Tuesday Night Bible Study @ Rapha

`You turn off of highway 77 at the Dollar General store, head down a long stretch of road.  Round a bend in the road and you have another long stretch. You see the cross and the light from it reflecting in the pond. Round two more curves and you pull into the center of the compound. There stands Rapha Chapel. 

Lot of meetings and teachings in that old chapel. Even thought it has been refurbished, the change cannot dampen the feel of God's Spirit as you enter that room. As I do, I am flooded with memories, both good and bad. Of men who sat under the teaching of God's word and felt no need to change their dark lives. Men whose life ended far too soon. Then there were those who did answer God's call to turn will and live over to His care. Names flood my mind as I move to the front. Jeff, Barry, Chris, Jonathan, Greg, the list goes on and on.

Somewhere around 7:45 the men start to filter in. New faces...same story. Here at Rapha for various reasons. Some like to point out that they checked themselves in and were not sent by any court or judge. As I tell them all, "It doesn't matter how you got here....what matters is how you leave." Fifteen men fill up the seats. What shall we look at tonight? "Turn to the fifth chapter of Ephesians, and lets look at the first and second verse."

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God."

"What does it mean when it says, "Imitate God?"
Several answers, all good ones.
"To act like"....
"To take on the behaviors of someone"...
So if we are called to Imitate God, would it not stand to reason that we must know something about God? Would we not need to find out about His nature and character in order to imitate Him?

Such imitation comes from only one source.....God, as He reveals Himself to us.
That is why we have a book called the Bible. It is His personal message to us so that we can know how to live. If I do not read this book, then my imitation of God will come from my own imagination of how I think God acts.

Not the verses from Ephesians goes on to tell us that this imitation of God's nature and character is to be a part of our daily life "In everything we do". What falls under "everything"?  Why everything of course. We don't get to pigeon hole this new relationship we have with Christ. In fills every nook and cranny (didn't know you had nooks and crannies did you?) of our life. It affects the way I see the world and interact with it. It teaches me a new way to do business in this old dark, sinful world. I have been called to live on "heaven's economy". 

Lesson goes on and the men ask question after question.
Then as we close I ask "Who need prayer tonight?"
One by one, the men come forward to receive.
One by one they have an encounter with God.
He was very much present in that chapel last night....
And as we walked from that room, I knew that each man who'd come to the Bible study would now have to make a decision about what they had heard and read.
A decision to either receive God's word into their hearts and lives....
Or reject it.....
Pray for these men that they would be open to letting God's word transform them.

Pulling away and heading back home, I threw up a prayer....
"Thank you Lord for Rapha...for a place where lives are changed."

God on you this morning.
mbb

The Foolish Message

I Corinthians 1:18
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very POWER of God.

The cross of Christ has a message?
That horrible piece of wood that He was stretched out upon has something to say to you and me?
Yes, it does.
It tells me that one who was beyond innocent was nailed to it, and in the nailing, gave His life and every drop of blood in His body so that you and I would no longer live under the power of sin.

A power that rises up in the human heart and demands deeds and behaviors that run contrary to the will of God.
A power that destroy's families....
Destroy's lives.....
The killer of dreams....
And the slayer of hope....
This power manifests itself in numerous ways, but if you've been around me for any length of time, you'll know that addiction is the beast I want to see slain.

Even though this deadly power I write about has a name...sin, there is a power greater than all the sin in the world....past, present and future.
This power has a name....
And the name is JESUS!

Whatever your drug of choice is....
Meth...
Weed....
Alcohol....
Prescription med's....
It doesn't matter....
All of the above is only evidence of sin in the heart....
With each time you use, you become more and more a slave to that sin/nature.
It tells you when to get up (if you go to bed at all)
It tells you where to go...
Where to get money if you don't have any...
It will demand and demand until you are totally used up...

Yet, Jesus is there....
To bring freedom and sweet release from this beast we call addiction.
Romans 10:8-10
In fact, it says, "The message is very close at hand. It is on your lips and in your heart." And that message is the very message about faith that we preach (Proclaim and testify to: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the deah, you will be saved. For it is believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved."

