Freedom Law

25 May 2012
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If My People . . .

So if Hope resides on the outside of our judgement among those that we seek to condemn, the paradigm should have shifted upon instant recognition of even the possibility. I mean, the reality of Hope residing among the hopeless is not exactly a new millennium idea but for whatever reason we forget.

Not only do we forget the Truth of what we claim, we forget the truth of how far from good we are. We prioritize and categorize transgressions to insulate our just-as-guilty but less visible choices. As long as the issues that others display are judged to be comparatively more depraved, the condition of our heart can go untreated.

But the condition of our heart is what the issue is. Follow this closely as it won’t be caught if it is glossed over:

  • Feeding the depraved heart with prideful judgement and hateful condemnation multiplies the sickness of the accuser
  • As the depravity grows, self-righteousness crowds out legitimate Righteousness
  • The exclusion of Righteousness estranges the One that was the basis for the original position against a particular wrong

Righteousness doesn’t come through living a particular lifestyle. It doesn’t come from laws against the lifestyle of others. Righteousness comes through focusing on our own depravity, recognizing the condition it leaves us with and laying our selfish, prideful carcass in a pool of Blood. It’s dying to us, not trying to kill others.

If we would humble ourselves, cry out to Righteousness, cease our own wickedness and change our own ways then we know that our nation would be healed. He says so.

Posted in Faith, Hope, Leadership and tagged , , , ,
22 May 2012
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Putting the Rocks Down

It’s our fault. It’s our fault that the values we want everyone to adopt are rejected as hateful or condemning. We are the ones that search for Truth to use as a weapon against those that dare to disagree. We stand with hammer in hand declaring eternal consequences while missing the immediate opportunity to connect through humility.

Somewhere along the way, we’ve created enough requirements around Hope that Hope seems lost for many. We impose judgment from behind the stained glass and wonder why nobody wants to come in without temptation of entertainment or food. When this is the case, we have to really question which side of the stained glass the One we call Hope is standing.

The reality is that the Light of the world is not dependant on our behavior but instead flows simply to where darkness gives way. Darkness gives way when it is exposed in relationship. When people connect enough that there is trust enough to call darkness what it is, Light moves in to transform. Trust like that is built when relationship assures that nobody is holding a rock to throw when learning of the other’s darkness.

Hope will come in and sit with us, dine with us and live with us. The fullness of the presence of Hope is the fullness of Healing and Salvation. That communion is dependant only on a desire for relationship, not for scrub brush of behavioral change. Change comes from the experience.

Let’s put down our rocks. Our junk has given way to transformation only because Hope is also Faithful that we might be transformed. Nobody has to get right before they come in and no laws or intellectual victory of moral debate will invite others to know Hope.

Posted in Faith, Hope, Transformation and tagged , , , ,
11 May 2012

Manasseh

I talked to a man recently who had been raised by his mother and had never known his father. As an adult, the pull on his heart to establish and enjoy a relationship with his father was huge and undeniable. He gave up his whole life and moved across the country to pursue the relationship he dreamed of.

The relationship itself failed by comparison to the dream of what it might be. Even the disappointment did not erase the magnetic pull towards the man who mattered the most to the boy. The boy might be in a 30-something year old body but he was waiting for the affirmation that he had what it took to occupy the role of the man. The boy can long to hear “well done” and “I approve” to step with confidence into manhood long after achieving the age of adulthood.

Joseph had been a subject of abuse and neglect. He was estranged for many years and had gained great success without the support of his father and his father’s house. Yet, when his first-born son arrived he named the baby in a way that signified “I have forgotten the trouble of my father’s house.”

The irony screams. Each time Joseph would call his son’s name which was created to celebrate forgetting, he would in fact remember. The calling out of the declaration was at the same time a reminder. The reality is that he could never forget, he yearned to be Healed.

The father relationship is vitally important and cannot be simply forgotten by a declaration of “it doesn’t matter.” Connecting the heart (how we feel) with the head (why we feel it) is the first step in reconciling any disappointment with that foundational relationship.

Realization of identity and purpose through the Father are the destiny we all ultimately yearn for. The very personal perception of what a father is either facilitates or hinders that destiny. For those whose father has not served them well, the Hope of  adoption redeems the disappointment of their birthright. There is Healing in the adoption.

Posted in Fathers, Freedom, Identity, Sons and tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment
07 May 2012

Greater Community

To one degree or another, we become a product of our community. That is, we adopt the values, norms and even behaviors or mannerisms of those people we are surrounded by. We conform, even if it is a little at a time.

