jesus pic slideshow i thought was neat

Pictures of Jesus

From: petehorsley, 2 weeks ago





Exilio Bootcamp Day 3 - by Michael Frost - an exploration of the pictures of Jesus throughout history. Need to hold onto biblical understanding of Jesus and not limit our understanding of who he is.


Link: SlideShare Link

extremes

This weekend I spent some time with a family at a local lake. They live at the lake. We BBQ'd, drank some beverages, and took a ride in the boat around the lake. He showed me some massive million dollar homes that were built and being built. Huge. The boathouses were as large as my home. Magnificent stone work, landscaping and backyard pools with people standing about visiting, eating or swimming. Some of these 2 to 3 story homes only had 2 or 3 people living in them. Some were just winter or summer homes. In the boathouses were at least one boat, some had boats and jet skis, or whatever.

Yesterday, while working I was made aware of a 14 year old student who was deemed homeless by his school district. Seems the bus driver had taken him home, except he asked to be dropped off at a different location. A camp ground. A camp ground on a lake. The same lake I had ridden in a boat around just days before. His family had lost everything, including their house, and their car had broken down as well. Some people went out to check and they were living in a tent since last wednesday. This isn't your average family. No, they got problems other than this. Crazy mom. Dad in prison. Kids doing best they can but not much to do it with. Huge dysfunction.

One Lake. Two extremes. This campsite literally sets admist million dollar homes. They live in a 12 x 8 tent. These homes are up to 8000 sq ft. And I wondered what Jesus would think of the whole situation. Its not that I think everyone should live in a tent to be equal...but somewhere the disparity, and them being literally yards apart, struck me as something being totally out of whack in this world. 2 people living in an 8000 sq ft home while a family lives in a tent not yards from you. Maybe it would not have appeared so lop-sided to me if the homes had been more modest, or was within reason of what was needed. Or maybe the tent was bigger. And the family kind of put themselves in this position by making lots of bad choices... but still.

Hero - Part 2

Well, I went to the award ceremony. I thought about it all the way over there trying to figure out why I was attending this function. I was nervous. Got there, was early, so I stood around for awhile while final touches were being made. Yeah, okay. I was a bit excited about getting a Hero award. Heck, how many times in your life does that happen? Like Zero. But what if I'm on stage with real hero's. I would feel like an imposter.
People feel like that. No matter who you are or what profession you are in. You know the REAL YOU, and you are afraid someone else will figure the REAL YOU out and call your bluff. Figure out your a fake. Point out that you don't know anything. Its all a big sham and you've gotten by with it for along time. I hate that feeling. Maybe its insecurity, who knows.
People start filing in. Its a large crowd. There are many recipients for various reasons. I feel better because I will not be singled out and can blend into the crowd better.
I meet the person who nominated me. The person I helped so many years ago. She is an older lady, almost 75 years old, and with tears in her eyes gives me a huge hug and says I am her Hero. I hug her back and try saying something humble but she would have none of it. We had dinner together, spoke about her life and mine, and really got along well. She was a neat lady. Found out she and her husband used to ride an Indian Motorcycle back in the 1950s. This lady was hell on wheels it seems.
Cool. She went out and looked at my bike I rode over and commented on how much she missed riding. I told her I would take her for a ride, jokingly. She almost took me up on it.
It was a good evening. I soaked it in. I was a Hero for a moment - to someone at least. I have learned to accept things more graciously now than in the past. It is easier that way. Making a fuss that you didn't do this or that just draws more attention to you. Letting others do for you out of gratitude. Its like a funeral. Its more for the folks attending that the deceased. You let them have their gestures. Their way of giving thanks. It really isn't about you at all. Its about them. Their appreciation. Their way to give something back.
Okay. So I am a Hero. Where the heck is my cape?

church meetings

Church meetings. I hate them. Seriously. For many years I wondered how do you get on this Board or this Committee. I wanted to serve. So I asked. I got nominated. I served. It sucked.
Sausage is good. Sausage and hot bisquits with gravy and a good steaming cup of coffee... ummm ummmm. But have you ever seen sausage being made? Same goes for a church meeting. Looks okay until you see one in action. Makes it kind of hard to swallow after that.
Now I like serving. I am a servant hearted person for the most part. First I serve myself, then you if I have some extra time. Okay, that was wrong. Just sounded funny when I typed it. Church meetings are for the most part B.S. An exercise in futility. Or it is at my church that I am currently at war with. So much territorial issues. So much "to do about nothing". So much tooting our own horns.
I was in one last night. Two and One Half hours of trying to pick leaders for the next 3 years. Stupid method. In our denomination, we have a committee that selects folks to call and ask if they will serve on this committee or that board. That's how it happend to me. I was called. I was excited. I said yes. Years later I have learned to say no. Anyway, you call them and they say yea or nay and move on. The process is silly. I was wondering why don't we just put an ad out in the church bulletin "Hey do you want to serve? Is God calling you to do a certain thing for his kingdom through the church? Please respond by calling....." But no, we don't do that. We figure we know who's best for what position at the church. Who "fits". Who is dependable.
While I'm setting in this meeting I am thinking of Rev Ricks blog about Robert's Rules of Order and all the suits and just the stuff. I wanted to scream out "why don't we let God pick them!" Its ridiculous. So I nominated some people with passion, some who would question this or that, make some changes, challenge when it needed to be challenged. The Senior Pastor says that we need to make sure that our nominess are not Polarizing people, or too divisive. yes yes yes, that is what we need - more of those types. They have so much in common with Jesus. He was never polarizing or divisive. Good grief.

