I think it’s the most important activity here on earth. Think about the “one anothers” in the Bible: love one another, be at peace with each other, be devoted to each other, honor one another, live in harmony with one another, stop passing judgment on one another, accept one another, serve one another, forgive each other… the list goes on.

So who are we going to ___ one another?

Other people silly!

Here’s why:

– We’re created in God’s image. How we treat one another is a direct reflection of the presence of Jesus in our lives. Our relationships with one another are as important to God as our bond to Him. That’s why He said go and make amends with your brother before coming to the altar. We’re impoverished without good, solid relationships with other people. We can’t assemble in a manner pleasing to God unless there’s unity. That’s built on the foundation of one-on-one interaction.

– Relationships with other people often define our best circle of influence. Think about it: from our interaction with our closest, most intimate compadre, to that brief encounter a complete stranger in a foreign country, we’re leaving an impression when we interact with other people. That warm smile in the grocery store several years ago may seem a little fuzzy than the high school sweetheart who’s fond memory is so sharp as if etched in stone.

– Relationships define our presence. They matter more than policies and procedures. Think not? Think again! You’re on an island without other people. Plus, we can accomplish orders of magnitude more when we combine our gifts and talents. God made us that way, to compliment each other.

Introvert? It’s all good, you still need presence. And relationships. Introverts are relationship people too. They just prefer perspective to bubbly socialization. They socialize easily but prefer not to. At least at the same frequency as their extroverted counterparts.

“God is not just looking for performance but is looking for presence.” Joby Martin

This is pretty huge because we can never live by the law. We can fulfill it only by acting in accordance with God’s love.That’s going to involve some other people. Relationships are important. Do all you can to make and nurture the good ones. Start by being likable. That requires transparency. Be genuine and open-minded. Show an interest in one another. Ask questions. Be consistently passionate and at the same time fun. Relationships matter. People matter. Smile, and you’ll go far!

“All Sorts And Conditions Of People: The 7 Essentials To Extraordinary Relationships” is my book about people and relationships. You can pick it up by clicking this link to Amazon.com.

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Pastor Joby Martin at the MLK Breakfast

MLK Day always seems to be a day of reflection for me. I get all sentimental and then up on my soap box. You can read some of what I feel is my best material, posted on this day the past few years, like “How To Win In The Endeavor For Peace” or “Religious Freedom: What Does Jesus Really Look Like These Days.” With the history of Jacksonville, Florida as the backdrop for my experience, I just feel we have come so far, then I see the current setting of new challenges for deeply rooted thinking that seems off-key… and I head off to type another “Peace, Love and Unity” post.

Is there shelter in unity?

I think to get to the place of unity we have to embrace vulnerability. White guys have to be eager to go to the MLK breakfast here in the south. Church people need to mix and mingle better outside of their small group and congregation… not down the street with the folks in the next country club, but across town (or globally for that matter) with people who need to know we care. Conversations need to take place despite adversity. Then, unity is achieved through diversity…

“We need to reach that happy stage of our development when differences and diversity are not seen as sources of division and distrust, but of strength and inspiration.” Josefa Iloilo

Is there shelter in unity?

Yes. There is when we ALL have the love of God painted on our hearts. Then, there will be no more poverty. Or discrimination. We won’t have to worry about walking safely down a dark alley either. On that day our differences will be our strengths as we will truly be one body. We see a glimmer of that in our world today… and for this we have hope.

“A great misunderstanding in the world is that we must wait until we feel safe to be vulnerable with other people. They must earn our trust and show us they will not take our wounds and cause them to bleed more. We misconstrue the wisdom of guarding our hearts, our life’s wellspring, as a command to build a fortress around them.

We are never safe from pain, and safety has nothing to do with vulnerability.

Vulnerability will hurt… It is a paradox: once we realize being vulnerable is never safe, we are then free to be vulnerable. We guard our hearts by giving them to the Guardian. We accept the fact that hurt will come. We see wounds as gifts. When this dramatic shift in our spirit occurs, fear no longer controls us.” Anne Marie Miller

Those black men who marched in Selma and in Jacksonville some 50 years ago had unity. They we also throwing themselves out there. Their vulnerability was answered with hostility. The unity these brave men carried was in their cause. Did they find shelter in unity?

