The Way(Salt and Light Remixed and Reposted?)

Each month when I begin to work on a blog, I call this process going into the "creative kitchen"and cookin'. Some of you know that my father was an MESS Sgt. in the Army and he trained other soldiers how to cook. His best friend that I went to visit in Colorado a few years back was one of the soldiers he taught. For my family cooking was a big deal, which explains why I was a chubby little boy. The kitchen is where I belong. While in college I used cooking along with my guitar playing to lure dates to my apartment before my spiritual rebirthing.

Which is another reason I CHOOSE not to allow women to be alone with me at my place, I'm not going back that way. It's easy to woo and win a woman's heart by cooking her an Italian dinner and playing her a few songs on the guitar. But I'm determined to do it the right(yashar) way this time and it is THE HARDWAY. I can only HOPE that IN TIME my lady sees my love for her in my suffering and waiting, although it burns like salt.

Most of you who know me, know that I hate salt and I never put it on my food. I prefer other spices and seasonings like; black pepper( which helps the body absorb more nutrients from food,) Lemon pepper, garlic, oregano and thyme, sage and cinnamon. Besides there is enough salt in our food already. I remember my mother teaching me how to make a childhood favorite, cinnamon toast when I was little. When I was a teenager my parents taught me how to cook one of my favorite dishes, lemon pepper cubed steak. Some of you reading this have already let me cook it for you.

As I learned the recipe, my father taught me that the most important step was preparing and tenderizing the meat. If the meat isn't tenderized well, it will be a little hard to chew and it won't absorb as much of the flavor from the marinade. You have to make sure to spread the tenderizing salt all over the meat and work it in with the fingers. "You don't want lumps of salt sitting on top of the meat," my father would say. The length of time you leave the tenderizer on the meat depends on how thick the meat is. Since cubed steak isn't that thick, you can easily cook it not long after it's tenderized.

Most meat tenderizers are primarily just salt. In Jesus' day, meat was always prepared and preserved with salt, since there was no such thing as a refrigerator or freezer. In fact the first thing that meat came into contact with was salt, even before water. Salt was used to leech the blood out of the meat and then the meat was washed and packed in more salt or smoked to preserve it. Salt has an effect on everything it comes in contact with, it changes things.

Salt has long held an important place in religion and culture. Greek worshipers consecrated salt in their rituals. Jewish Temple offerings included salt; on the Sabbath, Jews still dip their bread in salt as a remembrance of those sacrifices. If you remember in the Old Testament, Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt. Author Sallie Tisdale says, "salt is as FREE as the water suspending it when it's dissolved, and as immutable as stone when it's dry - a fitting duality for Lot's wife, who overlooks Sodom to this day."

Covenants in both the Old and New Testaments were often sealed with salt: hence the origin of the word "salvation." In the Catholic Church, salt is or has been used in a variety of purifying rituals. In fact, until Vatican II, a small taste of salt was placed on a baby's lip at his or her baptism. Jesus called His disciples "the Salt of the Earth." In Leonardo DaVinci's famous painting, "The Last Supper," Judas Escariot has just spilled a bowl of salt - a symbol of evil and bad luck. This is where the tradition that someone who spills salt should throw a pinch over his left shoulder to ward off any devils that may be lurking behind. And that is what this last blog in the series the way God grows and leads us will be about, salt and light.

The Way(Salt and Light REMIXED AND REPOSTED?)

In this blog I want to start off with something that I touched on in my last blog. Listen as Jesus spoke in the book of Matthew(Matthew 5:13 .) In his book The Roaring Lambs, Bob Briner says, "there are times when following the call of God demands that we speak out loudly against flagrant evil. But if that's all we do, particularly if most of our speaking out is only to each other, we're not being salt. The way to be salt is to replace evil with good, not to just sound off against the evil. The Genesis account of Sodom and Gomorrah is very instructive about the preserving power of righteous people and illustrates the way God's people bring the saving salt to every situation. As long as there were even a few righteous people within Sodom, God spared it. Even when Lot was the only righteous person within the city, it was preserved until he left. Today Christians are called to occupy the lost provinces of society and hold on to the 'last man' the way Lot did. We need to abandon the mentality that some professions are just too corrupt for Christians to enter. We are called to be the Lots of every legitimate area of human endeavor, preserving it from the wrath of God. The longer we preserve it and the longer we act as the salt there, the more opportunity there will be for men and women to be won to the person of Christ. Being salt does not always mean we 'evangelize,' but by replacing evil with good, we enhance the climate for evangelism." Which is what this final blog about the way will focus on. Being the SALT AND LIGHT, how they effect HEAVEN and even our dreams.

