DRAGNET

He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19 EHV)

That term – dragnet – has been stuck in my head for a week or so. And that generally means I have to pay attention.

To be sure I didn't make myself look like too much of a fool, I Googled it. And it turned out to be pretty much what I thought - “a net drawn through a river or across ground to trap fish or game.” That would explain why the corresponding scripture was also in my mind.

Of course – we are supposed to be fishers of men. That's what Jesus followers do. Drop that net in the water and sit back, catch some sun and wait for the fish to swim in so we can haul them into the boat. Nothing new to learn here – thanks for the reminder though Jesus!

But also – it turned out to be more than I thought. Google provided definition number two.

“a systematic search for someone or something, especially criminals or criminal activity”

that got my attention

Instantly, I could absolutely picture Jesus orchestrating a dragnet to hunt any one of us down. The charge against us? The criminal activity He would accuse us of?

Not knowing Him. Not looking for Him. Pretending He's not there.

Serious charges. With eternal consequences.

Definition number two seems more intense to me and I prefer it. Fishing is no joke – I've watched Perfect Storm. But there is just something about thinking of Jesus so focused and tracking us down like Aslan, that it makes me want to participate, I want to help catch somebody.

Looking back, I can see where I have been involved in some of Jesus' dragnets.  I can see the one He caught me in.  I can see where I am involved in some of them now. Not going to lie, they can be frustrating. Sometimes you want to grab someone, look them dead in the eye and just ask, “Do you know how much I will dislike it if you do not wind up in eternity with me?” 

But I suppose – that's exactly what Jesus would ask - that question would be part of the interrogation.

If you already believe and want a challenge – ask Jesus to show you who He is currently pursuing and tell Him you will join the quest.

If you don't already believe, I hope you get caught. Jesus and I will both dislike it very much if you don't wind up in eternity with us.

Third Day – Surrender

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1aAKGx9Scg

Cory Asbury – Reckless Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc6SSHuZvQE

Nobody, Somebody - Nice

I am currently obsessed with a song by Casting Crowns called “Nobody”. Ironically, I think it is because I have always wanted to be a somebody. The lyrics in that song could not be more perfect in describing though, what I keep referring to as my 'purpose'.

“I am just a nobody, trying to tell everybody, about Somebody who saved my soul.” Yup, lyrical perfection.

I am not saying my desire to be somebody is going to go down without a fight. And the part of the song that declares, “and if they all forget my name, well that's fine with me”- isn't (is not) really – fine with me.

I kind of want to be a somebody declaring how freaking amazing the Somebody who saved my soul - and puts up with my arrogant self - is. So the song matches and it doesn't. It is hard for me to talk or write without sounding arrogant. I have just come to accept that fact. I get something in my head and it comes across sounding like I have declared it to be the only fact and truth. Mostly that is not what is going on, but it seems to happen over and over.

The goal would be to have that arrogance be about the real Somebody. And for people to believe that.  It seems strange for that to be a goal, since the Somebody was more humble than any of us will ever understand.

So today, on my heart for some reason, are 'nice people'. And as a side note: I am not declaring this to be the only fact and truth. It is gonna' read like that, but it is only what is on my heart and rolling around in my head. So for the people I offend – sorry. But for the people who hear my heart – thank you.

Nice people are invaluable. The world desperately, absolutely, completely, desperately needs more nice people. Jesus adores nice people, they are His treasure.

PREPARE FOR THE INFLAMMATORY DECLARATION

Nice people, tragically, do not end up at the party-that-will-be-this-planet at the end of this age UNLESS THEY BELIEVE JESUS IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS.

I agree, this is devastating. I think it is actually one of the most sneaky, subtle, underhanded and disgusting schemes the devil has unleashed. It is his most shining moment disguised as an angel of light. “You are so kind and generous and good-hearted – you do not need Jesus.” I can hear that ******* and his minions hissing when they say this.

We all need Jesus. That's just the way God set it up. I know the 'usual arguments' are that we need Jesus because we are all rotten sinners with evil intentions and black hearts. There are some individuals that that certainly applies to, but I am going out on a limb and arrogantly declare that that is probably a minority of human beings.

We absolutely ARE ALL born separated from God. There is no doubt about that. Thanks Adam and Eve.

I am risking heresy here. I don't think we are all as evil as we are made out to believe we are. Let me reiterate. I believe there are humans that have chosen, of their own free will, to engage with and serve evil, but I don't think that is most of us. However, the devil enjoys that we think it is and that we run around trying to tell each other it is.