As Larry Norman so correctly stated many years ago..."Why don't you check into Jesus...He's got the answers."

God on you...
mbb

The Guilt Factor

Psalm 98:2
The LORD has made known His salvation. His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.

You can't see it....
But you sure can feel it....
It's there, weighing you down and twisting your very being into a contortion of pain and suffering.
"What?" you may ask.
Guilt....
The self inflicted, condemning, name calling burden that a lot of folks carry around.
Oh, you can smile and act like nothing is wrong.
You can hug others and chit chat in an effort to put up a front.
But the very presence of guilt drives into you like a rusty nail into hardwood.
.......and it hurts.
.......and it sucks the very life from your soul.
Guilt is usually directed toward your behavior...
You've done something wrong and in the process have judged yourself.
Such a mindset will, if left unchecked, lead to a feeling of shame.
Shame is directed toward you as a person.
In fact, these two, working in tandem, have brought down many a person who is trying to recover from the bondage of addiction.

That is why, when moving into recovery, you understand who you are in the eyes of God.
To find your worth in Him and not in what you've done.
You see, we have been brought up with a wrong understanding as to who God thinks we are.
Look at it this way....
When you were a little kid and you did something really good for your mother, what did she call you?  "Oh! Johnny is such a good boy!" Or, "Sally is such a good girl!" But, on the other hand, when you got into trouble, or you broke something that your mother or father loved..what did you hear? "Johnny, you're a bad boy!" or "Sally, you're a bad girl!". As you grow up, you begin to define yourself by what you've done. You get your self worth from this skewed way of thinking.

Now, move down through the years, and couple in a lifestyle of addiction. Now how does one view themselves? I done terrible things...therefore I am a terrible person. Such is the load of guilt that is carried around. This foster's insecurity, hatred of yourself, and a ton of guilt and shame. Every time this feeling surfaces, no matter how hard a person may be trying to change, it drives us back down into a pit of hatred for who we are and what we have done. 

So what is the answer to this character defect that we carry around?
Simple....
I John 4: 9-10
In this the love of God was manifested toward us that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God (first) but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (Payment) for our sins.

God says, "I love you...and I have paid the price to call you into a new way of seeing yourself."
Now if God can say that, with what all I have done, then why can I not totally turn loose of all the guilt and shame? Why can I not be that new person....that new creation when I turn will and life over to His care? Truth is ...you can.
God deals with the person, before work begins on the behavior. SO when the guilt and shame come back to see if they can get in my head, I remind myself that I am no longer that person who carried that load in the past. I fill myself with Scripture that defines and tells me who I am in Christ. The person I once was, has changed...the behavior I once did, is a work in progress as I move forward in my relationship with God.

Because of Christ's redemption

I am a new creation of infinite worth

I am deeply loved

I am fully pleasing

I am completely forgiven

I am totally accepted

I am absolutely complete in Christ.

When my performance (Or behavior) reflects

my new identity in Christ

That reflection is dynamically unique

There has never been another person like me

in the history of mankind

Nor will there ever be.
I am a one of a kind person

A special person

And so are you

Just for today.

God on you...

mb

The "Nothing" Post

It's just like the picture says....
"I've got nothing!"
Some days are like that. I get up, I fix the coffee...I move to my computer....and I simply sit and stare at the monitor. Nothing.
(cue sound of crickets chirping).
Oh, there are a lot of things I know, and I probably could scrub off a posting that sounded somewhat rational.
But that's not what I want to do.

Each day, I simply want to lay out some simple truth that God has given to me. Not truth that ol' Mike has dug up from a deep, deep wrinkle in his brain. As I sit here, typing out these words, a verse pops into my mind.....John 3:16. Maybe I need to see this verse again.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Man, how many times have I read this? A Bazillion at least. So what do I see in this verse? That God had purpose and a plan to restore communion between Himself and humanity that rejects Him at every turn. 

