I love to express what I feel called to say. Writing helps me to open up my heart and do that. I hope that what I write helps you in some way. I hope it makes you think, encourages you, or inspires you. If it challenges you or if you disagree, I hope you know that I respect your right to have a different point of view.
Learn to speak beneficial life-transforming words.
People work hard Not to expose Sin that’s in them, But God still knows. Christ died and rose To give you light That clearly shows What your heart’s like. Learn to disclose And to oppose Darkness in you Til the wind of God’s Spirit blows Freely within And your heart glows With holy light. Then you can speak God’s words of truth With kindness And compassion.
Meet with others. Bask in God’s light. With Christ in sight, Share what you see And together Experience The power of Holy delight.
Healing and inner peace come from confession, not from concealment. From heart-to-heart connection, not from a theological analysis. When Adam and Eve tried to hide their sin from God, He asked: “Where are you?” God knew where they were hiding. He wanted them to admit and to acknowledge that they were hiding so they could step into and live in His glorious light.
I’ve discovered that when Christians come together to humbly put away pretense and to be compassionately honest with each another, we begin to see God’s beautiful light shining in and through one another. When the truth is spoken with heart-felt love, when falsehood is set aside, when pride is laid down, when sin is sincerely confessed, and when mercy and forgiveness are freely given — people experience the presence of the living resurrected Jesus and are overcome with awe and healing.
That kind of Christian gathering is very difficult to find. I experienced it during the Jesus Movement. Afterwards I searched for it around the USA and found mere glimpses of it here and there.
After decades The Salvation Army asked my wife, Ernie, and me to start a non-traditional church in a dangerous East Nashville neighborhood. God gathered a diversity of people. We set aside the traditional sermon and allowed anyone present to share as they felt led by God’s Spirit. It was a glorious experience that lasted for almost 10 years until a new Salvation Army leader shut it down.
Ernie and I are so grateful for that decade. It trained us and others how to allow God the Holy Spirit to freely flow among people. Since then, we look for every opportunity that we can find to open up with people and connect heart-to-heart with them. It’s often in twos or threes, but sometimes more. Several times each week we experience that kind of connection. It’s awesome.
I wrote a book about our experiences of Spirit-led heart connection. It’s called “Beyond Church — An Invitation to Experience the Lost Word of the Bible — Ekklesia.” Give it a google.
Is spiritual awakening coming? Both the Jesus movement and the charismatic movement were killed by church control and religious TV shows that trained charismatics and Jesus Freaks to become passive audience members dependent on a human preacher or teacher. Before that they were actively Spirit-led and part of a supernatural move of God. But wait and see. God the Holy Spirit will break free from controlling, quenching religion and move mightily within human hearts again!
Heart-to-heart connection requires patience, compassion, and love. God’s still working on me to develop those qualities in me.
Patience waits for what is real. It doesn’t passively accept a counterfeit deal. If you’re looking for patience, you’ll need to wait awhile.
Patience grows in the soil of contentment. (Philippians 4:12) Find inner peace and you will discover patience.
Heart-to-heart, Spirit-led community will help you find your inner place of holy hush. It will calm your anxious rush. Contentment grows rapidly in Spirit-led community!
Patience discovers that delay is often God’s loving way of aligning you with His perfect timing. If you want to experience Jesus in a deeper way, find brothers and sisters who will ask “Where are you?” and not reject you when you come out of hiding. Begin to open your heart to people and compassionately listen to them when they open their heart to you.
When you can’t see Keep on looking For things unseen. When you can’t hear Keep listening For hope to speak. When you’re lonely It is only Because you’re not Aware of God Who is present Right where you are. (Hebrews 11:1)
Patience waits And waits And still waits Until . . . Because it trusts Confidently That God will Come through. Waiting on God Allows Him to Supernaturally Produce patience Inside of you As the fruit of His Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)
In our time Of instant Communication There’s little Dedication To patient Meditation. “Be still and know That I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
“The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you.” —David Foster Wallace (Sugar coating the truth will keep you in bondage.)
Stop sugar coating “your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires.” Instead let God renew you in the attitude of your mind and give you a new self. (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Continuous consumption of religious sugar often produces spiritual diabetics. Willingness to hear and embrace God’s truth spoken in love is the antidote. (Ephesians 4:15) High levels of religious sweetness are dangerous. Humbly receiving the truth free from sugar coating, is the cure.
Watering down the Bible is a deadly sin that many pastors and churches commit every week. It leads people into deception. It erodes the truth and makes Christians content with spiritual sugar water and religious diabetes instead of truth.