SALT?

Briner continues, "in the life of the Spirit, in the BATTLE of good versus evil, an effort to preserve goodness, there are no effective salt substitutes. If Christians do not provide the salt, it's not there, life loses much of its flavor, much of its meaningfulness." Jesus called His followers the"salt of the earth" not the world, not our government and surely not HOLLYWOOD. Although they think they are the"salt." Because of the Bible, YOU KNOW BETTER THAN THAT. So I ask you, are you being the salt or are you letting the salt of the world affect you? Which way are we going? I know WHO I BE.

Before I continue, let me go ahead and CLEAR THE AIR for some of you. In his book The Roaring Lambs , Briner says, "to the average Christian, salt is something that comes in a blue box and hides on the shelf until it's needed. That's our first mistake, but don't be too hard on yourself. If you've spent more than 20 minutes in church, you probably heard that you are the salt of the earth. Most of what you've heard has probably made you feel guilty about not doing enough stuff. Never mind that you are gifted as an artist, businessmen, or civic leader no one could tell you what stuff you ought to be doing. When Jesus said, 'you are the salt of the earth,' He was speaking to anyone then or now who looks at Him as Savior, it is one of the clearest declarations in Scripture from Jesus to His followers. Notice, He did not say for us to become salt. He said we are salt. Once Jesus is accepted into our lives we are automatically all the salt of the earth.' Regardless of what the rest the world thinks, we can't do enough to become salt, Jesus in us makes the salt of the earth."

Briner continues, "the second part of this verse gives insight into what being salt should mean: 'but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out of trampled by men.' That just being salt is not enough. In fact, if we are salt and are not being salty, is it fair to say that we are good-for-nothing Christians? That's what the Scripture says to me. But the question is what do we do? How do we add the salt in our world? The answer lies in the way salt is used. It is both a season and a preservative. It seasons by adding taste and enhancing flavor. It preserves by cleansing and retarding spoilage. In both cases, the salt must be brought in contact with it's object for its power to be released. Sitting in the shaker, it does no good. It might just as well be thrown out. The number one way, then, for Christians to be the salt Christ commands us to be is to teach His relevance, to demonstrate His relevance in every area of life. We cannot accomplish this by talking only to ourselves, writing only for ourselves, associating only with ourselves and working only in the 'safe' careers and professions."

Which is what Briner calls the, "Christian ghetto", I'll talk more about this "ghetto" later in this blog. Briner continues, "keeping Christ bottled up in the churches is keeping salt in the shakers, and He does not go where we do not take Him. We need to take Him EVERYWHERE and show His relevance and the relevance of His word to every aspect of modern life. This is not an option, it is an imperative, a scriptural imperative. The process of obeying Christ's command to be salt is about penetration, just as many of Christ's commands are about penetration. Salt must penetrate meat to preserve it. Christians must INVADE the areas of culture to have preserving effect. And penetration does not mean standing outside lobbing hand grenades of criticism over the wall. It is not about being reactionary and negative. A recent new survey column has this account: several times a week, Movie Morality Ministries sends reviewers into theaters to count cuss words, bare breasts, ax murderers and assorted other Hollywood favorites."From Movie Morality Ministries, we learn that the "F" word is used 58 times in the movie JFK. I feel sure the people of this 'Ministry' feel they are serving God in their hearts and that people who contribute to their cause feel they have done their Christian duty relative to the movies. This, no doubt makes them feel active and engaged as Christians where the movies are concerned. I could be wrong, but I do not think this is the kind of thing Christ meant when he said, 'you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and it ends of the earth.' And frankly I don't think it takes a cadre of movie monitors to deduce that movies are in pretty bad shape. Because we have been absent so long, Hollywood may be the uttermost part of the earth, more foreign in many ways than China, India, or Africa as far as the Gospels concerned. Still we are commanded to go there and be witnesses, you can't WITNESS without being present. Christians need to be in Hollywood, working alongside the men and women who are producing movies that 20 million people see each week. What a mission field." We will talk more about this mission field later in this blog.

LIGHT?

