(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

There was a guy who went through a rough patch in his life. His wife asked him to leave his house and they ended up divorcing. He lost his home in a hurricane and most of his belongings as well. He was out of work for the longest time and was someone who really learned the hard way that the Lord provides in all circumstances and he can rebuild and restore anyone through his grace, mercy, strength and power. While this man was a Christian through the whole ordeal the time really drew him closer to God and he was broken anew with a desire to serve the Lord as a minister. He wanted to go out and evangelize and share the truth of Christ with others. He wanted to show them the better way that transformed his life and brought him through trials that gave him a real perspective on the needs of a lost and dying world.

He meets a beautiful, Christ-fearing woman and they fall in love. It's clear to everyone that God's hand is on their relationship and they grow together in the Lord. They make plans, they go through pre-marital counseling and they wed vowing before God to honor, love and trust each other and to have their home be centered upon Him. The celebration of their marriage and joining together before Christ is large and joyous.

Through that time he finds a church that is just flowing with the Holy Spirit. They're involved in "authentic community" and wanting to reach out to the world with the love and truth of Jesus Christ. He gets into their men's group, their Bible studies and their discipleship class. He volunteers for church outreaches and events even if it's not something that he particularly feels drawn to help. He wants to learn, he wants to grow, he wants to minster and he wants to be a part of the movement of Christ knowing that the longing in his heart to minister to others as a spiritual leader will come in time if he continues to seek Christ with all his heart.

After a year of service he goes to the pastor and says what he's feeling in his heart about becoming a minister. The pastor of the church is overjoyed and begins to disciple the man while he's testing him to see if the call is sure. In the midst of this, the pastor is talking with one of the elders who says that he believes the man has been divorced.

The pastor and elder come to the man and ask him about it. He tells them the truth that he was divorced years before he came to their church and before he rededicated himself to the teachings of Christ. The pastor and elder then inform him that because he is divorced and married to someone other than this first wife that he is disqualified from being able to be a pastor or minister or deacon or elder. They appreciate his service to the church but because of the Scriptures they cannot allow him to be in any kind of leadership position within the church structure. He's more than welcome to continue volunteering for church activities and he's more than welcome to participate in the church's programs but he will never be allowed to be any more than a member of the congregation. They're sorry to have to say it but obviously because he's divorced Christ cannot be calling him to be a minister and perhaps he needs to go pray to figure out what God is really calling him to be.

Welcome to the realm of the second class Christian where Jesus only saved you to a certain point and then let the rest of your sin hang on you for eternity.

I'm always amazed at how churches can talk about the redemptive power of Christ and how his blood covers all sins and allows anyone to be "washed white as snow" yet they quickly put the scarlet D on the chest of anyone who has been divorced. Where in the Bible does it say all sins are forgiven except the sin of adultery? (Which is the basis that some churches claim to bar divorced people from ministry. This is in Matthew 19:9 (ESV) where it says "And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”) It's because of this "sin" that churches then run to 1 Timothy 3:2-7 (ESV) that says "Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil."

Many churches stand on the doctrine of exclusion based on that passage but if you look closely you will that this passage is in the present tense. It is talking about the man NOW and not the man from ten years prior to now. It says "the husband of one wife" and not "who has been the husband to only one wife." In fact, if you look at the Greek, husband...or "andros"...can be translated as "man." Wife...or "gune"...can be woman as well. So while most Greek scholars say that the passage is translated "husband of one wife" it could almost have the George Jones translation...he's "gotta be a one woman man." Nowhere in the passage does it use language that speaks of all their lives but rather the immediate...how they are right now...and that means they have to be married to only one woman at the time of their calling into the service of the Lord. That means no polygamy, that means no adultery outside his current marriage in any way and no bigamy.

Let's not forget some of the biggest leaders of the church have had their willful sins that were washed away. How many churches speak so glowingly of a murderer who joyfully put hundreds or thousands of people to death by having rocks thrown at them until they painfully died of blunt force trauma? It's not hip to talk about Paul like that but it's in essence who Paul was before he came to know Jesus. If he can be forgiven of murder then someone can surely be forgiven of adultery or marriage to another wife. And...if we believe the doctrine of grace that says even if you sin after knowing Christ you can be cleansed and forgiven...it applies just as much to someone who divorced after becoming a believer as someone who divorced before they were a believer.

Also, let's look at all the other requirements for a pastor or elder or overseer:

Be above reproach.
Sober minded.
Self-controlled.
Respectable.
Hospitable.
Able to teach.
Not a drunkard.
Not violent but gentle.
Not quarrelsome.
Not a lover of money.
Manages his household well.

