what would it be like: “Taking the words of Christ literally and seriously is rarely considered. That’s for the ‘radicals’ who are ‘unbalanced’ and who go ‘overboard’. Most of us want a balanced life that we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering.”
July 2, 2009
What would a simple church look like in Berkeley County….? I don’t know, but we are praying for one…
Elder Testimony: George Conklin – Oasis Elder Nominee
June 27, 2009My Walk – June 23, 2009
Like everyone else I was born into the world, and knew nothing about everything. As a young child I went to Sunday school and later church.
By the time I was a teenager my family was going to church on Easter and Christmas. By then all I really knew about Jesus was what I learned from Christmas movies. God and Christ were nothing more than words and ideas that didn’t impact my life except for cool Christmas movies and they made me feel guilty for having fun.
As a husband and father the only change was that I had realized there was no God. Jesus who? Holy Ghost? Sounds like something to scare kids. I was an atheist, but like many when the chips were down I still would pray… to, in my eyes, a non-existent God. But if he DID exist, maybe he’d feel sorry and help me out, after all I was a pretty good person.
In my eyes God and I had gotten off on the wrong foot – Church was BORING, I had to go through God to get married, I started having seizures when I was 19 so no more beer/whiskey/wine for me, and later in life I would find out I had diabetes and was at risk for high cholesterol. Not fun, and all God’s fault…
So how did I decide there was no God? Simple, I heard that God always was and always would be and reasoned that was impossible for someone to exist forever and to always have existed – after all even the Universe had a big bang, and if the Universe had to come into existence somehow, then so did God…
In my early 30’s I met a friend and worked for him and he re-introduced God into my vocabulary. I was seriously re-thinking my life – you know, maybe God had done me a favor with seizures and no drinking, after all I have alcoholism in my family and my wife pointed out how mean I was when I was drinking. Come to think of it one night I was drunk at 19 I walked out in the street drunk, right in front of a police car driving by and was lucky enough not to get hit, maybe God did that, too. Before long I changed my life and decided I wasn’t giving up all of the sin I’d come to cherish so much – there had to be another way. I even dropped out of my friend’s life to avoid those pesky calls and emails that made me feel so guilty.
About 10 years passed and I ran into my friend again, and he still had that “I’ve got God” look about him and it made me nervous. He said we should get together sometime and do something. My wife and I talked and decided it couldn’t hurt and after all I was almost 40 and feeling like I’d gambled with enough of my life and it was time that I stop putting off really finding out a little bit about God. I mean what if he was for real and I went to Hell?!
I started by going to some dude’s meetings every now and again with my friend and some other dudes. A bible study here, a bible study there. I was reintroduced to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. During those bible studies my heart was changing slowly, and imperceptibly as Jesus slowly drew me closer and closer so he could let me know who he was and what he was all about. He was patient, after all he’d already waited for almost 40 years for me.
I learned about forgiveness and that Jesus would wash away my sins just for the asking if I believed in him, and later I learned that he’d already died for every single sin I’d commit during my entire life. I was blown away… all of them? I mean my life was already a catalog of the worst sins I thought a “good person” could commit, and Jesus already PAID for those and more of them with his blood, death and resurrection? He’d saved me already – but I hadn’t asked, I didn’t know, I was touched. For a time I asked my friend endless questions by email about Christ’s life, teachings, death and resurrection. Several times I prayed that Jesus would come and live in my heart and forgive me for a life of sin, not realizing that asking for forgiveness for something once was enough – even for almost 40 year’s worth of hideous sins against the Holy God of creation. All of them, every single one of them, wow!
Jesus loves me sins and all, and he will love you , too. Just come and ask him – oh, and you only need ask once, he’s REAL good at forgiveness, patience and just so much I could never tell it here.
George Conklin is married to Christine and he is a loving father to two girls. George is bi-vocational web designer, blogger, and thinks Google is 2nd to the Coming of Jesus… and enjoys playing video games.