In his book Dug Down Deep, Joshua Harris writes, "Jesus says that Christians are to be like salt and light in the world. John Scott writes, 'Jesus calls His people to exert a double influence on the secular community, a negative influence by arresting its Decay and a positive influence by bringing light into the darkness. For it is one thing to stop the spread of evil; it is another to promote the spread of truth, beauty and goodness.' The church is called to engage the world around us with counter-cultural lives and counter-cultural truth from God's Word-- to arrest the decay brought about by human rebellion and spreading the life-giving light of God's truth. Salt has to come into contact. So it is with the church. We have to be in the world, engaging and influencing every aspect of culture with the truth of the Gospel. In the same way Jesus doesn't call His people to be just a city. We're to be a shining city on a hill that shines forth light to a dark world. 'Flight into the invisible is a denial of the call', writes Dietrich Bonhoeffer. 'A community of Jesus which seeks to hide itself has ceased to follow Him." Which way is America going?

We have more entertainment in the church, than we have Christians in the entertainment industry. There are more poltics in church, than Christians in poltics. Do you see the difference? Which way is the church going? Christian entertainer Rebecca St. James once wrote, "we must let our lives be more impacted by the 'true influencer' than by those around us. Only then will we be influencers rather than the influenced." Listen to what the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi(Philippians 2:14-16.) This is what makes us SHINE. It's up to the church, God's people to LIGHT UP THE DARK. That's the way it has been since the beginning. For the prophet Moses tells us in Genesis, " In the begining God created the heavens and earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the SPIRIT OF GOD was hovering over the waters. And GOD said, 'let there be light.' And there was light. God saw THE LIGHT was good. And he separated the light from the darkness."

So God placed the light(which is good) in the mist of all the darkness. Likewise, God places Christians in the world to, as Mark tells us in his letter to the church, "Jesus said to them, 'do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on a stand? For what ever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.'Are you SHININ'? I WONDER if God isn't sitting in heaven wondering, "WHERE THE LIGHT IS?" our lamp needs to be re-AMPED, it's hard for the world to see our light through the STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS.

As Joshua Harris continues in Dug Down Deep, "God's people can't reach the world if we HIDE. And we can't reach the world unless we're distinct from the world. We need to recapture the connection between holiness and mission." The apostle Peter wrote in his first letter to the church, "but you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." Evangelist D. L. Moody once said, 'It is a great deal better to live a holy life than to talk about it. Lighthouses do not ring bells and fire cannons to call attention to their shining—they just shine." After all, isn't that how the lost get found? Isn't that our mission after all, to be evangelicals? Aren't we supposed to show the light of salvation? If you remember, I mentioned in an earlier blog that God chose the church to be His representatives here on earth and we are to be heaven's light, here on earth. And not a BLACK LIGHT.

HEAVEN?

While we are on the subject of missions and our purpose as Christians, what I'm about to say will seem to contradict what I wrote or earlier on this blog. But I feel the need to dig deeper into the subject, since the church has somehow forgotten which way to go with it's mission. Rob Bell writes in his book Velvet Elvis, "In the same way that something can be labeled 'Christian' and not be true something can be true and not be labeled Christian. Paul quotes Cretan prophets and Greek poets. He is interested in whether or not what they said is true. Now to be able to quote these prophets and poets, Paul obviously had to read them. And study them. And analyze them. And I'm sure he came across all kinds of things in their writings that he didn't agree with. So he sifts and sorts and separates the light from the dark and then claims and quotes the parts that are true. It is as if Paul is a spiritual tour guide and is taking his readers through their world, pointing out the truth and the good wherever he sees it. He visits the city of Lystra, which hasn't heard of Jesus or the God Paul believes in, and he tries to figure out how to explain his Christian worldview to them. God has not left Himself without testimony: He has shown His kindness by giving you rain from heaven across the seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your heart to joy. Missions then is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of God who is already there. As if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight." Doesn't one of pillars of the Christian worldview claim that God is omnipresent? So by definition of our faith, God is already everywhere. We basically show how God is at work in the world. Or are we more concerned about how we along with those we meet can get to heaven?

As Rob Bell points out in Velvet Elvis, "for Jesus, the question wasn't how to get into heaven? But how do I bring HEAVEN, here? The question wasn't, how do I get in there? But how do I get there, here? Jesus' desire for His followers is that they live in such a way that they bring heaven to earth." Maybe this is why Matthew tells us that Jesus prayed, " Our Father who art in heaven, your KINGDOM COME, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus tells a parable about the kind of people who will live with God forever. It is the story of judgment, of God evaluating the kind of lives people have lived. The judge then condemns a group of people because they didn't take care of the needy and naked and hurting in their midst. They chose Hell instead of heaven, and God gives them what they wanted. For Jesus this new kind of life in in Him is not about escaping this world but about making it a better place, here and now. Jesus tells another story about a rich man and a beggar who lies outside the rich man's gates. The rich man dies and goes to hell, while the beggar dies and goes to 'Abraham's side', A Jewish way of describing heaven. This is the one story Jesus tells in which somebody is actually in hell after they have died. What is the reason? According to details the story, the rich man refused to be generous with the poor man, letting him live in hell on earth right outside his front door.