I know some will argue the point but I really don't see how someone who does not have Christ within their lives can show this level of fruit of the Spirit. That's a lot to ask of someone who is in Christ and seeking Him completely let alone someone who is chasing sin and therefore not able to be blessed by the Lord for their obedience to His calling to them and His instructions to us to live.

I could go on and on about those who would say that someone who marries after divorce commits adultery daily and therefore they're disqualified because of willingly sinning...but I know a lot of pastors that hit the buffet line one too many times knowing they shouldn't eat any more food. Everyone sins and everyone willfully sins in one way or another. Who are we to judge and say some of those sins are acceptable for a pastor to commit but it's not all right for another sin to be committed? If you're going to be that legalistic about things then no one can be qualified to be a pastor because no one is perfect.

It's time for Christians to throw off the chains of the old dogma and doctrinal twisting and look at the actual word of God right now. Divorce hurts. Divorce destroys lives. If someone's in the middle of a divorce and they're in the midst of the things attached to it then I can surely understand not wanting to put someone in a position of leadership because they would not be "managing their household well." However, once that situation passes and the person has been restored in Christ to continue to hold that past sin against them goes against not only the Scripture itself but also the tenet of our faith that we hold most dear to us...that Jesus paid the price for ALL our sins that ALL of us can be able to stand in front of God without blemish, spot or stain.

It's time for all of us to elevate those we've labeled as second class Christians.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Here's today's Friday Quick Hit:

We have so many things that can take up our time during the day. A few days ago I was working on something for a friend on the internet and discovered that an hour has passed when it seemed like it was only a few minutes. It was then I realized that I hadn't called my parents that night and I was over an hour behind the time I usually call and talk to them. Of course I did the thing I should do and dropped everything to call and say hello. My mom was very excited to hear from me (as she always is) and even though it was just a short discussion about dad's health, some restaurant certificates and "him" (a.k.a. their dog) it still was a meaningful moment because the family was together and wanted to be that way (even if it was just in a telephonic way.)

As I was listening to the Daily Audio Bible today I heard Luke 8:20-21 (ESV). It's where the disciples come to Jesus and say "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you" and Jesus replies "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." Now, I don't think Jesus was dissing his mom and brothers. I'm sure that at some point he went out to talk to them or had them brought in so he could spend time with them. (I base this on the fact that as Jesus was hanging on the cross he told John to care for His mother. Obviously they still maintained a relationship.) Still, Jesus' point was a very good one about how you and I are a part of the family of God.

A mother and brother in those times are someone who was a blood relative. You were family and you would be for your entire life whether you liked it or not. When Jesus said that his mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it he was saying that you and I can be just like a blood relative of God and Jesus. We're that tight in the family and that they want the kind of relationship that we desire to have with our close blood relatives. (Now, I know some of you have troubles with your parents or siblings. In that case, think of the longing you have to desire a relationship with them that is strong and healthy.)

I don't know about you but I can think of many times when I've not considered my relationship with Christ to be like a blood brother. I will get into the meat of the day and the everyday idols of work or television or MP3 players or books or take your pick will get in the way and before I realize what's going on it's time for bed and I haven't called my Brother or Father today. When you take Jesus' words to heart and realize that your relationship with God isn't some nebulous concept but flesh and blood like your own mother or father a day when you don't pray takes on a whole different perspective.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Galatians 5:1 (ESV) says "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Yeah, I know that I don't normally start out with a verse from scripture but have some witty antidote about life. Today, however, I wanted to really focus on the truth of the simple fact we've been set free of our past and the things that we have done. So many Christians today are still within some bonds of slavery and they don't even realize it's the case. These are people who on the outside look like they have their Christian walk down and they are prime examples of how we should live our lives on this Earth while looking heavenward. However, many of these people have bondage upon them in ways that you would never guess are happening.

I'm not talking about the pastors who are committing secret sins right now. I'm not talking about the Christian who is leading worship every Sunday morning while cheating his customers Monday through Friday at his job. I'm talking about the Christians who are trying to live as Christ called us to live but still have the chains of bondage upon them carrying names like guilt, shame and regret. These are people who know the truth of Christ and know that He can set them free but they still allow the Enemy to keep them bound up in slavery to their past mistakes and sins.

