Creeking And Deuteronomy

So to break up my regular time of devotion during the week, I am meeting with a group of guys and we're just reading through the Bible together. It's kind of like "creeking," which is something I tried this past weekend for the first time. Creeking involves outfitting oneself with waders and just walking up a creek and taking on the stumps, fallen trees, debris, etc. occasionally getting out of the water when the path is almost completely blocked. It is a worshipful experience just enjoying God's Creation with challenges of the wild in front of you. ---So we're reading through the book of Deuteronomy (their choice, not mine. lol), and I am doing it without notes or commentaries, just reading as we read it together tackling whatever comes into our path. Occasionally, we do go around something knowing that we'll figure it out eventually. ---Today was interesting as we barely made it through chapter 12 in one hour. As I retreated to my study haven I dialed back into one verse: You must not worship the LORD your God in their way.---Deut.12:4 God was adamant that Israel remove all the idols and even the remembrances of the idols that the pagans, who had previously inhabited the land, worshiped. ---God did not want them to worship Him the way the rest of the world worshiped their false gods. Even today, we want to have it our way in worship. It does not matter how technology advances or how our culture changes, God never changes. God wants worship the way He wants worship. It was not a suggestion, it was a command. God was trying to keep His people focused so that when He sent the Truth (Jesus Christ) that the people would be in tune to the Truth. Jesus came in the exact image of God. Jesus is the God-way to worship. He came and fulfilled the Law. All the little lessons God was teaching in the Old Testament were pointing to Jesus. The world will water down the Gospel and will dilute Jesus from being less than deity, and consequently cause people to not worship the LORD your God another way, their way. ---Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except by me." One-way Jesus! Do not fall for the counterfeits. It literally is God's way or the highway. Get right or get left.

Caulk Makes It What It Ain't

One size does not fit all. People fall through the cracks. Whether it is life in general, or life in community of a church these are quaint sayings that deal with the frustration in relationships. First of all, we are not all alike. It would be good for all of us to accept that and appreciate the differences; but it doesn’t usually work that way. Positive relationships is what strengthens people. People that rise out of poverty or escape the bondage of addictions have good support systems. Yet not all people have such networks of friends to support them. The church tries very hard to do this through small groups. Most churches will have a motto for their small groups to encourage doing life together, because we know it can be difficult. The problem is that not all people are alike, and inevitably someone gets left out. This is not to discount people that do not fit neatly into the 18-22 or the 30-35 married or 30-35 single groups for example. What about the 54 and handicapped? What about the 19 not married and pregnant? What about the 49 and just got out of jail? On and on it goes. —- So how do we help those that do not fit the pre-made models or just have a little tougher time coping with group dynamics? It takes caring individuals to notice, that to no fault of the group or the individual necessarily, that someone is straggling behind. When someone is spotted falling through the cracks, it calls for a solution not a complaint. There is no quick-fix. It will take time, and it will call for going outside the box. —- The very best builder has to use caulk. When it is time to finish all the wood working, the base-board, cabinets, etc. in a house there will be these little gaps between walls and boards, no matter how skilled the workers are. The skilled cabinet maker and the carpenter have done their best, but everything didn’t fit perfectly. It rarely does. The same goes for our connecting together in relationships. Every single person does not fit neatly into their age group for whatever reason. —-When it comes time to finish the building of the house, a construction worker walks every room with the caulk gun to fill in the gaps, because “Caulk makes it what it ain’t.” Whether in church or life in general, we have family and friends fall through the cracks, because there are gaps. Since everyone does not fit neatly into a group, blaming the group is a waste of time. It is usually the natural reaction, but instead it is time to step up and fill in the gap, and make it what it ain’t. —- The next time you see someone being left out, go get them. Bring them in. Don’t judge the group that they didn’t fit in. God pointed them out to you to fill in the gap. The truth is that somewhere or sometime we have been in that awkward spot of not fitting in. Praise the Lord for that person that reached out to us. Isn’t it about time that you reach out? If you don’t have a group to bring them into, have you considering mentoring someone? Oftentimes, it takes just a little coaching or encouragement to help a brother or sister connect. Make a difference in someone else’s life, because doing life alone stinks. We were built for community.