Bell continues, "one account in the book of Matthew says that Jesus was talking to His disciples at Caesarea Phillippi, which was the world center of the goat God, Pan. People came from all over the world to worship this god. There is a cliff with a giant crack in it that the followers of Pan believed was a place where the spirits from hell would come and go from the earth. The crack was called the Gates of Hell. They built temples to Pan there and then a court next to it were people would engage in sexual acts with goats during the Pan worship festivals. And Jesus is there with His disciples. As good old Jewish boys, they never would have gone to this place before. It is only 26 miles from Galilee, where Jesus and His disciples are from. He tells them at Caesarea Phillippi that upon this rock He is going to build his new witnessing community, and the gates of hell won't be able to stop it. He is essentially saying that those kinds of people- the ones with the goats-- are going to join the Jesus movement and they will be unstoppable."So here Jesus is taking His disciples to one of the worst places known in their day and He tells them these are the people and places you must go." Unlike today, whenever you hear the word missions, what places come to mind? Honduras, Africa, Haiti? Or somewhere that is DANGEROUS.

As if we have to leave were we are at to be true missionaries. I often hear Christians say, "here I am, send me, I will go whenever the mission field is some far away, distant place. But that's not what Jesus taught His disciples is it? No, He took them 26 miles from home and the rich man only had to help the POOR MAN just outside his door. According to Matthew, Jesus tells us, love thy neighbor as I love myself." Which tells me missions starts with our neighbors next door. I guess we don't CARE TOO MUCH. Sometimes I wonder if the vacation time Christians take to go on mission trips isn't really just that, a vacation. During the recent earthquake in Hati it seemed like every star in Hollywood jumped on board the good works express. Musicians, politicians and yes even the White House was on the tube offering help. And soon after, Christian missionaries followed. Which way are we going? Who is following who? THA CHURCH has the real hope, the CHRIST OF HOPE.

Or are we following the FALSE PROPHETS of the philanthropy movement of the world who have a cheap imitation of who can really save? I guess we'll all have to wait and see, WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN. Now I'm not saying we need to BURN DOWN THE MISSION, I'm just saying God puts people in our paths everyday where we are that we can be missionaries to. Listen to the apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome(Romans 12:3-5.) I once went on a date a few years back with a "christian" woman which left me utterly ashamed. I decided to take a shortcut through downtown to get to the popular Christian concert we were going to. When we passed a few homeless, less than acceptable patrons, she leaned across my car towards me and said, "I've never gone 'this way,' before." My heart broke as I explained to her that those people are no different than we are, just EVERYDAY PEOPLE trying to get through this life and pursue their American dreams.

DREAMS?

In his book The Dream Giver author Bruce Wilkinson writes, "no matter where I travel in the world-- whether among hard-charging Manhattan urbanites or villagers in southern Africa-- I have yet to find a person who didn't have a dream. They may have forgotten it. They may no longer believe in it. But it's there. I call this universal and powerful longing a big dream. Like the genetic code that describes your unique passions and abilities, your big dream has been woven into your being from birth. Do you have a dream right now that seems impossible to pursue? Do you feel like God forgot to even give you a big dream? Or are you pursuing your dream, but experiencing setback after setback? Please join me for the journey of your life. May your heart sing as you embrace what you were created to be and do. God calls for all Christians to be the salt and light of the earth, however He has gifted each one of us differently to fulfill this mission."

Listen to the prophet Jeremiah(Jeremiah 29:9-12.) Here God tells His people that they must be slaves and suffer in Babylon for 70 years before He will fulfill his promise. They had a dream, but before that dream could be fulfilled they had to suffer for 70 years.

