Our big mouths.

So I had this personal example to share in regard to my last post, “Watch your mouth“. But it was getting long enough as it was with the Scripture quotations, which I deemed necessary to include. But it’s one of the times in my life that showed me how much impact our words can have on someone.

About two plus years ago, a Christian female friend of mine who is known for dating a new guy every few months, began a relationship with a guy I also had known for some time up to that point. Nobody in our circle of friends felt this was a good idea, one reason being the guy was a nice guy, and the girl, well, had a new flavor of the week (that’s an english expression, for those Dutch people reading) after a few months, and we all knew one or both of their feelings would be hurt eventually. The brother in particular, was a relatively new believer, and had just gotten right with God after having backslidden for a significant amount of time.

I remember talking about this to only two people. One of them in particular was the one who shared the news with me that these two people were an item. Well, I had little to no business voicing my concern out loud to anyone, but I shared how I thought the best thing was for this brother to remain single for a while and grow his roots in God, and be free from the distraction this relationship would be on him. I’ve seen the same thing happen almost 100% of the time I’ve seen really unequally yoked relationships take place. Especially when the girl is the stronger believer out of the two, but that’s beside the point and I’m not going to write a post on dating relationship probably ever on my blog.

Well, I never knew anything was up, but apparently my opinion was shared with the couple by one of the only two people who I had shared it with. The fact I thought it was safe with who I let it be known to is beside the point–I know now I should never have said anything and sometimes in life you have to let people get themselves into short-sighted relationships you know won’t last, because you know they won’t like listening to you if you warn them. But that’s for another time.

As predicted, this couple split up after not being together for very much time, maybe two months, maximum. Keep in mind what I just said a moment ago: that I never knew my concerns had been shared with anyone, but they had been. And not only had they been shared with LOTS of people apparently, but it had gotten back to the couple, the brother in particular not being too pleased with me.

Some significant amount of time passed, and there was an occasion where a bunch of us guys in the P Dot were together for either a board game or a Bible study, I forget which, and I got a ride home with this particular brother and some others. It just so happened to work itself out that I was the last person to be dropped off, and he pulled the car on the side of a road near my house, and turned off his ignition and needed to tell me something. I knew in my ‘knower’ this was going to be confrontational in some way, and I got a lump in my throat as I waited to hear what he had to say.

He told me he forgave me.

He went on to explain that he had heard from someone how I didn’t approve of his relationship, and that he harbored resentment his heart towards me and had been awkward and uncomfortable around me for some time. And when he and this girl broke up (he had been dumped by her) he was personally bitter at me, although after he got over his heartbreak, realized there was nothing to be upset with me about, and this was the opportunity he seized to deal with his offense toward me.

But here’s the kicker: What he had been told of my opinion, was in fact false, and many details were added that I never said. I should never have told anyone anything. But that experience showed me that when people gossip and spread negative report, that people get hurt and almost always, the whole truth isn’t accurately repeated or spread.

I told this brother I had nothing in my heart towards him and didn’t mean any harm and should not have voiced my opinion to anyone, let alone busibodies with very big mouths. I told him how I really had felt and what my concern was and he breathed a sigh of relief as he heard from the horse’s mouth what I really had shared with *two* people, and I never found out which of the two said anything–nor do I care to ever find out–it’s all water under the bridge and my lesson learned.

What is interesting is how the more something gets repeated, the more it morphs from what the original source had shared.

Anyway, I’m not sure what this has to do with my last entry, but I was provoked to think about this incident when writing it–how someone’s resentment and bitterness was based on second hand information that wasn’t even completely true. But we all learned from it.

Watch your mouth

I’m not sure if I’ve heard anyone preach or teach this passage of Scripture this way, but I think it deserves to be looked at in a different light than at least *I’ve* heard taught…

We all know there are various levels on which Israel rebelled against the Lord and various specifics could be pointed at in the wilderness narratives as the cause of their spending 40 years there instead of inheriting their promised land immediately after leaving Egypt–but it is interesting to note how seriously this incident affected their destiny. Therefore, worth taking serious consideration for our own lives.

