Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Forgiveness adapted by James Littell from the Bible [Matthew 18:21 – 35]

Forgiveness adapted by James Littell
from the Bible [Matthew 18:21 – 35]

Peter came to Jesus and asked, “How many times should I forgive a friend who does me wrong? One time, two times?” Jesus shakes his head and Peter continued, “three times, five times...as many as seven times?”

Jesus replied. “God, Peter! How many times are you gonna ask me? And, if you are gonna keep these kind of friends, then I guess you ought to be prepared to be extremely forgiving. So, I guess more like seventy seven times!!!” Peter shockingly threw his hands in the air and said, “What the fuck, Jesus?”

Jesus yelled and began a story. “Peter! Listen! The Kingdom of Heaven, (which y'all think is in a 'galaxy far, far, away' exists in the 'here and now' on planet earth, ...but I don't have time to bring you up to speed with 'Emerging Church' theology), is kind of like Bob DeNiro's character, Sam “Ace” Rothstein from the Martin Scorsese film, Casino.”

“Rothstein had plenty of money, power and the ability to kill and have you buried in the Nevada desert when crossed. He also had some friends, clients and employees that had taken gambling markers from the Tangier's Casino and never repaid. Both Sam and the casino were interested in getting these debts off the books. So, Frankie Blue Eyes was escorted by Rothstein's personal detail into the director's office and was unable to payback the $750,000 he lost gambling six months prior. Since he couldn't pay, Sam ordered that Frankie and his wife and his three children and his entire estate be sold on the black market to repay the debt.”

“Frankie, filled with panic and fear, fell to his knees and grabbing hold of Rothstein's pant leg begged, 'Don't fuckin' do this!! I swear I can find the money! Shit man, really? Don't hurt my children!! Fuck my life! I will do anything. I can pay it back! Please just give me more time! Please?' So, the Tangier's Casino having granted Rothstein the authority to cancel debts took pity on old Blue Eyes and erased everything he owed from the books.”

At that moment, Peter gasped and reached for his sword out of sheer habit! Jesus reacted, “What the hell are you doing? It is just the two of us and I Am telling the story. Relax, I Am not done yet. Geesh!” Peter holstered his sword and muttered, “O.K. Jesus”, as he bashfully kicked a stone with his left foot.

Jesus continued. “Frankie, who had been earning his living as a landlord, returned to his family and hugged and kissed his wife and children. Then he went out to visit a tenant who owed him $6,000 in back rent. Blue Eyes screamed at the tenant and while having him pinned by the neck up against the wall he yelled, 'You are gonna pay me that $6,000 you owe me you Jew fuck! You fuckin' momo! You are gonna pay me back every last Goddamn cent, so help me God and Mary mother and Joseph!! Do you hear me? I promise if you don't pay me, you will not live to see your daughter's birth!'”

“After that outburst, the tenant grabbed Frankie's ankle and pleaded, 'Don't fuckin' do this!! I swear I can find the money! Shit man, really? Fuck my life! I will do anything. I can pay it back! Please just give me more time! Please?' So, old Blue Eyes, being a real son of a bitch, had his minions evict the tenant and taken to the desert to be buried alive.”

Peter again whipped out his sword impulsively and wanted to attack Frankie Blue Eyes. Jesus laughed so hard he wept. “Peter, put your sword back in its sleeve. Frankie is a character and I am just using this story to illustrate one of the ways you can recognize what the present Kingdom of Heaven looks like.” Peter laughed as he explained, “ I know, I know! I just get so excited and I am kind of impulsive, I guess.”

Jesus finished the story. “When word got around that Blue Eyes was forgiven his debt and had his tenant whacked for just $6,000 of back rent, everyone and their brother was really pissed so they began texting and emailing Rothstein about the situation. When Frankie Blue Eyes was brought back in to see Rothstein, it was all over.”