You may not look at it like slavery but 2 Peter 2:19 (ESV) says "For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved." So if you allow yourself to sit in your room and think about the time you cheated off a friend's test in college or how badly you treated your high school girlfriend or how you stole money from your employer for a year and allow the guilt of that to keep you feeling as if you're unworthy of Christ then you're in slavery. You're a slave to the sins of the past that God has forgiven and forgotten! There's no reason to allow these things to hold power over you but I'll admit that I did the same thing for many, many years even when I was in full time ministry. It's human nature to regret mistakes that we've made...and in itself that's not necessarily a bad thing...but it's also a place that the Enemy can swoop in and use it to dull our effectiveness for Christ.

Here's the plain truth: NONE of those things has ANY power over you once you've asked Christ for forgiveness. NONE. All of those things have been wiped away as if they never happened in the first place as far as God is concerned. Those things cannot put you in slavery unless you allow it to happen yourself. So why in the world would you allow yourself to be put in a place where you are shamed, beaten, destroyed, belittled and mocked? Why in the world would you choose something like that for yourself? You wouldn't walk up to your local jail and tell them to just throw you in and toss away the key. Every time you allow a thought from your past to control your mood, control your decision making or just have you wallow in self-pity you're doing the same thing only on a spiritual level.

The best part is you already have the freedom. You can just shuffle off those chains right now by standing up and declaring you are a child of God, your sins have been forgiven through Christ Jesus and declare to Satan that you are not the person you used to be and that you are a child of God. Breaking free is really that easy.

Now, I'm not going to say there won't be trials, tribulations and spiritual attacks upon you. Spiritual warfare is very real and it's always going on all around you. That's why Satan and his followers do all they can to keep you down in the chains of slavery to your past sins. If they can keep you focused on those things then you're an ineffective warrior for Christ. You'll miss the times God wants you to minister or reach out to someone else because you'll see a similar situation to your past and the bad feelings flood in that make you flee. When James writes in James 5:16 (ESV) that "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" I believe he's writing about those believers who have completely accepted the truth of Christ that all is forgiven and they pray for the power of God to work because they've felt it within their own lives. When you know a weapon can completely destroy an enemy because it's destroyed your enemy then you have no problem using it when someone else faces that same enemy. Prayer is a weapon! Prayer is how you stand up and fight against the forces and spirits that do not bow for Christ!

So when those attacks come...and trust me, they will...stand up against them! Yell at the top of your lungs if you need to do it! Stand firm on the rock of truth and scream that you belong to God and that you are not going to allow the enemy to use your past to keep you down!

There's a passage of Scripture many pastors teach upon regarding the "full armor of God." It starts in Ephesians 6:13 (ESV) saying "take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." That armor is right there with you as a child of God and all you have to do is put it on and stand firm. Here's the cool thing...if you put it on standing firm isn't really that hard. It's when you start to take off pieces of it that you start to lose that power. It's almost as when Moses was leading the children of Israel against Amalek in Exodus 17:11 (ESV) where it says "whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed." The armor of God is the same as Moses holding up his hands. When you leave that armor on...completely on...you cannot be defeated. Once you take it off, the enemy can prevail against you and return you to the bonds of slavery called guilt, shame and regret.

So if you're one of those millions of Christians who is in slavery right now to the past today's the day to break it off. It's really as simple as deciding enough is enough. Admitting that you haven't fully trusted in Christ and taken Him completely upon you and allowed him to cleanse you, forgive you and stand beside you. The full armor of God is there, it's free and it's impenetrable when it's intact. The more you wear it and the more you fight back the more Satan will realize that he isn't going to win. He'll always be around waiting for you to take your armor off but he will also know that with the armor intact he can't stop you because you are a child of God and God will give you the victory.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Webster's Dictionary defines forever as "a limitless time." The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy defines forever as "a really long time. So long that you really can't grasp how incredibly long it is but it's just short of the average wait in a doctor's waiting room." I kind of prefer the Guide's definition because at least that one gives you some perspective on the concept of something lasting forever. We hear claims all the time of products that will last forever or some kind of project you do in the community that's going to last forever. The word forever is thrown around so much and often times it's for things that may outlast us but most likely won't be here until the end of time.

I can think of times that I've bought something that has a lifetime warranty because the product is going to "last forever." I can honestly say that I do not have anything in my house that was bought because it was a "lifetime" product that is working as advertised. Whether it's from overuse or bad manufacturing or incorrect use the products always seem to fail in one way or another and then when you try to return them for a replacement you're told that the "lifetime" guarantee only applied if you used the product in a certain way. The phrase "certain restrictions apply" is more than just something a lawyer made up one night they felt there weren't enough ways to try and cover their client's collective backsides. So suddenly this "lifetime" product you spent your limited resources to buy is nothing more than a useless piece of metal or plastic that will either take up space in a cabinet or the trash bin.

