Life – Page 6 – Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

One of the Best Days of My Life!

August 12, 2007. Nine and a half years ago to the day. A day that I will never ever forget. Sure, there are details that get a little blurred with the more time that passes, but I would be hard pressed to find a more important day in my life, at least in regards to my calling in life. My wedding day would probably be the only other day that I would consider as more important overall, as I got to marry my best friend and the person that has agreed to walk beside me through my calling in life.

What was August 12, 2007? It was the day that Crossroads Christian Church in Gray, TN ordained me for full-time ministry. In other words, the leadership of my home church “set me apart” for my calling of ministry. They had watched me grow up, and even with the mistakes of my youth that they knew about (I had some wild years, even while going to bible college), they saw the calling that God had put on my life. On top of that, they also saw my commitment to follow God’s calling on my life to go into vocational ministry.

The summer of 2007, leading to this memorable day in August, was a very impactful time in my life as well. I had just finished a 3-month internship at Georgetown Church of Christ, and had been able to start correcting some of the mistakes of my youth. It was also the summer that I met my wife. In fact, August 11, sometime in the early morning hours was when Kelley and I finally made our feelings known to each other and agreed to start dating. She was still in Ohio, and I was back home in Tennessee for a week before going back to school in Ohio.

So leading into my Ordination service, I had also just started a relationship that would prove to be something very important as well. To say that I was on a “high” would be an understatement. Crossroads is the church I consider my home, and a place that has helped prepare me for ministry over the years. For the leadership from Crossroads to see something in me enough to “set me apart” for ministry means more to me than I think I could ever really express through words.

Let me set the scene a little for you. Most ordination services that I have heard of over the years usually take place on a Sunday evening. But for some reason, Clint (the Sr. Minister) and everyone else from Crossroads decided that they would hold my ordination during both Sunday morning services that day.

My best friend (and eventually best man in our wedding) was able to be there that day to lead the worship service. Nick Tomeo, the professor of youth ministry at Cincinnati Christian University, where I was studying youth ministry, made the five hour drive from Cincinnati to Gray to be a part of the service. One of my best friends from college drove in from Louisville, KY to be there as a support to me. My extended family that all go to different churches around East Tennessee showed up at Crossroads to be a part of the service as well. Ryan Bader, the last ordained person from that church before me came and spoke as part of the service.

Clint Andrews and Curtis Booher, mentors and men that I respect highly preached and challenged not only me, but the congregation to run the race of this life with our eyes fixed on Jesus. And then maybe the most special part of the whole service happened. The elders of Crossroads surrounded me, and with me on my knees in an act of surrender to God’s call in my life, laid hands on me, confirming my calling, and promising to support me in my efforts to be a servant leader in the Kingdom of God.

After the service was over, my mom, along with the rest of my family, hosted a luncheon in celebration of the day. To say that I was blown away with all that took place is definitely an understatement. It was a humbling moment, one that I never want to take for granted. There is nothing special about me. That is not why I am writing this. In fact, I will be the first one to admit that I am a very flawed person, and I do not always feel worthy of the calling that God placed on my life. But I also absolutely love getting to preach full-time. There is nothing else I would want to do with my life. And honestly, I don’t really think that I am qualified to do anything else.

I am humbled by the fact that men that watched me grow up saw enough in me to set me apart for a life of ministry. But it is also sobering. Not only do I have a calling from God, I have the support and recognition from other servant leaders that I am set apart for vocational ministry. What if I fail? Do I have what it takes? Am I going to make them look bad? If I try to do this all on my own power, then the answer to those questions is an emphatic YES! But that is one of the reasons for an ordination service like this. It shows that we cannot do ministry on our own. We have to support each other, but more importantly, we have to rely on God’s power to do what we are called to do.

That is why this day, nine and a half years ago is so important to me. It reminds me that I have a support system, even 1,400 miles away from where I am living now. But it also reminds me that God has called me to this life, and it is through His power that I am able to do what I love.