The answer to that question is that it all depends on your perspective…

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. What, then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:28-31

Yea, they found shelter… and hope in their situation. Because they knew the Lord. They understood the bigger picture.

Is there shelter in unity? You can share your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.

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I was studying to teach in one of my disciple groups when it was duly noted the first time a word is used in the Bible is the purest meaning of the word. Pretty cool! So lets check out “Peace, Love and Unity” – since that is one of my awesome theme/categories here at I’m Just Thinkin’

Peace – In Genesis 15:15 the Lord says to Abraham: And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

So check this out: Abraham was engaged in conversation with the Lord, who had also appeared to him in visions. Shortly after a thick and dreadful darkness came over Abraham in his sleep, the Lord offered reassurance to him… that his descendents would indeed make it to the promised land, and that Abraham will pass away in peace. How touching that we can see the use of the word “peace” through death since we all struggle with our own mortality. Indeed, it is through the promise of Jesus, the cross and His resurrection that we can find peace in passing from this life to the next when we believe that we will have eternal life.

On to the next…

Love -  Once again, the Lord came to Abraham in a dream or vision to help comfort him…

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Genesis 22:1-2

Interesting that it didn’t come up during the time of Adam and Eve. However, when we put “love” into its most powerful and meaningful context we get a taste of what is to come – what could be a more perfect definition of love than the verb in action… Abraham’s love for his son Isaac… and in God’s love for Jesus… and each of us too! As we have dived into the Old Testament at church I have grown to appreciate more and more how perfectly it is woven together.

Part III of the my trinity…

Unity – Psalm 133:1 – Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

This is a powerful passage. We could literally dwell on every word here. Behold – an expression encouraging us to take note, observe or witness… used here for emphasis. Likewise, the verse ends in an exclamation mark! Good and pleasant… these point to the common tagline for Psalm 133: A Song Of Ascents, or the Joy Of Harmonious Relationships. Holy wow, how more appropriate for David to start this verse than to share how special it is for us to live in a state of unity. So we can think of unity here as wholeness. Functioning and behaving as a united body of believers is pretty important. It also tells the rest of the world about us… who we are, what we believe, how we chose to roll with it.

Finally, you may have picked up on the fact I’ve used the King James Version in quoting scripture here. Why? Well as I went through this study I found different first uses of key words in different versions in the Bible. That’s significant for this exercise as we need to find the first use in its purest form… that is commonly accepted to be in the KJV.

Pick a word and have a go at this! Check out the search tool in many online Bibles -  I used bible.com. Use the King James Version. What word did you research to identify the first use? Where is it found in the Bible?

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Image courtesy of wikipedia.com

Not too long after God flooded the world to start over with Noah, there was a little predicament…

The tower of Babel was built out of man-made materials as a shrine or exhibit to the people who built it. It was an emblem of their greatness, a testimony to their self-worth and identity. They built it tall, as to reach to the heavens, so they would make a name for themselves. They built it as a symbol of their unity.

When the Lord saw the tower He quickly came to a different conclusion:

And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. Genesis 11:5-9

Lordy Lordy. Humanity is just that way. Time and again in the Bible we read of our failure to fall in line with perfection. Why? Well, we’re human. God intentionally dispersed the people and created barriers to their unity as it wasn’t honoring Him. It seems like life before Jesus came was tough. Life before the Pentecost was different from what we have now living in “The Church Age.” It will be different after the Rapture as well. We live in the age of grace and for that I’m thankful. For all of the difficulties that we face in the world today, we have it pretty good in comparison to the other ages of humanity. O for the love of grace…

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

One of the very last passages in the Bible is how we should respect and use God’s word to teach other people. I thought this must be pretty important, since it was at the very end… and since it mentioned possible repercussions for the misuse of His Word. This is God’s final word:

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22:18-19

So I got to thinking, as someone who writes regularly about the Bible and Jesus and whatnot, how important it is to SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE. We’re called to handle the Word of God with great respect in two ways:

– We’re not to distort His Word, like using it out of context or for some reason other than its intended purpose.

