Love is the beginning and the end. Love is the foundation our lives are built upon when we have the love of God within us. But what truly is love?

Is love something that we see at the movies? Is it the newly fallen in love teenagers holding hands and steeling a kiss while no one is looking?

1 Corinthians 13 tells us what love is. Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious, it is not boastful, or arrogant, or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

Are you always patient, when you are trying to do something and one of your kids keeps asking you to play a game with them? Are you quick to be kind to the person who just cut you off in traffic and/or just gave you the one finger salute? Are you always telling someone one else the great things you have done? Do you tell the cable company that you got those pay-per-view movies for free?

It is not easy to love as God does, but it is possible with Gods help. This world needs that supernatural love, the love that will lead them to God.

So live like you love God, and live with those who may not know God, loving them, so maybe through you they will come to see God.

How much is enough? Well I guess that would depend on what we are talking about…

There was a country song that talked about too much money, too much fun, too much time, is there really enough of these? Is there such a thing as too much love?

Put yourself in the place of those who lost loved ones in the Bluffton bus tragedy, or the police officer just killed, or how about the young father, who left 3 young kids, and a fiance with 2 young kids…

Where is the love in their lives, where is the hope? As we journey towards the cross of Jesus in this Lenten journey, we seem to be in a desolate place, where there is no hope. Jesus our Messiah the one who came to lead us out of slavery, out of bondage, is going to die… He is going to be killed by the most cruel form of death there is, to be hung on a tree, Deuteronomy says that the one who hangs on a tree is cursed. The cross is a tree, and Jesus is going to Jerusalem to be cursed for YOU!!!!

There is never enough room in our lives for the love God has for us. Every time we think we understand it and fully have received all the love we can, God turns and gives us more. When we mess up, he is still there to pick us up and hold us close. No matter what, no matter where, God is always by our sides, giving us his love.

So in those time Jesus feels far away, rest in the assurance that he is right there, holding you and loving you.

Remember the fad about 10 years ago of the No Fear stuff. I had a shirt that said something like there was no need to fear falling out of a plane, the only thing to fear was smacking into the ground. Now I know that is not what the shirt said, but that was the just of the campaign. No fear, nothing can make me fear anything…

Yet is there a need for fear?

Is fear something we should have? Should we fear God?

I guess the question that comes to me when I think about fearing God is, is fear a bad thing?

I mean I want my children to love me and have fun with me and to respect me, but there is also a little bit of fear needed. They need to understand that I can make sure they do not watch TV for however long is appropriate, or that they can not play with a certain toy, or any of their friends if they step over the bounds of what is expected. Of course this line of thinking leads us to what does God expect of us?

God expects us to be who we are. He expects us to make mistakes, he expects us to love him. We can love him and expect him to always be there for us, just like our children know that we love them and will always be there for them, but they also understand not to upset, or do that thing we do not like.

Thankfully though, God does not judge on human terms, but on his own. So do we need to fear him? I would say a little fear never hurt anything, and it makes sure your blood is still pumping. Just do not take it to the point of fearing him, so you never come to him, God loves us, we can see this in the cross. He gave up so much to be with us. So love him as he loved you. And walk that road of danger, living in the fear of knowing that no matter what happens, you are named and claimed by God, loved for eternity, and will be with him forever.

I have now seen it all. I went to Meijer the other day with one of my daughters, and I saw the thing which really lets me know that our kids are too entertained. It is a cart that allows the kids to watch TV while the parents shop. I know taking three kids grocery shopping can be no fun, but are we helping our children by allowing them to get TV in the cars, and TV in the carts at the store. This little venture will costs parents $1.00 to have the cart with TV, and only lasts a limited time. But are we really helping parents and children by constantly entertaining the kids with TV???

Shouldn’t they be thinking on their own, and learning how to be polite and wait and help?

Just my thoughts, on a society that needs Easy Mac and Cheese, and instant hot dogs, that all you do is zap them in the microwave, with the bun included, as if it is really tough to put a hot dog on a bun….

Addiction is seen as a bad thing. We are addicted to cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, caffeine, candy… You name it there is probably someone somewhere addicted to it. And we would all probably agree that these are not helpful things for our bodies or our life. However there is one addiction that needs no detox… A holy addiction to God! One that will help your life in the here and now and for the rest of eternity. An addiction you do not need to hide from anyone, and should be publicly displayed. One that does not claim that life will be a rose garden, yet will help you through the roughest situations. Rebel against addictions being bad, and cling to the one addiction that we can help everyone get: Addicted to God.
the Book of Days: living the new rebellion: 365 Ways to Ignite Your Passion for God and supercharge Your Life. puts it this way “God’s presence is never meant to be a recreational drug; He wants to be and addiction.”
God loves us so much he wants us to be addicted to him, so that we never think we can do it on our own, so do not think about God recreationally, but get addicted!

What is a rebellion? Merriam Webster defines rebellion as:
1 : opposition to one in authority or dominance2 a : open, armed, and usually unsuccessful defiance of or resistance to an established government b : an instance of such defiance or resistance (found at http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/rebellion)
Rebellion is something I believe Jesus did. He rebelled against the authority of the day. He rebelled against the thoughts of the patriarchal society. He rebelled against anything that kept those he loved in bondage. Why should we do any less?
I am now reading a book called the Book of Days: living the new rebellion: 365 Ways to Ignite Your Passion for God and supercharge Your Life.
Today’s reading was from Matthew 6:33 in the New Living Translation: Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (From http://www.biblegateway.com)
We are living in the new rebellion. We are a part of the world that cares only for itself, and how to make my stock rise. We are living in a time when we are paced to be the first person done, and the best at whatever we do. There is no time for stopping and smelling the roses, or seeing the beauty of God’s creation. We need it now, I mean we need it yesterday.If we can correct our vision to be the vision of the Kingdom, or as the book says, get a kingdom vision, our lives will come into a much clearer focus. The vividness of the colors in our lives will pop off the page, and the world around us will truly be alive as God created it to be. If we can only put first things first and pursue Him. Pursue the love He gave us, and the righteousness it brings. If we can pursue the new rebellion of it not being about me, or what I get, but it is about God and what can I do for Him.
The is really the meaning behind my name asacredrebel. You see I am merely a Sacred Rebel, trying to follow the guide of The Sacred Rebel, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
So will you join me, and pursue the rebellion above all things!

Have we completely lost all respect for the dead and the mourning? I was at a funeral on Ash Wednesday, a real connection for the “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” But as I was driving in this procession from the church to the cemetery, there were only a hand full of cars that stopped and waited for the procession to stop. Most people just flew by us, like they were completely oblivious to what was happening. I was taught in drivers ed. to constantly be aware of the cars and what was happening around me. These drivers seemed to have no clue there was a funeral procession. The thing that really got me going on this was the person who cut in front of me to get over in another lane, about 1/2 a mile down the road. He just pushed right in between me and another car, not worrying about how he might cause some of us to not be able to follow the procession if a light changed while he was in the line. He was concerend about himself and where he needed to be and how his life was going. He had no thought at all for this family who had just lost a loved one, he seemed to only be concerned with the few minutes he would lose by waiting for the 3 cars behind me to go by him to get over.
Are we that infatuated with ourselves that the world around us is not even visable? And if so what kind of Gospel message are we spreading?

It is hard for me to believe it has been 2 months already. It seems just like yesterday I was writing the first newsletter article. Well we are beginning Lent this week and I have been reflecting on who I am and who we are and where we are going. Are we ready to go the road less travelled and venture into the unknown, or are we going to go about this safe and easy?
I say this for many reasons. I have been thinking about issues, worship, who we are and who we welcome here. I found a document on the computer called Who is Welcome Here? I have read this and wonder about its origin, and if this is really what we all think here? I know that Pastor David wrote this document. I am going to quote part of this document, the part that says who is welcome here. “We want it to be known that those of different nationality, ethnicity, culture and heritage are welcome here. We want it to be known that those who suffer from addiction to drugs and alcohol (whether they are recovering or not) and their families are welcome here. We want it to be known that women and children are welcome here and that they will not be harassed or abused. We want it to be known that in this congregation you can bring children to worship and, even if they cry during the entire service, they are welcome here. We want it to be known that those who are single by choice, by divorce, or through the death of a spouse are welcome here. We want it to be known that if you are promiscuous, have had an abortion, or have fathered children and taken no responsibility for them, you are welcome here. We want it to be known that gossips, cheats, liars, and their families are welcome here. We want it to be known that those who are disobedient to their parents and who have family problems are welcome here. We want it to be known that gays, lesbians, and members of their families are welcome here.” Is this really what all of us think, or believe. I know after reading the statement I have no problem saying yes absolutely this is who is welcome here. The problem with me saying that though, is Hosanna is not my church, meaning Hosanna does not belong to me. None of us can say who is welcome here, because Hosanna is not any of our’s church. Hosanna is one of God’s congregations in His church. We are a part of the body of Christ and what does that mean? It means a lot of things that we could spend a lot of time working through. In the scope of what I am thinking about here, it means that we can not say who is welcome here. We can not say who is welcome here, because everyone is welcomed into God’s community. We are all welcome, for “we’ve all compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us,” (Romans 3:23 from The Message). We all need to be here, but that begs the questions why we are here?
I am here because God and Hosanna called me to be here, and you are here because you have found something in this community of faith that draws you here. We are all here for something, but is that part of our humanness, part of our brokenness? The real reason we are all at worship, is because God is worthy of our worship. God is worthy of our praise. Worship is about what we can do for God, and what we will do for eternity for God. Celebrate at the holy table, and sing praises all the time. Worship is us giving to God, and giving Him our time, talent and treasure. Worship is not about what we get, but what we can give.
So I am still pondering…
Issues…
Worship…
Who we are…
But I have to say that all are welcome here, because God welcomes everyone, and we should to.

For any one who was reading my posts, I am still here.

Even though it has been a while I am back and going to try and do this more often.

After a long last semester in Seminary and a looooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggggggggg call process, we are finally settled at the place God has for us to be. We love it here in Grand Rapids, OH. It is a wonderful community and a great place to live and raise our family. The church is wonderful, Spirit filled, and happening place for God. We are looking forward to many long and happy years here.

Sorry for the lapse, but look out world I am back….

Do we think that by getting the people we think we need our lives will better?

How will our churches be better by getting the right people in it?

Are we so arrogent that we think we could design a better group of believers than God?

Do we really believe that we will not meet those who do not know God if we do not do a mission start?

Why do we always look for the cookie cutter model to do things and then complain about conferences when they do not give us all the answers? Jesus was not about the answers, he was about the questions. He asked quesitons, and usually answered questions with a question. We need to embrace the unknown and go into it with Jesus, and know that he is always with us.

Will getting the wrong people out of our groups make us better? Can we remove the sin hat plaques are churches? Why is that we judge the people that need the support of the church and Jesus the most? The single mother who is now pregnant again from a differnet man… We judge her and the Cathoilic church says she is no longer welcome at the table. Who’s table is this? And if you answered rightly that it is Jesus’ table who are we to say who is welcome and who is not?

Let us love everyone as Jesus loved? Questioning our world, and grabbing everyone, because they are the ones we need.