Bob Briner says, "when the church and its people are absent, when there is no preserving salt and no roaring lambs, the same thing always happens. It is just as sure as a law of physics. A vacuum is created, it is always filled. When good departs, evil always fills in behind it. If you remove the salt, the meat spoils. it rots. This is what happened to the movies. The absence of God's people from the movies has been tragic. Millions of people are being misled and corrupted because the salt has been absent, because the lambs have not roared. A re-entry for Christians presents very formidable challenges, but God is able if His people are obedient. Movies can be both an important mission field and important vehicle for the gospel message." It was Briner's dream for the church and Christians to use the mediums of film and art to be the salt and light. Since his death back in 1999 there have been a number of Christian films released, but few have had the impact that Briner visioned. With the exceptions of Facing The Giants, Fireproof, Letters To God, and later this month what if. The church still doesn't have much of a presence in these areas, it is time for us to step up our game and get ON IT. A friend in men's ministry once told me obedience is the purest form of worship. Few Christians have captured the real vision like Steve Taylor, his upcoming Blue Like Jazz is a testament to his commitment to the Great Commission.

Hollywood will continue to pump out its message, if nothing changes. There have been a few Christian studios that release some direct to DVD movies and I am thankful for them. But these movies are normally bought and viewed by Christians and the church. Which continues to build the"Christian ghettos" Briner condemned. Christians have created their own subculture in America. We have our own Jesus music, radio stations, clothing, movie studios, cable music networks, schools and even cruises. But is this being the salt and light of the earth? Basically, it is like the proverbial preacher preaching to the choir. Somehow we forgot that we are supposed to be the salt and light OUT THERE. There needs to be a Christian INVASION in the world like never before.

I mean on the big screen where 20 million people go for entertainment every week. In the malls were America's youth spend most of their time. On the mainstream radio stations. Let me admit, I know it's hard for Christians to break into these areas. It isn't supposed to be easy, remember those two roads Jesus spoke about in my last blog? I have been trying to get a Christian screenplay that I've written sold and produced for years to no avail. I know it costs money to do this and in today's economy there isn't a much room for risk. Still, I HAVE A DREAM, for me it's not about being a SUPERSTAR. We know why Hollywood is in the entertainment industry, they take the broad road. For the church, is it about CASH OR CHRIST? I'm sure God will BLOW MY MIND one day. Many Christian organizations have cut back or folded altogether, in an effort to be "good stewards of God's money," one men's ministry I have worked with for years included. But in the process have ceased being the salt and light.

Do you remember Jesus's story about talents(Matthew 25:15-30?) Here Jesus is telling us to take our gifts and money that He has given us and put it to work for God and if we don't, we go belong in the dark. Although it's not always easy, often involving a risk. I mentioned in previous blog, how God took a big risk on using the church with all it's faults to be His representatives on earth.

I WONDER if He isn't expecting us to take a few risks and trust Him? I'll talk more about trust in another blog. Have we forgotten that GOD IS BIG, bigger than Hollywood and our government? I wonder if God isn't telling us to dream big and let Him worry about everything else? Shirley Dobson said it best at last year's National Day Day Of Prayer Summit at Focus On The Family when she said, "If God has brought you to it, He'll bring you through it." Pastor Allen recently said, "if you can get there without God, it isn't a Godly target. The size of your God will always determine the size of your goal." Listen to the apostle Paul's letter of encouragement to the church in Rome(Romans 4:18-25.) Which way are we going? Are we going to FOLLOW THE CROWD or are we going to be the salt and light that leads the way?

SHINE?

As we end this series, which way are you going? If you remember we started this series talking about two different paths and how God separated the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:1-5.) His Spirit was already there (Genesis 1:2.) But after God separated the light from the darkness, He declared the light “was good.” Afterwords we can see everything else He did. It's the light that allowed us to see MAN on the 6TH DAY and then that men and women are different on the seventh day. Do you see, it's the light that shows us who we are?

Later Luke tells us God sends His Spirit back to earth as a light that settled on the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-3.) Those of you, who know me well, know I'm a morning person. But my favorite part of the morning is just before dawn while it's still dark out. Before you see the sun rise you see the affects of it. Those first rays of light seem to give life to everything and make it a beautiful morning. The stillness of the night is broken by the sound of birds chirping and by the time the sun rises everything that was hidden by the dark is truly exposed. The prophet Jeremiah was right, everything is new (Lamentations 3:23-25.)

Nearly 1500 years after God separated the light from the darkness John declared, “The light shines in the darkness (John 1:5-7 ;) which reminds me of the new age book The Celestine Prophecy that I read just before my spiritual rebirthing. In it there are nine insights we can learn that will enable us to see the light in other people and even see hidden cities with treasure. Just like the world to take a little truth and twist it into a lie that makes them happy; as long as they feel, I’M GOOD, IT'S ALRIGHT. Which way are you going? If we are to be the true light of the world, it means we must be AGAINST THE WORLD (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23-24, Ephesians, 5:17, Colossians 3:10.) The apostle Peter tells us we are like aliens in the world (1 Peter 2:11-13,) we don’t belong here.