The living Lord Jesus is the truth. (John 14:6) He doesn’t need added religious sugar. You can experience Him directly. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8) When the Bible is diluted with sweetness, the Spirit’s wonderful inner rivers of living water are ignored and rejected. (John 7:38)
God the Holy Spirit wants to show us our hidden sins. He wants to do more than forgive us. He wants to set us free from our sins, not to sugar coat them. (Matthew 1:21) He wants to fill us with the overflowing glory of Christ living in us. (Colossians 1:27) Will you let Him? (John 8:32)
Religious candy Is very handy. Just sit and hear A sweet and dandy Sermon in church Once a week or so. (James 1:22)
Sugar coated Deception Gets a great Reception From too many Church attendees. Let God’s Spirit Mold your perception. And give you His Revelation. (Matthew 7:15-20)
Highly sweetened Christianity Without repentance From all your sins Might make you smile For a little while, But it can’t carry You mile after mile. (Matthew 4:17)
A wooden sign with a thought-provoking David Foster Wallace quote on a lush forest path.
I’m always needing The direct leading Of God the Spirit — His inner voice, I need to hear it And to draw near it. Deep within my soul. I’m like a seedling. In order to grow I need God’s life flow Rising within me. He keeps me feeding On His sweet presence. Daily Bible reading With a hungry heart Helps me stay near Christ Living inside me.
The more that Christ-followers grow and learn to make Christ the present and literal Head and Leader of His body (not just a distant figurehead) the more Jesus promotes and empowers each member to build one another up in love. (Ephesians 4;15-16) Then they will no longer be “blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:14)
Raging roaring river rapids remind me to release God’s Spirit to freely flow deep within and through me. (John 7:38-39) Out-of-the-traditional-church-box, Spirit-led Christianity is wonderful! I wish more people would open wide their heart to it!
Waiting on the Lord
God has arrived. Jesus came as Immanuel — “God is with us.” When crucified Jesus arose To live within His followers And be their Lord. If Christ’s in you Actively wait And rely on Him to prompt you Throughout each day. Train yourself to Depend on Christ’s Presence in you, Not on your own Ability.
I feel the most productive when I am motivated by peace instead of by pressure. That’s how I am able to avoid writer’s block and to write and post something creative almost every day. I do all that I can to live by and follow this advice:
Refuse to allow your problems, your frustrations, your pain, and your disappointments to pull you down and sink you into self-focus, (Luke 9:23) anxiety, (1 Peter 5:7)) and self-destructive thoughts. desires, and actions. Instead let them make you hunger and thirst for righteousness. (Matthew 5:6) Surrender to “Christ in you” (Colossians 1:27) and begin to be Spirit-led. (Romans 8:14)
Let all of your difficulties motivate you to continually cry out to, (Psalm 77:1) seek first, (Matthew 6:33) draw near to, (James 4:8) press toward, (Philippians 314) and rejoice in (Philippians 4:4) God, day and night. Then, little by little you will learn to ceaselessly trust in, (Proverbs 3:5-6) depend on, and rely on the God of hope who will make you overflow with hope by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
Be still and listen inwardly to Jesus (John 10:27) as He says to you: ““Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28-29) Let the risen Jesus Himself train you to continually experience His wonderful inner peace that is beyond human understanding. (Philippians 4:7)
Allow Christ to live inside of you (Romans 8:10-11) and to lead you from within by His Spirit (Galatians 5:16) in all that you think, say, and do. Then your gifting (Ephesians 4:11) will spontaneously manifest itself as you listen to and obey the resurrected Jesus Christ. (Matthew 4:19)
Sending people to war is disturbing the peace. Many people arrested for disturbing the peace were actually disturbing warmakers.
In an ancient culture that focused on political leaders, money, sexual obsession, pleasure, pride, violence, power, alcohol, entertainment, and self-righteousness, a group of people in the Roman Empire found a different focus. They were so captivated by and committed to the living resurrected Jesus that: “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” (Acts 11:26)
The focus of the first believers in Jesus was so intense and so persistent that they were called Christ-ians. The suffix “ian” means “belonging to.” Since Christians were frequently being mocked, insulted, and persecuted, the name was most probably used in a derogatory way.
I knew a group of people like that once. They were so excited about the risen Christ that they couldn’t stop talking about Him. People called them Jesus Freaks. That term was also originally used as a way to insult people who were radically following the risen Jesus. However, both terms were eventually accepted as a compliment.
The Christians of the first century and the Jesus Freaks of the 1960s and 1970s were similar. Both were seeking, as their first priority, to be governed within by the kingdom of God the Father, (Matthew 6:33) to follow and obey Jesus as their absolute Lord and God, (John 20:27-28) and to be continually led by God the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:14)
That kind of focus on and radical obedience to the risen Jesus is rare and easy to overlook in the twenty-first century. But it still exists! Look beyond the proud people who use the name Christian but lack the character of Christ (John 14:15) and seldom demonstrate the fruit of His Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Look for people who are so focused on Jesus that they humbly spread His love, joy, peace, kindness, and presence everywhere they go. When you find people like that watch them and get to know them personally. Spend time with them. True “Christ”-“ianity” is caught by your heart. It’s not enough just to be taught about it.