Then...if you happen to find something that is truly a product that will last "forever"...you tell everyone about it. When your friends come over to watch Oprah or the NASCAR race you bring them into the room where the object is and say "look at what this thing can do" as you stretch the limits of the product's usual tasks. The phrase "Hey! Watch this!" becomes a regular part of your vocabulary. It's almost a compulsion that you have to show everyone this thing that will last forever and try to make them want to love it so much that they rush out and get one of their own. You wait for that e-mail or phone call that says "wow...I just bought one of those and you're right! It's wonderful!"

Well, I have some news for you...every single Christian reading this blog (or listening to the podcast) have some things that will last forever.

Hebrews 13:8 (ESV) says "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." 1 Peter 1:25 (ESV) says "the word of the Lord will remain forever."

Now, I know that right now some of our more strict Christian brothers and sisters are getting a little upset thinking I'm comparing Jesus and God's word to a Ginsu knife. Well, I'm not really because unlike the Ginsu knife which can dull or break, Jesus truly is forever! In reality, Jesus and God's word are truly forever while anything this world provides or produces will eventually be burned away like chaff. Still...how often do we share Jesus with others in the same way we would share that Ginsu knife? How often do we take Jesus out and show what He can do on the same level as the "stuff" that is "forever?"

My guess is that it's not quite as often once we get past the initial euphoria that comes with our salvation.

At first, when Jesus is new in our lives, we share him with everyone. We're quick to give Him the glory and praise for the things that go well and we're quick to tell people within whom our strength lies when time of trial face us. Then as we spend more time with Jesus a lot of Christians start to tone it down a little bit or they aren't so quick to say "it's Jesus" when something really great happens or they avoid uncomfortable situations they would rush into before because even though they know they should share the joy of Christ being with us forever they just don't want to bother someone with it. I think particularly of times when someone is facing a trial in their lives because you're afraid if you rush in and start sharing Jesus with words they'll be turned off.

Remember that you can share Jesus without a word so there's no excuse not to share Him as much as possible with other people. When you bring a sack of groceries to the family of a man who just lost a job you're showing them Jesus. When you sit with someone who just found out they have cancer, you're showing Jesus to them. When you send a message or e-mail to someone who just lost their grandfather saying you're praying for them and their family, you're showing them Jesus. You're showing that Jesus is there forever to help them in their times of need and you're doing it without really speaking a word to them. (Yes, my last example was written words but I hope you see my point.)

On top of that you have the word of the Lord which lasts forever to tell people about He who will last forever...Jesus Christ. Those words are never going to disappear and they're never going to lose their truth. Isn't it great to know in a world where the definition of what "is" is can be questioned and when truth is "subjective" that we have something that is truthful and never wavers no matter how often someone may try to come against it?

So why don't we share the things we have that are "forever"...Jesus and God's word...like we do the "stuff" of this world.

Oh, I almost forgot. (Well, not really, but it makes for a dramatic part of the blog.) If you have accepted Christ as your savior, you will live forever as well. Perhaps we should share ourselves with others as an example of God's word (which lasts forever) telling us in Romans 6:23 (ESV) "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (who also is forever.) It's just a thought.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

I was out for my morning stroll listening to various songs when David Crowder Band's bluegrass version of "I Saw The Light" began to play. I'm not a big fan of bluegrass but there's something about the simple honesty of the way Crowder and his compatriots recorded the song that resonates with my spirit. I'm not going to do a whole song lyric dissection of "I Saw The Light" but I love the message of the song that God's light when you finally see it makes a complete change in your life and brings you "no more night." I began to think of how even in the secular world light and dark are usually equated to good and bad. White and black the same way. I'm sure that's proof of the influence the Christian faith has had in the world whether some like it or not but it's very subtle and I don't think many people really stop to realize it.

Even the phrase that someone "finally saw the light" implies that they've woken up to the truth and are going the right way with their lives. Seeing the light is so important to anyone who is lost in darkness. Have you ever been deep inside a cave where you can no longer get light from the outside? It's a very eerie feeling to stand in complete darkness. You don't know which way to go and you don't feel safe because you can't see someone or something sneaking up on you in the dark. It's a scary place to be but once someone shows up calling your name with some kind of flashlight you see the light and you feel relief because not only do you feel safe from the light but you also have a clear direction about which way to go.