I believe most of us are nice people. But if the devil cannot trick you into believing you are in fact evil or entice you to become evil, he will employ the next strategy. Make you believe that because you are indeed nice and living out the kind of life that God would be pleased with, you don't actually need Jesus. *******

So here is my arrogant advice:

Don't fall for any of it.

Don't engage with or serve evil – that's probably not too difficult.

Don't believe that you need Jesus because you are a dirty, rotten sinner with evil intentions and a black heart. That is crap, no matter who you have heard it from.

Don't believe that you are going to get to participate in the new earth and new heaven simply because you are nice. That one is way harder.

But here's the thing. If you are already nice, there is not much you are going to have to adjust. Just your thought process. I know, I am arrogantly making that sound like it is easy.

My arrogance will extend to stating that it is this easy, “Thank You Jesus that I am already so amazing and awesome. I have lived separated from You. A lot of that is because the devil was scamming me and up until this point, I did not realize that. That makes me sad and I am sorry. But now I realize it and I don't want to be scammed anymore. I want to take all this amazingness and awesomeness that you have packed into me and redirect it.”

“I want to be a nobody (or a somebody) trying to tell everybody about Somebody who SAVED MY SOUL. Because that is what You are truly concerned about, You are concerned about my soul. You know I am already a nice person and I do good in Your world, but You want to make sure that I am around for the next, perfect earth and to do that, there is no other way except to continue being my fantastic self, AND to BELIEVE YOUR SON JESUS IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS. Amen.”

There, because you are a genuinely nice person who has a natural heart to serve others, not much might change for you on the outside. However, you may start to notice a lot of stuff changing on the inside. Thoughts, feelings, motivations, desires. Something you've always wanted to do but could not suddenly seems possible. A nagging fear you had disappears. The biggest prize about choosing to believe in Jesus is definitely just being able to say, “Ya, I hang with the Creator of the Universe.” But there are other bonuses that happen here, and then of course – you know, my favourite – the NEXT earth. 

 The perfect one – the one where we are all somebodies with THE Somebody.

Better Than Candy?

The best thing that has ever been said about me went something like this, “You are like a kid in a candy store when you talk about God.” It gives me happy, warm fuzzy feelings when I think about it. And anyone who really knows me knows that happy, warm fuzzy feelings are not something I experience or speak about with any consistency or very frequently.

Why would words like that mean so much? I think it is because I am kind of purpose driven and in those words I can catch a glimpse of my purpose. “Talk about Me with the excitement of a little kid who has just been loosed in a candy store - with a limitless debit card and the PIN.” Now, oddly enough, I am not a huge fan of candy. Some days, chocolate and I get along and I have a weakness for jujubes and sour dinosaurs, maybe wine gums, but otherwise, not really a fan. It makes my teeth feel funny.

However, I have two children who do love candy. Obsessively some might think. They get wiggly dreaming about it or the possibility of obtaining it. They hoard it when they do have it. They will spend their hard earned money on it, they will consume it in huge amounts or sometimes savour it sparingly. And if they offer you some, you know you are special.

And really, could there be a more perfect picture of how we should love God? 

I don't obsess about candy, but I can see why someone would. It kind of stimulates all our senses. Lots of times it is really pretty, and in a candy store, all the colours lined up, the different shapes and massive variety. Oh my eyes! And the smells, especially anything lemony. Some candy, like pop rocks, even make noise! And then of course....the taste. Candy covers it all.

I see a sunset or a tank full of colourful fish, oh my eyes! There is something about the smell of fall, even though I don't like the cold, that makes me feel content. An uplifting song and the taste of a peach. God's creation covers it all.

But then there is HIM. I seriously get these intense shivers when I think about certain descriptions of Him. Beaten and subdued on the cross makes me sad and sometimes angry. But this:

 “His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

king of kings and lord of lords.”

(Revelation 19:12-16, NIV)

Do you feel the power rolling off that? If you do not, I am praying that someday you will, because there is nothing like it. I have made many misguided attempts at conjuring false, fuzzy warm feelings but nothing feels like the power that rolls off those words....

Sorry, that got a little more intense than candy right there. But that is what happens around Him.

There is a lot of 'delighting' that is suggested in the Bible. Delight yourself in the Lord, delight yourself in His law to love others, He delights in us, He delights in you. Candy is definitely delightful. But delightful doesn't quite cover that power thing, I will admit. That just slays you -.

Anyway, I think I delight most in thoughts of the next heaven and the next earth, because things will feel more right there. Maybe, if there is candy, it will not make my teeth feel funny. But mostly it will be great because of the no tears, crying, mourning or pain part. Not to mention the things that no eye has seen, no ear heard, no mind conceived. Because, come on, can we get better than the sound of pop rocks? Better than candy?