The Bible teaches that God doesn’t want the body of Christ to be divided and denominated (called) by different names. It says: “For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?” (1 Corinthians 3:4 NKJ) It’s time for Christians to move beyond church and denomination names.
Christian unity cannot be achieved by trying to unite all Christians into one giant institution. It can only be experienced by heart-to-heart connection between believers. When Christ-followers gather to open their heart and be humbly led by God the Holy Spirit instead of by ritual, religious programs, and religious leaders, a deep sense of unity emerges. Try it and see!
Life Challenge
Contemplate Jesus Christ Until You Radiate His presence. Refuse to Alternate Between Christ And the world. Let Jesus Animate All you do.
There is an invisible leader who is much more reliable than any leader you can see with your eyes. His followers are able to hear His voice as He speaks in various ways. (John 10:27)
The Bible calls the invisible leader: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) This inner leader speaks through throughs, images, words, impressions, promptings, and even through the still small voice of your conscience. Those who are led by the inner voice of Christ’s Spirit are the children of God. (Romans 8:14)
What the invisible leader says will always align with what the writers of the Bible heard Him say. He won’t contradict what He taught them. When you feel like you are hearing Him, always confirm it by the Bible. Refuse to follow a counterfeit of His voice. (Acts 17:11)
As a newly born again follower of Jesus, I began reading the Bible. It burned in my heart. I spent hours absorbing it every day. I’ve read it almost every day since then.
When I was first reading the book of Acts, I noticed that God the Holy Spirit spoke directly to Peter, to Phillip, to Paul and to others. In frustration I asked God, “You spoke to people in the Bible, why aren’t You speaking today?”
Suddenly these words came to my mind. “The problem is not that I’m not speaking. It’s that you’re not listening.” Those words still burn within me (Luke 24:32) because they changed me. They caused me to begin to listen to and to learn to obey the inner teachings, leadings, and promptings of Christ in me.
The Invisible Leader is speaking to you as you are reading these words. Pause and listen to Him now. Take time throughout each day to notice what is going through your mind and your heart. Much of it is your own thinking. Some of it is the voice of temptation and deception. And some of it is God Himself speaking to you. Learn to discern the difference.
When God speaks to you — verify that it’s Him and then obey. The more you obey God, the more you will learn to recognize His voice as He speaks within you. The more you will connect heart-to-heart with Him and with other people who are also hearing and obeying His voice.
Since all true Christians have Christ the Invisible Leader, living within them and talking to them, we don’t need to be dependent on a mere human leader when we gather to worship. If we have the courage to allow Him to, Jesus will personally assemble our hearts together (Hebrews 10:24-25) as He is permitted to lead the meeting.
Here’s how Jesus wants to lead His followers when they meet together. It’s simple. He wants them all to listen for His inner voice and then for each person to say and do what He tells them to. (1 Corinthians 14:26)
You are invited to experience a Christ-led meeting that functions that way. It happens every Saturday morning at Chile Burrito, 330 Franklin Road, in Brentwood, TN 37207 at 8:30 am.
A diverse support group gathers in a circle, sharing and finding strength together.
To be genuinely appreciative of the good things in your life requires taking the risk of humility, openness, sensitivity, and vulnerability. It’s a risk I’m learning to take throughout each day. It’s a risk I’ve never regretted.
People celebrate What they appreciate. When was the last time That you celebrated What God has done for you And is doing in you?
Daily routine Is the screen That blocks your eyes From the surprise Of Christ’s presence That God tries To show you Throughout each day.
To celebrate is much more than making noise or attending a party. It is to allow your heart to sincerely, gratefully, and delightfully appreciate someone or something. Celebrate Jesus!
Let God continually update your heart and keep you aware of what Jesus is saying and doing in your life. Then celebration will ceaselessly flow from deep within you. True celebration isn’t dutiful. It’s delightful.
Small children like to spontaneously celebrate and appreciate being alive. If they can do that, the rest of us can too! (Matthew 18:3) Be more than a mere information processer. Seek out and embrace the awe, wonder, and joy of living. Sensitive your heart to the blessings in your life.
To endure life without appreciating its preciousness is to miss the point of why your heart is still beating. Life is full of amazing wonders, but you won’t celebrate them until you become open and vulnerable enough to notice them.
Throughout each day Jesus surprises me with delightful insights and remarkable revelations — so many aha moments to celebrate. He keeps my life so wonder-filled that I can’t stop celebrating Him! To celebrate Christ is to share joy everywhere.
Celebration requires no money. When I observe and contemplate the beauty of nature my heart begins to spontaneously celebrate. The more I gaze at the risen Jesus and allow Him to amaze me with His presence, the more I celebrate His gift of life.
Heartless festivity Is fun activity, But it always lacks The sensitivity Of true celebration.
Free Gas for Your Think Tank -- Short Reflections, Lasting Encouragement 