So as I came back and was looking in the Word, I saw a passage from Acts in a new way. In Acts 22, Saul has his conversion after meeting Jesus on the way to Damascus. As he describes it, he says in Acts 22:9 (ESV) "Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me." I think of that along with Jesus saying to us in Matthew 5:14 (ESV) "You are the light of the world." You might think that I would be writing next that we are to be shining examples of God's light...and we should be...but I really had a thought almost 180 degrees away from that.

How often do we as Christians not act like the light that shone on Saul...where he understood everything...but were rather the light that was seen by his traveling companions that had a voice which made no sense to them? I'm talking of the times that we as believers go out to do some kind of "work" on behalf of the Kingdom and while we're feeding the hungry or taking care of someone in need we start spewing our stock Christianese and start condemning everything under the sun? We say things to someone in a serious situation that just increases their guilt and while they see "the light" in the form of you or I they hear a voice that makes no sense to them because it runs counter to what they think the light is supposed to show them.

I'm not even really speaking here of the openly judgmental "Christians" who grab a megaphone and spew their hate and distortions of Christ's message to everyone. I'm talking about the times we don't really even stop to think that our words are being less than compassionate. It could be telling a drug addict trying to kick the habit who just discovered they have HIV "well, the Bible does say the wages of sin are death" as you hand them a sandwich at the shelter. You could tell a teen girl in your church youth group who is pregnant that if she "just could have resisted temptation" she wouldn't have found herself in this situation. It's not that what you would be saying isn't the truth and it isn't the Word of God itself but it's how you say it and when you say it that makes all the difference between the voice in the light making sense and the voice doing nothing but causing more confusion.

I saw a billboard for a parenting campaign that had the picture of a little girl with words like "loser" written on her skin. The child had a look of shame on her face and the message of the billboard was "words hurt." I absolutely agree with that and I think we as Christians need to realize our words can carry more of an impact than our actions. If someone walks up to us who's starving and we give them food but then start railing against them for what they've done or are doing we'll do nothing but have them think the stereotype of the judgmental Christian is correct. There is a time and a place for showing someone the whole truth of Christ and showing them that actions they may be taking are sinful and need correction. It's not at the moment they see the light and realize it's guiding them in the right direction.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

I was listening to the Daily Audio Bible podcast and the speaker was reading a passage where Jesus was talking about loving our enemies and praying for them. I began to think about what a novel concept in today's society it is to pray for people that either we consider "enemies" or who consider us their "enemies." It seems that in America it's becoming the standard, acceptable practice among Christians to try do whatever it takes to destroy people who we feel are "enemies" to Christ...or more likely "enemies" to what we want to do with immunity. Some of the most outspoken Christians can lie and distort the views and opinions of others out of one side of their mouth while proclaiming what great Christians they are with the other side. Apparently the "bearing false witness" part of the Ten Commandments doesn't count anymore...and if you want to say that they don't because of Jesus' commands in the New Testament regarding the law and the prophets, it doesn't seem to be fulfilling what Jesus said in Matthew 22:39 (ESV) "love your neighbor as yourself." Well, I guess if you hate yourself and you lie to yourself all the time you could technically be doing to your neighbor what you're doing to yourself but if that's the case you have a lot more problems than just telling lies about a neighbor!

The passage in today's Daily Audio Bible reading came from Luke 6:27-31 (ESV). "But I say to you who hear, ^Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And ^as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."

It's very easy to get sucked into the world's way of thinking on the issue of those who seek to persecute you. "Eye for an eye" seems so much more appealing than just praying about them and letting them go on their way knowing that God will expose them for who they really are before they're done with their plans and schemes. The problem is that once you begin to behave in the manner those who hate you are behaving then you are no different than those whom you're condemning. We all know that hypocrisy is the #1 illness of Christians. (It's just whether or not you're willing to recognize it and say that Christ loves you in spite of that!)

It's not an easy process to love your enemies or to look at someone who is bearing false witness into a megaphone at the top of their lungs and refuses to stop even in the face of proof what they're saying is incorrect. (It makes me think of Proverbs 13:16 (ESV) that says "In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.") Still, that's what Jesus clearly teaches us to do. He didn't give you any wiggle room in terms of saying "well, I'll love them up to this point and then I won't love them anymore. At that point, I'm going shock and awe on them!" Eventually one of two things will happen to someone who is routinely bearing false witness or generally acting like a fool. The first is the people around you will see them for who they really are and the things that are said will be dismissed by anyone of reasonable, sound mind. The other is that this person will wake up to what they're doing, repent of their sins and turn back to Christ. Obviously we should all be praying for the latter.