“Sam looked at him and said very matter of factually, 'You fuckin' fuck! I erase your debt because you begged me to and you immediately go muscle some guy over a measly six grand? Shouldn't you have also shown the same type of mercy upon your tenant? Don't you even think about apologies right now you mudda fuckka! You see that hammer over there? You see that fuckin' saw? Well, we are gonna break your fuckin' skull with that hammer and saw off every last one of your toes and fingers with that saw because to whom much is forgiven, much love and forgiveness towards others is expected! Now you just got three-quarter of a fuckin' million dollars wiped clean from your record and the first thing you do is have somebody whacked for $6000? Let me tell you somethin'. You done fucked up the last time! We are gonna lock you up underneath this casino with nothing but cheerios and water to eat. Then, we are gonna keep you alive and torture you every day until you are able to repay the $750,000. You know why? Because we don't fuck around with forgiveness. It is a serious principle! Now get him outta here!'”

…..................................................................................................................

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

- Matthew 18:35 (NIV)

Chasing Relevant

Jason Clark has written an article for on of the more recent Circle 6 magazines.  It is rather interesting.  Read the excerpt, and click below for the entire article.

"The crossroads for today's leader/believer, is whether we choose to chase relevant, or risk it all and chase obedience in whatever form it comes.  The true definition of relevant is found in the heartbeat of God.  And with every heartbeat, relevant is redefined.  Only those whose heads rest upon the breast of the Master will experience relevance.  It is always those who are practiced in the why, that God wants to use in defining the how."

- Jason Clark (www.surrenderedanduntamed.org)

Download and read the entire article below:

Download chasing_relevant_jason_clark_1205.pdf

The Red Fish - AIDS/HIV

 

Here is the site that provides plenty on AIDS/HIV awareness and involvement

www.theredfish.org

U2 - Vertigo

 
U2 - Vertigo Tour (click pics for large view)

I recently picked up the new U2 DVD of the "Vertigo" tour in Chicago. What makes U2 sooo good?  Why does it always feel so spiritual when watching them play or perform?  Could they possibly be the greatest band of all time?  I think so.

They closed the show with "Yahweh (acoustic) and "40".  I know it is the cool thing right now to be in to U2, but how can you not be into them.  The band itself is sort of a phenomenon.  They have all admitted in interviews that apart from each other they would be nothing.  And, consider how great they sound, how great they are as a band.

It is a beautiful picture of how a team, a body, a community should function.  Apart from each other, is not even close to what you are together. It is easy to see how much Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr. love and respect each other.  I also appreciate their hearts and what they try to give back to the world.

They'll Know we are Christians

BY OUR LOVE.......by James Littell

"We will work with each other, we will work side by side.  We'll save each man's dignity and save each man's pride.....and they'll know we are christians by our love."

So are the lyrics to an old campfire song.  God has been teaching me much about Love, Grace, and Forgiveness lately.  I have certainly been forgiven much and I have experienced God's love and grace in my life.  Now I must give that love and grace away freely and generously.

When we think of ourselves as christians, do we think of ourselves in this way (guarding each man's dignity and saving each man's pride)? When we think of our western christian culture is this the picture that one sees in their mind?  I don't.

I see arguing, debate, taking a stand for your "right beliefs", and pompus attitudes.  I see this from myself sometimes. Jesus said there are no other commands that rank with these:

Mark 12:29-31
Jesus said, "The first in importance is, "Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.  And here is the second: "Love others as well as you love yourself.' There is no other commandment that ranks with these."

I read a letter recently, it was written in 1st century A.D. about christians.  The letter was written by someone who would not describe themselves as a follower of Christ.  This writer described christains in a very different context than how I believe we represent ourselves today.  He described christians as people that were a joy to be around because they were full of love, grace, and compassion.  They lived in this world and enjoyed participating in the culturally social events of the day.  People recognized there was something different and it was contagious.  What happened?

A couple of verses struck me this week:

I Cor 10:23-24   Looking at it one way, you could say, "Anything goes. Because of God's immense generosity and grace, we don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster." But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.

Romans 8: 1-2  Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

John 15:5  "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 

Paul wrote that "Everything is permissable for me, not everything is beneficial."  In Romans, he suggests that there is no, absolutely no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

John in chapter 15 quotes Jesus as saying, "If a man remains in me, and I in him, he will bear much fruit.

• Don't you want to be the christian that people see Jesus in? 
• Don't you want the Love of God that flows through and out of your life to be contagious? 
• Don't you want people to see that you are different, not because of your own merit, or because you can brag about all the things you don't do that the world participates in, but because Jesus love is just oozing out of your pores like strong garlic from the Indian dinner you ate the night before?  You know how it is when you eat Indian food.....everyone can smell the garlic coming out of your pores except you.  Isn't that it?