– When also to avoid taking away from God’s Word. I think of this, I envision someone who wants to pick and chose the parts of the Bible they want to prescribe to.

What does all of this lead up to?

A shower of Babel… if it doesn’t honor God.

As someone who is interested in helping to spread the Gospel, this seems to be a pretty big deal.

Be it the plagues or the eternal lake of fire, I don’t want to go there by misusing His Word. So I have to be diligent in the use and teaching of scripture. The Bible as we know it is perfect and complete. The more I read and learn about scripture, the more I can see how perfectly put together it is.

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Unity is awesome when it is pleasing to the Lord… I’m excited to learn more about God’s Word and how to use it to further His kingdom.

How can we be sure to respect God’s Word? In what ways can we add to or take away from scripture?

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A picture of the church achieving diversity through unity? Likely not.

Achieving diversity in any group requires us to “grow outside the box.”

We can get there by showing hospitality to visitors who want to join in. The Bible encourages us to do this, being receptive to all people, including non-believers, coming into the church. Should we allow sinners to participate? Absolutely. We’re all sinners, right? Further, going beyond a simple invitation to making everyone feel a part of our body of believers.

Reading through the book of Revelation, Chapters 2 and 3, you’ll find there are some words of the Lord for the seven churches of Asia Minor. If you visit some churches today, you can find those who actually represent these churches described in the Book of Revelation – The Churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Mere coincidence? Ummm, likely not. Research clearly shows that many churches today go through a life-cycle – some flourishing while they’re focused on doing things right and doing the right thing, others withering and fading away…

My thought here is that achieving diversity through unity is one of these “doing things right.” Consider the Church at Philadelphia – referred to by Jesus as “the church of the open door.” Geographically, this community was built-in a frontier area as a gateway to the central plateau of Asia Minor. The open door also represents a church that is a portal of invitation by spreading the Gospel – thereby making the door to salvation an equal opportunity to everyone. Further, the people of Pergamum, where the church of Philadelphia is located, were considered living in a fragile area, physically due to earthquakes but also spiritually as they were under attack spiritually (is this sounding familiar in comparison to modern-day believers/followers?) Jesus even recognized the spiritual endurance and patience of these people, and encouraged them to hold on in a broken world…

Contrasting to the Church at Sardis, a body of believers who had a solid reputation, Jesus spoke… “I know your deeds”… and stating they are spiritually dead – rich and cocky, having soiled their clothes… most but not all… they focused inward and exchanged the spirit of unity for the comforts of this world…

We need to reach that happy stage of our development when differences and diversity are not seen as sources of division and distrust, but of strength and inspiration. Josefa Iloilo

Diversity is the greatest factor in unity, as unity is defined as a state of oneness, harmony and a totality or related parts. (Click To Tweet) It means we are undivided, regardless of the differences we may share in some areas of our lives or beliefs. That only happens with diversity.

I’m not referring to the bad actors we know as the wolves here. Paul forewarned us that wolves would mix within our congregations as soon as he left, so we can be certain they’re already present. However, many of them are difficult to spot! They “blend in” by wearing the sheep’s clothing. Literally, that’s what the Bible says. Many also prey on the innocent. They only like parts of the Gospel, refusing to strap on the sword of the Spirit, or the Word of God, which should be savored in all of its Glory. Remember, the wolf is an extremely social animal, they run in packs where they have close ties and loyalties. As it relates to unity, these packs are like having five index fingers… they won’t work together on a single hand when it attempts to attach to the body. One can’t replace the thumb with an index finger or a big toe for that matter… and why would we want to? Here’s an interesting interpretation of the wolves… while they may take the face of the sexually immoral, they’re more often noted as those who disrupt unity and harmony in our church today. Why do I bring all this up about the wolves? Remember, the folks on Sardis Street looked good on the outside however their clothes were soiled…

Think of it this way… the Bible tells us the church, the bride or Christ, is made up of one body with many parts. All of the parts have to fit and work together. This, to me, is the perfect picture of unity… and of achieving it through diversity. That’s how we get there in the “conflict of the two ages” or this time before Jesus returns to unite us within the fold… in the meantime, were all players on a chessboard… where will you fall in the battle between good and evil? In Isaiah Chapter 56, the Lord says, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all the people.”

