Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Christ's Resurrection: Let The Redeemed Of The Lord Say So

Psalm 9:10
Psalm 9:10 (Photo credit: [Share the Word])
I enjoyed many great Easter egg hunts as a child. There was one in particular that is forever etched in my memory because of a certain incident that really made an impression on me at the time. I was out at my great uncle's church in rural Kentucky, and my sister and I were getting ready to hunt for eggs. Several minutes after we began the hunt, my sister found this enormous golden egg, and I remember hoping that there was another one just like it. After the hunt, we all came together, and my sister opened up her golden egg. Inside was a five dollar bill. I'm not saying I didn't have any good thoughts, but one of the main reasons why I remember that day so vividly is because she found the golden egg and I didn't.

That incident doesn't stand alone, as I distinctly remember my sister catching the biggest bass in family history with a cane pole right next to the bank of the pond. From what I've told you so far, you would think my sister was the lucky one between the two of us. Truth is, I was the golden child, and everyone always paid attention to me. How selfish I was then, and how selfish I still am now. I would like to say that I put others before myself, but that is only with God's help. We need him to do everything! "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5 It's like that old hymn "Without him I can do nothing, without him I'd surely fail, without him I would be drifting, like a ship without a sail."

Easter is a time when we remember his sacrifice on the cross after the Passover, and we claim his gift of eternity in the power of his name. It is a time in which we celebrate and witness to the power of Christ's resurrection and the life in him that it brings. It is human nature to be selfish, but he wants us to live for him instead of ourselves. "And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." 2 Corinthians 5:15 Living for Jesus helps us as Christians to lose our selfishness, sacrifice the pleasures of the flesh, and love our neighbor. As we remember Christ's resurrection today, let us focus on everything it means. His resurrection brings us life and the promise and certainty that we too will be resurrected one day. The dead in Christ shall rise, so let the redeemed of the Lord say so!
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Sunday, April 1, 2012

My First Confession: I Am Guilty Of Everything

First of all, I think I have committed every sin known to God counting both actions and desires of the heart. Haven't you? Secondly, I'm bisexual, and self-righteous people don't get along with me. If you haven't hit back on your browser, you should keep reading. I grew up a Southern Baptist in a small town in Kentucky. I'll have to admit that more than once, I came home from a sermon convinced I was no longer saved from eternal damnation. As a child, this played with my head, yet I have to say it also kept me close to Jesus as well. I proclaimed at 7 years old that I was going to become a preacher when I grew up, even giving the occasional sermon.

As time progressed and I got older, I was a rather rebellious person. I mean who can say they've dropped a triple stack of Ecstasy, smoked a blunt laced with cocaine, and finished off almost a whole fifth of Jim Beam in one night? Or how about the time I took some bad acid and thought I was dead and walking by clouds. While most everyone has seen their party days, I definitely had my share, and I was usually the one throwing them. I'll never forget the summer of 1999, and I'm sure I'll never remember most of it either. As the years went by, God kept ahold of this prodigal son, but I was sure I was testing his limits. His love, without conditions, is what keeps all of us within his reach and safe from harm.

I had my experiences with both Pentecostal and non-denominational church settings, and as a mature adult, I went with the latter. This decision, along with my maturing faith, gave me the stance that love is above all. We are nothing without Christ, and all of us are equally imperfect and guilty of sins that cannot stand in the presence of Jesus. While this is my faith, and I know that everyone needs a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I don't find shoving it down their throats to be at all effective. I have always repeated that actions speak louder than words, and people can just as easily be a living witness as they can be a direct witness. Pushing forward, my priority is to love other people, make sacrifices, and to focus more on obedience.
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