It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...

Well, maybe it was or maybe it wasn’t when one of my church leaders ditched his car. Thankfully he was by himself. Thankfully no other car was involved. Thankfully.

Why?

Because he had more than one too many.

It is never a proud moment in any pastor’s life when one of his parishioners gets his name in the paper for DUI. I don’t recall what my first reaction was to the news. I think I said, “Stink.” I am sure I thought something stronger and less pretty.

It is at times like these that I really hate sin. I hate what it does to an individual. I hate what it does to a family. And I hate what it does to people that are closely associated. We are never an island. When we sin, it hurts others. Always.

Through the years, I have had plenty of experience with hard hearts that will not bend. Sin is rationalized. Repeatedly, I hear, “It’s not that bad.” “I don’t have a problem; it was only a mistake.” I know all the lines. Blah, blah, blah.

When Sunday rolled around, I anticipated talking with this man thinking I would hear the usual lines. Thankfully, that’s not what I got. Thankfully.

In fact, I got more than I expected.

During the worship service, just before the message, he stood up and confessed his sin. He apologized for the sorrow he was causing his family, his employer and customers, and the body of Christ. He expressed regret for grieving his Lord. And he repented.

I love the number 180.

And now, because no excuses were made, addiction did not claim another victim. Truth won the day.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I John 1.9

The First Victim...

Leaders. Students. Pastors. Young or old. Educated and not. From should know better to trying to know better.

Alcohol. Drugs. Oxycontin. Vicodin. Dextromethorphan. Sex.

God has called on me to help several men this past year that are struggling with addictions. And as you can note above, the circumstances are all different.

One thing stays the same, however. The first victim.

Truth.

The situation may start innocently, without sin. But in a weak moment (a sinful moment), the will gives way and desire wins the day. And a pattern begins.

And because we foolishly think we can cover our sin, we lie. Over and over again. Till we can’t figure out the difference between the lies and the truth. Even when the evidence is overwhelmingly against us, we still insist that the lie is true. It is more than absurd.

There is hope though. When one is able to confront the addiction and tell the truth, the desire for wholeness is a reachable goal.

And hope continues. Regardless of your success or your failure on any given day. Hope always remains as long as you tell the truth.

For, the truth shall set you free…

My Applause

This is the second of three installments - note the previous post of 8 June 2011.

My Applause
Zach Carhart

The glamorous life has blinded us all
Our own pride has captured us, ever since the fall
We are sucked into the lie of forgetfulness
Forgetting that we were once lost and oppressed

Our faith didn’t come from a glamorous scene
The crucified Christ came to seek and redeem
The broken and crushed were always on His heart
Because when Adam sinned, the world began to fall apart

The master plan didn’t include the glitz and glam
A Savior’s body was scarred for the sake of man
Pain and suffering was His pursuit of choice
To show His love for those who had no voice

The sick and the shameful, forgotten and lost
The freedom for captives required a great cost
To lay down one's life is the greatest love of all
To imitate Christ's humility, YES THIS is our call

Satisfaction can't be sought in the acceptance of man
But in God, who holds our life in His hand
The lost and the sick, everyday they pass by
But we don’t even spend the time to look them in the eye

TURN, TURN back to the cross, and see the blood which was shed
That purchased our souls now ALIVE, not dead
Breathe this new life, let it shine in our hearts
To carry out God's plan, for this we were set apart

Love, LOVE the weak, the lost and the slave
As this is the narrow path Christ has paved
Seek the love and grace flowing from the throne of God
As we SHINE for His glory, YES this, THIS is our Applause!

Freedom

One of the pleasures of Infusion is the encouragement of artistic expression. Three of our young people blew us away with their creative articulation of what God was doing in their lives. Here is the first of three. It is worth your attention!

Freedom
Tara Petty
May 2011

Like fists pounding on inside walls of my ventricles
Splitting nerve endings and atoms
Looking for one path out, of my locked box
Like dust collects on old photos trapped in frames
I have collected fear filled memories.
And that’s how tightly sealed I have stayed
Never changing in outward appearance
But with each change for repression tissue dies
So from the outside I know I smell like decay
That is the opposite of freedom

Like Chains bind up my being
And Fears come to life and
Tie my hands behind my back
Like in the dead of the night
I let out a scream and no one hears
And again I’m all alone
Frozen in time
Like wanting to move forward
But living in the past
With no way up or down.
That is the opposite of freedom

Like when someone comes into my life
And steals my most intimate possession
Then walks away like it didn’t happen
And I have no where to turn
So the devil turns to me face to face
And then I’m not only bound up in fear
But also in self-hatred and lies
Like being entangled, entrapped, and ensnared in sin
That is the opposite of freedom

A key to a locked box
Light to a dark room
A companion to untie the knots
Like when love is no longer a four-letter word
But the one thing I cling to
Like walking right up to the Berlin wall
And knocking it down in one breath
That is freedom