I’m talking or course, about the report the 12 spies gave to the whole community of Israel after coming back from checking out the land of Canaan.

In the book of Numbers we have the account of the twelve spies entering the land of Canaan, for forty days and checking it out. Keep in mind the Lord has already promised to give Israel this land, and it was the Lord’s instruction to send out the spies in the first few verses of chapter 13. It’s interesting to me to note not just the pessimism with which 10 of the 12 spies shared their findings, but what reaction they caused in the rest of the congregation–who did not see these things for themselves, but believed the bad report–they believed what they were told.

Please don’t pass over the Scripture references I copy and paste below, under the impression you already know what they say. I will of course add emphasis to draw your attention to what I’m getting at, as usual, and at the end show you some things I see.

At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land.
And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.
The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”
But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”
So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.
And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.
And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

(Numbers 13:25-14:4)

How amazing! How amazing they and we can be so quick to believe the negative, instead of the positive. But what I want to draw your attention to is the words “all of the congregation.” We know already there were roughly 2 million people who were in the exodus out of Egypt. And only 12 spies, 2 of whom had a positive outlook and didn’t look at what they saw with their eyes, but on what God had promised when they looked upon their future country’s land. A mere ten people stirred up 2 million people into wanting to kill Moses and Aaron here. Can you believe it? Can you believe the power of words?

Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel.
And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes
and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land.
If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.
Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.”
Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.

(Numbers 14:5-10)

What on earth happened? I’ve always asked myself how could they go this far into the wilderness, coming this close to seeing the land, having seen all they have so far, and want to give up and turn around and go back to Egypt?! More importantly, I get a little indignant that a mere ten men caused this scene all by themselves. What do you cause with your testimonies or words? Do you stir people up to go on and inherit their promises, or give up and turn around back to where they came from in their own lives?

God takes slander, gossip, and bad reports that contradict what He has already promised to do–very seriously.

Moses intercedes for this people, but God doesn’t negate punishment:

Then the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word.
But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD,
none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.
But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”
And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
“How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.
Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me,
not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.
But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.
And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.
According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’
I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”
And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land–
the men who brought up a bad report of the land–died by plague before the LORD.
Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.

(Numbers 14:20-38)

Interesting Observations

• Caleb had a different spirit, what did he say? He tried to encourage the people of Israel into their promise, and he along with Joshua got rewarded for it.
• Notice how the Lord “heard” them grumble. For some reason, the sentence “the Lord heard them” sends a chill down my spine. What does the Lord “hear” from you and me in our words to others?
• Do you notice how the very things the people of Israel were grumbling and complaining about happening to them, the Lord had never intended or thought of doing to them, but now will make sure to allow those things to fall upon them? “What you have said in my hearing I will do.” What do you say in His hearing?
• Then, in verse 35, I find it more interesting than other times how it is phrased. “I the Lord have spoken.” I almost want to say “yes, we know.” But there’s something more profound, or ironic, or even impacting, that the very thing that got them into trouble with a faithful and holy God, He “does back.” He speaks. But when He speaks, it’s not a grumbling and a faithless complaining. It’s a righteous and merciful pronouncement of His judgment. Sobering indeed.
• And most obvious and I’m sure you already have observed from reading this dozens of times, is that only Joshua and Caleb wound up entering the promised land. The only of the bunch who kept a positive attitude and fully obeyed the Lord.

So, what do you say?

Kids these days…

So this afternoon after I got home from work and ate my lunch, The Chad calls me to take him to Staples so he can buy a new office chair for his room.

We had relative fun. It’s hard to embarass someone in public who is apathetic about being embarassed, but nevertheless, I’d still yell “hey Chad, how are those pills working that I gave you?” when complete strangers were listening in, thinking we were a couple of monkeys or something.