A friend of mine in ministry posted a picture of his ordination program the other day on social media, and that is what got me thinking about all of this today. It is a great reminder of those that have gone before us, but also surround us and support us in our calling. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life, even when ministry is tough and beats me up a little. But more than that, I can’t imagine walking through this calling without the support system that have surrounded me through the years, even when I wasn’t really living the way I should have been.

What about you? I would love to hear about a day that you will never forget or about the support system you have in your life. Don’t think you have a support system or feel like you need more? Let me know how I can try to support you!

Christian Living, Life

Up and Down: New Mexico’s Weather

One of the things that I’m still trying to get used to after moving to New Mexico a little over two years ago is the weather. Growing up in East Tennessee, we had all four seasons, and generally speaking, as the seasons would change, the weather would not fluctuate that often. What I mean is that once it was fall, we had fall weather, or once winter came, you could expect it to be somewhat cold outside for a few months.
Weather is not like that here in Carlsbad. For example. We are currently in February, which is considered a winter month. Most places that I have lived before here have already experienced snow, very cold temperatures, and other things that you can generally expect during the winter months. We have had a couple of cold days, highs in the upper 30’s, but today, and most of the last week, we have been having temperatures in the mid to upper 80’s. In fact, today it actually hit 90 degrees. I played golf this afternoon, and was sweating pretty good wearing shorts and a thing polo shirt. Not February weather that I am used to to say the least.

Carlsbad is in a desert region, so I guess you could ask what else I could expect from living here. And to a point, I get that. What is difficult for me is that the high was 90 degrees today and it is forecasted to be in the low 50’s as a high tomorrow, then Monday a high of 39 with the potential for snow. In other words, there is a high temperature difference of nearly 50 degrees in a 48-hour period.

This temperature fluctuation does one thing to me, other than annoy me. It literally makes me sick. My body and immune system just cannot seem to figure out how to deal with this constant change in temperature. When I get right down to it, I honestly would just like the weather to make up its mind. Get cold (like winter is supposed to be) or stay warm, but pick one and go with it. Stop this constant shifting.

What about you? No I do not mean what do you think about the weather? What do you prefer the temperature to be? Do you want snow or could you go the rest of your life and be perfectly happy without ever seeing another snow flake? My question is simply this: In your pursuit of being a Christ follower, are you consistent, or does your commitment level fluctuate as much or more than the temperatures of Carlsbad, New Mexico I described above?

Jesus would call that constant fluctuation in our lives being “lukewarm”. If you are familiar at all with the letters to the seven churches described in Revelation, then you know where I am going with this. Jesus does not allow “lukewarmness”. “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16). He says be either hot or cold. And that is not Him saying that it is ok if you decide not to be a Christ follower. That is not what He means by being cold. He is referring to how Laodicea received its water sources during this time period.

Basically, they had an aqua duct system that would bring water either from cool or hot springs into the city. Depending on what you wanted the water for, you would either want the hot or cold. But that went to the most prominent of the city first. That is because the further away from the source of the water, it would become lukewarm, and not very appealing.

Jesus is making the argument in this letter to Laodicea that He wants us to either be hot or cold, the best form that we can be. In other words, if we are claiming to be His followers, then we need to be the best we can be. Stop this fluctuation. If we are in, then we need to be all in or He will spit us out.

So let me ask you again: In your pursuit of being a Christ follower, are you consistent, or does your commitment level fluctuate as much or more than the temperatures of Carlsbad, New Mexico I described above?

Christian Living, Encouragement, Life

On Mission?

Though I live in NM now, I spent most of my life living in East TN. My wife and I love it here in NM, but there will always be part of our hearts in the hills of East TN (and Southern OH as well). That brings me to some very heartbreaking news from my home town. Actually it is from my high school alma mater, which brings it even closer to home for me. I went to Daniel Boone High School in Gray, TN, the home of the Trailblazers. While there are definitely things I do not miss about high school, once a Trailblazer, always a Trailblazer.

This past week, news broke across my social media pages about another tragedy within the ranks of Daniel Boone. Three students were injured in a bad car wreck, one in critical condition in ICU. I say another tragedy because just five months ago, a high school couple was in a wreck, killing the 16-year old female passenger on her birthday. This community has been through a lot this school year.