Guest blogger… Steve Lay:Opportunities to Invest
June 25, 2009Background: Steve is one of my first friends on FB who has been loyal, faithful, and an encouragement out-of-the-blue for me when the Father knows I need it. Every time I see I have an email from him, I always open it first because of his ‘priestly’ and Barnabas gifts of authenticity. I share this gift, kindness, and brother in Christ with you and know that you will be as blessed as I am.
Derek,
I put an article together for your blog in reference to a discussion we had last week. I will eventually upload this to my blog, but I have several articles to post before that will build up to such a topic. So if you can, or want, to use this and it fits the theme or flow of your blog, please feel free. I have proof read it…hopefully nothing TOO glaring LOL
Thanks Steve
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Derek R Iannelli-Smith “ I regularly hear from folks that they don’t have opportunities to invest in someone… I usually ask them… when was the last time you got fast food, gas, or went to the supermarket, … why not give those things over to God and redeem them at the same time.”
Opportunities to Invest
When one thinks of investing, typically the mind moves into the place of finance. We have investments because we divest worth on a particular object – stocks, bonds etc hoping that they may grow over time. There is another sort of investment, whereupon we can divert interest into people who do not yet know the eternal worth of Jesus…and His payment for them. We can perhaps call this a Kingdom investment where the dividend may be the building up of OUR own character and a guidepost for those who do NOT yet know our God and Father. Therefore we are throwing ourselves into the wild world of chance and possibilities not knowing where God may take us.
Our opportunities to invest in others may start (or even continue) as small deposits of the economy of Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus says “You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next…” (Peterson, The Message)
The first tier of opportunity one has to invest is in the public at large. Peter reminds us to go about our business with meekness and respect. This is our starting point whether in a grocery store, gas station or fast food outlet. Be a shining light. Let someone in line. Smile. Extract a grocery cart that is jammed together for someone who is already struggling to extricate one. Offer a kind word to the person working hard at a check-out. Offer additional plastic bags at check-out to someone else. Say “thank-you” when a clerk has gone out of their way to find an item you are looking for. Let them know you appreciate their time. Tip well. Be courteous. Talk to the homeless guy as you would anyone else. Give others space or the opportunity to enter your lane on the highway. You may be thinking “how does this relate to witnessing about Jesus?” It has everything to do with it. You are building your character by living out the fruit of the Spirit. As Jesus prayed that “the Father’s Kingdom be one on earth as it is in heaven” you are helping to realize this in minute ways. In addition you are giving Jesus a good reputation. Finally your actions just may be contagious.
The second tier of opportunity is of a more personal nature. This is not about an agenda, but rather simply carrying out once again Peter’s admonition in this paraphrase “set apart God and be ready to explain your faith to everyone who asks in humility and high opinion of others” Jesus reminds us too to LOVE our neighbor.
What does this look like?
Hang out with your colleagues – go to lunch, supper, pub, coffee, ball games etc. Go for beer and wings. Laugh hard. Be helpful at work. Build relationships – and be a solid friend. Take time out for them, show them you honestly care. Make mixed CD’s, let them know what you like about them, go to the movies, get into some great conversations. By building honest friendships you open the lines of communication and trust. Your friends will reciprocate. Interesting conversations always develop when you invest in other people. Rather than offer them three points on “how to be saved” show them what it is like to follow Jesus so that they will want to KNOW Jesus. They will see your character; they get to a point where they feel comfortable enough to ask you about your faith. When the opportunity arises your faith can be shared in such a way that it is fitting to the person you have invested in.
Ultimately your character gives you the legs to witness to your faith. Take opportunities whether in the public or personal sphere to invest in others. We do not know where the Spirit of God may take us or others we are relating too. We do know that God is faithful to act in ways that we cannot conceive. We may be the one who plants, or the one who waters. Let us trust that God will produce an outcome that He sees fit…and we will simply be conduits of His grace to the lost.
Peace
Steve’s blog is called The Groundworks. Thank you Steve for investing in the Oasis and it’s readers/fans.
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June 22, 2009
Donations are coming in, but we need more prayer and items for: http://ping.fm/b0jQv?eid=93959569816