Anyway, what struck me as interesting about this visit, was the two young girls goofing around in earshot while The Chad and I sat on chairs in one of the isles, while the employee assembled the chair The Chad had bought. These two girls said something to get my attention, and when they came by I teased Chad for not being able to fit in the chair that one of them just sat in, that had obviously been designed for kids or midgets.

They were both eleven years old, and were hanging out in the store because they had no money or anything else to do. My heart broke in some kind of weird way. I thought Staples was an odd place for a couple of young kids to be hanging around, and something peeked my interest to ask them about themselves. One wanted to be the next Britney Spears when she grew up (dear God, get her saved before that can happen!) and the other a lawyer when she grew up (dear God get her saved before that happens!).

They both claimed to have boyfriends –at eleven! I don’t even think I was going through puberty when I was eleven yet! Eventually they both said they needed jobs so they could have money. I told the one on the right that that was true, having job does mean having money, but that having money means the government having your money and you having nothing. But I congratulated them on figuring out how a job is important. I told them to do good in school, and they can get a good education so they could work hard at giving the Canadian government all their money for the rest of their lives.

Naturally I was trying to find a way into spiritual matters, since these kids had never been taught not to talk to strangers, and we had their captivated attention. I wish I could say the power of God fell in that store and prayed with a couple of eleven year-old girls to get saved but it didn’t happen.

But it was cool to speak life into them anyway, for the five minutes or so before Chad’s chair was ready.

Then when we left, they cussed us out.

What is with kids these days?

There it is. Still swollen, and shiny from the polisporen (I just had it done yesterday). I am really really happy with it.

The 5 Love Languages

The Five Love Languages

My primary love language is probably
Words of Affirmation
with a secondary love language being
Quality Time.

Complete set of results

Words of Affirmation:		10
Quality Time:		9
Physical Touch:		5
Acts of Service:		4
Receiving Gifts:		2

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don’t understand our partner’s requirements, or even our own. We all have a “love tank” that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

Beating monkeys dressed in spandex with a bat

So,

Thank you to those of you who have been praying for my mom. She is doing fine. She has a cast on her ankle, and pins in it to set it in place while she recovers–there were some serious fractures. I’ve been over to my parents’ house once or twice this week and on Wednesday bought their groceries for them. She seems to be doing alright, and is on some kind of heavy pain medication.

As for life in general.

I’m still working fulltime at Merit thru Manpower. Weeks just zoom right by it seems, and part of the lack of updates on my blog have to do with my blog not being the top of my list of priorities. In the evenings I just wanna chill. Not that work is physically demanding, but I’m standing on my feet all day and just want to come home relax, maybe hang out with anyone wanting to hang out, but otherwise, I don’t find I have the same kind of time on my hands to do the type of blogging that I normally enjoy doing in the past. So, if you bookmarked this blog and check it frequently, you’ll notice less frequent updates as of late, and will continue to notice a lack of updates in the coming months. That’s not to say I will shut this blog down or stop updating it, I just am not able to write the same in-depth and lengthy studies I love doing. So for now, just updates and “this is on my mind” kind of stuff, as time and motivation permits.

I also made a new year’s resolution in case you forgot–that I wasn’t going to talk about revolution or healings, but actually do them. That I plan on writing testimonies, and not be an “internet theologian” or weekend warrior. So, I’m basically making good on that vow.

Anyway, I get ideas and inspiration while I’m standing around at work listening to some insane-good teaching that I copied off of the internet and put on to mp3 CDs (Ravi Zacharias, Gary Carpenter, all available online, and Fire on the altar dot com has some insane-good teaching by Dr. Brown and Bob Gladstone and others like Art Katz –all for free to those who want it!). But then when I get home and try to funnel some of my ideas onto a computer screen, it doesn’t work. It feels like trying to make an atomic bomb go off inside a Campbell’s soup can. I just wish I could say the tongue and you’d all get the interpretation! But part of blogging is training for my communication skills.

Anyway, be blessed, I must needs go for now.

