reachingtokyo

remember- we forget by default. It takes work to remember. But in the information age what should we remember? what do we remember? The most important is that we are forgiven. God reminds the Isrealites constantly of this fact. Why is it important? When we remember we are forgiven we also cant help but remember who forgave and that He is forgiving in nature. We also are led to think of what we are forgiven and that makes us think of the fact that we do not deserve that forgiveness which in turn leads us back to think of Him as merciful in nature. Also it reminds of that we did nothing to achieve that forgiveness and causes us to have a humble attitude toward others faults and helps us logically forgive them. In fact we feel stupid when we dont forgive. Its simple illogical in the light of remembering we are forgiven of our sin. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all the things I am supposed to remember, but if I can remember this one thing, the implications and actions that follow will lead me down a very focussed path and on the way I find I am fullfilling both parts of the "law". I can somehow find love for God which leads to love for myself and leads to love for my neighbor.

Therapists make lots of money simply because people feel they cannot trust ANYONE else to tell what is really on there mind or heart. We have all had the experience when you hear about someone you know who just lost it or made a drastic mistake or got caught and we all say" oh my I never would have guessed" or people say "yah I knew it all along there was something weird about that guy, i could tell" "how are you doing?" "oh im doing pretty good, life has its ups and downs but I am hanging in there" Oh God help us!!! Lots of times we just want to scream "Im not doing all right. I feel like my life is falling apart!" Even if you have a job (and lots dont), maybe you are under payed, or you have abusive co-workers (probably do), or it just seems meaningless and mundane. Maybe you are not married and you are constantly guessing whether that new person you met is the one, or maybe you are married and marriage is a disappointment. I mean we build marriage up to this fantasy level of pure fullfillment of course it will be a let down on some level. But "yah I am doing fine! and yourself". Maybe your "friends" dont really understand what your saying or why. Or maybe you have lots of friends that only come around when they need something. But they are just busy and they dont mean to be that way. To lots of people this may sound depressing- but this is reality for many and I think to a certain degree everyone! Some people might put a spin on it but they feel these things everyday and fight them and deny them but they certainly never express them to people. Most people bury it all in work. This i find is their "coping mechanism". denial and burial.

Who can you trust? with what you really think and feel? We all have been there- you are in a conversation and you are about to lay it on the line, say it like it is, but you hesitate and pull back. You say it in a way to make sure you dont "offend". You try to be more diplomatic- pull the punches so to speak. You dont want to impact with full power. So you water it down- a spoonfull of sugar... Just in case its too much for the hearer what you say could have had several meanings- this is post modern communication. But your point is lost- I mean the real truth as you think it and live it.

I wont give a quick answer. God can bring meaning and purpose. That would be both true and untrue in many ways. I am not talking about dealing with it. Grinning and bearing it. I am simply exposing the lies we tell and why I believe the people we think are insane are often times the most sane of all. They simply cannot play the game we call society. Logically they see the inconsistencies and it does not compute. We have many social ills some major some minor. INTEGRITY!!! . We dont have it but we all act as if we do when life seems like its going right. Job, family etc etc. Yet we cant stop fidgiting, or biting our fingernails to the nub, or working 70 hours a week (like that is honorable), and we get hardly anything done. These are all "tells". Signs of bigger problems. And we always want more- more of everything all the time. There is an insecurity. You would think it would be like running away from the Boogie Monster. The farther you get away the safer you would feel. But even though you get to an open field with no sign of him you dont stop running.

People are really hurting and saying its just a scratch because they dont want to bother people around them. Can you blame them? Most people when they see a person with a problem tell them to be positive or they evade the real issues and talk about entertainment. They change the subject because its awkward.

Well did he? People getting together to talk about what God did and who He is, how He works, and to celebrate Him is a by product of all the things He taught. Mostly He taught about the Kingdom of God. Most of the parables He told were "the kingdom of God is like..." He simply went around "ministering" to people and as He did so He would use the everyday events to explain about what the Father was like and how He operated. People were everywhere as they are today so He didnt have to tell everyone to come to the sanctuary- The sanctuary or temple was different than today anyway. Soap boxes were a little more widely accepted then or I should they they took more of a public square/ speaking style. Nowadays we also have soapboxes- magazines, newspapers, books, movies, songs etc. Its a little more abstract which can confuse communication a little more but then again Jesus spoke in parrables that few understood. They needed God's help to give them understanding- which is the same today.

My point church is a by product- if our goal is to plant churches we are missing the point. Namely God himself. Celebrate Him , talk about Him, listen to Him etc and the gatherings will happen in the"spiritually natural". Its a little like driving. When we first learn we watch the hood of the car to see if we are going straight later we learn we will drive straighter if we focus on the horizon.. like all illustrations this one will self destruct in 3 min. if you over analyze.