Christianity Is Rigged!!!

Yes my friends you read that correctly.  Christianity is rigged!  Praise God it is rigged!  Have you really  paid much attention to I John 2:1-2 "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." NASV

So check this out.  The "system" is totally rigged in our favor.  For starters our Advocate is Jesus.  That word advocate is actually a legal term we might more readily recognize as our lawyer.   Now, who sent the lawyer?  God did.  That means the trial judge sent the lawyer, which just happens to be his son, to defend us.  Oh, and did I mention, the lawyer and the judge are of the same mind.  And lest I forget, the judge sent the lawyer to pay the penalty for our offense. In fact the judge sent the lawyer to pay for our crime before we even committed the act.  Yes folks this system is totally rigged.  Rigged in our favor.

Well then, as long as we have faith in this God and Advocate then the words of Romans 8 will always ring true. "I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us."  The Message

"Mr. Jamey how am I gonna feed my kids?" April 2011

"I wrote this blog in April of 2011 in an old blog I no longer use.  My heart tells me it deserves a place on this blog, and a fresh read."  Jamey Foshee May 2014

 

I just spent the last week battling a very debilitating case of pneumonia. Two phone calls, and one trip to the doctor, and I'm recovering quite nicely thank you. Easy? No. In hindsight though, a fairly simple process. Yesterday, I gave the medical community 80 dollars, pharmacy included, and I'll be on my merry way quickly. 80 dollars. When I get my Blue Cross Blue shield report I'll be grateful that I didn't have to pay about 200 to 225 dollars out of pocket.

I woke up about 5:30 this morning and that 200 dollar number triggered something in me. From early 2004 until late in 2007, I worked in the Buy Here Pay Here auto industry. Those are the car lots that "Tote The Note" on the cars they sell. Certainly we financed cars for people who were very irresponsible, but the vast majority of our clients were very good folks, who were just struggling to get by month to month or in many cases week to week. At the time we had around a 1.2 million dollar portfolio, so I have a vast range clients on which I base my judgments.

I primarily oversaw underwriting (deciding who and how we would finance a car) and collections. One particular client came to my mind this morning. We will call her Jane for the purposes of privacy. Jane was in her early 30s, had two young children, and was a single parent. I knew her financial status and she couldn't afford health insurance.

It was unusual for Jane to get very behind on her weekly payment. She came in on Fridays, almost every week, when her payment was due. I knew her financial situation was precarious, because sometimes she would call me on Thursday to let me know she couldn't pay that week, and would take care of two payments the following Friday. I was fine with that and, we had a procedure in place to do that for people we felt were reliable. We called them Promise to Pay and Jane had never missed one. One Friday Jane had a Promise to Pay of two payments and didn't show up or call. That always raised a "red flag" with me, so on Monday I tried to call her. Her phone was cut off, which raised another "red flag".

I went to her home that Monday afternoon and Jane was very ill. She had missed work and had to pay her doctor, totally out of pocket so she could get well and go back to work. I agreed to let her float the week until Friday when she would owe three payments (75 dollars), but I agreed to accept two payments of 50 and let her catch up after that. Friday came and went and Jane didn't come. Monday I issued the order to repo her car. I called the repo man and within a few hours I had Jane's car and some of her property in the car.

When we opened Tuesday morning Jane was waiting on me. I invited her in and we sat down to talk. She was visibly angry (not at me) and scared and trying not to cry. Here's her story. She had to pay her doctor 200 dollars for treatment, and then not being able to work, she had gotten even further behind. It was now going to cost her 200 dollars, including the repo charges, to get her car back. She didn't have the money, and wouldn't anytime soon. All I could was tell her I was sorry and that my hands were tied. She had to have that car to get to work. Her words, "Mr. Jamey! How am I gonna feed my kids?" have resonated with me ever since. I had to look her in the eye and say, "I don't know.".

Jane is a good person who did the right things, and stood by her word. Circumstances beyond her control put her in a situation that didn't allow her to do the right thing. I've often wondered what happened to Jane and her kids.

200 dollars. That figure hit me like a punch in the gut this morning.  Four years of those kinds of experiences changed me profoundly.  There are people out there who, through no fault of their own, just can't make it sometimes, and we as the people of God need to search our hearts and deal with the hard questions that this and other situations cause us to ask.  They aren't easy questions, and there will be not easy answers, but because they involve people they deserve answers and action.

Who Gathers At Your Door?

(This taken from Oklahoma Christian University's Bible reading plan : OC's 60 Day New Testament Plan)

Who Gathers At Your Door?

In Mark 1-5, Jesus has just begun his ministry; he is teaching, he is preaching, and he is healing. In chapter 1, we read that Jesus just had a long day of ministry. He taught in the synagogue, drove out an evil spirit, and then healed Simon's mother-in-law. I can only assume that after a day like that, Jesus was ready to sit and enjoy the meal that had been prepared for him, enjoy a little rest after a long day.