Remember, we have been saved by grace, forgiven much, and commissioned to give it away freely and generously.  There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.  We are to live well, and when we screw up, reclaim the forgiveness that is already ours.  Finally, remain in Christ and let His love flow freely.

May you experience God's grace, love, and acceptance this week. Amen!

Download 1st_century_letter.doc

Worship - God at the Center

Worship.....It’s all about God

God at the Center –
It’s time to rediscover worship with God at it’s center

…just as God was longing for something more than sacrifice and burnt offerings in times past, God’s desire today is for worship that is centered more on relationship than liturgy.

James 4:7-10  (read it)……As we draw near to God, He draws near to us.

“The worship God seeks relies completely on His initiative, knowing that the only true expression of worship is through the abandonment of all our agendas for His, as we trust His sovereign power and unlimited grace.

It is from this heart posture that true liturgy flows, that music and the arts find their highest calling and that the light of a worshipping community shines as a beacon of hope to a suffering and searching world!”
  -  David Ruis, “The worship God is seeking”

“The journey into worship is a lifelong pursuit of discovering God in His word and seeing Him constantly at work in our everyday lives and the world around us!”

….worship is not about what is in it for us, it is about being broken and humbled before God, the King of Eternity as we lay our lives and agendas down before Him.

“The fact is, worship is an end in itself.  It is for God.  To lose sight of Him is to lose sight of worship altogether. All begins and ends with Him.  Worship must focus on God first.  So then, making way for God in our worship is not something vague or theoretical.  What makes worship truly Christian is it’s proximity. God is in the room.  Worship through music is now not only objective, it is deeply personal.  Songs are no longer just about God, they are sung to Him.  Displays of adoration are not inappropriate, but are a vital part of the worship’s authenticity.  Worship becomes about responding to God’s prescence.  The presence of God is no longer out of reach, the Kingdom is here and manifest amongst us.”

Inside - Out Worship

Inside Out Worship  by James Littell

“The greatest worship has always been inside out, devotion that flows from a changed life…”
  -  Darlene Zschech

Sometimes, worship is something we decide to go and do because we love and fear God. Often times, worship is simply a response to God acting in our lives and the world around us.  For example, in 1 Kings 18:38, the writer tells of Elijah bringing the fire of God down on the offerings:  “Immediately the fire of GOD fell and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even the water in the trench. All the people saw it happen and fell on their faces in awed worship, exclaiming, "GOD is the true God!"

Worship can happen at a place designated for worship. We have places built by men, and places designated by God. (Deut. 14:23-25) Sometimes we are led in worship by a lead worshipper. (Neh. 11&13 & 1 Chron. 6:31)  Sometimes worship is individual and sometimes it takes place in community.  Our worship can be given to God in many ways. The scriptures give us examples of worship happening through bowing, kneeling, a sacrifice, an offering, a tithe, a song, a blessing to God, a service, an act of giving or kindness, dancing, shouting, thanksgiving, praying, fasting, and the lifting of hands. I Chron. 13:8 says, “In procession with the Chest of God, David and all

Israel

worshiped exuberantly in song and dance, with a marching band of all kinds of instruments.”

Worship is mysterious, but we know when it happens.  I believe this is why scripture shows us so many ways through which we can give God our worship – with our lives. Psalm 25:12 puts it like this: “God—worshipers are like arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye.”

John writes, “But the time has come--when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. "It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself--Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."  (John 4:23-24, the Message)

Worship starts with seeing You...

Worship starts with seeing You.......

In the Old Testament, the picture of worship is living life with God at the absolute center. Walking, talking, eating, drinking, greetings, farewells, rearing children, raising cattle, sacrificing, giving, selling, buying, celebrating birth, and sorrowing over death,  …absolutely everything was in God, to God, through God, and for God.

Matt Redman writes, “This is a time for seeing and singing, this is a time for breathing you in and breathing out your praise. Our hearts respond to Your revelation, all You are showing, all we have seen commands a life of praise.

"No one can sing of things they have not seen.

God open our eyes towards a greater glimpse of You and Your glory.

Worship starts with seeing You and our hearts respond to your revelation."

Click below for our latest Lighthouse Village Newsletter
Download lvm_news_11_may_2005.pdf