Devil

There's a movie coming out soon called "Devil." I just caught a glimpse of a trailer and then looked it up online. It looks creepy, but also alluring. I doubt that I will see the movie, but it makes me stop and think about the incredible interest that there is in the supernatural. How many movies come out every year that touch on spiritual topics, ghosts, demons, angels, end times, apocolyptic prophecies, Bible secrets, religious cover-ups? I'm not sure what it all means. There are more intelligent and discerning people out there who can make really deep and insightful points about the hunger that mortal has for the immortal, the curiosity that the natural has for the supernatural. But I guess I'll give it a go.

I think that all this attention points out the fact that there's a permanent mark in each of us, a keen awareness in our souls that there is an unseen, that there is more than meets the eye, that there's a reality that our five senses cannot perceive. 

The world has its theories about where this preoccupation comes from, but I am drawn back to the 6th day of creation, the place where God breathed "vida" ("leben," "zoe," "life") into a lump of clay. He did more than just animate...He did His God-thing. He made a "very good," image bearer. The image of God defines us, distinguishes us from every other part of creation. And even though sin has marred that image, there is still embroiled on the heart of every person a God-consciousness, a search for our identity and an unquenchable thirst that the world cannot satisfy. There is a conflict with flesh and with spirit that spurs a soul toward denial or driveness...a drive to answer the greatest questions that plague the human conscience...Is this it? Is this all there is? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Is there someone out there who can answer my questions?

The obvious answer to me is "YES!" 

But the remarkable...no...incredible...no...unfathomable thing is this. The "yes" answer is bigger that just the fact that there is a God. The mind-blowing this is that this God...Creator of the universe...the TRUE God...the ONE and ONLY...the stands alone and apart from everything else God...this outside of my box God...Jehovah...that very God who put His very image in each of us...this amazing God reveals Himself to those searching for the answers. And not only has He revealed Himself, but He invites us to come and rest in His presence. He wants to share a meal with us...He put an addition on His house so we'd have a place to stay. He took down the "Keep Out" sign, tore down the wall of separation and He even put placeholders down at the table with our names written on them. He emancipated us from slavery, freeing us from that heavy sin-burden and now He leads us to come under a new yoke, one that His strong Son is shouldering the weight. He waved the checkered flag and wants us to COME now and REST and sit down at the foot of His Throne of Grace and just BE STILL. He calls us by name and He holds us in the palm of His hand with a grip that no one or nothing can break. His own Son, in perfect obedience to His Father's will, died in order to save us...and through this ultimate sacrifice the doors of the Holy of Holies stand open and we are now clothed with royal robes. We are invited to sit at the table for the celebration of celebrations.

Yes, there is a God who holds the answers to all the questions that everyone is asking...and He has more for us than just a pocket full of answers. He offers us Himself.

I should stop writing now and just chew on that for the rest of eternity.

Lakeside spirituality

My family just returned from a wonderful, but too brief, getaway to a lakehouse just outside of Gun Barrell City. We were guests of some great people and got to spend some quality time with them and their family...and we also got to hang out with some new friends. It was a fantastic time to just relax and enjoy doing the things that families do. We played and laughed and ate and rested...but the best part was to "do it" with them.

Community has been discussed, debated, detracted and disected, over the last decade...and I'm not the one to set everyone straight on what true community is. (I think the Bible can speak for itself.) But here are just a few observations that I gathered over the time that we were lakeside.

Community is FAMILY.

This does not exclude a single person at all...they are part of a family. It doesn't mean that you have to have children of your own. But the essence of community is family. The closest people in the world are family members. That means that you are related to them...which means that you are ONE of THEM. It's not an election or a vote. You are a member of the family and therefore, part of something...something that is intrinsicly (sp?) inclusive. No matter the age, intelligence, net worth, giftedness (or lack thereof), if you are family then you are IN. I can rest when I'm with my family. I can be myself when I'm with my family. I can fail and be okay because I'm family. Family will work with my failures. Family will hold me accountable. Family will cheer for me. Family will hurt with me when I hurt. Family will track me down when I wander off. Community is FAMILY.

Community is 24/7.
It really doesn't matter if I am physically with my community all the time...I am conscious of them and they are conscious of me. I miss my community when I'm away. I look forward to seeing my community again. I make plans to be with my communitiy. I go out of my way to hang out with my community. My community is on my mind. I could call them, text them, drop by their house, send an email to them, pray for them, meet them for lunch, vacation with them, go to the movies with them, have them over to my house, play games with them...community is a 24/7 kind of a thing. It's not a duty or an obligation. It's a relationship that doesn't punch a clock. It's just who we are.

Community is IMPRESSIONABLE.
My community should impress itself on my life. When someone in my community is committed to something...that often affects me. I might even find myself getting more committed to that "thing." My values are shaped by the values of my community. And I can (and will) impress my values on my community. I am scarred by my community. That can be taken as a negative...but I want to look at it in a positive way. As community becomes a lingering and lasting influence, I begin to see the marks of community showing up, involuntarily, on my "skin." The skin of my mind...my memories. We have shared and been shaped by the experiences of community. And that can be a very good thing.

