Peace and Security

I am extremely excited about being able to network this blog to Facebook, especially since I feel like the more people that join in the conversation, the more we all get out of a blog. I am also glad because I feel like I am going to explode if I don't get some things out of me that have been weighing me down for quite some time now. Unfortunately, the time is not yet come to completely divulge everything that may be on the horizon, there are a few things I would like to make known...

I am in a bad financial situation at the moment. The only thing that makes this worse is that I will very shortly not be, thanks to the wonderful first time home buyers tax credit that is currently in effect, as well as being able to get some money back that has long been missing, but these last couple of months have really been a challenge. We have really learned how to make due on very little in order to invest in the future and move forward. On top of that, it seems that Murphy's law is still alive and well, and at times (and I'm sure many of you can relate) more effective than gravity. All these things and more have really pushed us to the edge, and have filled me up with more than one feeling that I have not been entirely sure how to deal with, but the one that surpasses them all is the one that I can least explain...

It's this feeling of peace. Not just hope, or expectancy, and I am not saying that there is not a measure of fear mixed in with it all, but pure, calm and surety about the future that seems to come from somewhere deeper than all the others feelings swirling around on the surface. I had read the verse in Phillipians 4:7, about the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, but it really does defy logic and everything that I know should be controlling my mind. As I said, it's not as if I don't worry, it's just that, it doesn't consume me.

This feeling seems to stem from many sources. First, I am constantly reminded of all the times God has been faithful to me in the past, and like David, I am encouraged within myself. The last three places I have worked have all gone out of business, and each time I have lost a job, God has given me a job that is better than the one I had lost. Second, sometimes I find myself thinking, without knowing how it even came to mind, about the future, not in this world, but in the world to come, in the world that Jesus is coming back to redeem and reclaim, and I know that know matter what happens in this life, I have my promise. I know that doesn't seem very relevant or practical to some of you, but is the one truth that stands through the ages and has encouraged greater men than you and I.

Most of all, I am confronted daily with the richness of my life, no matter what my bank account balance is. I am surrounded by an amazing family, friends, and the greatest church family that I have ever known. I am married to my best friend, and our life is incredible, even with it's troubles. I would rather be broke with her, than rich with anyone else. My future is bright, and every day points toward a grand destiny that has already been chosen for me.

For those of you who don't find this helpful, or practical, or for those who think that this has been said a million times too many, perhaps it is time to return to one of the basic truths that God teaches us, and that Jesus seemed to hold so dear. Our treasure in not entirely in this life, and the part of it that is can not be found in banks and handbags. Sure, we can't live without that kind of wealth...or can we? Whatever you are facing, I hope that you will be encouraged by this, and I hope you will in turn encourage yourself and those around you, to know that even in the darkest of times, there is more to life than what we own, and that our security is not the FDIC.

There is so much more that I would like to write about the things that I am being shown at the moment, but this will have to do for today. It seems God shows me the most in the times when things are the hardest, which is another reason that we can take joy in trials...

If you can relate to this, let's discuss it, or if you have anything to add, feel free to post. That is my favorite part. I'll leave you with the chorus of a song that is really bringing me through right now...

"There's a raging sea right in front of me, wants to pull me in, bring me to my knees,

So let the waters rise, if you want them to, I will follow you, I will follow you..."

Quid Est Verita

I AM REPOSTING THIS NOTE IN ORDER TO TEST MY BLOGS NEW CONNECTION TO FACEBOOK! IF YOU HAVEN"T READ IT ALREADY, ENJOY....

My favorite thing about blogging is that people that you care about, and that care about you, read these things, and start a discussion about them. These discussions spark a lot of thought and growth, and a lot of the conversations that arise are ones that you might never have had otherwise, since you don't get to talk to everyone on a regular basis, especially in our fast paced world. I had started a blog on another site, and no one ever read it, so I thought, why not Facebook? Everyone gets on Facebook. All the time. Not the ideal blogging format, but I would rather have more discussion than pretty formats, anyway, and since I am a nobody, I am not likely to get many of you to migrate to another site, say www.quidestverita.blogspot.com to join in the discussion, so I will double post my blogs here on Facebook.

That being said, I named my blog Quid Est Verita, which means "What is Truth?" Many of you will recognize it as the question asked by Pontius Pilate in response to Jesus' claim that he WAS the truth. While studying one day, I came to the realization that we have made Pilate out to be a villain all these years, when in actuality, I found myself to have more in common with him than I first realized....

Many of us want to believe there is a God, or that God cares about us, but with so many conflicting viewpoints and opinions to choose from, and so many paths that seem right, we find ourselves asking the same question as Pilate. Here was a man, a judge, a governor, who came to work just like every other day, not expecting to have the weight of the decision he was now faced with thrust upon him. This man Jesus claimed to be the Son of God in the flesh, and it was up to Pilate to decide whether or not to have him executed. The sacred and the religious had thrust themselves into his life, and he was not prepared to make such a decision, and honestly didn't want to be forced to.

So what does he do? The same thing you and I would have done in that situation; try to pass the buck. And when that didn't work, he washed his hands of it. He put it off on someone else and tried to remain neutral, so he could sleep better knowing that if the Son of God was killed, he would not have been the one to make the call. Being honest with myself, I think I would have done the same thing, and this scares me.

The biggest lie that we have been convinced of is that in the battle between the dark and the light, in the choice between God and Satan, or good and evil, that there is a third choice: we can remain neutral. This is not so, and many of the choices we put off or worse, the ones we think don't matter in the grand scheme of things, matter more than you can possibly imagine. In Luke 11:23, Jesus promises that "Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me." Paul says it different in Romans 6:16; "Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living."

There is no middle ground, there are no safe choices. If anything matters, everything matters, because everything is spiritual, and every choice spiritual in nature. Everything you purpose to do will either build up your soul or tear it down, and you risk going down in history not as a Judas, but as a Pilate; to betray Christ and his cause not through treachery, but through apathy.






I hope you will join me on these discussions. I am going to use them each week as a build-up to Tuesday night discussions at our house, but also as a way to share thoughts and get input from all my Facebook friends. I pray we can all journey and grow together in our faith. Also, I just tagged a bunch of people in this note, if you don't want me to tag you, discreetly let me know. I know everyone doesn't give a crap about these discussions...and if you weren't tagged and would like to join in, let me know as well...