And Jesus’ final words to each of the 7 churches? “He who has ears let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” In fact, He repeats it several times in Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation.

If you had to pick a body part, what part do you see yourself as in the body of believers?

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Harvest time!!

As I continue experiencing a fascination with people and their personalities, I’m enlightened with new insight on harvesting this gem we call wisdom. Just this week the quest became clearer…

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
She is more precious than rubies,
nothing you desire can compare with her. Proverbs 3:13-15

So wisdom is the crown jewel? Well, there is a call to action that is even more valuable.

Let me toss you a little known nugget on wisdom: while wisdom may one day sneak up and bite you from an angle where you weren’t even looking, Proverbs 3:15 and other verses on wisdom teach that we should actively seek this treasure.

Of course, you can find wisdom in the Bible, and I believe we should seek this gem there! As we’re called to live in this world and interact with lots of different people, from all walks of life, in the name of peace, love and unity, we will energetically discover fresh insight and understanding from the people around us.

Here are two facets of how to harvest wisdom easily in your daily walk, from other people:

1. Surround yourself with wise people.

Think quality, not quantity. It’s not a contest to see who can gather the most Facebook friends. Friends are both a choice and a process.

The people who are closest to you either propel you forward to who you would like to become, or they will hold you back. The cool part is that you get to choose. (Click To Tweet)

Some folks have a tendency to drain us like water heading for a gutter, while others set our souls on fire. Surround yourself with those who are smart, optimistic and grounded. Contribute to them as much as you feel they do to you.

– It starts with knowing the person that you want to be. Even if you’re not where you want to be, you should have a personal mission statement – that should be a road map to where you’re heading.

Since we are the sum of our 5 closest friends, often when we recognize that we need to change ourselves we have to gain distance from some and possibly all of these people.

The truths about the people around you?

• Friends are a choice, and they are in your life because you’ve chosen to put them there. Extending this thought it includes most people except maybe for your parents, you didn’t actually get to choose them, they sort of “chose” you though.

• Friends are also a process. In saying that please recognize that it takes time to process who people are and what they’re all about.

“If I associate with chickens, I will learn to scratch at the ground and squabble over crumbs. If I associate with eagles, I will learn to soar great heights.” Andy Andrews

Once you start connecting with wise people you’ll start to notice things. Like a compass always points to the north, the course of action of a helpful servant guides a path toward positive change and improvement. So we can use the “process of friends” to not only gain wisdom but also influence the outcome of humanity, just like the butterfly effect. Glean and savor this opportunity of wisdom.

2. Have a servant’s spirit.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13

The cool thing about this is people will gravitate toward you when you humbly serve their needs. Humility is magnetic, and through serving others needs your eyes and ears will open up a new world of wisdom. Again, you’ll start to notice things that before you simply overlooked. People, especially those within your circle of influence, will fill you up with knowledge and understanding. Indeed, some of the things you see and hear in the daily walk are not all that becoming of humanity – however, we should remain encouraged!

“Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.” ~ Stephen Covey

Connection is sort of like admonishment – no connection, no admonishment. Just click click and turn it off. Disconnect, done and done. Granted, there is something more substantial to one-on-one connection, a level of connection or intimacy that you just don’t find in a large group of people. Sometimes connecting/disconnecting is just that easy, other times it’s like a drip in a bucket that keeps you up all night… why, Lord, why??

Frequently, God puts people in your life to reveal something about you that you’re not paying attention to. Have you ever had the thought, “I don’t really want that one to be in my realm, so why ARE they now within my workplace, my next-door neighbor, or the parents of my kid’s friends?” I see this all the time in my world. Remember my friend Mark Enge? I wasn’t looking to hire Mark when my close friend said, “Give Mark a job.” I was under the impression that he was one of my people projects, that I was serving his needs. That was true in part, while at the same time it was very much the other way around. He’s one of the people who I talk about in the story of my faith journey.

