July 2020
During this time of isolation due to the coronavirus and the cries of injustice/racism that have broken my heart I would like to share with you, words that have taught me truths about Jesus. They have grabbed my heart, spoken to me, and even steadied my soul.
Anne Lamott- “Rediscovering Mercy”:
“Joseph’s brothers, jealous of their father’s love for him and disturbed by his creepy prophetic dreams, sold him into Egyptian slavery as a child. They killed a goat and poured its blood onto his beautiful coat, and showed it to their father, Jacob, as proof that his most beloved son had been killed by wild beasts. Joseph ended up in Pharaoh’s court, and because of his prophetic dreams slowly rose to be the powerful food czar in the court. He saved Egypt and the surrounding countries from famine. His brothers, starving in nearby Canaan, came to Egypt seeking food, and when it was their turn to petition Joseph, they didn’t recognize him. He recognized them and was very harsh at first, until they spoke of his father and youngest brother. Then his heart softened. He showed them mercy on steroids: first he forgave them, and then he gave them a future.” Mercy began as forgiveness, and then became: Here’s the food you need, and why don’t you put your roots down here? Mercy is: Let’s be brothers again. Forgiveness and mercy mean that, bit by bit, you begin to outshine the resentment. You open the drawer that was shut and you take out the precious treasures that you hid there so long ago, with them, the person who marvels at tadpoles , who pulls for people to become clean and then have a second chance, who aches and intervenes for those being bullied, forgives evil brothers and unforgivable you.
“The gospel is not up for negotiation.” (Anonymous)
“You cannot rebuke the devil that you continually grant access.” (Pastor T.D. Jakes)
Just in Case Idols (Daily Bread Devotional):
“We know we’ll need God when we die, and we’ll ask Him to bless us now. But we’ll also lean on the lesser gods, just in case. Back up idols are still idols.”
Psalm 139:13-15
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
Revelation 7:9
“After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.
Got Doubt? (Excerpts from Chapter 5- God’s Got It, Shaken by Tim Tebow:
“I thought God had planned this. I thought He was the One who opened the door for me. How could he have given me something only to take it away? Why is this taking so long? When life doesn’t turn out exactly as we wanted or had planned even after praying and feeling pretty sure about God’s directions, the questions come. A lot of them. And fast. It’s what happens when you finally get the job after fifteen dead-end interviews and then let go three months later. It’s what happens when after you worked hard on a presentation, an executive at the table turns down the deal. It’s what happens after your spouse tells you she’s leaving. When life throws us curveballs, some devastating. It’s easy to allow doubt to creep in, no matter how strong of a Christian we think we are.
Why do bad things happen to us? Here’s what I know: we are broken people living in a fallen world. Heartache, suffering, disappointment exist. Life isn’t going to be a cake walk. And imagine if there was no God. Instead of there being a purpose in the pain, pain would be meaningless. There would be no hope. No forgiveness and no redemption. Evil ultimately wins. Doubt is normal. Don’t let it stop you from trusting in his plan for your life.”
Trevor Lawrence-QB Clemson University:
“Justice must outweigh injustice. Love must outweigh hate. If you put yourselves in someone’s shoes and you don’t like how it feels, that’s when you know things need to change.”
Free Methodist Bishops:
“One important clarification, our churches are not closed. The church of Jesus is alive and well. The church is actively caring for those in their congregations and communities in numerous ways and continues to gather via digital and other means. We are the church actively bringing the love of Jesus in every context we are located.”
Pastor Miles McPherson:
“Ultimately, you have been given free will, and you get to decide for yourself whether you want to be part of a bigger picture. It’s your choice. But in order to get there, you might have to question the stories you’ve been told about who you are and who other people are. It isn’t always easy, but God will help you through the process.”
Anonymous:
“I don’t grieve as one without hope. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’s blood and righteousness. I am, however, uncomfortable. My model is Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, where he was both distressed and hopeful.”
Carson Wentz:
”Been thinking about the George Floyd situation and thinking of the words to say & coming up empty. All I know is that the institutional racism in this country breaks my heart and needs to stop. Can’t even fathom what the black community has to endure on a daily basis. Being from North Dakota, I’ve spent a large part of my life surrounded by people of similar color, so I’m never gonna act like I know what the black community goes through or even has gone through already. I’ll never know the feeling of having to worry about my kids going outside because of their skin color.
However, I do know that we are all equal at the foot of the cross and Jesus Taught us to value others’ lives like they were our own — regardless of skin tone.
So, this might see like a ramble — and perhaps it is. I don’t understand the society that we live in that doesn’t value all human life. It’s heartbreaking and disturbing. My prayers go out to every man, woman, and child that has to endure the effects of racism in our society.”
In Jesus,
Pastor Rich