And to always be in the presence of THAT POWER? Not just get little blips of it once in a while? Oh my heart!

If you think I am aiming to entice you, like a little kid trying to get mom or dad to come explore the candy store, you would be right. I think that's my purpose. I am trying to entice you to think about a relationship with Jesus. Because truly connecting heart to heart with that power source will make here much more bearable - and will assure you experience next. It will be worth it. 

Better than candy.

Christianity, Christian

Christianity, Christian – words that have become loaded. Words that conjure up feelings of judgment, rules, stuffiness, harshness, cruelty, etc., etc. And it makes a weird sense that this has happened. There is an enemy of all human souls. An enemy that wants to kill and destroy. And there is a Saviour, who wants to love and cherish and build up. So what better plan than for the enemy to make the Saviour appear the enemy? And humans have wittingly or unwittingly aided and abetted that plan in myriad ways.

So now, when most people hear either of those words, love and life do not immediately spring to mind. This world right now is under the dominion of the enemy, but it is not completely in his control and our Maker has not abandoned it. The glimpses of beauty and goodness that we manage to see amidst the dark and evil are Him – The Maker. And they are but a glimmer of what is to come.

And probably, that should be the role of those of us calling ourselves Christians, or Christ followers or Jesus followers, or you pick. To point out that beauty, to be that goodness and to tell people of the more to come. Especially to tell people of the more to come.

There is a trick to this. In order to enjoy the more to come, a person does HAVE to believe that Jesus is, and that He is who He says He is, the son of God. But really, that is not much. To imagine that God would come to us in human form and sacrifice Himself so that we could be in His presence is not a big stretch when compared to other things we imagine.

And humans can imagine. Watch a movie. Any movie. Read a book. Any book. Listen to a song. Any song. Imagine, imagine, imagine.

That sounds like a demand doesn't it? “Believe in Me” if you want to spend eternity well. And no doubt, it is. And mostly we don't like to be demanded of. And if we do make the choice to believe, other things will be demanded of us. Love people, be kind to people even if it is hard, stop doing things that are damaging to yourself and others, encourage people, then more believing and imagining.

So let's count the cost of meeting those demands, submitting to those demands. It is very likely that in our attempts to love others, we will be rejected and disparaged, but when that is held against the “well done” of He who formed everything, or our place in a new earth and new heaven, rejection and disparagement seem slightly less significant. We can love Him, because He first loved us, enough to die for us, so that this life is only temporary and the best one is guaranteed.

Christianity, Christian – they are just words. Jesus, The Name, THE WORD, is an action, a glorious imagining, the way to a brilliant eternity. Say the WORD, believe in the WORD, experience the struggles, flip the bird at the enemy - then reap the ultimate rewards.

Who wouldn't want to reap the ultimate rewards?

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”” John 14:6-7 (NIV)

“Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”” John 6:29 (NIV)

P.S. - I kind of stole the flip the bird part from a song by Kip Moore called “The Bull”. There is one line: “Sure feel good to laugh when I look back and flip the bull the bird.” I can honestly see us all doing that to the devil when this ride is over.

I Wish You Desperation

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to wake up and see Jesus standing there at the end of my bed.

He'd be smiling and the sun would be shining. The breeze coming in the window would be warm, the birds would be chittering. I would be a little bit groggy but wouldn't be achy. I would marvel at that for a moment. I wouldn't care about my bedhead really, but I might be worried whether or not the t-shirt I was wearing had holes in it. I think I would sit up, but I wouldn't get out of the bed. For some reason, I picture myself being cozy when Jesus is standing in the room.

I think I would expect Him to start a conversation. And, as much as I'd love for Him to tell me that I was going to do something amazing in the world with Him, and that throughout the whole process I wouldn't be stressed or freaked out, I think for real He would ask me this:

“Who do you think I am?”

Now, the reasonable answer would be, “Jesus, and You are standing at the end of my bed. And that is all kinds of awesome.”

I think His response to that might be, “Yes, but who do you think I AM?”

“Son of God, Lord of Hosts, King of Kings, Prince of Peace? Come on Jesus, this could go on all day....”

“Who do YOU think I AM?”

He'd fade away and I would be stumped, because as much as I have read about Him and studied about Him and talked about Him, and tried to serve Him, do I really know Him yet?

I have always understood that as the goal, but lately, instead of thinking about it as something I have to do - really knowing Jesus, what He thinks, how He feels - is starting to become something I really want to do. There is a strange desperation, it is going to be hard to breath if I don't find out.