Some of the people who God has placed in your pathway are there for just that reason – to help you. Be thankful. Be thankful even for the adversarial ones. Yep, I have to be thankful for that one too. Be thankful and humbly serve their needs. You’ll be amazed at what the Holy Spirit will reveal and orchestrate in your life. People and relationships are a two-way street. So is wisdom when you surround yourself with the right people, and have a servant’s heart.

How important do you believe the people around you are to your self-improvement, or to reaching your calling?

Image courtesy of B4bees on flickr.com

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Image courtesy of Collin Anderson on flickr.com

The more I learn about unity the more I realize it’s a big picture type of concept. The drive of unity focuses us on what we have in common as opposed to our differences, which tend to separate us. (Click To Tweet)

Abram and Lot shed the light of God on our idea back in the book of Genesis. The two men were herders of livestock and traveled together from Egypt to Negev and then Bethel in Chapter 13. Well, the land there couldn’t support them both. Quarrels broke out amongst their herdsmen. Yikes. Abram, being Lot’s uncle, could have just taken up and resolved the matter however he saw fit. However, he offered Lot first choice, saying “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go left, I’ll go right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

Abram, being a sound leader, took the initiative to resolve the conflict. He took the higher road for the sake of unity. This all took place in the midst of hostile neighbors. Even today believers allow the evil one to dwell in their midst when they gossip, point fingers and focus on differences instead of the amazing grace and the love that brings us together.

Unity demands we recognize that everyone will never agree on everything, and that we accept this. The  devil is in the details. According to usingenglish.com, the idiom means “When people say that the devil is in the detail, they mean that small things in plans and schemes that are often overlooked can cause serious problems later on.”

Details are to unity as gossip, rivalries and disagreements are tools of the devil – a mechanism to bad news.

Through the example of Abram and Lot, we find unity moves forward through the following initiatives:

– Having an attitude of goodwill, the spirit of cooperation and love, is the greatest unifying force. Abram put others first for the sake of unity.

– We’re able to unite for the sake of conquering common goals when we set our minor differences and personal agenda’s aside, and focus on the big picture.

– Jesus prayed for future believers in John 18: 20-21, “My prayer is not for them alone, I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message that all of them may be one.”

Though Abram and Lot had to part company, they did so remaining as one body of believers. We can rest assured that as believers in Jesus we can always unify as one.

So God made an intricate design in each of us. His design is for us to fit together, perfectly, and complimentary. Like a puzzle, each piece fits together in just the right place. Together, they make a beautiful picture of unity in our world today.

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Remember when it rains… there will be gracedrops.

“When it rains it pours.” Know it? Yep, the Morton Salt weather idiom that says when things go wrong, it seems a lot of things go wrong at the same time. Yuk how it works out that way sometimes.

Here’s my positive silver lining spin for today on getting drenched:

Jesus said, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” Mark 9:50

Believers are thought of as the salt of the earth, the covenant leaders who help advance God’s kingdom here. Why salt? Well, it’s symbolic of the presence of God in our lives because salt penetrates and preserves. It’s also a healing agent. That’s what He did with His awesome showers of gracedrops.

Gracedrops, what’s that all about?

So you know I wrote a book about the water. It’s “The Wellspring Of Life,” set to be released on March 15th. Super soaked and stoked about it! Gracedrops are flavor that I tossed out while writing The Wellspring, they’re the cleansing shower of love that God provides. Gracedrops are in the chapter with kerplunk and pitter patter. There are scientific formulas that go along with my theories on the heart… here’s a very brief excerpt:

Flavor + Favor + Gracedrops = The Perfect Storm!

Remember, what goes up must come down – what are you sending up and out of your heart? Look around and see what you’re receiving in return…

Did you know that…

kerplunk + pitter-patter = ker-thump?

Confused? Please don’t be.

Just remember…

– Showers are a good thing because they bless us with puddles of gracedrops.
– When it rains it pours… salt that is.
– One can never get too drippy juicy wet.
– March 15th is the day to pick up “The Wellspring Of Life”

When it rains it pours.