John continues his declaration about Jesus. HE SAID, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12-41.) Notice how the Pharisees and the Jews didn't recognize Him. Even with all of their head knowledge of Scripture. The Pharisees and Jews were so caught up in their religion and tradition they couldn't see the light right in front of them. Time and again Jesus tried to show them the hardness of their hearts. Listen as Jesus tried to teach the Pharisee Nicodemus (John 3:20-21.)

Nancy Leigh Demoss once wrote, “Humbling yourself by letting others into your life and allowing them to help you and hold you accountable will release the sanctifying, transforming grace of God in your life.” The Pharisees bought into THE GREAT DECEPTION of the world. It doesn’t matter how much bad you do, as long as you do enough good to cover it up; hence the philanthropy movement. Last month on American Idol, contestant Jimmy Carter was kicked off of the show because of his criminal background he tried to cover up. When the producers confronted him about it, they told him, “If you would have just been honest and open about it from the get-go. We would have worked with you about the situation.”

Bob Laforge once said, “Pride wants to earn divine acceptance; humility simply believes it.” The Pharisees were known for praying and quoting scripture in public, which Jesus warned against (Matthew 6:1-5, 23:2-6.) Those are two characteristics of a Pharisee; they show up (in public,) SHOW OFF and SHOW OUT.Can you see them now, standing outside the synagogue talking about Yahweh? Or the two or three standing around the well in town quoting Moses. Listen to what John tells us Jesus did at the well (John 4:5-15.) What about Matthew's story about the dinner he had with Jesus (Matthew 9:10-12.) The difference between the Pharisees and Jesus is they quoted Scripture, He lived it. Maybe this is why He called them, "venomous vipers(Matthew 3:7, 12:34,)" which was a direct reference to Satan. They spewed the law, while He fulfilled it. Yes, I know Jesus was God and we aren't, but we are supposed to be becoming more like Him. Which way are you growing?

St. Francis of Agassi wisely wrote, “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” I recently began working out at the gym again and overheard three Christians from three area churches regurgitating Scripture to each other, which began to TRY ME and I walked away wondering which way they are going. Honestly, after hearing their feel-good, self-glorifying conversation, even I wanted nothing to do with church. Canon Lindsay Dewar once wrote, “Everyone comes between men's souls and God, either as a brick wall or as a bridge. Either you are leading men to God or you are driving them away. Which way are you going?

Billy Graham once said, “I never met a person who didn't have problems of some kind. This is why we need one another's encouragement.” I'm sure that you are thinking,” the Bible tells us to share Scripture with each other for encouragement. Actually, we are told to use scripture for correcting (Colossians 3:16, 2 Timothy 3:15 -17.) Writer Jerry Bridges says, "Discipline toward holiness begins with the Scriptures—with a disciplined plan for regular intake of the Scriptures and a disciplined plan for applying them to our daily lives." The general rule of building muscle is, first you must tear the muscle down, before you can build it up.The world tells us, “Do whatever it takes to get ahead.” The gospel says, I must decrease, so He can increase (John 3:30.) Remember, this is a path of humility. Someone once said, “Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people seem brighter until you hear them speak.”

A. W. Tozer once said, "We must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian." When Christians equate quoting SCRIPTURE ALONE with letting their light SHINE, they miss the point of Jesus telling us to go light your world (Matthew 5:14-16.) Further they stoop to the level of the Pharisees and even the devil when he quoted Scripture to Jesus in the wilderness. Like the Pharisees they are eating the DEVIL’S BREAD, they are trying so hard to look and sound spiritual that they don't know how to live it. Charles Spurgeon once stated, “Beware of self-righteousness. The devil of licentiousness destroys his hundreds, but the devil of self-righteousness destroys his thousands.” It was John Macarthur who noted, “You are the only Bible some unbelievers will ever read, and your life is under scrutiny every day. Do they see an accurate picture of your God?”

In one of my earlier lessons for the Christian Writers Guild, I learned not to use “Christian jargon “or “Christianese” in my writing, because this pushes the non-Christian away. It's hard to penetrate the darkness if we are isolating ourselves and pushing people away. In my first screenplay, my muse is a Bible misquoting non-Christian who tries to fit in with his Christian roommate’s friends. We are commanded to study the Bible and get wisdom(Proverbs 1: 20-22, 8:1, 9:1-4.) However, it's not a worldly wisdom( Psalm 8:2, Isaiah 44:25, Jeremiah 8:9, 1 Corinthians 1:12, 1 Corinthians 1:20-21, James 2: 5.) Apparently the Pharisees missed this, remember pride(sin) blinds. I recently heard, "A person who inflates themselves is full of air. The first time life pokes them they end up flat. Be careful... Pride comes before a fall." D.L. Moody wisely stated, "The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives."