What about you? Who do YOU think HE IS?

I wish you desperation...

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 18:1-5 (NIV)

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me."

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+18%3A1-5&version=NIV

I forget this - so easily. I am so busy trying to a good job of being an adult, that I forget that I am not actually supposed to be. And yet, all day long, I am surrounded by children and their ideas and their ways of looking at the world.

So I should smarten up and listen to them.

My nine year old has asked me three times in the last two weeks.

"Mom, can we just invite people to go to heaven with us?"

My 'adult instinct' tells me to launch into a lecture about how it really isn't that easy, how there are big important adult things to consider such as sanctification, justification, transformation and probably other 'ations'.

But in these last two weeks, as my mouth opens to begin the lecture, a smaller, quieter voice says, "SHUT IT, tell him 'yes'". And so I have, I have said,

"Yes, nine year old, it is the exact right thing to do. Invite everyone you love and everyone who crosses your path to come to heaven with you."

But here's the catch. His current circle of influence is fairly limited, due to the fact that he cannot drive, isn't allowed to walk by himself any further than the park on the corner and he doesn't like spelling. So for him to sit down and type this and send it into cyberspace would take about two years. But not me.

My fifteen year old just finished her grade 10 humanities course, handed in the last assignment set this morning. We home school, so it is my job to sit with her and try and decipher the stuff neither of us are very good at deciphering. I have learned A LOT. The last unit was about 'recovering the voice of the marginalized'.

For me, the tricky thing about gaining knowledge is that once I have attained it, if I don't do something with it, I feel less than stellar. So I have these two pieces of knowledge that have collided in my head these last couple of days - we need to look at the Kingdom as a child would and we need to be the voice of the marginalized - and unless I do something with these pieces, I am going to feel less than stellar.

Right now my nine year old is in a marginal position. He has an important invitation to extend, but really no voice to extend it. So it is my duty to send it for him. If I had half the guts he does, I would have just sent out the invitation myself, a long time ago. But it has taken a child to wake this one up.

We had been discussing the return of Jesus, when He comes to collect the believers - and apparently, this is how a child would approach said situation. He would look at all his friends and the people he loves and he would ask,

"Hey, this is my God, He is alive, would you want to come to heaven with me?"

And it is as simple as that.

John 6:26-29 (NIV)

"Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”"

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+6%3A26-29&version=NIV

It Has Been a While

I am finding it very difficult to be a human right now. I am very confused as to how much of a victim I am in the whole grand scheme of things versus how many of the world's ills I am either directly or indirectly responsible for.

I am in my early forties so I suppose I am due for this identity crisis but I have to admit 'finding myself' is proving a more daunting task than I originally thought it would be.

Perhaps discussing it with cyberspace will help me sort it out...

And now I am having difficulty knowing where exactly to begin because depending on which expert I really don't care to consult, there are varying degrees to which I should be attached to such trivial complexities such as my gender, nationality, family of origin, temperament, giftedness or lack thereof, spiritual orientation, IQ and/or any other way of being uniquely the same as everyone else on this planet.

I think I will just jump.

I am Canadian, but I don't really like hockey, so I suppose I just started this off on a questionable note.  I do like to apologize though, so I will get that out of the way.

Apologies to all the intellectuals who are going to be gaping at my lack of concern over whom I have or have not quoted with proper referencing techniques, there is a strong possibility this is going to fail any sort of plagiarism test because somebody, somewhere has probably said the same things I am thinking and maybe I have even read them and they are buried in my subconscious and are going to come crawling out and I am not going to remember and am too lazy care.

Apologies to people who find sarcasm offensive, I am really, really, really sorry to offend you .....  mmmm hmmmm.

Apologies to people who like short, concise pieces of writing, this apology is probably not placed properly in the body of this work.

Apologies to all the people I have missed apologizing to for whatever other offensive thing I am about to do.

There now that I have gotten that out of the way, I feel I must clarify that I am Canadian of partially unknown European descent - is that actually a category? If it isn't it should be. I have white skin - except in the summer when parts of me are less white. I don't do that on purpose, it just happens when I am outside and am ignoring all the scientific advice about why I shouldn't be.

On my Mom's side there are some good genealogical records and the English play a big role, in fact there are rumours I am a descendent of Henry the 8^th. Sorry about that.

My Dad's side is a bit sketchier, there are rumours that some the original folk to get off the boat were horse thieves - sorry about that – and that they changed their names to avoid capture. That seems wise. If it is true, they chose the last name "Pratt" which wasn't so wise because it was a “Pratt” who came up with the brilliant idea of starting the residential schools in Canada and he married a “Mason” - another name in my family tree. This is not a part of my search for my self that I was happy to come across.

