The next in our series on Grace Stories from the Old Testament, this time we are off to Samson.  A story which shows a man, while strong and not easily subdued, weak and broken on the inside. A lot to relate to in this story.

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If you don't get what I am trying to do here, you might be offended.  The goal is to post something Jesus did not say, in order to emphasize something he did say.

I have rewritten Matthew 25.31-40, the first part of the parable of the sheep and the goats, to reveal how far we have gone astray in our christian verve.  We didn't mean to.  But sometimes our efforts to fulfill the Great Commission hinder rather than help. Read at your own risk!  

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When Jesus comes back in all of his glory, sitting on his throne surrounded by the holy angels, there will be gathered before him the sheep and the goats, and Jesus will divide them -- the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to the sheep on his right "come, inherit the kingdom prepared from the very beginning for you -- for you are blessed by my Father. 

"For I was hungry -- and you gave me a beautifully printed handbill. I was thirsty and you showed me how wrong I was and how you interpret the Bible better than the church down the street. I was a stranger, and you judged me and my lifestyle.

"I was naked and you mocked me and how I looked. I was sick and you showed me it was because of the bad foods I had eaten. I was in prison and you told me I probably deserved to be there and that sinners are unworthy."

Then the righteous will answer back: "Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you a handbill or thirsty and tell you what the Bible really meant?

"When did we see you as a stranger and judge your lifestyle? Or naked and gawked at your immodesty?

"When did we see you sick and highlighted the error of your dietary ways, or see you in prison and condemned you as second class?

And the King, Jesus, shall answer "I tell you, every time you tried to convert someone, deliver someone, judge someone -- inasmuch as you have done this to my children -- you have tried to convert, deliver, and judge me.

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May your calling be sure, and your service done in His name.  Peace today as you follow Him.

Don’t look for love - just love.

Don’t try to be interesting - be interested - in something… anything!

Don’t look for beauty, be beautiful.

But

Don’t try to be funny - look for humor, everywhere.

It is macworld this week, and I am registered and everything.

I love macworld, just glorious hours of window shopping, dreaming, imagining what could be along with some pointed training to help me in my everyday tasks.

Alas, I’ve some Thursday commitments I could not get out of, so I decided to travel up to San Francisco a day early, skipping the pointed training, and settling for the window browsing.  San Francisco is 250 miles away, but the journey flew by as I looked forward to day of filling my expo bag with free goodies from all sorts of venders - some I knew about, some I would discover only today!

I found the Mascone Centre without the aid of a GPS, parked my car, and entered the fray.  After a few registering complications which were ably fixed by a variety of friendly staff, I headed for the escalators that would take me to mac paradise.  But I was stopped, saying they could not let me in until tomorrow.  I quickly realized arguing with this guy was not going to get me anywhere, so I set about finding someone who could maybe get me what I wanted.  Perhaps if people knew how far I’d come.  If they knew that I couldn’t make it tomorrow, they would have sympathy on me, and make an exception, and let me in.  I sought out a friendly looking soul who scanned my ticket, and said that yes, I’d be able to get in tomorrow.  

But I won’t be here tomorrow, I really want to get in today.  I’ll even buy a one day ticket if I need to I said, trying to reveal my desperation.  It was then that this friendly person explained to me that it wasn’t open today, there was nothing to see today, they were all down there just starting to set up.  250 miles for nothing!

Thankfully, I immediately saw the funny side of this, and remembered the light house story.

One battleship insisting that the light in front move for this, an important ship. The captain pulled rank, and used all the authority he could muster as he insisted that this light move for this very esteemed battleship.  To which the reply came from a low ranking seaman, that this other light was a lighthouse, and that the battle ship should actually be the one to change course.  

There are somethings that will never change, no matter how much we want them to.  And fighting immovable objects, or truth, or reality, or whatever you want to call it, is futile - and will only serve to make you look foolish if you persist on arguing. 

I came home (via Ikea, so it was not all wasted) and after a dentist appointment, a drama class, and some key cutting, and package delivering, I’m back off on another 500 mile round trip - this time for the real thing.  I’ve read the instructions, I’ve noted the times and realized that adding Saturday apparently meant taking away Wednesday!  

I lost some time… and some gas money… but life is good. I've actually had fun.  So have peace today - but not in trying to change what is never meant to be changed.  

I have a number of theories I have come up with over the course of my life - this is one I live by:  The more you do something, the more you have to do it.  This is what makes procrastination so attractive, and at many times throughout life - necessary. 

For example, you’d be amazed how long you can go with a new pair of shoes before you have to give them that really good polish, or in fact, any polish at all.  But once you do, be warned!  You’re committed now.  Your “new” shoes will now need a good going over on a regular basis, and you, along with everyone one else, will now know when you don’t.

I always thought this to be true on some level, but I have seen exactly how true this is this last year.  Once my car was paid off, I promised myself that I would spend the equivalent of a payment on detailing it up nice.  I paid $179 for the outside, and got the inside done for “free”.  It was the inside that impressed most… at first anyway.

It was amazing.  It really was like new.  The dash was so clean and I loved my car all over again - why would I ever think of trading it in?  But ever since I got the good clean done, it has needed another one.  I don’t know what they do?  Is it in my head?  Do they have the secret formula that just makes repeating the exercise over and over again so vital now.  

Whether it is cleaning, polishing, learning... or sermon writing.. You name a discipline, and the more you do it, the more you will feel the need to do - just to maintain what you have, let alone get ahead.