Gettin’ good and salty with gracedrops.

Thankful.

Image courtesy of nitsrik on flickr.com

The post When It Rains It Pours (Gettin’ Good And Salty With Gracedrops!) first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post When It Rains It Pours (Gettin’ Good And Salty With Gracedrops!) appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The 1964 US World’s Fair.
The theme was “Peace Through Understanding”

So you know I’m a huge fan of Brene Brown. She writes this message about vulnerability, and how it’s ok. She’s spent a career focused on figuring out how this one word, vulnerability, will fix humanity. She found her calling and poured her heart out in a TED video. It went viral, and so did her popularity. So she’s a rock star in my book.

The coolest thing about Dr. Brene Brown and her vulnerability message is how liberating it is to just be yourself. I think of it as a rock star’s message for leading a rock star life. So I’ve been reading more and more about how the up and comers are different. Did they already figure out the secret sauce to being rock star? Maybe we can learn from them too. Iron sharpens iron. This is all quite fascinating to me.

The Barna Group says that:

– 75% of U.S. adults say they are looking for ways to lead a more meaningful life.
– 48% of Christian Millennials say God is calling them to different work, yet they haven’t made the transition.
– Only 40% of practicing Christians say that they have a clear sense of God’s calling for their lives.

So our church’s disciple groups are going through the Compass program for managing finances God’s way. What’s this got to do with being a rock star? Well, blending faith, work and finding my calling are all a big part of just being me. That’s what the Lord is calling each of us to do, to blend. That defines your rock start life.

This idea of calling – I’ve discovered that it usually has something to do with two factors:

– What are our spiritual gifts? These become evident some time after we believe and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. For me, it took several years after the act of acceptance, and only when I finally turned it all over to Him before I figured it out, and only then with the help of some other believers. Pretty cool how that works!

– How can we best apply our experiences. Again, mine are a unique blend of my education and life experiences, both good and bad, that have led me to the calling of including the theme of “Peace, Love and Unity” here in my community. Can you put your arms around applying yours?

This all boils down to how much we can accomplish with the time we have available.

When God made each of us with unique gifts and talents He didn’t anticipate that we would all end up working at the church. We’re called to ministry every day, just where we are. He needs our presence to be seen everywhere, and on every day of the week.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

Just thinking out loud, these trends and desires are leading to a bit of a dilemma between the stage that has been set by our culture and society, and what our future is shaping up to look like.

The landscape has changed, from a traditional career path that once included a narrow, well-defined profession working for a handful of employers over a lifetime, to a freelance trail that may include multiple part-time gigs at the same time. The quest for meaning still remains the same – we’re all appointed to do it with the purpose of serving each other, and serving the Lord. Enter Generation Y.

Who are the Generation Y’ers? Interestingly, there was another generation not too long ago that resembles them in many ways. Check out this writeup.

Both the Millennials and the youth of the 60’s twerked off establishment. So did Elvis. Come to think of it I guess Jesus did in many ways, too. These newbies are rebellious hipsters. Neon beatnicks. The cause? The 60’s Rock Stars were called to end segregation, their modern-day equivalents are called to end homophobia. Jesus was called to unchain us from the shackles of living up to an unachievable standard. And Elvis, well, I’m guessing he was called to just shake, rattle and roll. Oh My… Emos.

The calling of your rock star life – it’s like a 60’s come as you are party… whatever it is that you may look like at the moment, don’t be embarrassed, just show up! Indeed, and in the olden days we couldn’t even journey to the grocery store without applying a thin veneer of makeup! Never smoked pot, or drove a Lamborghini? That’s OK, drag in the streets is still a crime in most states, Mr. Bieber. btw, I’m guessing that Mr. B’s success as a rock star maybe lead him down the wrong path. Sometimes success can do that to us. That’s Ok too, there’s still hope. We’re working on rapper Jay Z, right?

Why DO I relate to the Millennials? I think because my personality matches up with the creative freelance style, and it seems they also have a strong sense of community.