I see a God who doesn't just talk a good game....or make promises He has no intention of keeping, but One who is true to His word. One that doesn't simply "Love" but backs up that love with a demonstration or action that He is serious about it. God sent His best to redeem our worst. The ultimate action to back up a statement from the Big Book of A.A.--- "God did for me what I could not do for myself". He saved me when no one else could. He saved me because I could not save myself. God saved me from "self-will run riot" in my life.

He saved me from the penalty of sin....
He saved me from the power of sin....
And He saved me from the presence of sin...
Now that is some kind of Love this God has for us knuckle heads.
Seeing and understanding this love that has been poured out on me, gives me pause to think. "What can I do to show my appreciation and love for God?" How about cooperating with God at every turn. Giving Him my will (which sometimes leads me into the ditch life) and taking His will (which will keep me on the road) daily as I move through the day.

I think I'll have a second cup of coffee and ponder this a little longer....
Have a great weekend.

God on you....
mbb

Simple Pleasure

Philippians 3:19
Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame----who set their minds on earthly things.

We speak of the destructive nature of addiction.
The power it has over those who are trapped in their using....
We have heard about the health issues that come from prolonged using, and we've been told about the psychological problems that happen.
But one of the most insidious things about addiction is it's ability to rob a person of experiencing life's simple pleasures. Things you and I take for granted, no longer is a part of a person's life who is chasing the next high. Things you and I experience everyday, no longer evens register in the life of an addict.

One of the things I love is my first cup of coffee in the morning. The aroma of opening the coffee canister to make a pot. The sound of the percolator (Yes, Virginia, I still use a percolator) as it hisses, gurgles, and strains to produce that liquid joy. 

Pouring it into my favorite mug, and taking that first sip....bliss.
Perfect way to slide into my day. Simple thing this liquid we call coffee, and especially when consumed from my favorite mug. 

Sleep! Another wonderful pleasure that God has give us. The ability to shut down mind and body and be restored. Of course coupled with this is his gift of peace.
Peace to our minds as our thoughts slowly stop spinning and come to a halt. Peace that allows us to enter that place of real rest. His peace, not the peace the world claims it can offer to us. The older I have gotten, the more wonderful sleep has become to me. Yes, I know that I get up super early, but only because I try to get in bed at a decent hour. Long ago I discovered that not much happens after 9:30 anyway. Johnny and Dave no longer have the late night time slot, so there you go. Hit the way in a most glorious way.

Grand kids! Wowzers! What can I say about my two. Vicki and I were blessed to have two sons. Each one unique in their own way. Each one passionate about life, wanting to carve out their own place for family and career. Both with a love for God. 

2002 Tyler was born. The first born of my first born. 2006 Ashley was born. The first girl in our family.
I have watched these two as they have grown, and have enjoyed every moment of it. Materially, we may not have an abundance, but I tell you what we do have tons of........laughter.........memories.......hugs......and shared moments. Family is everything to me. Not a family fractured...or divided. Not a family that has hatred for one another. But a family that is there for one another. Who is not afraid to look in each others eyes and say, "I love you". What's more.....mean it when they say it. Family.

I will experience one of my pleasures here in a minute. After I finish this posting, I will walk outside, cross the street to secure our morning paper (once again Virginia, I get a real  honest to whooey, newspaper.) I will stop at the edge of our yard and gaze up into the night sky. Taking in the darkness, the stars and the moon when it's out. Realizing how small I am in relation to the universe. At the same time overwhelmed with the thought that in spite of the vastness of space, all the planets and stars that are out there, God saw fit to invade our time and space to secure salvation for all who would receive. A bit mind boggling. O.k.....so it doesn't take much to boggle this old noggin.

Thanks for letting me ramble this morning.
I pray that if you have read this post and you are struggling w/ addiction, you'll think about what you've missed and are missing because of the high. That you'll find a meeting to go to. That you will cry out to God and tell Him, "Help me! I want this madness to stop!" Somehow I believe.....I really mean it...I believe He will hear your prayer and guide you to where you need to go, and do what you need to do. Peace to you...

