Rude Graffiti

"Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you've done it to me. And this is what I've come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they're just wrong. They're not bad, they're just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups… Read More

Here's another quote from In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day. "Maybe prayer is much more than a combination of the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet into words? I love Ted Loder's perspective in Guerillas of Grace: 'How shall I pray? Are tears prayers, Lord? Are screams prayers, or groans or sighs or curses? Can trembling hands be lifted to you, or clenched fists or the cold sweat that trickles down my back or the cramps that knot my stomach? Will you accept my prayers, Lord, my real prayers, rooted in the muck and mud and rock of my life, and not just the pretty, cut-flower, gracefully arranged bouqet of words? Will you accept me,… Read More

I am loving how Mark Batterson's books have been challenging me these days. Today I was reading from In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day and came across this quote on page 82. "Here is one of the biggest mistakes many of us make in our relationship with God: We focus our energies on telling God exactly what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. In fact, we repeat ourselves over and over again just to make sure God didn't miss any of the important details. But what if, instead of spending all of our energy making plans for God, we spent that energy seeking God?" We all do this don't we? I mean, I can see this in almost every decision I've ever… Read More

Ok, so it's Easter Sunday. Many Christians recently have enjoyed calling this day Resurrection Sunday. Whatever title you chose to give it, the fact remains that this is a special day. A day to celebrate Christ rising from the dead. A day to show appreciation and thanksgiving for the awful torture Christ went through for us. A day to remember all Christ has done for us, in spite of all our shortcomings. I had a difficult time with all of this today. I am frustrated. I am angry. No, I am pissed! I am tired of people living in fear. I am tired of people making decisions based on what ifs! I am tired of people backing down from decisions they've… Read More

Do you ever find yourself getting into one of those ruts in life, you just do the same thing, have the same routine, etc? This happens to me from time to time, and I have learned over time some helpful ways to get out of this rut. One of those ways is to begin asking God some dangerous questions. What do I mean by dangerous? By dangerous I mean something that will drastically change your current way of living. A dangerous question is one that will break that status quo you are in. A dangerous question is one that will propel you closer to God, provided you are open to however God wants to answer that question. A dangerous question fights to get… Read More