BUT, 1:33 “The whole town gathered at the door.” The sick, the demon possessed, the hopeless and hurting gathered at the door, because they knew that behind that door was healing, behind that door was help, behind that door was someone who cared, behind that door was hope. And Jesus went out and healed them.

Why do people gather at your door? Do they know you as a place to find help, hope and peace? Is there a village at your door? If not, maybe you need to take a play from Jesus' playbook: love your neighbor, bless the broken and help meet the needs of others around you.

Written By Hudson Hutchison
Staff Member, Oklahoma Christian University

State houses and family reunions

"Troublesome issues like divorce and homosexuality take on a different cast when you confront them not in a state legislature but in a family reunion. " Philip Yancey

I was privy to a conversation yesterday about how the "homosexuals are getting out of hand."  The discussion was seasoned with phrases including "those people", "their kind", and "that bunch of degenerates."  It reminded me of how I felt when I was going through a divorce many years ago.   Phrases would be used that made me feel put into a category of people that were outside of the mainstream and it hurt.

The conversation also brought to mind the quote by Philip Yancey you just read.   Whether you are accepting of same sex attraction or feel it is wrong one thing should always be kept in mind.   Individual lives are directly impacted by what we do and say.   Our words and our behavior matter.

I truly belive that many, if not most,  of the conversations I described have good intentions.   Those engaging in them want what's best for people and our society,  but we must remember to think we're discussing people and not some idea that can't be hurt.  If we're discussing policy consider speaking as if a close friend or family member experiences same sex attraction. Chances are that someone you know and love does, and you don't want to hurt them further by saying things that make them feel unloved by you. If you heard someone speaking about you in the same manner how would you feel?

Something to consider.

Fosh

They showed me Jesus

When I awoke this morning I didn't spend my waking moments guessing what time it was, my thoughts immediately went to some men who had shown me Jesus in very significant ways during a time in my life that I didn't model Him properly.  I was the Associate Minister with a particular congregation for around 9 years combining two different tenures.  My first length of time was 5 and half years and began when I was 23 years old.  There were two congregations of this particular denomination in town and "we" were deemed the conservative bunch and of course the other church as the liberal bunch.  Those were very polarizing words in this setting.  Basically they mean we were right and they were wrong to put it simply. 

Now I want to bring this down to an individual level.  As one of the ministers I always felt it was my duty to stand for the truth and point out error where ever I encountered it.  Much of my effort was put into finding fault with our sister congregation in town.  One of their Elders, Don, was the target of some of my barbs because of his "liberal" stands on so many issues of the day.  Our relationship was cordial, but strained due to my part of course.  I tended to be harsh in our one on one discussions because that's what I was supposed to do right?  Don on the other hand almost always had a kind spirit and a gentle word for me, and was a constant encourager.  I found that frustrating and sometimes felt it contrived (it wasn't).  In later years the same liberal congregation hired a new preacher, Jack, and he and I developed a very similar relationship to what I had with Don.  They spent their time with me trying to gently and lovingly model a relationship with Jesus, and I spent my time with them trying to point out how they were breaking the contract in so many places.  They loved me, and in my own way I loved them and we were friends really.

My time as a minister ended rather abruptly late in 1998 due to my marriage falling apart, which is a story unto itself.  There were many rumors floating around about me, and as with rumors some of it was true and much of it was not.  Don and Jack had no idea what really happened, but they did know Jesus and despite my attitudes toward them over the years, they individually reached out to me during what I look back on as the worst time of my life.  They showed me love based on a relationship, and not based on contractual obligation. 

As I look back over the last 27 years since I first met Don and then later Jack, I can't help but think about the many people that Jesus encountered and how he treated them.  I think of great passages of scripture like Romans 14 that tell me to accept anyone who accepts Jesus even though we may have very strong differences, but mostly I think about these two men who have left this existence and how much they gave me.  I certainly loved and appreciated them when they reached out to me during that dark time, but I'm even more mindful of what they did for me over a period of years, and how they modeled Jesus for me in ways that still profoundly impact my life today.  I've unknowingly honored them and continued their work by becoming of lover of relationships rather than rules.  Thank you my brothers.  I miss you both!

Fosh

Romans 14 from The Message (Oh how I would have gotten on to them for using this version back in the day.)

 

1Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

2-4For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.

5Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.

6-9What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.

10-12So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture:

“As I live and breathe,” God says,

“every knee will bow before me;

Every tongue will tell the honest truth

that I and only I am God.”

So tend to your knitting. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

13-14Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I’m convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.

15-16If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don’t eat, you’re no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? Don’t you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning!

17-18God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.

19-21So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault. You’re certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God’s work among you, are you? I said it before and I’ll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don’t eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.

22-23Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong.