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“It seems to me that trouble is the one thing that never does get stopped and I don’t know what good it does to blame it on the Lord.” James Baldwin, in Sonny’s Blues

“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world…I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.” Jesus, in John 16:33

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13

“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:2-5)

I’ll be taking some time off until after the first week of January.
I pray that you have a Christ-filled Christmas & New Year, and enjoy wonderful times with those you love!
Shawn

This is an important read for anyone who wants to know the huge difference between popular religious beliefs and the actual historical teachings of Jesus & the Bible. I found it to be a bit over-the-top and mildly offensive in a few spots, but other than that I thought it was right on

CLICK THIS LINK:
http://adam4d.com/mtd/

7 Ways to Avoid God’s Intervention in Your Life:

1. Base your opinions & reactions on how you feel, rather than on how you think He would respond in your shoes; because being true to yourself is the highest value.
2. Hold on to the belief that your challenges and the world’s problems are beyond His ability to help; because the claims about His care & power seem to surpass what you’ve actually seen or experienced. 
3. Don’t read the Bible; but if you do, read only random verses at a time so you can avoid having His perspective tamper with your beliefs and values.
4. Rely on movies, music, social media, tv, news, and video games to define your sense of reality; because He always seems to want to strip-away your exposure to ideas & activities that oppose His ways.
5. Don’t pray; but if you do, be sure not to get carried away; because the more time you spend alone with Him, the more His character and perspective will infect your soul.
6. Don’t hang around Christians, their all hypocrites. Instead, immerse yourself in relationships and activities that emphasize pleasure rather than morals; because He’s always trying to spoil your fun.
7. Ignore the gnawing, constant impulses that you feel in your spirit to seek Him; because He is constantly wooing you to pay more attention to Him than all the other important aspects of your life. 

Obviously, I’m satirizing some of the lies we seem to often believe about God and ourselves.  This temporary world is full of mirages and counterfeits that have a way of camouflaging the truth. I believe, with all my heart, that the answers we seek and the peace we desperately need can only ultimately be found in relationship with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. I pray that you join me in seeking Him today.
 
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:6-9)

This morning, I watched footage of the group of white police officers who accidentally killed a black man while trying to subdue him for a minor infraction in front of a few shops in New York.  It was all filmed on a witness’ cell phone.  It became news yesterday because a Grand Jury decided not to press any charges against the officer who choke-holded the guy.  It seems very obvious that the death was an accident, and I’m sure the officer who’s responsible is very sorry…but to let him off scott free with no punishment is total bull crap…and having this news come-out so soon after a similar situation with a white officer killing an unarmed black guy and being pardoned in Ferguson, MO, is unbelievable.

I’m not one to rant…but my own opinion about all this is that it’s exposing layers of race prejudice & discrimination that are still alive and well in this country.  To me, these are just recent examples of the same type of hypocritical self-interest that my European ancestors brought with them when they systematically conquered North America from the Native Americans, stole slaves from Africa to work their fields, and who still work against new immigrants who want to come here to chase their dreams.

We white people seem to have a pattern of disregarding the rights & interests of other people in order to promote and protect our own, and today I am somewhat ashamed to be an American middle-aged white guy.  All I can do is try to live my life in a way that will communicate the love, value, and equality that every single person shares in God’s eyes.

Yesterday I experienced a contrast in cause & effect.

We live in a world full of people.  We are God’s most wonderful & loving creation, but we’re also pretty messed-up…just read the news.  Yesterday morning, there were social-media threats of guns at my son’s school.  Some knuckleheads were likely just messing around, but in modern America gunshots take the lives of children every year.  It can make one feel helpless and hopeless. But on the other hand, mixed-in with news reports like that, are the countless acts of kindness done by people that work together to create light.  I love stories that bring hope and healing, and I dream of a day when so much good is being done by so many people that it catalyzes changes in our culture that will swallow the darkness.  Call me a dreamer, but I’m seeing it happen in our little corner of the world!

I’m here to tell you that in 2014 Catalyst NW has mobilized more volunteers to help more people than in any previous year…and it’s having a marvelous effect on the the lives of those we serve.  420+ volunteers gave over 3,000 man-hours of their time to pull-off 21 projects for elderly, disabled, and low-income neighbors. On their behalf, I’d like to thank all of our 2014 volunteers and donors who worked together to make this happen!  Much gratitude for your partnership this year, and hopes that 2015 is even better!

To learn more about the ministry of Catalyst, visit www.catalystnw.org

Sometimes we can fall into the temptation of seeing God’s ways – His moral absolutes, rules, statutes – as obstacles that get in our way of freedom.  This is especially true for us fiercely independent Americans, who value our freedom above almost anything.  I offer this alternative view.

Imagine that you are a bird.  A little, charming parakeet or something.  You were designed to fly freely and eat whatever you happened to find in God’s wild world.  Yet you live inside a small cage in a house.  Imagine also that there is a cat who lives in the house, who constantly has his eye on you and paces beneath the dresser where your cage is kept.  Is the cage a repression of your God-given right to fly freely?  Or is it protection against an unsafe world that wants to eat you?  Don’t fall into the trap of resenting the direction of the Lord, as if you invented yourself and didn’t owe your very existence to Him in the first place.  The Creator and Lover of us sees everything – past, presence, and future.  Trusting Him is the answer, even when we don’t want to.

As long as we see God’s Word as hindering us, and not helping us, we will always struggle with buying into resentment and sin.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand…Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:6-9)

“Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:1-4)

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command….This is my command: Love each other.”  (Jesus, in John 15:13-17)