So, what to do with the freebirds? Accept these Millennials just as they are. So the cool similarity of the Y’ers and hippies is that both are comfortable in their own skin. Remember what Brene Brown is selling:

“You can’t get to courage without walking through vulnerability” BB

Liberating Rock Star that we can all reach our calling just being our selfies.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

The post How To Reach The Calling Of Your Rock Star Life first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post How To Reach The Calling Of Your Rock Star Life appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Pack mules can be very stubborn about carrying the burden.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

Just reading that verse doesn’t sound like too much fun. It sounds like the pure physics of work combined with getting lost in the ink cloud of a squid. To bear? Like in carry, tote, lug or support. Yowie! It almost sounds like someone is going to try to pull the wool over our eyes until you put it into its proper perspective. To carry each other’s burdens brings us great joy and other fruity feelings. Let me show you how…

Paul wrote Galatians to the early churches of Galatia. Paul recognized the need for this letter as it offers inspiration to help correct the notion that we have to follow the Jewish law, an insurmountable burden that will drag us down, and reassures our freedom in Christ. Galatians is particularly interesting as it contrasts freedom with burdens. Here’s a key verse:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (verse 5:1)

Slavery? Yes. To that Jewish law that we can never fulfill. So Galatians is our charter for freedom, it assures us where our right standing with God comes from, for it is in our heart that we believe and are justified, and with our mouth that we confess and are saved. (Romans 10:10)

Paul made a big deal about freedom here, and if we think from Paul’s perspective he knew true freedom. He set the stage for understanding this as he stood in worldly prisons in shackles and at the same time preached and wrote about feelings of joy, and freedom in Christ.

Paul was the epitome of a pure free man, whether here on earth preaching the Gospel, or in heaven, spending eternity with Jesus, Paul’s spirit of peace transcended all understanding for many people whom he encountered. They beat him up and he was happy, threw him in jail, happy again, and didn’t even mind the thought of being killed as the pain would be temporary, and then he would have freedom in the presence of Christ. He was a man on a mission in every circumstance and opportunity.

Galatians Chapter 6 goes on to say we reap what we sow, and it tells us not to become weary in doing good as we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. We are to do good to all people. This sounds just like the endeavor for peace.

Our self-worth is grounded in the identity of Christ. What is my value to others? My most valuable attribute within the body of believers is to utilize my spiritual gifts.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

So I may be writing this today, while another believer is contributing to the needs of others in a completely different way. Carrying each others burdens… that may fulfill a need, connect me with other believers and add value, all good things. PTL! However, this “one another” directly references a focus on someone else and their burdens. We’re called through obedience to do this with gratitude for others.

The freedom we experience through following Jesus should be liberating…

Liberty – the idea that says we as individuals have control over our own actions. It’s our free will.

Here’s the key to putting this all together: Our freedom through Christ means we are all free to love one another and to serve one another. (Click To Tweet) The fruit of the Spirit liberates us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It is liberating because the Bible says against such things there is no law. This fruity feeling is a spontaneous action of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. When we imitate Him, as in carrying each others burdens, we fill the intended purpose of the law, to love God and to love our neighbors. And that’s what he meant by “the law of Christ.” So think of carrying each others burdens as a gift and opportunity. Doing so with a cheerful heart will show up as the fruit of the spirit in your life.

My author friend Carol Peterson points out a similar person who is an intercessor – someone who identifies with the burdens of another, “with the same commitment, passion and determination as if it were her own.” This is all done by faith knowing that God will answer our prayers and fulfill our needs. We are assured through our faith in Him that carrying each others burdens is a joy that we should readily accept and fulfill with compassion. With the right spirit these “burdens” aren’t heavy at all, they’re something to be excited about and look forward to.

No foolin’. Gotta like that!!

Do you ever feel bound by slavery by trying to fulfill a long list of rules that we as humans will never be able to perfect? I would love to hear your thoughts on this!

Image courtesy of M Hedin on flickr.com

The post Why We Should Be Excited To Carry Each Other’s Burdens first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Why We Should Be Excited To Carry Each Other’s Burdens appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.