The Christian life is like this too.  You confess, you commit, you sign up for a new wonderful life.  You feel better for a while - but too quickly you feel like you are right back to where you were, and need a conversion experience all over again.  Many of us find this very frustrating, but if you are going to grow in anything, this is a feeling we will have to get used to.  

It’s because we never arrive.  Our shoes are never actually like new.  Our Christian selves are never actually like Jesus.  So embrace the journey, take a rest, but saddle up for the next day, take in the scenery, but look ahead and don’t settle for the day before.  Keep moving, keep growing, keep doing. 

But when you can’t, don’t or won’t, well, I wouldn’t fret about it.  The shoes will be there tomorrow.  The car does not run on Mr Sheen alone, and the Christian walk is not about how good you look. 

I am in the middle of my New Year Series: Behind the Curtain, Grace Stories From the Old Testament.  And you can follow along from wherever you are by clicking over to www.whatdoadventistsbelieve.com and clicking on sermons.

You can also subscribe to them there and have them delivered as they become available into your itunes podcast library.  

The Bible says that we can love Jesus with confidence because he first loved us.  We as humans tend to fall into the trap that if you love me, then I'll love you and we are able to get into all kinds of hurt this way.  God's bigger, and Jesus loves you.  Max Lacado is quoted as saying - there is nothing you can do to make God love you more, and there is nothing you can do to make God love you less. 

When apple makes an announcement my web routine usually allows me to be one of the first civilians to know. Today I found out that January 27 has been confirmed as the day for an apple announcement - the tablet? New iphone software? - Or my favorite, iLife 10?

Normally I would be crouched over my computer fixating on live feeds bringing me the very latest I can expect from anything I might buy from the lovely uncluttered store in downtown San Luis Obispo.  But not this time.

Sure, I want to know what the new tablet has in store, and I'm game for new ideas and concepts on my mobile iphone device.  Plus, will they improve iWeb and the other iLife apps? But this year I will be on the last day at my conferences annual pastors workers meeting - and traditionally this is communion time with my fellow pastors. You'd think this would be a high time, and something to look forward to.  

But I'd rather be with the heathens in the big city... finding out what gimmicks are coming next.  Except, for all the things apple does wrong, I love their stuff because for the most part they are not gimmicks. They do not woo me with 10% off, of promises that seem impossible to fulfill (because many gimmick promises can't be fulfilled). They just give (I mean provide for a price) me software and hardware that works. That helps my creativity turn into usefulness.  And I love every minute of it.

Communion on the other hand, well, how can you beat what Jesus has done for us, and passed on for his people?  But it's beauty and usefulness seem to get hidden amongst the cliches and testimonies that sound the same from all the same people year after year.  At the pastor meetings we never seem to progress, always looking back, making promises everyone knows we won't keep. Whereas the apple announcements always make me go - wow, that'll be great, or that's incredible, or why didn't we have that before!?

Does this make me a bad person? Maybe. At the very least ought to get me thinking about creating more time and resources to making my relationship with Jesus better - though I think I'll do that on my mac!!!  

Not to worry, I will make the most of what can often be rather dry meetings - for there is always a gem I cling to amongst the other stuff.  But then on the second week of February I will be off to San Francisco in person to macworld for 2 full days with the heathens. Browsing dreaming, yes, even coveting all the latest gear and ideas.  It'll be a blast, but don't worry Christian folk, Jesus'll be there too.  He is everywhere.  All the time.  In the fun stuff too.

The thought of Jesus coming back, and ridding us of all sin, temptation and pain, is a very comforting thought. The trouble with acting on this philosophy of life, is that the temptation to sit around and wait becomes very real. And I don't think that sitting around and waiting is part of Jesus's call or plan for my life (or yours).

Many of us are watching absolutely tragic pictures coming out of Haiti right now, and whether you are a Christian leader or a Christian spokesperson of any kind, you are getting your answers ready. -- The questions -- Why? If we have to have earthquakes, why so close to a capital city? Why so close to the surface? Why in a country that is so poor and already struggling so much?

Revelation 1.1 introduces this book is material to show God's servants what must soon take place. Soon? This text was written nearly 2000 years ago!  Does not God understand things from our perspective?

So here is the thing... This world is not a mere test. We are not here to gain some pass or fail grade, to see if we are worthy of a better place. Simply put -- we are part of a plan to eradicate all this kind of sin and pain - forever, for real. The trouble is, the same selfishness that got us into this mess in the first place, kicks in real hard anytime we think someone will come along and solve everything at some future date. Hence, even Christians called to the highest of callings so easily put their feet up and wait.

But we cannot wait today. There are people suffering in ways we cannot imagine happening in our own world. And we must act. Now. Emergencies by very definition means that time is of the essence. And this earthquake in Haiti qualifies as a state of emergency.

Something goes wrong with the human psyche every time the future seems to lengthen. We so easily hand the patent after somebody else simply waiting for our turn or the solution to arrive. I cannot do that today. My being has awoken to the needs that are now. The plan must go on, sin must be shown for what it truly is, but that does not mean I have to stand by and watch. Love can enter the darkest of places, for I also believe light defeats darkness every time. 

There are casualties though, and today I am not a causality, I am a bystander. So give, act, pray, share, and live today like what happens really matters! Because I am pretty sure it does.

My choice of place to give is here