If you're facing a situation like this today and realize that you've been acting in a manner that Christ would not approve it's not too late. Just stop. I know that sounds incredibly simple because it is incredibly simple. Just stop doing it. The resisting the temptation to do it again is going to be the hard part. Then just ask Christ to forgive you for the things that you have done and say a prayer for those who might be going out of their way to smear you. You have to trust in the Lord that He will take care of you and that He will also take care of them in whatever manner He feels is best based on their actions and their obedience to Him.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Welcome to Good Friday where we're going to wrap up Paul Alan week with a quick hit based on title track from his brand new CD Drive It Home. I didn't really mention it at the start the of the week because I wanted to let God work through you to draw your own conclusions on the songs mentioned but I see a real theme of redemption running through Paul's new CD. Nowhere is this theme more on display than in the title track of the album, "Drive It Home." The lyrics even spell out the theme of the album...and the truth of Christ...in straight ahead language:

you wanted set free but all you are is alone
come on and let go
let me drive it home
redemption was the point when I rolled away the stone

I could go on and on about that lyrical passage but I think Paul sang it better than I could write it. We all seek freedom within our lives but we too often seek it in terms that the world defines instead of how God defines it. We want to go out and do anything we want whenever we want and at the end feel alone and empty inside. We drive the car of our lives in so many different directions when we need to just let go and turn over the wheel.

With Easter this Sunday many of you will be attending church even if it's something you only do twice a year. When a pastor or preacher talks about the stone being rolled away, I want you to think not of the stone itself or the people who watched it happen or the women who found the empty tomb but of redemption. Think of the fact that before the stone even moved your redemption was finished. The second that Christ began to rise everything you had done was forgiven and you were redeemed in the sight of God. All you have to do is accept that simple truth, let go of the wheel and let Jesus drive you home.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

I love all kinds of songs. I like the songs with lyrics that make you think and could have so many possible interpretations that fifty different people can see fifty different things. I also really love a song that is so straightforward and simple in its message that everyone can see what's being said.

Today, I have one of those latter kinds of songs.

Check out the opening of Paul Alan's song "Find Our Way":

I know this life's unkind
Tears will fall and hearts will break and there are no good reasons why
No comforting words to say and sometimes all you have is the hand you're holding
and a feeling that love will find a way

Everyone has had some time in their life when they've felt like there's no good reason for something bad that has happened within their life or the life of someone close to them. It could be anything from a teenager in a car accident to someone being diagnosed with cancer to a heart attack killing someone in their early 40s. You throw up your hands to the sky and you cry out wondering why it could happen and how it's so unfair because that person was a good person or strong Christian or cared for the poor or left behind young children. When you're in the middle of those situations words can mean very, very little.

While I know it would be easy to focus here on the love finding a way...and it will...I think the biggest truth in Paul's song comes from the "sometimes all you have is the hand you're holding" line. When you face those times of trouble and trial...when the world is making absolutely no sense...that having another person there to just be with you is the strongest thing you can find on this earth. The feeling that love will find a way starts out with that one hand holding another because it says to the person in pain that someone is there and someone cares for them.

Even though Jesus is always with us we still need that personal connection from another person. That's why God created Eve! God said in Genesis 2:18 (ESV) that "it is not good for the man to be alone." God knew that even though he was going to provide everything the man would need to live and survive and thrive that he still needed to have another person there to share in everything with him. You and I are no different than Adam in that it's not good for any of us to be alone either. We are to be God's hands and feet and sometimes that means just giving that hand for someone to hold onto and know that someone is there and cares.

In those senseless times where nothing makes sense...that hand is how we start to find our way.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Have you ever experienced the feeling of being surrounded by hundreds of people but feeling completely alone?

If you're a person who has never dealt with loneliness and depression then I thank God that you've never had to experience it. I pray that you never will although it's unlikely you can go through your whole life and never know a time where you feel alone or abandoned or lonely. To the person who's facing it you could be sitting in the middle of a sanctuary surrounded by a thousand people and feel like you're the only one in that room because no one else knows what you're facing and that no one else cares about you. The one place that should feel like home and the one place that should be your most welcome place is anything but a sanctuary because of the people surrounding you that seem oblivious to the fact you're drowning right in front of them.

