The Drifter

"Tex"

Every Thursday my husband, Mike, takes our son to Bible study at the local McDonald’s. It’s a great weekly ritual of Micky D’s breakfast with friends and a dedicated teacher who helps them unravel the meaning of scripture and apply it to their lives. This is something I love about our community. Throughout the week, you'll see groups of people gathering for Bible studies at many local restaurants.

Leaving McDonald’s last week, Mike noticed a homeless man sitting on the curb at the corner of the building.  This man was having his own private and personal Bible study. Mike thought about stopping to talk to him, but he wasn’t sure what to say. That thought was twisting in his conscience as he pulled out of the parking lot. At that moment, his phone rang. He answered to hear our 12-year-old son say, “Dad, did you see that homeless guy reading his Bible? You need to go give him some money.” Josh had noticed him too as he had gotten in the car with his Bible study leader to head to school. Well it hardly took a second for my husband to turn his car around. He parked his car, squatted down on the curb next to “Tex Squires”, and began a conversation that lasted 30 minutes. That’s a good long time for a man who wasn’t sure what he was going to say! Actually, Tex did most of the talking. As Mike listened, he observed that Tex was sober, smart, and articulate. Not your stereotypical homeless man.

During their exchange, people streamed in and out of the restaurant. Mike sure got some weird looks and second-glances sitting there on the ground with this weathered drifter.

So why is he a drifter? Well – he has a back-story just like every other person on this planet. In his own words, he articulated that he has a “messed up family.” Growing up, his daddy always told him he was worthless. The precise words Tex heard repeatedly throughout his childhood were: “You are a worthless bastard.” Can you imagine hearing that day-in and day-out? In addition to the verbal garbage about being worthless, Tex’s Dad constantly threatened to kill him. His most recent exchange with his dad included the words, “I’ve got a bullet waiting for you.”

Tex’s mom wasn’t much better. When she actually wore clothes at home, she dressed provocatively – wearing Daisy Dukes when his friends came over. She was an embarrassment to Tex and eventually had an extra-marital affair.

Tex loves Jesus and believes strongly in obedience to God “like the Bible says”. But he’s seen too many Christians act one way on Sunday morning, then turn into different people outside of church. So Tex doesn’t trust anyone – only his dogs. He declared to my husband that he has willingly and intentionally checked out of society. Hearing his back-story, I can’t say that I blame him.

God has established a tender spot in my heart for those our society views as “outcasts” and “undesirables”. Truth is, everyone has a back-story. Everyone has value. And everyone needs someone who believes in them – beginning with our own children then working its way outward.

There are lots of people like Tex on the byways of this world. Problem is, how often do we "see" them? How often do we sit down on the curb or start a conversation with them? You know what I love? I love the fact that our son actually noticed this guy. An overwhelming majority of society would just walk on by without even seeing him there. If they did notice him, many would judge him or turn their heads the other way without a second thought. But Josh saw him and called his dad. That’s a whole lot like Jesus who noticed the beggars, the lepers, the blind, and so on. When they crossed His path, He loved on them (and listened to them) because that’s what His Dad wanted him to do. Christ followers – there are people who cross our path each day that we never "see". They all have back-stories and struggles. They all have value. What would it take for us to open our eyes and see those people through God’s eyes. He made them in His image after all - even the "outcasts".


And God calls us to love them.  


"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another . . . if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us." 1 John 4:10-12

Oh yeah. Tex says he’s going to write an e-book about his life and call it “Worthless Bastard.” If you ever see that title out there you’ll know where it came from.

And if you're one of those people whose back-story is a little like Tex's, hear the truth from me now. God loves you deeply. You are extremely valuable to Him - and to me.

Thanks for stopping by . . .


Lisa~

From the Inside Out

Hello and welcome to The Warming House! You might want to turn down the music on my playlist at the bottom of this post before playing this video. :)





In my first post in this series, I shared that there are people rejecting Christianity because of the hypocrisy and lack of transformation they see in the lives of professing Christians. When we live "from the outside in", we allow the culture to determine our attitudes, thoughts, and behavior. I can tell you for certain that when I lived predominantly from the outside in I was pretty miserable. I didn't realize God wanted a personal, moment-by-moment relationship with me. I kept a tight grip of control on my life, tried to find significance in the world's eyes, and went down a path making choices I deeply regret. In many ways, I was "lost" as a Christian.


Living from the inside out . . .


There's a key scripture from a letter Paul (a follower/apostle of Jesus Christ) wrote to the Christians living in Philippi. It encapsulates what it means to live from the inside out.


Paul told them - 


"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you; both to will and to work for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:12-13


Don't misinterpret this scripture. It isn't telling us to work for our salvation. It's saying that:

~When we receive salvation as we surrender to Jesus Christ, God begins to work inside us. 