Hero

I received the following email this past week:

" My name is _____, Program Director at K___ Radio.
To put it plainly, you saved my mother and father in law in a car accident in 1999.
The folks were delivering newspapers and their pickup truck rolled. Mom was thrown out, Pop was still held in the pickup. You were first on the scene and stopped traffic and got life fight in. What we always remember is the next vehicle was an
18 wheeler and it would have surely killed mom. Anyway, Tuesday night September 11th at D_____ Ballroom at the Student Center on the ____ College Campus we are having the (Geographic Location omited) Heroes Banquet. Its dinner and a presentation. Hours are from 7-9pm with doors opening at 6:30pm. Anyway, we would love for you to attend.
And, Mom would love to meet you. If you would could you email me back if you will or
won't be able to attend. Again, thanks so much! "

This accident happened just over eight years ago, so to say I was surprised to get this email would be an understatement. I had to read it twice and think about it for over a day before responding. A Heroes banquet? Me? Not even close. Not when you compare what other people do day in and day out. Like the guy in the New York subway station who saw the person fall on the tracks and threw himself on top of the other person to hold them down while the train ran over the top of them. He left his two children on the platform and placed himself in harm's way. That I did not do. This man was interviewed later and said if he had actually taken time to think about it - he wouldn't have done that. Who would have?

I didn't have time to think about it either. In my years of training in certain fields, first responder thinking took over and I simply reacted to my training. No big deal. But I had to come to terms that it was a big deal. A Big Deal to these people who wanted to show their thanks to a stranger that helped them out. I wasn't the only person who stopped. Just happened to be the first person. As for saving their lives, I don't know about that. I don't recall much of the details.

I told them in my response that I would love to meet them, and I think that is true. I also told them I was uncomfortable in this format however, as I am certainly no hero. I can just see me standing there with someone else who rushed into a burning building and saved a baby! I stopped and called Air Flight and hung around assisting in traffic control and gave first aid.

What do I learn from this? To accept things graciously. Not be so "humble" as to draw more attention to myself for something I don't feel is that big a deal. I did that at my Emmaus Walk. Just couldn't get used to someone else doing for ME! I am a doer! I don't receive compliments, accolades or grace easily. It goes against my nature.

So - I am going to go to this thing. I am going to hug the ladies neck. I am going to recieve some award or recogonition certificate. I am going to be uncomfortable through it all.

I am going to blog the aftermath. ~npp

The Other Texas Religion!

After reading KJ's post in the road less traveled blog and Endlessly Restless' reply, I got inspired too! Thanks too you both.
In the Great State of Texas (Yep - we love Texas and the braggin' rights it brings to be a True Texan!)the predominate protestant denomination is Baptist, followed by United Methodist and then you got everyone else and the Catholic Church to boot. (no Texas pun intended).
But THE BIGGEST RELIGION OF THEM ALL IS "FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" in TEXAS!!! Where we groan and fuss about getting up for church, we readily stay up and party for Friday Night Football. In small Texas towns that don't have much else going for them or the sidewalks are rolled up at 6pm, most live for the battles that are fought on green turf fields of glory. Talk of "We got a great team this year" or "We beat the heck out of ..." gives a sense of oneness where otherwise it is each their own.
Whether it be old guys reliving their glory days vicariously through their sons or young guys showing off their stuff - Football is Legendary In Texas.
I have gotten where I love football games more and more. I wasn't any good playing when I was younger, but the thrill of the whole thing never leaves you. It is a very manly thing to do, good talk at the water cooler, and ties lots of folks together. Community. Pride. Bragging. Where alot of other things drive us apart: Politics, Race, Gender, Socio Economic factors, heck even our denominations, Football seems to overlap all of these. It is fun to cheer your warriors on. Too support your Gladiator on the field of battle. To live in the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.
Football. Yes. It is a great religion.