That's what flashed into my head as I listened to the song "To Bring You Back" on Paul Alan's new CD Drive It Home. Halfway through the first verse, he brings that clear image to mind when he sings this:

a crowd of people and totally alone
at the front door but worlds away from home
light up the night's last regret
burn your only safety net
step to the edge it's such a long way down
I left the ninety nine to find the one and you're the one
I've walked 1000 miles in this desert sun only to bring you back…

Can you see that? Can you picture someone who is sitting in the middle of a large group of people and yet everyone is just walking around as if that person is the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four? When someone reaches that point they begin to build walls around themselves and they start to build all kinds of safety nets. You may develop a harsh personality to keep people at arm's length because you question their motives every time they want to talk to you. Perhaps you get so quiet and withdrawn that you make sure people don't even know you're in the room when something is happening. You build up faith only in yourself and no one else because you know that way you can't be hurt and that separates you from everyone else.

It also separates you from God. Even the "strongest" of Christians can find themselves in a place where they stop trusting God because of the pain in their life. When you get to the point you feel you're completely alone you can feel like God himself has walked away from you. You get that feeling that no matter where you go...even God's "house" where "his people" are supposed to show you love and concern...that you're nowhere near home.

It's also a place where many people who don't know Christ find themselves after they reach the point of knowing the world can't satisfy them. All the money, all the cars, all the possessions or all the attention from others doesn't fill the void they have in their soul and they don't know where to call home. Again, just like the lonely Christian at a church, they feel like while they're surrounded by a world full of people yet they're the only person left on the planet.

Those are the people I think Paul had in mind writing this song because the lyrics point directly at them! However, Paul goes on to sing that they should throw off their safety nets and burn them...so that they can never be used again...because of the simple truth from the Bible: Jesus is ready to be there with you. Whether you're the Christian who feels driven away from God or the person who's never known Christ but knows there's something more to this life you can't find in the world Jesus is ready to find you and to bring you back to where you need to be.

You just have to reach the point where you're ready to completely trust Him...like Paul sang, step to the edge even though it's a long way down...and trust that when you fall (or trust in Him) that He will catch you and not let you down. According to His word, he'll be there to make the catch.

It's like Jesus shared in Matthew 18:12-13 (ESV) when he spoke to his disciples: "What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray." In that same way, Jesus rejoices over you when you make that decision to completely trust in Him. To turn your life over to Him knowing that with Him regardless of your physical state of being by yourself that you are truly never alone. YOU are that sheep he has gone to find and bring home.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

There's a phrase that I think almost all of us have used at some point in time..."boy, my life's a wreck right now." If you haven't used it, you've probably heard someone else using it when their life seems to be crashing down around them for a variety of reasons. Many times Christians use it when they realize that they've walked away...knowingly or unknowingly...from what Christ has called them to do and who He has called them to be. You reach a crossroads where who you know that you should be and the person you are right now hurdle toward each other at high speed and what happens next is the stuff you see on late night TV titled "America's Wildest Crashes Caught On Tape 38."

That's the story behind Paul Alan's song "Wreckage" from his new CD "Drive It Home." Now, I'm a sucker for power chords so the music sucked me in but the simply stated lyrics hooked me like a bass chasing a juicy worm. Check this out:

I've made a mess of this
I need redemption again and more to guide me than these headlights
The man that I could be and the one that I've become are getting ready to collide
and we've been here before down this broken road
you'll get the call at 2am to pull me out of the wreckage
pull me out of the wreckage tonight
drag me out of the burning disaster that is my foolish pride

I'd ask anyone who's been there to raise their hand but I need to keep typing.

Now, I know it's likely some are reading this and thinking that they haven't had any major crashes in their life. They haven't had something happen that's caused their entire world to crash down on the level of a burning and twisted car. However, I'd ask you to look deeper and realize these kinds of crashes do not necessarily need to bring your entire world crashing down to have a serious impact on your life. For example, let's say you have someone that you work with at your church whom you've developed a friendship. Then that person tells you something personal that is embarrassing about their financial struggles in the confidence of your friendship. While talking with some other people, you share the information you learned almost unknowingly because it makes you look important and "in the know."

That person finds out their secret was exposed and they're justifiably angry with you. However, they continue to talk to you and work with you at the church but you notice when conversations turn to private matters they don't reveal much beyond things you can readily see in public. You've wrapped around the tree and the car's on fire and you really didn't notice that it happened. That's when you need the Lord to come down and pull you out of that wreckage and overcome the pride that had you betray a confidence.

