Mutated mellon

I have a Wheaton College T-shirt that is very dear to me. It was given to me by a student who loves God with her life. I used to collect college t's. it was cool for a while.

i dig the Wheaton shirt becasue my hero in the Faith went there. Jim Elliot

anyway, I noticed the otherday the neck hole was all stretched out and bent down. I realize it has been worn alot. but what really struck me was how the growth between my shoulders has grown. this bulbous mellon that was mentioned on Sienfeld now sits atop my mountainous frame.

the difference now is this. when I had hair...shaved at my own desire, none left with out my permission...my t's would slide on and off with ease. now with a shaved head, after one day of shaving leaves me with poisen briars that catch and stretch all my t;s. just a fact.

all my slip on shirts have been stretched. they dont fit right.

the same has happened in my mind.

what used to ne a narrow corridor that led to red neck thinking and traditional red carpet and padded pew churches, has now grown and stretched. roots of which seem very hard to dig up and burn...some anyway.

friends, who I have yet to meet, and others I spend a great deal of time with, along with Scripture have stretched my mind to a place casueing what used to make sense and be comfortable, no longer is the case.

Jesus is bigger. bigger than the jews, bigger that the gentiles, bigger that his creation. he does not wear a peace sign on his neck, nor is he a cultureal ideal. he is god. and now as i type, he is worshipped with great passion and glory. he is a wonder. he is a beauty.

Jesus demands more.

Jesus loves more. more types of people. the homo, the drunk, the adulter, the porn freak and even the molestor. we don' but he does.

Jesus calles us to die, not seek inner peace and self esteem.

the church, while Gods tool for reaching the world, needs to return to her roots. but she is still the vehicle Jesus left to change the world.

preaching should be from The Bible, not am rticle from amagazine, not a book by a christian author, but the Bible. if you sit in a service called christian and are not taught scripture...you are nothing more than a group of people listening to an opinion. and we all know what they say about opinion.

The Holy Spirit still works. we might be suprised where and by who, but he has not stopped changing lives.

God is holy. he does not cry when we blow it. we are human. he is no longer human. his work of redemption is complete. his concern is not weeping cause you aint got the guts to flee from sin. that sadness you feel is your own lack of commitment and lack of discipline. his concern is seeking ourt worshipers who will give their lives fulluy to him. his will will be done. his will is not twarted by men.

Jeus was crucified once and for all. he does not feel the pain each time we sin. that sin and that pain was covered at calvary. it may make for a nice song, but give me a greak.

all God does, he does for His glory and for his fame. His will shall be acomplished through out the earth. period. history closes on his call. people are saved by his call.

as much as people want to believe that Jesus saved every one at the cross, than why are there people being seperated as goats and sheep at the last day. Why does Jesus say depart from me I never knew you?

people seldom really want all of god. most want relief from a dissatisfied life.

this is not iron sharpening Iron. it is a sledge hammer beating on the walls built up by years of baggage and people who we blame for actions of God.

if it is dialogue we want, the the premis has to be correct. God chose us. we did not choose Him. this comes from an american world view that gives us the justification of the American dream. 2.2 kids, pickett fence, 2 car garage, fine house and stuff to play with.

Jesus did not hang on a stick, beaten, bloodied beyond recognition, just so you can get that promotion from wotk that would probably drive you away from your family more anyway. He did not die to give you a comfortable life with no problems.

He died for the Glory of God. He died cause the wrath of God had to be dealth with, elase the entire human race would be taken out becasue of sin.

the love of God is a benifit that comes from us being his crowning achievement in creation. his mercy and grace exists as a trophy to those who would see the works of Him who saved us, so they would believe. (Eph2) but do not be decieved that jesus dies so 1 john 1 9, could be used as a get out of sin free card.

suffering is for those in muslim countries, who are lost with out hope based on a false religion and bent on world wide domination.

we should really try and go to china and preach this Jesus who wants us all to be rich. etheopia and talk about being free from debt and talking about new cars and big back accounts. lets go to dafure and preach a doctrine of rapture. after all, christians won't have to deal witht he suffering and persecution that the end times bring.

lets all go to Iraq or Saudi and talk about how jesus saved us all form sin.

of all the talk I read about defending certain ways of life, I have seldom read those same defenses for a muslim nation, not a budhist nation, nor JW's, not mormans, not even wicans. mostly, the uproar come from defending the right to have sex...ok

not much on world views that set us apart from local rituals.
not much on single parents who struggle.
not much on sin, or especially the need to repent.

mostly on...hey, it's all good bro. just sit back and discover what is inside. it will come to you.

america, the land I love, has twisted the Gospel to fit those who would go against the church becasue of sexual orientation? against divorce? against drinking> against homeless and hungry????

yea...sign me up for that. talk about your mutated mellon.