Word of Beard

'"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.' John 7:38-39a

Now the streams of living water thing is awesome but it's not the focus of my thought here. I recently connected with a couple of young and passionate Latter Day Saints (Mormons to lay person) and it simply reignited my study of and faith in the Text that has been carried along by the Spirit, the Counselor and reminder of Jesus' teachings, a Truth that has been tested and approved.

Jesus breathed and poured the Spirit on them (John 20/Acts 2), an awesome picture of an intrinsically unified God. And that Spirit of power was received, is here and will continue working in the Church until Christ returns 'and finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God' (Luke 22).

At no point from Christ's ascension to this very day has the Spirit left the Church to our own demise as the Mormons may propose. He has been and is on the job until Christ returns to redeem His Church in the great finale! If the Spirit truly was sent for all as Jesus prayed in John 17 - then the Mormons Extra New Testament of Jesus' Vacation in the 'Merica's is all the more shown to be in the least unnecessary and at worst unbiblical and destructive.

And while the conversation may be greater than this tiny thought on a partial passage...it isn't anything less.

Fathering A Wocket...

Fathering.

Think about the weight of this. It's something you are - a father. And something you do - father. It's both a noun and a verb. This isn't a role a man steps into lightly.

He may be paternal or adoptive but his relation is only as important as his action. He cares for, protects and provides. He assumes responsibility for...but all that's still just technical stuff. Stuff that's assumed when father is your state of being.

My daily fathering is all of that technical stuff with skin on - It's:
laughing at 'bargains' (what my son calls a fart)
break dancing after a long day
reading about Jonah and the Wocket in My Pocket
learning patience amidst tantrum...after tantrum...after tantrum
answering the question again
wiping
feeding
modeling
missing when I'm gone - aching to return
discipline...again and again...with grace
fostering joy
discerning frustrations and anger
encouraging without exasperating
hoping without faulty expectations
praying often...though not enough
guiding and providing and professing and being.

Sometimes it's simply staying.

Always it's loving.

And right at this very moment it's quitting the blog post and building with play-tools...It's always here and now. Fathering is my nature, it's my state of being until I die. It's who I am and what I am.

Read John 15:9 to catch a glimpse of fatherhood discipleship...What He gives us, we pass on to our own.

Word of Beard

'In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.' 1 Corinthians 11:17

Can you imagine the conviction of the guilty believers listening to this letter from Paul - sitting in a room with those you've put down, thinking of the imperatives of Jesus you've abused, making eye-contact with the overseers whom you've disobeyed or worse, pridefully judged.

Yet Paul's desire isn't to condemn is it? It's to clarify and call back to faithful living. It's to directly point out the fault, no matter how intense, so that Jesus can once again be glorified.

What is it that you, your friends, your small group, your local church body, your denomination are doing when you gather that Paul would have issue with. Not just Paul but his Lord Jesus! What freedoms are you abusing, what imperatives are you ignoring, what good are you avoiding and evil or ignorance are you running to?

Examine yourselves (11:28). Judge your own actions and motives (11:31. And work this out with fear and trembling beneath the awesomeness of God and you and I will hear this instead...

'Well done my good servant, you have been trustworthy...'

Word of Beard

'...he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you...And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going...[to] complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."' Acts 20:17-24

Moving on is hard. There are moments in life when change doesn't simply happen but is intentionally sought out in order to glorify God in uncharted waters...though exciting it's no less difficult to traverse.

Moving is crazy difficult as well for those staying behind, no longer sharing life with those setting sail. Without a doubt I will miss some dear friends. Community builders. Church Planters. Missionaries. Family.

Thanks for all the sweet times my beloved 'merican.

'When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him...Then they accompanied him to the ship.' Acts 20:36-38

(picture in honor of the called onward...real nice)

Counting & Nothing Needed

'if I come without a thing, then I come with all I need...'

One of the greatest lines in a song I've ever experienced. I say experienced for a reason. Most lyrics, words, phrases, rhymes, etc. I listen to and once in a while even hear...but the lyric above is an experience.

It describes the fruit of evangelism. This is that place in the Gospels where most of the crowds following Jesus leave Him because His teachings are hard to understand and accept. However, the rest that stick around, who are continuously taking in the Gospel (The Message of Christ - The Story of the Scriptures), these are partaking in evangelization.

These people experience the Message. Over time they discern it's weight and the role of the One at the heart of the story. They eventually understand enough about Christ to know that:

1) His life and death and resurrection are all they need.

2) There is a cost to following Him...they are willing to begin counting that cost as earnest followers.

3) They can bring nothing to the table, nothing to His feet, nothing to the throne of God in exchange for the hope of His message.

Evangelism is a journey isn't it. It took time for me to discern the weight of the message and even more time accept it as reality.

Maybe evangelism is less 'turn on a dime or burn for all time' and more...

listen. hear. count. experience.

Read John 6:25-71 'many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed...'

Song: 'in a sweater poorly knit' mewithoutYou

Commit Myself?...that's right.

Commitment is this interesting ghost of a trait.

It's almost a dirty word in certain circles among my generation on down. It's a heavy idea. In fact that's all that it is for many of us...an idea, a notion, a thought of an ideal that doesn't need to exist.

What's interesting is how this non-committal mindset has entered the Church (though not new). And what's more it has spread throughout all generations, cultures, races, genders, traditions etc. Commitment as an 'idea' has infiltrated the Christian worldview.

Now if we're in Christ and His Spirit is in us and this Spirit is from the Father and the Father promises to continue working in us until the day of completion...and we're called to be like Him...then how did we end up with an 'idea' of commitment in place of actual commitment (which even Christ demonstrated most intently on the Cross Himself)?

'...confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.' 

Commitment is hard. It's messy. It's incredibly sacrificial. It's at the heart of the character of the Lord. It's tangible. It's a mixture of passion and perseverance. Joy and anguish. Sanctification and suffering. Glory and depression. Ultimately redeemed and completed reconciliation.

Commitment is this ghost of an idea for many of us.

But what if we actually committed to our families, marriages, vocations, kids, friends, communities, groups, time in the Word, worship, prayer, joyful living, truth, our purpose, the Lord...

Commitment would no longer be an intangible entity but an actual way of doing life...and doing life well. It would bring inner peace, productivity, spiritual growth, emotional wellness, physical health, discernment, healthier/muddier relationships, respect...if done in humility and with the Spirits guidance it brings Christlike transformation. Transformation is anything but easy yet it holds all the good stuff.

Sounds crazy but maybe we need to commit ourselves.

Read Philippians 1:1-11. In fact read through the whole book for a 'chained' commitment to Christ.

Word of Beard

'Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.' 1 Corinthians 4:2

Need I say more?

No...But I think I will anyways.

If we're given an awareness of God. An understanding of His love. A relationship with His Son. A unity with the Spirit. Not only should we believe that there's a responsibility to do something with this knowledge, but shouldn't we, by our love for God and for others, prove faithful in this divine trust?

I said too much.