Jeremiah 2:13 (ERV) "For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can not hold water."


A lesson in the basic premise of humanity, that we can do it without God, even as our world falls apart at the very hemline because we have taken God out of most of everything.
The water (that life-giving, thirst quenching water) pours out, soaking into the parched ground, and we ignore it.

Instead of realizing that the reason behind the lack of water in the provided recepticle is the gaping hole in its side, we create our own way of handling the situation, i.e. creating our own cisterns.

This is where I am in the Dr. Crabb book, INSIDE OUT, that I spoke of before. Chapter Two is entitled, "An inside look can be frustrating" and Chapter Three is "Knowing what to look for". The above verse Dr. Crabb references in the third chapter.

And it brings me to another verse I've been led to today, 2 Timothy 3:13 (AMP),

"But wicked men and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and leading astray others and being deceived and led astray themselves."

We can do great damage, both leader and lay, to others in our doctrinal fevor and approach. But, unfortunately, it seems that many Mega-churches and their wanna-be up and comers all have the approach of 'feel good' theology and contextial understanding which is bent to diminishing the effective and strong wordage of the Bible. And it seems that there are few who would realize this. Bill Hybel and his leadership team at Willow Creek have come to the realization that their "seeker" model isn't helping people grow in their spiritual walk, despite the growth of membership in this 'most influencial' mega church. I feel special affinity to Willow, as this is where I received my call to ministry.

I will discuss this more, but I have to make this post short. I so miss my laptop, which gave me greater freedom in writing this blog.

In Christ,
Jim

F.A.M.I.L.Y.

When you think that you KNOW what's important, God has a way of showing you what is TRULY important..............................This says it all..........a poem someone sent me.

F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,

'Oh excuse me please' was my reply.

He said, 'Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for you.'

We were very polite, this stranger and I.

We went on our way and we said goodbye.

But at home a different story is told,

How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,

My son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.

'Move out of the way,' I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.

I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,

God's still small voice came to me and said,

'While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use,

but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,

You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you.

He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,

you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes.'

By this time, I felt very small,

And now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by his bed;

'Wake up, little one, wake up,' I said.

'Are these the flowers you picked for me?'

He smiled, 'I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.

I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue.'

I said, 'Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;

I shouldn't have yelled at you that way.'

He said, 'Oh, Mom, that's okay.

I love you anyway.'

I said, 'Son, I love you too,

and I do like the flowers,

especially the blue.'

FAMILY

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think? So what is behind the story?

Do you know what the word FAMILY means?


FAMILY =
(F)ATHER

(A)ND
(M)OTHER
(I)
(L)OVE
(Y)OU