Just a day or so ago, the student that was in ICU in critical condition succumbed to his injuries and passed away. 1,400 miles away, my heart is breaking for these students, staff, faculty, and all those affiliated with Daniel Boone. I did not know either of these students that lost their lives in these tragic accidents, but I know current students that knew them. The one good thing that I can say about this whole situation is that the community has rallied together and are supporting one another. Boone Strong has been popping up all over my social media feeds as a reminder that we are all one. In fact, as I write this, I am changing my profile pic on Facebook to Boone Strong for the next week.

boone-strong

This has all be a reminder of something that we all to often forget; Life is short and we have no idea how much time we have left in this world. I am not trying to be discouraging or “doom and gloom”, but the reality of our lives is that the next minute is not guaranteed for any of us. Life is fragile, but it is also a huge blessing.

So I have a challenge for you. What are you going to do with the time you have remaining? Are you just going to “go with the flow” and live with a purpose? Or are you going to step up to the idea that as a Christ follower, we have a mission and should be living this “Life on Mission”? We are currently going through the series Life on Mission by Tim Harlow at Central Christian Church here in Carlsbad. It has completely changed the way I look at living my life. I want to live my life on mission for Jesus more than I want to do anything else.

The reason this is so important is that we do not know how much time we have left. We might be gone tomorrow. But your friend, neighbor, coworker, family member, significant other, or whoever else you are close to might be gone tomorrow as well. Do they know Jesus? Have they given their life to Him and allowed Him to become their savior? If not, have you shared your story of a loving relationship with our savior with them?

If we are a Christ follower, then we have a mission of sharing Jesus with as many people as we can. The best way we can do that is through building relationships with those that do not know Him yet, and earning the right to share Him with them at some point. Let the tragic loss of a couple of teenagers five months apart in East TN be a reminder that tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us. Are you on mission?

thoughts-from-a-crosseyed-jesus-freak

Encouragement, Life, Writing

A New Challenge

I started a challenge yesterday. From the outside, I am torn. Part of the challenge seems really straight forward, and somewhat easy. But it also seems very daunting at the same time. Writing is something that I have enjoyed for a long time, but I just never seemed to develop enough discipline, writing on a regular basis. That is what this challenge is all about. Brandon Kelley, the author of Crucified to Life that I wrote about yesterday is the one that introduced me to this challenge.

What is it? It is a challenge from an author by the name of Jeff Goins. The name is “My 500 Word Challenge”. Basically, I have committed to writing at least 500 words every day for the next 31 days. The challenge started for me yesterday in my review of Crucified to Life, but I wanted to publicly announce my decision to pursue this challenge today.

thoughts-from-a-crosseyed-jesus-freak

Over the next month, I am committing to writing at least 500 words daily. This is on top of any writing I do for sermons. Most of what I write will be posted here as Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak, but there may be some times that I work on something that will not be ready for public consumption right away. What do I mean by that?

The whole reason I am taking this challenge, other than my love of writing here on my blog, is that I am wanting to become more disciplined in my writing so that I can accomplish something that I have wanted to do for a long time. In other words, I am starting the process of attempting to write my first book. So there may be days that my 500 words are part of that book, and if that is the case, then obviously that will not be posted on the blog.

This is somewhat of a scary process. 500 words is not that much, but when you commit to write that much daily for a month, it can seem daunting as I stated earlier. But it is going to make me a better writer, and it is going to help me develop a habit of writing so that I can write a book, possibly more.

As part of this process, I am going to attempt another major life style change. I am naturally a night owl, meaning I stay up late, and only wake up right before I need to be somewhere the next day. The problem with that is I do not have the energy or brain power in the evenings once the work day is over to write (or read, which I want to do more of that as well). So, starting next week, I am going to try to turn myself into a morning person, as nasty as that sounds to someone like me. I am going to start getting up around 6:00 AM in an effort to write before I have to be in the office.

Why am I writing this post today? It is simple really. By putting this out publicly, I am hoping that you will help keep me accountable in my commitment to writing, and to getting up in the mornings. Believe me, I am going to need all the help I can get in both. If you have not seen a blog post in a few days, reach out and ask me. It may be that I have written, but just not anything that I can post yet, or it may be that I got distracted. If you see #My500Words on anything in the next 31 days, that is part of this challenge!