Proverbs 11:2 (ESV) says "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom." Warnings in the Bible against pride are very plain and anyone who has faced moments where their pride has run ahead of their wisdom knows those warnings are not without validity. Fortunately, God can pull us out of it if we just repent, pray and trust in Him to pull us out of the wreckage caused by our pride. So whether you know you're laying in the burning wreckage and at the end of your road or if you're someone who just realized you're in a wreck today's the day to allow God to come and as Paul sings...pull you out of the wreckage.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)  

I mentioned on Friday that I was excited to get a copy of Paul Alan's new CD "Drive It Home" and to say that it's reached out to me would be an understatement. Ordinarily I wouldn't do another special music week so quickly but I just feel led to share this music with you and the messages that have come through it. I'm just having a hard time picking only five of the songs to use for this week.

I'm starting with his song "Bethlehem" because it's not talking about that fabled city of Scripture but rather a town in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that I frequented in my own youth. The song talks about a man who is heading back home to Bethlehem after leaving it behind a "lifetime" ago. It's almost a cry of someone who has reached the end of themselves and they're screaming for the Lord to move and do something real in his life. He doesn't want the pre-packaged Christianity or man's version of religion but the real thing. It is clearest at the end of the song as he sings:

I don't want a religious experience
I just want to know you
How do I boil this whole thing down to God so loved the world?

Many of us can relate to that cry within our lives. So often we go to a church or concert or other "Christian" event and have that religious experience but when the wave of euphoria goes away the remaining feeling is hollow. We want that simple, direct relationship with God that comes from the truth of John 3:16. A place where we can throw away all the facades that we've maintained for the world around us and just be who we are with God himself and then let that connection transform us to go out and be the hands and feet that do boil down everything to God so loved the world.

We want real.

There's a freedom in letting go of the disguises that make up the majority of our every day. It might not be easy in terms of dealing with others who are unwilling to leave the pretty caskets that are keeping their souls inside until the day their burial is complete. Yet God's word says in 1 Corinthians 7:21 (ESV) "Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity." Those disguises that Paul sings about in his song...that are driving the person who is the subject of that song to despair...is just like a slave master controlling your life. It doesn't matter that you're there when you're called by God...but you can gain your freedom! Galatians 5:1 (ESV) says "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." You can avail yourself of that freedom and be set free of being a slave to the disguises of the everyday.

Just ask Him to set you free wherever you are in your life right now. Don't wait until you're bearing down on your Bethlehem feeling like there's no place left to go.

(Listen to the podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

A quick hit for this Friday...

When I woke up this morning I was spending time in prayer and God said to me that He was going to be giving me a little blessing today. I just smiled and said "OK, thanks in advance" and went on. I know many days when I feel the Lord telling me He's blessing me that day it's in a way that I don't ever know or a way that I find out about long after whatever happened is finished. Today was a different story.

After my prayer time I hopped in the shower and came downstairs to get ready to meet a friend. Normally when I get up in the morning I throw on the computer to check e-mail from last night and see if anything major happened in the news. I was surprised to find an e-mail waiting from a good friend who is a record producer in Nashville. The e-mail contained a link to download a zip file that contained the new album from one of my favorite Christian singers, Paul Alan. (You've seen me mention him on the blog before and his song "Leaving Lonely" is the song on my MySpace profile.) The new CD was scheduled originally for February and the month came and went without any news so for it to suddenly appear in my e-mail was definitely a little blessing!

I love the way God is a loving father. So often when we're facing the day to day we forget that God loves us and sees us as we see our own children. I know the things my children like and I try to do things so that I can provide them with the things they love. When I'm not with them and see something I know they would love I pick it up to surprise them later knowing how happy it will make them to receive that gift from their father. God is the same way with us!

Jesus said in John 14:23 (ESV): "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." When you think of "home" what you want it to be? A place of comfort? A place of refuge? A place where you can just be whoever you and you'll be accepted? Most of all...do you think of loving parents that love you and want you to be there and provide thing to you that they know you like? That's the same thing that God wants to have with us. He wants us to be in a place where He will be right there alongside us through the good and the bad just like a father to a child.

(Listen to the podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe on iTunes.)

I was out walking yesterday and the Lord shared something with me that I didn't realize until that moment. He said to me, "Do you realize you've done almost 350 blogs? That's about five year's worth of sermons for most pastors." I had to laugh out loud at the realization and I thanked God for giving me the opportunity to write the blog and now to do the podcast. After all, I'm not a pastor or someone who went to Bible college but just someone who reads the Bible, prays and seeks God. Then again, it does say in 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)