God on you...
mbb

Savior Of My Soul

I Timothy 1:15
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

No matter how many times I say it, it still rings with truth. It is not merely words that are spoken for effect. To arouse some feeling in others that I might feel good about myself. I don't say them to draw attention to myself in an effort to get others to view me in a particular way. I say them because they are true. Simply that! They are true.

The words are true in spite of the fact that I wish they weren't. I wish this because when I confess them, I see how small I am. I see how inept I am. I see how corrupt I could be if I threw off the restraints and gave wholly into my sinful nature. What words could hold such power over my life? Simple.....

"I am in need of being saved. I am in need of a great savior."

The admission that even after years of being a "Christian" I still find myself in this place. A place, I'm not so sure, we ever truly move from. In moving, I am fully aware that I would grab the reins from God and proclaim myself to be the driver of this carriage. In view of God's great mercy, I see the "true" me. In light of God's nature and grace, I am brought to the place of seeing myself as I truly am without God's grace . I am in need of being saved.

Saved from what?

From myself?
From my own selfish, self-centered desires that would use others to get and have whatever was desired.

From the power of sin.

From the penalty of sin.

From the pull of sin.

From hell.

From eternal separation with God.

The list goes on and on.

In all of this, I am in need of being saved.
As John Newton so aptly put it..............

"I am a great sinner............and He is a great God."

Herein is the perfect view of humanity. One that we should never try and escape from. This is the place of humility and healing.

Like the picture above, I stand in a less than sea-worthy craft, adrift on a stormy sea. I cannot, nor will I, survive in such a place. I am in need of being saved.

Thank you Lord for Jesus, your son.

For his death and resurrection.
For the offer of eternal life to me, a sinner.

He is a great God.

See you tomorrow.......

God on you....

mbb

Rigorous Honesty

II Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you are disqualified.

Examine yourselves....
Not one of life's better activities, but a much needed one if you're trying to walk a path of recovery.
Secrets are the downfall of everyone in addiction, and when we start keeping secrets in our recovery, then we are setting ourselves up for failure.

There is a saying in recovery that "you are only as sick as your secrets." When we expend energy and time to hide things from others (especially when it comes to our thoughts and motives) we have already turned to that old lifestyle we've tried so hard to get away from.

Another part of keeping secrets is that we rationalize that we're not doing anyone any harm. That we're merely keeping others from worrying about us. "No sense in burdening them with our problem". So how do I examine myself?  Maybe it's time for another 4th step inventory. For most who say they are working a program, the 4th and 5th step is where they stop. It's too hard to cut open our memories and let them spill out. After all, we've worked long and hard to suppress them. Memories bring up old emotions that are painful. 

The 4th and 5th step is so important in our recovery, in that it allows us to see the "real" us...not just the deed that we did, but the motive behind it, which reveals the character flaw that caused it.

To me the most honest question we find in the II Corinthians 13 passage is "Do you not  know yourselves? That Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you are disqualified. You see, if you have claimed to have turned will and life over to the care of Christ, then there is tangible evidence of that change by the behavior you have. Oh, I'm not talking about "rule-keeping"...but rather a mindset that looks to do the right thing simply because that is the right thing to do. Every step of recovery is recognition that "I Can't...He Can".  No use in trying to smooze everyone around me trying to convince them that I'm on the right path, if indeed I only claim relationship with my Higher Power. 

Getting honest with yourself is the best thing a person can do if they want to move forward in this new life. Rigorous Honesty...and Recovery at all cost are the cornerstone to keeping on the path. Secrets draw us away from truth, because we have become judge and jury as to what we will divulge to others. We do so in order to give us the illusion that we are in control. Deep inside we know we aren't in control.

Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the LIBERTY by which Christ has made us free,and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:13
For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

I think the weather today is suppose to be in the mid 70's...light breeze and very sunny. Sounds like the perfect day for one to examine ones self. What do you think?

God on you...
mbb