Tag: rocks

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It’s No SOPA Day

Today it the day the internet protests against new proposed legislation called SOPA or PIPA which seeks to fight against online pirating by creating potentially censorship like laws.

Not much of the internet likes it, and today you will see many of your favorite web sites “go dark” to protest. The Daily Buffet is also participating in this blackout from 8-8 today.

It’s not that I am for online pirating, but I think the internet is a great free speech zone.  Plus who knows when someone may find my message offensive or unlikable and censor me?

Of course, if that were to happen, the message of love and dying to self and glorifying the Christ would still continue.  Remember this:

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” 40 But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”

But, I really don’t want the rocks to do my job for me! 🙂

Then there this about the power of principalities

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

( well after I write that, I am not sure how applicable it is, but hey, it’s always good to remember that nothing, not even internet censorship can separate us from the love Christ has for us!

Oh, and there is another reason I protest today.  Take a moment to remember all those people out there in other countries who would love even the chance to protest about free speech. They still put the message of the Christ out there, and the risk their lives every time they do it.

Enjoy the day!  Hope you can make it without some of your favorite sites!

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Metamorphic

Last week, I was blessed to be able to spend the week in the woods with around 80 6th graders.  Many of you would say “What in the world?”  But it was really a great time.  So now you know why lasts weeks posts were so odd.

I wrote down one note during the week.It was on a hike where the instructor was telling the children about different types of rock.  She mentioned one particular type of rock – “Metamorphic”.  I took off my pack, open the zipper, grabbed my Moleskin and scribbled down these words:

Metamorphic -> changed by the environment.  A type of rock, or a type of Christian?

It’s the idea of being changed, and helping others to change that struck me. It was as  if her words were a rock thrown toward my head.

I have come back to those thoughts several times, and since that time the book of Colossians seems to find its way in front of my eyes.  In Colossians we can find this somewhat famous line:

You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  3:7 NIV

Changed!

Changed, not by the environment as much as by the mercy of God and the love of Christ.  But changed none the less.

Colossians 3 continues with this:

…since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 9-10

and then it ends when the results of the change

 

 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Colossians 3:12-14 New International Version (NIV)

 

If you were a rock, would you be classified as metamorphic?

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My Favorite Week

It;s Friday and for those of you that don’t have that song still stuck in your head you realize that we are on the verge of one of my favorite weeks of the year.  It kicks of this weekend with what has been called Palm Sunday and then ends next week with the Resurection day on the Passover!  This is exciting stuff.

And so today I thought I would share one of my favorite verses and one of the verses motivates me to keep writing this blog.  When Jesus was entering Jersalem he was being praised by the residents there, much to the chagrin of the “religious leaders” of the time.  Take a look:

 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

   “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

   40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:35-40, New International Version, ©2011)

What I love about this verse is that Jesus says hey if you silence them, even the stones will cry out and testify to me! That’s pretty powerful!
But why does that motivate me? As much as I would love to see stones literally praising him, I think that is my job to testify of his love and grace and mercy.
How about you, are you letting the rocks do your job, or are you keeping them relegated to a back up role?