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Oh, and if you want, jump in and take the challenge with me. You can sign up here!

Thoughts From a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Christian Living, Life, Ministry, Newspaper

When Relationships Drift

Last week, I was sitting in my office working on my sermon and something happened. Usually if I am working, I have music going. It helps me focus for some reason. Dead silence allows my mind to wander in a hundred different directions. That, or I find myself nodding off to sleep even if I am not really tired at the moment.

So, back to the story. I have music going and a song comes on that I know by heart. It’s one that I have heard and sung countless times. But it is also one that every once in a while, I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard the song and what I was doing. This particular time, it made me flash back to the first time, and remember a friend that because of distance in miles and just differences in life have caused us to drift apart.

And this is a close friend. He was the best man in my wedding for crying out loud, and I could not tell you the last time I even spoke to him, or even texted him. He played the song in question the first time I ever heard it, and it was that memory that came flooding back when I came through my speakers last week. I stopped what I was doing and immediately texted my friend 1,400 miles away, telling him that I head the song, it made me think of him and the first time he introduced to it at a week of church camp, and that I missed him.

It is funny (in a sad way) to me how we let close friends slip away sometimes. Yes, this particular friend lives back in Tennessee, so we are separated by 1,400 miles and two time zones. But with today’s technologies of cell phones, social media apps, and e-mail, the drifting of friendships really boils down to a lack of commitment on one or both parties.

In other words, we let life get in the way, and someone we were once really close to, we realize that we have not spoken to them in years. My fear (and realization) is that we do this with God as well. Life gets in the way, we get busy, and before we know it, it has been days, weeks, months, or maybe even years since we have spoken with Him. We have drifted in our relationship with Him, and that closeness we once had when we first started the relationship has slipped away.

And it is all on us. We are the ones that have the lack of commitment because we let life get in the way. My guess is we never even meant to, but it just happened. But here is the great thing. We have even better tools than technology to rekindle this relationship. We do not need a cell phone, social media apps, or e-mail. We have prayer, and we have God’s word at our fingertips in the form of a Bible. He is there, waiting for us to communicate with Him again, but we have to be willing to reach out to Him. Pray. Read your Bible. Recommit to working on a relationship with Him, the most important relationship you could ever have.

Thoughts From a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Christian Living, Life

Know Your Audience

Many of you remember a few months ago when we started handing out pens that had “Central Christian Church” printed on them along with the address of the church. The idea behind it was to give out the pens to friends, family, and others that we come in contact with to get the church’s name out in the community. We still have a bunch of pens left, so if you need more to hand out, please let me know, but that really is not my point in this article. We ordered the pens from a company that specializes in advertising through things like pens, notepads and various other small gifts like that.

Since we made the initial order, the company has sent numerous samples of items they are trying to get us to purchase with the church name on them. Most of them are not cost effective for us, so nothing has happened since the pens. Another sample came in the mail just earlier this week, and I got a really good hard laugh out of this one. I opened the envelope, and saw, with “Central Christian Church” printed prominently on the product, a “deluxe bottle opener with cork screw”. This is something that you would easily see in a bar, but that I just could not see a church giving away in the community.

bottle-opener-pic

Don’t get me wrong. I know there are reasons for a bottle opener, whether you drink alcohol or not, but it isn’t something that I would ever expect any church to give away. My point is this; this company forgot something very important in sales (and in sharing your faith with others). They did not keep their audience in mind when they created this sample (at their own expense) and sent it to churches. I’m guessing grocery stores, bars, and other similar businesses would have been more receptive to something like this, and possibly even purchased some of the bottle openers to give away.

Here is the bigger point I want to make. We are in the middle of a sermon series right now looking at living a life on mission. That mission is sharing Jesus with other people, as much as possible. This past week, we talked about connecting with others, building relationships with them. In other words, getting to know someone before we share our faith. That’s what we can learn from this company not understanding their potential customers.

