When I gave you a letter.

I was proud when you told your friends. When you said I love you Mark Allred. When I noticed that you hung my letter on the wall. How you laughed as you read. How you were totally taken aback at the thought that I would write you a letter. How you told your friends that I was what I never knew I could be " a romantic". 

You know that I love you. But the letter took you and actually me to a deeper place emotionally. A place where you can feel love. A place that is life giving. This is me trying to get there again because frankly I wouldn't mind living in that place. I love you Amy Allred!

What is a good Christian?

One of the questions that came up this morning in Sunday School was, " When is it hard to be a Christian?". The answers everyone gave were times that our patients were stretched thin. Work, traffic, family. Basically we were answering the question "when do you get hacked off?" and calling that being a bad Christian. I wonder of the validity of such an idea. There almost seems to be an expectation to be a good Christian means being not human or god like. But is that what it is? For example would Jesus in 2010 sit in traffic at 6 pm and let everyone in the city pass him at one of those merges where 2 lanes becomes 1 and just wait till 8 pm to get home? I don't know if that is what being a good Christian is. Would Jesus struggle with his family who were quirky and strange? He seemed to struggle with Disciples. It seems like when he says things like "Ye of little faith or Couldn't you just sit with me an hour", he is saying, "what is wrong with you guys? Come on!"

 Life is filled with times that are good and bad, sick and well, rich and poor, happy and sad and whether or not we are a Christian doesn't seem to change our circumstances that much. Will we ever find happiness writing out list of rules and checking our boxes off as we are able to follow them? Is that what Jesus meant when he said, " I have come so that you might have a full life."? I don't think it is. I'm not finished with this but running out of brain energy. Please feel free to critique or comment add to but don't take away. Just kidding. I would love to hear your thoughts about these ideas. 

Meaning of Life- Under construction

So sorry. I intend to blog on the meaning of life. I started to but as I began to try to answer the questions I came up with more questions and problems. It was kind of like the cartoon in the boat where the character plug a leak only to see two more pop up. I working on this in my head. I would appreciate any comments or anything you think might be helpful. I would never publish anything that you said only think about it for ideas. Initial thoughts are God, money, love, relationships must be apart of the discussion.


 You can send me personal email if you like to revallred@gmail.com or post comments here.

Freedom!

Man, I so often find myself down and depressed about my own sinfulness. Why because so often it is the same thing over and over. Shouldn't I at some point grow up and move passed my faults. My understanding is that God understands my sins to the point he sent Jesus to die for them. God was aware that I was ensnared in a way that I could never free myself. I share the same faults as the disciples that walked with Jesus yet failed to understand completely what he was up to. This is me. I walk with him awhile but then there are times my selfishness takes center stage. So this came to me this morning the idea that Paul talked to the church of Rome about. It is the idea of freedom from sin.  Before knowing God in a personal way I know I was doomed to make choices that dishonored God. What about now though? Am I doomed to continue in the (strive, fail, apologize) pattern or can I rise above it being free in Christ? Paul though he also penned the words, "I do what I know I shouldn't and don't do what I know I should" seems to suggest that indeed we are free in Christ.  


Rom 8
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,awho 1do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For bthe law of cthe Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from dthe law of sin and death.


It seems that rising above means learning to walk in the Spirit. I watch my children struggle with walking in the Spirit. I often wonder if they will ever do it. But really theres me. I don't do as well as I should and I would propose even though it is possible it is very hard. It takes commitment and sacrifice and prayer when you really want to sleep or do something else. 
God help me to learn to be free. God help to learn to walk in your Spirit. Thank you for the grace of the "no condemnation in Christ" part without that we would all be up a river without a paddle. 


Amen

Adam where are you?

It seems that many have a great fear about being themselves. They tend to hide or try to blend. What if people knew this or that about you? They would not accept that. But perhaps if they knew this about you they might actually be relieved to know that they are not crazy.  Wouldn't be refreshing to know that we are not alone in our struggles? When I go to church, I see so many people. The conversations in the hall are, "how are you today?" "I'm doing fine." over and over again people are doing fine. How can so many people be doing so fine when I've have so many struggles. Don't get me wrong, I've struggled with what to say in that situation. I think we say we are fine because we don't want to deal with what we really are. So so much hurt and pain gets pushed down and not dealt with. I believe that like Adam in the Genesis creation story most of us even Christians are: a) not real with God b) not real with others c)not real with ourselves. The power in the Gospel is that God comes to save or  lend help to those who realize their helplessness. Folks I'm helpless. I experience great comfort in God but I also experience God in relation to others. Can we stop hiding and help each other?