the beatitude diet

im diving in... starting at 240 lbs soaking wet.

men's retreat this weekend

god, music, friends, at the hotsprings in temecula

full report later.

legalism or liberalism ??

legalism: lines were made to be drawn

liberalism: lines were made to be crossed

the chapel at the us air force acadamy

Confronting Grace

The Lord has seen fit to confront me lately with the reality of his grace. From "The Raggimuffin Gospel" ... The greatest act of faith is to accept yourself just as you are, just because God does.

The ultimate act of faith…
Is to accept myself…
Just as I am right now…
Exactly as I am this very instant.

When I am angry…
When I am sad…
When I am selfish…
HE loves me

When I am mean
When I am bad
When I am evil
HE loves me

HE loves me. Period.
HE loves now
His love has no prerequisite
It has no doubts

His love does not wait for me to change.
His love continues
For it is continuous
With out beginning, end or pause.

What am I to do?
Hate the one He loves?
Wait until I’ve reached the line?
Until I’m seated among the worthy?

When I hate myself… Do I not hate His beloved?
Despise His cherished child?
Abhor this identity, this character,
This very person, that He adores?

So loving Him, I must love myself
Unworthy cherished one, Pitiful beloved
Just as I am right now
In faith through adored.

SW

lord, may i be the man my dog thinks i am.

Wednesday Bible Study

Couples Bible Study covered Eph 1:1-12.

topic included "redemption", "forgiveness" & "grace", not to mention gods plan & purpose for us. wow. we just scratched the surface of a very deep subject.

will meet again next week. SW

Surrender -- Follow-up to Post I

Question:

What is the difference, if any, between submitting to God's will and obedience to it? ... Submission vs obedience...?

Submission seems to imply my will must be pushed down, submerged... Obedience implies a respectful compliance... His will lifted up...?

Do we need both to succeed... To be aware of our own desires... And to know what he wants...?

Is anything like Full & Final Surrender even possible...??

I wish I had a better knowledge of scripture on this.

Lord may I submit my will to yours & be obedient to your plan for me...!! ??

SW

Series: Surrender to God’s Will: Post I - Defining Surrender

What is surrender?

Surrender implies a transformation from a state of freedom or resistance into a state of obedience to another’s will, initially as a result of force.

At any given point there is surrender or there isn’t. Surrender is that point of change at which willful resistance then becomes purposeful obedience. If there remains any resistance or even the intent or hope of resistance in the future, there is only temporary submission, not surrender.

Full surrender is a complete & permanent replacement of my will for another’s. A state of full surrender exists when I have no will of my own in that another’s will has become my own.

How do I surrender?

Surrender requires acknowledgement. Acknowledgement requires knowledge & acceptance. I must know to whom I am surrendering & accept the terms of the surrender.

First & foremost there must be knowledge. I must know to whom I am surrendering & thus to whom I will now submit. With out this knowledge, acceptance is uninformed & incomplete, even non-binding. Not knowing exactly to whom I have surrendered will ultimately lead to confusion and disobedience.

Secondly, there must be acceptance of the terms of surrender. I must accept the proposition that my life is no longer my own & that my will is subservient to another’s. With out this acceptance, knowledge alone is incomplete. Not accepting submission will ultimately lead to confusion and disobedience.

Only with knowledge & acceptance of my full surrender will there then be clarity & obedience of action.

What is Full & Final Surrender?

Full & final surrender requires obedience not out of fear or force but out of repentance.

Repentance is the act of turning away from old ways and facing toward the new. Full & final surrender is the point at which my will is no longer subservient to, but has been completely replaced by another’s will.

This is the point where my conscious submission will become my intentional obedience.

So what does this mean to me?

At first I thought I was free. Then I came up against the force of the truth. I did not recognize this conflict for what is was and resisted. I had many false victories but my defeat was finally complete. I surrendered by force. Yet my surrender was not complete. I did not really know my new Master nor understand the terms of my surrender. I turned away from my old life but still struggled with the cost of the battle. I now daily submit, but my will is still strong. I have not learned the art of obedience. I act out in pride, fear and denial instead of trust & love.

What must I do now? My Prayer:

Father, It is my desire to surrender my will to Yours. I know that I must come to fully know You through Your Word, love You through worship, trust You through Prayer and build a personal relationship with You void of pride, fear, and denial. Through your Son and in the power of your Holy Sprit allow me to fully surrender to You. AMEN.

SW

Next in Series: What prevents or hinders surrender ?

My Becoming Darkness

Have you ever felt good about feeling bad ??

My becoming darkness
My cherished veil
The empty nest to which I bring the worm
And feed the hungry wail

My lovely coldness
My stain gone pale
Marks the mast on which I raise the shroud
And drive the bloodless nail.

My becoming darkness
Yes my cherished veil
In your sweetest light abandoned
Here, I cannot fail.

SW

can feeling bad be a default position ??

He doesnt ask our opinion.

From a discussion with a brother:

I have found that the "Jesus as the only way to heaven" question is the biggest stumbling block to belief for most searchers. Pastor Rick says, "Hey, I didn’t make the rules, I'm just the messenger... " HE said it ... so pastor Rick is betting his life on it.

For myself, I try to focus on God's path for me, not on His plan everyone else. I have faith that He has called me to follow his son... and so I have finally begun my walk with Him with intention. Every victory & every trial has so far strengthened that faith.

I don’t know if there is any wiggle room in the scripture for non-believers. I am confident, however, that when this path is chosen it does work for everyone.

I have felt lead to this place. I was born in a Christian country, into a good family of non practicing Christians, married a faith filled little Christian girl, and had many powerful experiences with Christians along the way... calling me quietly to follow.

When I think about it... I have had very little control over these most important things in my life. No one controls when they're born, where, who their parents are, their childhood, their health, who they will meet, who their kids will be... on & on & on... or even when will they die.

Yet for me, I truly believe that these things in my life form a pattern... a plan... which has been only partially revealed. During my life I have come to make conclusions about this plan that have been wrong... because I misunderstood my relationship with the Planner.

I have now chosen to put my salvation in Christ. My desire is to develop this relationship through prayer, scripture, service, and fellowship...

For now, I have decided to defer judgment on the BIG salvation question and concentrate on my own. Seems like an all-powerful God will make sure everyone is there that He wants there. And isn’t it this that really gets to most people... the real stumbling block... that it is HIS plan... what ever that plan is... and He doesn't ask for their opinion??

sw

dumb things that make you think

I watched a dumb movie last night... 50 first dates with Adam Sandler & Drew Barimore... silly junk food of a film. but sometimes just like a big burger & fries can really satisfy...

So did this childish little flick.

Plot, if you call it that: cute girl (Drew) has brain damage so that she wakes up each morning as if it was the day of her accident… completely forgetting everything that happened the day before. In this way she is truly living one day at a time. Nice guy (Adam) is enchanted by her and each day tries to get a date with her, knowing that by the morning she will have forgotten him. They fall in love of course & find a way to make it work for them.

I’ve have been doing my moral inventory and in examining how I have hurt people in the past. I saw in her someone who was being loved & protected by those around her. And in him someone who was willing to sacrifice to make that happen for me.

I am truly blessed to have a loving wife who has allowed me to travel at my own speed over the last 6 troubled years. In spite of our difficulties to make it work out… we have work & sacrificed together.

that's why i don't watch movies that make you think... my brain would explode. sw