Every good lie has some truth in it…

We think that a lie is a lie and the truth is the truth, but life is not always so black & white.  There are many shades of gray (no book pun intended) that culturally cloud us to what is true and what is right.

It’s very easy to lean on culture to give us truth rather than the Bible.  Our culture has strong teachers….TV, Radio, Movies, online…Media and Social Media in general is a huge cultural teacher about what is true.  I really like Twitter…it’s quick….you can get your ideas out there….you can quickly get ideas from others…..you pick who you follow without the need of them having to follow you…..it’s perfect for stalkers!   Anyways, people throw out there truth daily…..sometimes it’s opinionated truth that is relative to the person….sometimes it’s opinion on scripture….sometimes it’s nonsense but all the while people are being taught, then becoming teachers of culture.

So what are some good lies with some truth in them?

Let’s look at Genesis first…..Satan in the garden of Eden.

1  t The snake was sneakier than any of the other wild animals that the [Lord] God had made. One day it came to the woman and asked, “Did God tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?”2 The woman answered, “God said we could eat fruit from any tree in the garden, 3 except the one in the middle. He told us not to eat fruit from that tree or even to touch it. If we do, we will die.” 4 “No, you won’t!” the snake replied. 5 “God understands what will happen on the day you eat fruit from that tree. You will see what you have done, and you will know the difference between right and wrong, just as God does.”6 The woman stared at the fruit. It looked beautiful and tasty. She wanted the wisdom that it would give her, and she ate some of the fruit. Her husband was there with her, so she gave some to him, and he ate it too.

There was some truth in what the snake said to Eve.  (I still can’t understand why it was normal for a snake to talk in the first place.)  No, you won’t die and yes you will understand the difference between right and wrong…….that’s all true.  They didn’t die physically and yes after they both understood the difference between right and wrong.   Okay here’s the lie….just as God does.   God understand the difference between right and wrong from a Holy perspective.  Adam and Eve understood the difference from the sinful perspective.  They become wrong…they became sin…that’s how they understood the difference.  They were without sin, and then became sin.   I’m sure if Satan had been completely honest with them he would have said….you will understand the difference between right and wrong because you will….feel the shame of being naked and need to cover yourselves, you will hide from God whom you previously had perfect fellowship with, you will be cast out of your home in the garden…you will begin to work hard to survive….you will have horrible pain in child birth….you will have to sacrifice innocent animals to cover your sins which will begin small but grow into a massive spiritual issue…and no you won’t die now but you will die due to your wrong.   So just as God knows the difference between right and wrong you will too, because you will have lived both.

Now if Adam and Eve would have known the full story…the whole truth….I think this world would be very different.  But that’s the same questions we are faced with every day.  Do I believe the lie…or search for what’s true.  (slight Matrix reference.)

• That’s just the way I am.  I learned it from my parents and I can’t change it.
• I’m not beautiful the way God created me.
• I’ve got this under control….
• My value is based upon my job and how much stuff I can acquire.
• I have to perform for people to truly love me.
• No one would love me if they really knew me.

Can you think of others?

Doesn’t get any more beautiful than this…

Cool Kid….

What an awesome kid!  We are going to go camping later this month, and I am sure this will be an experience for us all.  Lots of fun and lots of time together.    My wife reminded me this morning to take time to enjoy the details of being a dad.

Good ole’ Mercer University comes to mind again…

Picture this….a barn.  It’s an old barn with lots of character and the smell of the animals and hay that have been in there.  There is a small hole in the roof that let’s the rain in on days like today in Georgia.  When the Sun is out and shining brightly that hole let’s in a beam of light that you can follow all the way to the ground.  It’s a thin supported line of sunlight that is cutting thru the shade and darkness of the barn.

When I was in college my choral professor shared this imagery with me in getting us to sing a certain way.  It’s a word picture that can translate into our minds-then actions.  I have never forgotten the clear picture this image presents.  And how it helped me to understand a new concept.  That’s one tool of teaching that I like to use as well, because when we see something or model it we don’t forget it.

 

Would you walk a day for a Tylenol?

We hosted a Medical Clinic in Honduras…here is the Pharmacy, with basic medicines we can easily run up to the store and buy.  We take that blessing for granted.  Most if not all of the people of San Jose, Honduras do not have a vehicle.  Some have a horse, but the nearest town to buy medicine would take them a day’s walk, staying the night and then a day’s walk back.  Imagine that…. to pick up some Tylenol for a fever.  It’s a different world down there….On a side note the end of this video shows you a very common outdoor stove and oven.  Firewood goes in the bottom to heat it, as if Honduras wasn’t already hot enough!!!!  If Ethan were sick I would start walking if that’s what I had to do.

A song in my heart today.

I have sang the lyrics “I have a song in my heart” or something similar 100s of times over the years.  When I would sing these words my mind would be on the fact that Jesus is my song, or that God is making the music of my life.  Well this morning my wife accidentally planned to over sleep by about 15 minutes.  When this “accident” happens I have to get up way to early for me and help get Ethan ready to leave for school.    When I got up this morning I immediately had a song in my heart…I kept singing it and thinking of people in our church that would be blessed by it or challenged by it.  And I could not get it out of my mind.  After Lisa and Ethan left I laid back down and could not sleep again.  All day it’s been with me.  The idea of…..It will be my JOY to say, Your will, Your Way, Always.    It’s simple to say but so challenging to believe.    After laying down for a while I got up and heard the songs of my daughter Ella as she lay in her crib.  What a blessing this morning.

Check out the song..and Oh and we are rocking this song on Sunday!

The boy has yarn for stitches!!!!

We did a medical Clinic in a small village close to San Jose, Honduras.  We saw almost 140 people or so….One young boy remains in my mind.  He had stitches made of something close to yarn.  He told us that he got into a fight with another boy, and that the other boy looked much worse than he did!  But we later found out he fell on some rocks.  Here is a video of one of our team taking them out with finger nail clippers.  the stitches had already been in for 10 days and no-one had any plans to take them out.  It’s crazy to think that God had it planned for us to be there to do something as simple as taking yarn stitches out of a young boy’s head.

Honduras Mission Trip

I am headed down to Honduras for a Medical Mission Trip this week.  I love, love, love serving God in this way and no doubt my heart will be blessed more than the people we are going to help.  I am reading through Pslams right now and I keep thinking about…How Majestic is Your Name in all the earth….

I get to test that trust out when going in the Name of Jesus to another country and seeing believers worshiping, and serving.   I can’t wait!   I’ll miss these guys while I’m gone!!!

Good Friday was amazing….

What an amazing time to worship Jesus on Good Friday last week.

This experience is one of my favorite during the year because we focus solely on the cross.  The sacrifice Jesus made for us, and that he chose to give himself.  Noone forced him.   Nations bow at the mention of his name…Jesus.  Amazing love…and grace.

My little boy is growing up.  Today when I dropped him off at school he turned just before going into the building and looked at me.  He gave me a big wave and let me tell you that made my day.  I remembered doing the same thing to my mom….that last look back that says I love you.  I am thankful to be his dad.  I am thankful that our family is together and that we are striving to live for Jesus.  I didn’t grow up that way and I am glad that Ethan will have me to count on and to love him.   I know this is a random post but Jesus gets the glory for my life so I thought I would share….