Word of beard

'Beware not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from you father in heaven.' Matthew 6:1

This is a simple but profound teaching.

Regardless of what the reward is that He's speaking of it's obvious that living a life for the admiration and praise of our neighbors, co-workers, church members, friends, family etc. is of no value in the larger scope of Kingdom life.

Our 'acts of righteousness' or practical godliness or functional Christ-likeness - these spiritual disciplines are acted upon solely for His glory. It's impossible to be hypocritically righteous (continue reading the passage), or insincerely authentic.

To clarify, the goal isn't to keep our Christ-like actions hidden, unseen from others. But that their seeing isn't our intention.

Whom are you seeking honor from? Be-aware of your hearts intention.

Read Matthew 6:1-18 for the greater context.

Word of Beard

'No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.' John 15:4

Branch = man / Vine = Jesus / Fruit = character traits of the Spirit - those who hear and accept Jesus

The Christian is called to not simply claim to be connected to Christ, but to actually be connected daily for refreshment, encouragement, nourishment, obedience. You don't have to be a horticulturalist to know that a branch not connected to it's vine will grow no fruit...it'll grow nothing and eventually die. Not surprising.

Grapes grow in bunches, where one sprouts so sprout many. Not only this but many branches grow as well, producing enough grapes to profit the gardener. A picture of healthy, productive, sourced, fruit-bearing, multiplying, profitable community.

No, a branch can't bear fruit alone, it needs the Vine - and it seems that the Vine is seeking to grow many healthy branches to produce lots of fruit - to honor the Gardner.

'...I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.'

Word of Beard

'But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.' 1 Corinthians 15:10

Popeye catch-phrase aside, Paul is telling us something about the power of the character of the living God here.

Paul was not one of the original 12 Apostles. He did not walk alongside Jesus. In his own words he was 'abnormally born' into the kingdom and in particular, apostleship. Paul became the ultimate proponent for the universal Church, that is, to the Jews & Gentiles...thanks to the grace of God alone.

We know what Paul was thanks to his writings and legacy. Has the grace of God effected you so dramatically?

This Land is My Land, This Land is...

The land of the Scriptures required a very tangible, very gritty faith. Just follow the Israelites in their wanderings in the desert and you'll see hunger and thirst, suffering and doubt, need and longing beyond much of our personal experiences.

The land was dry, wilderness, desert as if God had forgotten to bring life to this portion of the earth. Then He calls His chosen people to inhabit this land as a gift. A gift! What a cruel gift, right.

The real gift though wasn't the land. It was the calling to personally connect with God. Faithfully trusting Him out to fulfill every need, every desire, every ounce of protection and supplication. To walk through life with Him (Deut 6:4-9).

This land demanded a faith I simply don't tap into regularly. I'm sitting on my IKEA couch as I type this on my Gateway laptop wearing Nautica glasses to see the screen while covered in a ridiculously soft blanket to keep me warm in an already heated apartment...are we relying on the Spirit to guide and care for us so tangibly, so holistically, so unmistakably...or is that a moot point here an now?

'Trust in God, trust also in Me' John 14:1 - This never goes out of style. This is never not relevant.

For those of us not living in the wilderness we must contextualize our faithfulness:
1) Examine your attitude - are you growing in Christlikeness - Phil 2:1-18
2) Examine your lifestyle - are you really a part of the Body - 1 Corinthians 12
3) Examine your worship - are you giving to God all of what's His - Matthew 22:21

Faith never ceases to be a part of the Christian journey - whether it's for literal or spiritual bread it's necessary.

Almost a Leap Year Baby

Born almost 6 weeks early, as if aiming for February 29 as his birth date. 20 minutes into March 1 he arrived on scene. Just shy of the Leap Year. Early and yet somehow still late...that's a Dyson. There's a lesson in there somewhere...

You created his inmost being

You knit him together in his mothers womb

I praise You because he is fearfully and wonderfully made

Your works are wonderful
I know that full well.

Community: What the...

Are we as the Church challenging, expecting and equipping God's Spirit-filled people to live as cultural missionaries?

OR

Are God's empowered people expecting those without that power to enter the church on their own?

Think of it like this. It's terrifying to radically alter your worldview, culture, mindset, belief system, lifestyle...so why do we expect those outside the Church to do all these things in order to engage with the Word.

Are we expecting more faith and courage from people who haven't interacted with the Creator than we are from those who are indwelt by Him? Who is called to be intentional: those who have been reconciled or those who haven't? Who's called to be an ambassador?

What if we spent our time being Christian community, gathering as believers, mashed together with our locale. There's lots of room to define what that really means without giving up the Gospel - the catch is, if we simply say we're doing this and aren't either experiencing fruit or persecution...we probably really aren't doing it.
Dang.

Read and be: Matthew 28:18-20 - 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Word of Beard

'As evening approached there came a rich man from Arimathea...Joseph took the body [of Jesus], wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb...' Matthew 27:57-61

Interesting may not be the right word but think about this: He was born into a poor family in the poor part of the region - He worked hard growing up to become a carpenter/mason - upon beginning His ministry he forsook a home, his family, wealth and security, marital pleasures etc. to travel: preaching, teaching and healing.

He noted that even animals have safe places to rest on earth...yet He had none (Matt 8:20). It took His physical death to be honored with the physical riches of man. The freshly cut tomb of a wealthy family. Do we honestly deserve more while on earth?

'Be like Me' Jesus says to all of us (Luke 14:33). How do we really balance that call to that Life with our lives amidst our desires?