We have to know our audience before we know how to share our faith. The message of Jesus and God’s love does not change. But how we share that can change depending on who we are talking to. Jesus was great at knowing His audience before He shared with them. He taught mainly in parables, or stories, and they hit on subjects that would have been very familiar to those that were there to listen to Him.

Paul even did this. He would start at different subject areas depending on whether he was talking to fellow Jews, or if he was talking to mainly Gentiles. All we are asking each other to do in this is to live a life on mission of moving people toward Jesus. Get to know others that don’t know Him yet, build a relationship with them, and once you know your audience, tell your story of what God has done in your own life. Let’s get on mission!

Christian Living, Life, Newspaper, Preaching

Life on Mission (1-21)

Have you ever asked the question, “What is my purpose in life?” Or maybe you have asked what you mission in life is. That is a common question, but there does not seem to be an easy answer to that question sometimes. If you are a Christ follower, however, the answer to those questions becomes a little easier to answer. Unfortunately, even as a Christ follower, we can get distracted and not realize that we have a mission in this life.

That is why we are starting a new series this Sunday at Central Christian Church, called Life on Mission. It is based off of a book by the same name, written by Tim Harlow. In his book, he lays out a very simple premise. Basically, Harlow says that if you are a Christian (or Christ follower), you have a mission in this life. But it is up to you whether you accept it or not.

What is our mission? It is simply building relationships in the community, in an effort to earn the right to tell others about who Jesus is. In Acts 1:7-8, 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus stated that we would be His witnesses. A witness is simply someone who observes something, and then tells other people about what they saw. The problem is that we take another message from Jesus and think if we are going to tell others, we have to go somewhere overseas. Matthew 28:19-20 states, 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Yes, there are some people that might be called to go overseas to spread the name of Jesus, but we are all suppose to spreading the name of Jesus somewhere. Take the passage from Acts above. Jesus said that we would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. In other words, we need to start in our own back yard. Our community here in Carlsbad become our “Jerusalem” if you will.

We all have a mission in life. Are you going to choose to accept or ignore the mission as a Christ follower? Join us at Central Christian Church as we dig into this series over the next six-weeks.

Thoughts From a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Christian Living, Encouragement, Life, Newspaper

Make Some Changes (12-31)

As we are closing out 2016 and entering the brand new year of 2017, I have been thinking a lot about new starts. It is no secret that 2016 has been a year of turmoil, and I think we can all agree that we hope for a better 2017 all around. Just as every other year, as we close out one year and jump into the next, people everywhere are talking about their New Year’s Resolutions. Whether it be getting healthier with eating habits and exercise (I really need to get back to the gym), trying to be better with your finances, improving your relationships, or whatever else you can think of, New Year’s Resolutions are very popular.

The frustrating thing for me, however, is that no matter what resolutions I try to make, they never seem to last past February (sometimes not even that long). My guess is that you can relate. Think about it. Gyms are packed in January, but over the next month or so, space frees up more and more, because people just drop out. Why? Why do we make these resolutions to make major changes in our lives at the start of a new year, and then not follow through?

Do not get me wrong here. I am not arguing against making resolutions. What I am getting at, however, is that we may need to make some changes in why and how we make those resolutions so we can finally stick with them. In all honesty, we need a change in perspective in how we see the world and our motivation in doing anything.

We make these resolutions because we want a better life. We want to lose weight, get out of debt, have better relationships, or advance in our careers by strengthening our work ethic. None of those things are bad. In fact, you could argue that they are really good things. But if your motivation is only about being a better version of yourself so that you feel better about yourself, then that may be why we fail at sticking to the changes we set out to make. Think about it. If you are making changes for selfish reasons, the minute something gets difficult, it is easier to stop. Our motivation runs out.

If you are a Christ-follower (or even if you are not yet), there is a shift in perspective that can help us all make changes for the better in our lives…and actually stick with them. Now before I go any further, I want to point this out. This is not “magic”. It will not be easy to make this shift, because our human nature will fight it. So it is something that you will have to work at (I am still fighting the battle to make this shift myself).

Paul writes in Colossians 3:22-25; “22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.”

