.
The Church is also the place of empowerment and deployment. People learn the MINDSET of God and Christianity in Church. That mindset is characterized by one word; LOVE. We gather because we need to hear that message over and over again… because our batteries run low and we need to be empowered over and over again. But in addition to MINDSET people learn the SKILLS of God and Christianity in Church. We learn how to put wheels to LOVE, what to do how to do it, etc.
I understand how the culture of some Churches is focused on cramming some dry oppressive doctrine down the throat. Those Churches miss the mark! But, and this is a huge BUT, there are many many churches, like my own, where you will hear the message of love, be freed from the oppression, and be empowered to LOVE more, better, and with greater frequency.
Find a Church and RUN there… because that is where you will find Christ and LOVE.
Love and Peace – Bryan Martin
Happiness Guaranteed
They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
Yesterday I had a meeting with Chris Brown; she is part of our church leadership council and director of our Help One program. Help One encourages individuals to help one person every day while our church helps one individual, family or institution each week with some kind of significant assistance. We figure we can help a lot of people in little ways. Chris and I were kicking around mottos and she came up with “Love Your Neighbor, Help One!” Isn’t that great!
Obviously Chris has been meditating on the law of the Lord, especially where it is written, “And love your neighbor as your self.” There is a glow about Chris these days… something good is going on in her life. I don’t think that it is a coincident that she is delighting in the law of the Lord and loving her neighbors.
I want you to happy and blessed, today and everyday. Make it your goal to think God’s thoughts, delight in his laws, and practices loving deeds. Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as your self and be like a tree planted by the stream.
Love and Peace – Bryan Martin
It is Tuesday, Time to Retire?
Did you know that the Bible does not know the word “retirement” and that the concept does not exist there?
The idea is “why retire… I still have a third of my life to live.” Besides that you can still travel and do everything else you ever dreamed of doing and still keep on going.
Blood Thirsty Virgin Killing Vampires
(This blog was originally posted May 18 on another blog provider site.)
Visualize rabid vampire like super human blood thirsty virgin killing beasts and you get an idea of what lurks around the dark corners of our life; the devil and his minions. They can read your thoughts, track your movement, and when you are in their sights, there is no escape and agonizing torturous flesh tearing death is imminent. The power of the devil is, on the one hand, the scariest most threatening aspect of life. There is no escape!
On the other hand behold the beatific vision of the risen Christ, blazing white in the splendor of his Holiness, Immortal, Invincible, All Powerful, the only Wise God; who, with just a breath or a word creates the entire universe and all that is in it. Imagine He speaks and universes come into being. He speaks again and millions of galaxies are formed. With a single raised hand all the evil that ever existed in heaven, on earth, in hell and in the hearts of men and women, in a moment, in a nanosecond of time, is vanquished, is not, forever more! There is victory!
I suppose that these to ideas seem far from the real world you live in. After all, other than in a book or on a screen you have never seen the devil, except before you were treated for hallucinations. And other than the dreamy moments of religious ecstasy or in religious art you have not beheld the Glorious Vision. But I would like to suggest that you are nevertheless subject to both the power of God and the temptations of the devil every single day of your life.
But it is not like some celestial tug of war with your heart and mind; far from it. In fact, as a child of God you need one worry one bit, not even the slightest worry should cross your mind. How can I say that? What? With the enemy prowling the world seek whom he may destroy?
I can say that because the Holy One Himself is praying for you and me (read John 17). Did you know that nothing can happen to you apart from the knowledge of God… nothing!
Yes… I know that bad things happen to good people. Yes… I know that evil is perpetrated against innocent ones. Yes… I am aware about your concern of how an all loving, kind and compassion God could allow such evils to even exist in the world. I know.
And I also know that God has given us free will to chose right or wrong. And I know that God does not rule the hearts of evil men and women. And I know that while justice is slow, justice does exist. And I know that we need the protection of a powerful, risen One, who can compete, even more than that, defeat the evil in the world. I know that even now His protection surrounds you and me.
A significant part of the cosmic battle of good and evil is in your hands daily. You have the power to create or destroy. With your being exists the ability to perpetrate beauty or not. This process of constantly doing and being good is called sanctification in Christianity. It is something that has already been done, in the hearts of those who believe, and is constant being worked out in our daily living.
Today you may not see demons, but the life-giving power to create and do good is in your hands, and God will be with you.
Love and Peace – Bryan Martin.
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