Holiday At The Sea

rose, originally uploaded by mike99ag.

I met a young lady this morning named Kathryn. Her car was broken down by the side of the road and I could see her face as I rounded the corner. There was a mixture of frustration and fear on her face. Her body was hunkered down over the steering wheel and she was frantically trying to get the cellphone in her hand to work. She was so focused on the situation that she was in that when I approached her window she did not notice me. Her brow was covered with sweat as she explained that her car had broken down and she couldn't get in touch with her boyfriend. I offered to take her to work and she gladly accepted the offer. As we started driving she began to tell me about her life. She was 33 with an 11 year old daughter that she is raising alone. When she found out that I was a pastor she changed her language. She started saying words like blessing and praise the Lord. As I dropped her off I gave her my card and told her to let me know if she needed any more help. She told me that she appreciated my help and that she was going to be giving a donation to our church. My mind seized up and a knot mysteriosly appeared in my stomach. I was just a good guy doing a good deed until she found out that I was "religious." At that point, I was just a spiritual guru in search of money.

This is not the way it is supposed to be. I hate this! I hate being associated with this americanized commercialized bastadardized thing that we call the church. I hope for more. I hope that if your eyes ever scrape across these words that your mind is penetrated with emotions that move. Emotions that draw you to the cross. Emotions that make your heart ache at the thought of the spiritual death and rape that happens at the hands of false prophets. I pray that our eyes will be drawn to the supreme holiness, perfect love, and suffering grace that pours from this Majestic God we serve. I pray that we will eat at the table of Christ's greatness every moment of every day so that we may stop and wait and listen and taste and be radically moved by the wonderous name and power of Jesus of Nazareth. The Son of God, the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of His Being, and the Sustainer of all things through His powerful Word. Be gripped in your soul of the emptiness of any earthly pursuit that does not begin, move, and end in the satisfaction of joy and fullness in the depths of your being, not because of you or in you, but rightly in the name of this Christ.

. . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and PRAISE your Father in heaven!

Be Quiet & Be Moved

# posted by goingThere : 11:12 AM