Depending on where we root our priorities and how we perceive our identity, we will make different choices on who we are surrounded with and what we do when in or out of their presence. If we are alone in our identity with no kindred and supporting community, then we can lose sight of who we are to begin with.

Identity is individual and community is corporate. They are distinct, yet completely dependant. Without one of the two, the other will become distorted and the impact will be across the board.

There may be times when we have to be disciplined in how we walk out a calling within the context of our identity apart from a community with similar focus. Those times outside the walls are not intended to be forever, however, and the need to associate is constant.

If the community we are in is self-centered and self-serving, the lack of focus beyond ourselves can lack vision purpose for healthy longevity. The community thrives in its service to other communities. We walk in our identity in community which provides resources and encouragement for service beyond ourselves. Community facilitates impact which provides purpose. The purpose strengthens the community and affirms our identity.

When I defend people whose lives are a mess, usually their community is just as much of a mess. They remain in that setting because their vision is limited to their identity only in the context of the only community they know. They are in desperate need for Revelation of their identity to have the vision and courage to step into a Greater community.

Posted in Identity, Purpose and tagged , , , | Leave a Comment
03 May 2012

Eating the Cheese

There is a trap set and waiting for any of us who believe we have arrived. When we get to a place that we think we have it figured out and that our relative goodness elevates us to a position of accomplishment, we are in trouble. When we are comfortable, we are succeptible.

The trap is self-imposed, yet crafted beyond us and intended for distraction from our destiny and ultimately our destruction. Pride in our own goodness is directly contrary to our actual Righteousness. The distinction is drastic and within it resides the difference between Freedom and death.

Saul was so sure of his own goodness that he used it as a platform to impose his beliefs and enforce his interpretation of those beliefs on others. He stood confidently on the moral high ground as he ruined the lives of those who dared to step outside the lines of his structured organization of validation.

Paul was wrecked by an encounter and that very encounter became his authority. He was never the same and the comparison between what he had thought was good and actual Goodness left him to work out the difference with fear and trembling. His authority in the lives of those around him came through his submission and ongoing transformation.

Saul had arrived. He was justified by education, performance and position. Paul was working it out. He was justified only by the Authority he had submitted to while remaining fully aware of his own weakness.

Our marketplace, government and religious leaders would more than likely choose a squared-away and accomplished Saul to speak at their corporate retreats and motivational gatherings. It’s doubtful that the fraility of Paul would provide a more attractive messenger when seeking to motivate either the secular or faith-based audience. The fact that the two audiences often act and react the same or similar is a tragedy in and of itself.

When we think we are good enough to occupy a position to be revered, the fall is further and the crash is louder. When we know that the battle rages on and that only in our weakness can we find Strength, there can be no fall from the posture we have assumed on our knees.

Posted in Faith, Freedom, Transformation and tagged , , , | Leave a Comment
30 Apr 2012
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Pulling up Weeds

I messed up a couple of weeks ago. Don’t get me wrong, I mess up every day in some form or fashion but my crap was on public display more than usual recently. Some people would not have considered it a big deal, but I know it for what it is and don’t minimize it one bit. The particulars of the depravity don’t need to be glorified, but trust me that it was not becoming.

My wife was amazing. She felt bad for me. She felt bad for my hurt which was evident by my decision-making. She was faithful and prayerful as I walked out of the mistake. She knows that our behavior does not define our character so the evaluation of the issue didn’t need to stop at my conduct.

As I reflected on things, I kind of tried to feel guilty. I tried to conjure up feelings of condemnation and shame but am thankful that I wasn’t really able to hang out there. Don’t get me wrong, I heard the whispers of “phony” but recognized them for the lies that they are. I knew that the appropriate reaction was remorse and change, not condemnation and shame.

The feelings I had in the wake of my humanity were humility and thanksgiving. I was humbled by the Grace that not only met me there but had gone ahead of me. Grace afforded me countless opportunities leading up to this moment to grow familiar with my True identity. That knowledge of who I am left me well positioned to resist the temptation of condemnation.

The error of my ways was not a singular event. There had been little things in my heart building up that led me to decisions outside of my identity. Circumstances opened the door for me to harden my heart in some areas and to be completely self-reliant in others. The result was a heart exercising in pride and selfishness. From that heart condition, bad decisions flowed little by little to culminate in an evident crash.

Above all else, guard your heart. From the heart thoughts, words and eventually actions will flow. From the wellspring within us there will bubble up either Life or death. Only when we tend to our hearts with the attention of a gardener intent on defeating the weeds and parasites can there be good fruit.

Posted in Freedom, Identity and tagged , , , ,

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