It’s a lot like people who get caught up in the FAÇADE of going to the gym and looking like they are working out; they try and do every exercise they read about or machine in the gym, thinking they look like they know what they are doing. In the meantime, those who do know how to work out look at them and laugh, we know they are wasting their time by over training. You see it is CHRIST ALONE that makes us SHINE. MY JOY comes from knowing Jesus, not scripture. When we finally waive our white flag and LET GO completely, people will see the change in us; we don't even need to plaster our Facebook pages with Scripture.

Do you really need all of the Christian T-shirts, hats, bumper stickers, car decals and music for the world to see the JESUS FREAK in us? We don't have to show off for others to see Jesus in us. Recently Francis Chan produced a documentary about the underground church and Christians in Third World countries who are persecuted and killed for being a Christian called Love Costs Everything. These are places they can't even have a Bible in public, much less T-shirts and hats with Jesus on them. Yet, they are found guilty of being Christians and martyred. Would you be? This is why I had to pray about uploading pictures to Facebook of me volunteering.

I decided it was the best way to share with various ministries opportunities with my church. The gospel is clear that God is the one who raises us up, in His time (Luke 14:11, James 4:6, 10, 1 Peter 5:6.) Maybe the Pharisees didn’t understand how salt or the salvation paradigm works; if we confess our sin, God will cover it. But if we try to hide our sin, God will expose it (Job 12:22, Psalm 37: 3-7, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, Jeremiah 23:25, Matthew 10:26, Romans 2:46, 1 Corinthians 4:5-7.) Our SECRETS will be exposed. I learned as a little boy, once you start telling lies, you always have to tell another lie to cover it up. In the end you are left with a big mess. Which way are you going? In the recovery movement we have a saying, “The only person an alcoholic is fooling, is himself.” Everyone can see it, but him.

APRIL FOOLS?

After I posted my last blog, many of you approached me and said, “You really do love that woman, she would have to be a fool not to see it.” However, the greatest compliment I received came from a friend of my parents when he said, “Martin, you can’t deny that you love her. I see it in your eyes every time you say her name.” You see that is how it should be. When a man loves a woman; it's obvious, clear(yashar,) undeniable and ubber wonderful. Remember actor Tom Cruise's couch jumping on Oprah? Which reminds me of Christian author Jerry Jenkins’ account of this realization of his love for his wife which he wrote about in his book Hedges;”I arrived home at 6 in the morning and peeked into my parent’s bedroom. My mother opened one eye. ‘You’re in love,’ she said. She couldn't have paid me a higher compliment. I couldn't get over that showed, and mom hadn't even seen the oil yet.”

To be completely honest, I know everyone is right. At even the thought of her, I get like a deer CAUGHT IN THE LIGHTS of an 18 wheeler. I know that I need to move, but I'm powerless. It’s like WHEN YOUR SPIRIT GETS WEAK. Looking back I guess I've always been A FOOL FOR YOU, sweetie. Which is appropriate seeing how today is April Fools' Day and would have been my mother’s 62nd birthday. How else can I explain how I remember that first Friday six years ago we spent hours talking about how you “love” chocolate and Gloria Jean’s pumpkin spice flavored coffee? I have already admitted that I cherish every Friday we spent talking over the years, you blow my mind.

How else can I explain knowing your idiosyncrasies; like how you play with the curls in your naturally curly hair (which you hate) when you're nervous, or how you can’t look me in the eye when you get bashful and start blushing, your cravings for seafood or pork (I’ll get over it.) Or the constant whining. Which for some crazy reason, I think is adorable and honestly makes me want to kiss you every time. I can't forget your disgust with your dainty "man hands," that I like and miss.

Sweetie, I told you six years ago that I have very short patience with women. I remember you pouting about it, too. Yet, HERE I AM, waiting(hgh.) I guess it's taken six years for that salt to get from my head to my heart (Psalm 51:10, Ezekiel 11:15, 18:31, 36:26-27, 2 Corinthians 5:17.) I can see this has been marinating for years. All this time I had been growing in love with you, not FALLIN’ (I was listening.) By now U SHOULD KNOW that I truly love you, you have a special PLACE IN MY HEART. I don't really understand it, but I can't deny it. You’ve made a mess of me, I'm not who I was. I learned through my work in manufacturing that salt softens water. Now I can relate, that's what you do to me.