Do not get caught up in the word slave there. When we are doing things for ourselves, we can become slaves to selfishness. What I want you to focus on is verse 23. Basically, the shift I am writing to you about today is starting to do everything we do for God not ourselves or another person. When we can make that shift, our motivation and our perspective changes, and maybe we can finally start making improvements in our own lives as well.

Thoughts From a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Christian Living, Encouragement, Life, Newspaper

It is All About The Cross

We are in one of my favorite times of the year right now. We are about a week away from Christmas Day as you read this. There is not very much about this season that I do not like. Yes, I could do without much of the commercialism that is going on, but in all reality, as long as the main reason for the Christmas season is remembered, then I can deal even with that.

That main reason I mentioned above, let me be very clear what I mean by that. Christmas is the time of year that we set aside specifically to remember the birth of Jesus Christ. I personally love the way that John recorded the event in John 1. In verses 1-5 and 14, John wrote this; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

While Matthew and Luke record the story in a little more of a concrete way, there is just something poetic about the way that John chose to record Jesus’ birth. While December 25 is more than likely not the actual date of Jesus’ birth, it is the time that we have set aside to remember that each year.

December 25 is on a Sunday this year, and we have decided to do something a little different at Central Christian Church. Instead of a service on Christmas morning, we have chosen to do a service on Saturday, December 24, at 5:30 P.M., and we would like to invite you all to attend. This will be our first Christmas Eve service, at least to my knowledge, and we could not be more excited about it. It will be a simple, candlelight service, but I can promise you one great thing. We will proclaim the main reason for our celebration of Christmas each year, and we will do it proudly.

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Jesus chose to leave God the Father, and to take on flesh. He did this by being born of the virgin Mary, and living a human life. Why would He do this? You see, we live in a broken world; a broken world due to our sin that separates us from God. Jesus came to live the perfect, sinless life, and to go to the cross to pay a debt that we could never pay ourselves. You see, Christmas is not about snow. It is not about presents. It is not about spending time with family. It is not really even about a baby born in a manger. All of those things are good, but you see, Christmas is all about the cross!

Thoughts From a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Christian Living, God, Life, Newspaper

Death, Loss, and Devastation: How Do We Respond

I want to take a moment of your time to brag a little bit about the people in my home state of Tennessee. First, I am not the first or the last that will make this observation, but none the less I feel that I need to make it. You see, this past week a devastating fire burned a good portion of Gatlinburg, TN and the National forest around it. At least seven people are confirmed dead in the fire, and thousands have lost everything, just a month before Christmas. Hundreds of homes, cabins, and businesses have been completely burned to the ground.

But Tennesseans are resilient people. Fire departments from at least and hour and a half drive all converged on the blaze, attempting to salvage as much as they could. Not only that, there has been zero reports of rioting or looting in the area. Instead, there are reports of generosity toward those who lost everything that is almost unfathomable. Food, clothing, and supply drives popped up all over the state, and generated so much that Sevier County, where Gatlinburg is located, had to ask that no new drives be started for the time being because they could not find anywhere else to store the donations.

Dolly Parton, who is originally from there, has made a very generous offer to any that lost everything. I will not go into detail here, but the figures she has offered simply amaze me. I have always been proud to be from East Tennessee, and the south. The response to this devastation, however, has only deepened that pride in where I am from. It is great to see people come together in a time of need, and do whatever they can to help one another out, instead of only looking out for themselves.

I have a theory as to why this has been the case during this tragedy, and I would like to share that with you today. East Tennessee is part of what is known as the “Bible Belt”, and while a lot of people in this country are trying to distance themselves from Christianity (that is a whole other article for another time), Christian-living seems to still be alive and well there. Even those that do not claim to follow Jesus, or the Bible seem to live by some of the principles found there.

Seeing what is taking place in Gatlinburg and the surrounding areas where this devastation has taken place reminds me of something that we can read in the book of Acts, chapter 2:44-45, which states; “44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” They took care of one another, just like the people in Tennessee are taking care of one another right now.

We need to learn to look out for other people, and not just ourselves. May we all take this to heart, and seek to help one another when needs arise.

Thoughts From a Crosseyed Jesus Freak