I would like to think that if I had been around in those days and that guy actually was my uncle / cousin / grandpa, I would have smacked him in the head and told him that was an incredibly stupid idea, but I am a woman, so I would have had to apologize for speaking my mind to a man.

And here is where I admit that because I am all white – at least most of the year - I am ignorant of my "invisible privilege" and that I am an idiot because I have become brainwashed by my culture into believing "individualism" is the only correct view of how a society should function. I did not know that only whites ever succumb to cultural conditioning.

So it is unreasonable of me to be confused as to why I need to feel responsible for not being around to smack that “Pratt” guy upside the head or accuse his wife of being guilty by association. I wake up each morning and give my kids toast and peanut butter and am by default “part of some problem” because I don't have the energy to protest every wrong thing that is going on in the universe.

I am confused as to why I am accused of hiding my head in the sand when my introverted tendencies make me just want to run away from all of this.

I am confused as to why on the days like this when my mouthy temperament kicks in, I am accused of being too opinionated about things I probably am not educated enough to be commenting on.

I am confused why I can't just relate to someone because our dads were both alcoholics regardless of our race or tax bracket.

I am confused as to why mentioning alcoholism makes me a hero in some circles and a whiny baby in others.

I am confused as to why I shouldn't expect my spouse to meet my emotional needs, but if I find someone else of the opposite gender to connect with I am having an emotional affair.

I am confused because if I yell at my kids right now for doing stupid things on the trampoline, I am a 'helicopter parent' but if I leave them be I am encouraging reckless and irresponsible behaviour that is going to lead to a large hospital bill that will tax our already over-burdened health care system and staff. Yes, I know...I am incredibly thankful we have healthcare.

I am confused because if I stay away from social media I am choosing to be uniformed and negligent of my fellow human beings. Yet, if I read every article and take into consideration every opinion out there I wouldn't have time to meet every single one of my kids' many developmental needs at the proper times and stages of their growth.

I apologize that this is written from my narrow, North American, middle or whatever class I fall into viewpoint. I am sorry I sound so offended and oversensitive. I wish people would stop being so easily offended and oversensitive.

I am a stay-at home Mom and my kids are home schooled. But don't worry, they are social little beggars and can be just as selfish and entitled as their generation dictates they should be.

But I am okay with who I am because I have read all the pros and cons of my Myers-Briggs results and I also know I am probably an Emerald / Ruby.

Do you see a theme here? I am confused - I am finding being human a confusing challenge right now.
I am confused as to why there is such a massively long list of things to be confused about when just like 98% of the human population I really just want things to be easy.

I want to eat, drink and be merry and listen to country music. We must be at about offence number 23 by now?

We all know I could go on for pages and pages about this.

But I trust you can see the ridiculousness of trying to figure all of this out - the foolishness of trying to lean on our own understanding.

Believe me when I say - all sarcasm aside - I am aware of the severity and tragedy of all the 'isms' occurring in the world. None of them are laughing matters. It is sickening.

I do however, really struggle to believe, that people are truly unaware of it all, that all the campaigns to 'raise awareness' of every single difficult issue we face as human beings is the answer to any of it.

And now here is where I offend everyone else I haven't already.

Go look up the story of the tower of Babel, check out what went on between Cain and Abel - strife between humans is as old as Methuselah – literally.

Our battles are not between flesh and blood - they look like they are - but they really are not.

The battles aren't between races, they aren't between husbands and wives, they aren't between denominations, orientations or generations, they aren't between rich and poor, the educated or uneducated.

Our collective human fight is actually “against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

We are all puppets in a play of good vs. evil and that is as simple as it is. The current puppet master is the father of lies, the sower of destruction, the cause of confusion and we have the choice of whether or not we let our strings be pulled.

Social programs, new legislation and awareness campaigns are not going to change the way we treat each other - they may ease the tension and relieve some of the circumstantial burdens momentarily - but we are always going to be asses to each other as long as the roaring lion is roaming this earth looking for people to devour.

Sounds depressing and hopeless doesn't it - my apologies to the optimists.

There will be pockets of spiritual resistance that pop up before the end of this age, they will be those of us who choose to lay aside all the face value, flesh and blood nonsense and petition the Maker together - Jesus won't return until every tribe and tongue has heard His name - it would be nice if we all could stop getting distracted and get moving on that.

I am having a hard time being a human. Thankfully I am a daughter of the One True King and I don't have to figure it out on my own.