I surrender and its crazy what you see when you stop RUNNING from God. For years I was LOOKIN’ AT YOU LOOKIN’ AT ME. I was so focused on what I wanted; I missed the drop dead BEAUTIFUL young lady God had put right in front of me. I must have been OUTA MY MIND for not accepting it sooner, no brain injury comments please. I recently learned that Social Security didn't declare me disabled because my brain injury, but because I am statutorily(legally) blind. Because I can see straight ahead clearly. However, it takes time for my eyes to adjust and focus (specifically to changes in light.) And my field of vision is severely lessened. I basically have tunnel vision. Maybe that’s why I didn’t see love sneakin' up on me.

Maybe I was afraid of getting hurt again. Or maybe I was afraid of getting out of my comfort zone with you. Perhaps I’m just an idiot. Since I originally posted this blog, I watched a dream die; now God has given me a new one (any guesses what?) Then again the gospel is clear I must lay them down (Matthew 10: 39, Luke 9:24, 17:33, John 12:25.) This is what it means to be “crucified” with Christ (Galatians 2:20.) The gospel of Mark tells us that when the head priest heard Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah, “He tore his robe (Mark 4:63.)” That is a very Jewish way of mourning someone’s death.

Talk about drama. Perhaps he realized that he had to die himself. Newsflash folks, it's supposed to hurt; that's why it's called sanctification. God is chipping away at our old nature and hearts. Let a Christian go through a trial for 5 seconds and see how close they get to God, let alone die daily as Christ commanded(Matthew 10:37-38, Luke 14: 26-34.) Do you want some cheese with that wine? Maybe we need to tear up some of our Christian T-shirts and takeoff some of our jewelry ourselves. Is JESUS JUST ALRIGHT for us. It's easy to say we love Jesus, it's hard to live like we do.

Eight years ago both of my parents died, I can tell you first hand their death wasn't an overnight thing. I watched them slowly waste away from cancer. When they each died, neither was who they used to be. Fortunately for me, I have a high tolerance of pain and blood doesn't bother me (sorry, sweetie.) No wonder the apostle Paul had to consistently remind the church to keep walking like him (1 Corinthians 4: 16, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Philippians 3:17, Thessalonians 1:6.)

French writer Francois De La Rochefoucald once noted, “Nothing is so contagious as an example. We never do great good or evil without inciting more of the same in others.” Anyone can say, “I LOVE YOU.” That's easy. However, few are truly able to love you, that's the hard part. A friend of mine recently posted on their Facebook status, "Love is shown most in the hard times when they grab your hand and wont let you go. It shows how much you care." How deep is your love?

Let me be clear, what Jesus did on the cross makes us His bride; which is appropriate since in a week we will celebrate Easter. But, how we live and act determines if we are His lady or loving ANOTHER MAN. While Jesus hung on the cross He looked at the Pharisees as He cried out to God,” Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” That's outrageous grace. The Pharisees were so blinded by their sin, yet Jesus still died for them and us. HE DID IT AGAIN. Are you blinded by sin? In his book Radical, David Platt writes, “If we are going to accomplish the global purpose of God, it will not be primarily through giving our money, as important as that is. It will happen primarily through giving ourselves. This is what the gospel represents, and it’s what the gospel requires.”

In my current assignment for the Christian Writers Guild I read, "It's easy for Christians to live in a bubble of like-minded believers and not understand the hurt, emptiness, and helplessness so many live with. The cup of cold water we offer through our writing can mean the difference between misery and help for many. To be where others are means to cultivate real friendships, especially with those outside the church." Friends we cannot use finances or fear as excuses to stay in our Comfort zones or be safe, we can’t let the world treat us like pushovers.

To my friends at GMC and Pure Flix studios, are we going to keep playing it safe by preaching to ourselves or are we going to fulfill the Great Commission? Are we going to leave heaven BEHIND THE CLOUDS? Do we trust IN THE CROSS or in ourselves and money? So what if a “Christian” movie isn’t a box-office success. When we let the world influence us, we are accepting the world’s TRAP MONEY like Judas. Where does that leave us? Until the Lady (the church) and Christian organizations learn how to love Christ completely to the point of looking foolish to the world we will cease to be the salt and light leading the way.







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