These three observations are not novel. They are simply observing something...not creating it...observing it. If you are part of community, then I think you would agree with what I've said. If you are missing these in your life, then I hope you will pursue them. You can't be community with the world. Community is an identified group of people...you identify them and they identify you. When you're not "there," you are missed. And it is rare that you are not there...because they are part of your life.

As we were with this group of people, I recognized that we are not part of their community in the strictest sense. We loved being with them and they are part of our world, but I wouldn't say that they are our "community." But, I do have a community and they are my family, and our relationship is 24/7 and we continue to make deep impressions on one another. And all I can say is, we are blessed.

Not sure if This is going to work or not. I'm trying to post a blog by testing a message. Here goes.

Posting on purpose...Tweeting to Transform

I have been Twittering and Facebooking for a few years now...mostly just a way to amuse myself and others (I hope). I always enjoy reading what others are up to or are thinking. (Funny how the stuff other people do seems so much more interesting than my stuff...bet they think that too about everyone else.) Well, I updated my Facebook status last night with this: "I have status update block. Can anyone help me?" I got plenty of comments and suggestions about what I should post. Some ideas were silly (which is my style)...some were serious (I can appreciate those as well). But, it made me realize something about these social media "thingys". Twitter and Faceboog and Blogger and all those other sites, are opportunities to lift others up. Whether I post is a quirky statement, a profound quote or a peek into the life of my family...I have a chance to be an agent for good in someone else's life.

But, I also have the opportunity to bring others down and lead them away from faith, hope and courage. It's a choice I make with every character I type, every link I recommend (http://www.biblegateway.com/), every comment I reply to.

Colossians 3:17 says, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

In other words...every post I...well...post, every status I update, every tweet I Twitter...I should do it in the name of my Savior and Lord, with an attitude of gratitude...so that others might see Him and glorify my God.

So, the next time you get on Facebook or Twitter, remember that Jesus Christ is the Master Tweeter of your life.

Taco Night

I love the idea of a taco. They taste great! I enjoy all of the ingredients: seasoned beef, cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, onion. It's like a party of flavors that all come together for a taste-bud fiesta! The reality of a taco is not so...festive. I know they make those square tacos now, but normally you go to all the work to construct the perfect taco and then you have to lay it on its side on your plate. ALL the ingredients fall out! And once you take that first bite, it's like popping a taco balloon. The whole thing just crumbles in your hand and falls to your plate in a heap. Ineveitable, you end up making some odd taco salad and you never get the same taste out a taco salad. It's just not the same.

I don't have any profound thoughts on this subject. I am not going to compare the challeneges and frustrations of tacos to any other spiritual point. I just needed to share my feeling about the joys and the sorrows of taco night at the Rasberry's.

Come to think of it...Taco Bell makes some kind of hybrid taco. It's a regular taco, but you put a tortilla around it with a layer of refried beans in between as the sealant. I hope I remember that the next time we have taco night.

Sin is so Ugly...Grace is so Beautiful.

Life is very hard...for everyone. But some have it very, VERY hard. Often it is a result of poor decisions they have made...and continue to make. Sin is the ultimate root of all the "kaka" in this world. It's so ugly and destructive...it's a cancer that never goes into remission. It has to be cut out, aggressively treated and considered enemy #1.

I see my own sinfulness and it's scary. I have a darkness and depravity inside of me that is capable of the most hideous things. It's there, lurking and waiting for an opportunity to attack, to kill with my words, to abuse, to slander, to chew up and spit out anyone and everyone. It's shaking a rebellious fist to God, cursing and mocking Jesus on the cross, hell-bent on destruction. That ugliness, that corruption, that disease is in me and in every person who has ever lived and will ever be born. No wonder this world is so disgusting and utterly vile. No wonder it is so repulsive to Holy God. How amazing is His grace in comparison to the ugliness of this world! How inconceivable that You, Father, would sacrifice Your perfect and sinless Son for such a wretched people...that you would die for me.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
Was blind but now I see.

I cannot express the depths of gratitude I have for You, God. I could try, but my words fail. Praise You! Thank You! Bless You! I worship You and You alone. You are God! There is none like You...no one above You! Who am I to even speak to You? To look towards You and have You acknowledge my pitiful life.

Why would the Creator God, beyond my mind's ability to conceive, God of the universe and beyond...why would this God have anything to do with man? We have rejected Your love. We have killed Your Son. We have mocked You and led a rebellion against You. Why do you bother with us? You don't need anything from us. You are resplendent and self-sustaining. You never lack anything or have need. Yet You went so far for us "mudballs." What kind of love is this? I cannot fathom Your love. Apart from You I would cease to be. You chose to reveal Yourself to man...to me...for Your good pleasure. All I can do is fall on my face and wallow in Your grace. Your holiness incinerates me...except for Your grace.

Here we go again

This is my second blogspot. The reason I am no longer using the first blogspot was because I can't find it. I used it so little that it has gone the way of the dodo bird. But I am going to do my best...or at least I will try...to blog more often. I doubt anyone will read this, but, hey...never have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few people. Why not me, right? Well...here we go again.

Random picture of my sister, Kellie and me. I think she was 5 and I was 3.