~As he lives and reigns at the center of who we are - He changes us by His power.


" . . . for it is God who is at work in you . . ." 


~God's purpose is to work in us to make us look like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29). It's a lifelong process.


~The changes God works inside of us are meant to work their way out to our behavior, conduct, and lifestyle. God wants us to put into practice in our daily living the changes he is working within us.


This is living from the inside out.


So if God's power is at work in Christians, why is there a lack of transformation in so many? From my own life and mistakes, I believe the problem is a lack of surrender. Too many of us want to maintain control of our own lives. We're afraid to give God control and hold him at arm's length so there's no way he can work freely in us. 


Let me tell you that when we let him in and give him control, everything dramatically changes. There is intimacy with God that we never thought possible.  In that intimacy, we experience the astounding greatness of who he is. And I do mean greatness. He is so immense in his goodness, sweet love, power, constant faithfulness, unending mercy, extravagant grace, infinite knowledge, and life-saving compassion that it is impossible to find words to describe him adequately. We want more of him. There is nothing else that satisfies us like he does. My life is so very different since I've surrendered and given him complete control. I will NEVER go back to the way things were before. He is my healer, protector, defender, strength, hope, joy, peace, rescuer, comforter and great love of my life.


God is the only one who has power to bring true change in our lives. Letting him reign at the center of who we are is the answer for true life change, fulfillment, peace, power for living, authentic joy, freedom, and the ability to accurately reflect his heart in the world.


Imagine what the world would look like if Christians were to bow their knees to our awesome God and begin living from the inside out? How would our culture change? How would our churches change? How would our lives change? Would people be attracted to the beauty of Christ in us? It all begins with you and me. Will you give God control and begin living from the inside out?


Bowing my knees . . .


Lisa~


Series on living from the inside out will continue . . .

When Compassion Hurts

Welcome to the Wooded Path. Each week, I write a little something about compassion. Today I want to talk to you about radical compassion.

Radical compassion requires a steely commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Jesus taught that following him requires denying yourself. In the case of radical compassion (or living by God's values for that matter), this is true. It requires denying the desire to be liked, loved, to have the approval of others, and to be willing to let go of comfort, reputation, and standing in the community. Whoa! What? Isn’t compassion a good thing? Doesn’t compassion make you more likable, lovable, and respectable? The truth is – not always. There are times when compassion is entirely unpopular. Why? Because radical compassion goes against the grain of human nature.

When I say “radical compassion” I’m talking about divine compassion – the compassion of Christ. His compassion knocked his culture on its head. He demonstrated compassion for sinners, women, outcasts, and those who weren’t Jewish. The religious leaders didn’t get it. They had always believed that God’s favor was reserved for those who were “righteous” and met the requirements of the law. They persecuted Jesus for putting people above the law and healing a crippled woman on the Sabbath. They called him “Satan” for freeing a man who was incapacitated by demons. They were filled with jealousy when he raised Lazarus from the dead. They asked, “Don’t you know who this woman is?” when he forgave an adulterous woman. Jesus revealed God’s heart to the world. The religious leaders hated him for it, persecuted him for it, and loaded his compassionate acts into the arsenal they would use to bring him down.

"I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. Romans 9:12

Again - there are times when being compassionate can be very unpopular. We experienced this truth when a close friend of ours was arrested for crimes that severely damaged numerous people – young and old. His crime was very public and surrounding communities rose up against him. Friends and peers abandoned him. God drew us to this man and compelled us to walk beside him as he dealt with his wrongdoings, his sinful nature, the legal process, and the consequences he had earned. We asked some tough questions and engaged in long conversations with him. As we did, we immediately saw what God saw – the intense agony of his regret – a regret that almost consumed him. 

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Our hearts also ached for the victims and for our friend's family. There was so much pain all around. When we had the opportunity to be in the presence of any of them, we loved on them as best we could. What we learned in the process is that compassion does not take sides and it does not condone another person's actions. 

"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently." Galations 6:1

Unknown to us, our affiliation with our friend became a point of public gossip on internet blogs and in the community we live in. There were a lot of hurting people and our compassion was very unpopular. We were persecuted for it, hated for it, and shunned for it (by some). It was even said that we were on "Satan’s team" and deserved the same punishment our friend received.

To practice radical compassion, my husband and I had to:

      1)      Take courage

2)      Deny ourselves

3)      Depend on God

4)      Abandon ourselves completely to Christ so he could
      give us his heart and demonstrate his compassion  
      through us. 

Radical (divine) compassion can bring hurt to the person practicing it, but there's an aching world out there that desperately needs it to be practiced. Our job as Christians is to make God known and to prepare the world for the return of Christ. It's important for us to remember the compassion he has shown us, to be obedient to Him, and to reflect his heart as accurately as we can. He deserves it. 

Warming the World Together . . .

Lisa