Be blessed, and tot ziens.

Au revoir.

Religious Spirit

The Christian world, the entire Christian world, is permeated with a religious spirit.

It’s in me, in others, in traditional churches, in house churches. It is such a pervasive dysfunction that it’s no wonder Jesus addressed it so forcefully. The religious spirit is not just “them,” it’s also “us.” We think, oh so subtly, that we are somehow better than “them.”

We look at externals of some kind: how we worship, how we do liturgy or don’t do liturgy, how we view Scripture, our pet theological perspectives; and we hold tightly to these things because on some level we believe them to be “right.” We lose our humility and our “rightness” becomes a judgment of others. We are better than them. We “do it” more correctly. And there it is – a religious spirit.

We take on a religious spirit when we get focused on the way to live the Christian life rather than the Person that we live the Christian life with. We turn relationship with God into rules. A relationship is an ongoing, everyday, living thing. When we are not living out of that living relationship, we begin to retreat into the rules of Christian living as a substitute. We do, after all, know the “right” way to live.

It doesn’t take long before we are judging others because they are not living the “right” way like we are. We quickly lose sight of the fact that the reason we are in this place of judging others is because we ourselves are unsettled. We have lost our peace because we are no longer fully embracing the Person. We try to repair our sense of unrest by setting up the rules, the structure, in order to live right and thus feel right. We project that onto others. We quickly become the Pharisees who encourage others to live for God based on the letter of the law, and in so doing we lead people away from vibrant relationship with God. We take on a religious spirit when our theology becomes more important than the Person behind our belief systems. We believe we know the truth; we often believe we know MOST of the truth, even though Scripture affirms that we “see through a glass darkly.” Yet we base much of our personal security on knowing “the truth” and we leave little room for humility, for paradoxical theological positions, and for learning deeper truths. Because our “truth” makes us feel secure, we judge the theological positions of others as being “less than.” We become the scribes and we miss the heart of the One from whom all truth flows.

We take on a religious spirit when we believe we are part of a “movement” of God that others have not yet experienced but “should.” Perhaps what we are involved in is NOT what God is calling someone else to be involved in. Yet we take whatever God has done for us and judge others by whether or not God has done it for them, or in them, or to them.

We take on a religious spirit when we have been hurt or disappointed by other Christians. Rather than heal, forgive, let go, set boundaries, and move on, we become bitter. We find reason to judge them and their “hypocritical” brand of Christianity. We hold up a standard of “righteousness” that we judge others by (because we have been hurt). We become standard-bearers of righteousness seeking to hold people accountable to what’s “right.” In the process we become the legalists. We forget that we are all just humans deeply in need of the washing of the blood of Jesus Christ and all His eternal mercy.

We take on a religious spirit when we fail to recognize God in each and every person that He has created and redeemed. When we believe that we have something to teach others but fail to see what they have to teach us. When we take something from our spiritual life or experience and imagine that we are, in some way, better than those who do not share exactly what we are “into.” A religious spirit robs us of our real spirituality. We do not live out of the vitality of union with Christ; we live out of the push, the guilt, and the shoulds of duty. We live out of a subtle pride; we lose the joy of first love. We may feel good about “being good,” but we lack the passion of a lover’s life. Worse, we pass on this spirit into others. We model a Christianity that lacks the zest and peace that comes from relationship. We exemplify a dour, sober, lifeless Christianity. We sometimes even heap the guilt and shoulds on others and, in doing this, keep them from finding the joy of the Person. We take the religious burdens that we have put on ourselves, and we wrap them around others in a way that stifles their openness to a God of relational, creative, beautiful love.

No wonder Jesus said, “Woe unto you!” So, I say, woe unto me. Woe unto us all. To repent and break free of religion in order to experience the power of relationship with Creator-God… isn’t that the call of the hour?

Author Unknown (I found this on someone else’s xanga, and they posted this as author unknown–however I added indents so this would be easier on the reader).

.