The Joys of Life

I learned something today!! Actually, I think I re-learned something. But we'll pretend.

I read through the first half of Matthew 7. Jesus was not at all like I tend to picture him. He was a call-it-like-it-is kinda guy. He presented truth in a way that I haven't heard truth presented very often, plainly. In my church planting class this week, we had a guy who works for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He is heading up the organic church movement in Texas. I think that means he goes around and educates people on what the organic church is and why it is necessary. One of the things he talked about was how we always want to jazz-up everything. We see stories of people, like Jesus, who simply present truth plainly to those who will hear, and leave the rest in the dark. We state in out doctrine this idea that God is the only one who can initiate change in the hearts of men, then we beg and plead with men to change. We say that God's truth is the only thing that can penetrate the hearts of men, then we power point the crap out of things trying to make it appealing for anyone who might possibly be listening. Jesus wasn't about that stuff at all. He just went out and told it like it is to people who would never have had a chance to hear it from anyone else. He went places he wasn't supposed to go, and did things he wasn't supposed to do, and didn't care about what anyone else thought about it. He knew the truth, was the truth, and knew his purpose in life. We look at the disciples and at the 1st century church and wonder how is Christianity supposed to look in our lives today. We look at real discipleship, which involves spending every day with a younger Christian and teaching him everything you know and showing him everything you do as a Christian, and then wonder why our weekly meetings don't go so well and we aren't seeing the results we had hoped for. We have lost our joy in God and replaced it with joy in doing things for God.
Anyways, I just thought I'd share what I got from spending a little time with God this evening. I do love how God is bigger than my circumstances. No matter what's going on in my life, God is still working.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Granddad

Yesterday my 86 year old granddad went home to God. I've been trying to figure out how I feel and how I'm supposed to feel, if there is even such a thing. I genuinely prayed that God would take him home because he wasn't living anymore, but I really miss him. He was truly an awesome man. The chaplain came in and was talking to my grammy and asked what the secret is to being together for 62 years, and she said, "There needs to be more men like my husband." Wow! What a testament to his life. Sure, he wasn't perfect, but he did a lot of things better than most people. He loved his family. Getting the fam together at holidays or random days gave me some of my best childhood memories because my family is amazingly wonderful. I credit most of that to Granddad. He knew how to love people. I have heard story after story these past couple of weeks about people whose lives were touched many years ago by Granddad, and they will never forget him. That blew me away. I knew that he was an awesome man, but I didn't know how far his influence reached.
All in all, I really miss him, but I think I'm more excited for him and where he is. He knows what Jesus looks like! I can't wait to see him again!

Also, I would really appreciate your prayers for Grammy. This is the first time in 62 years she's been without a husband. Pray that she would still find joy in this life, and that this whole thing will pull her even closer to God.