Tag Archives: Christianity

Faith

Great gift ideas for Christmas!

2 Comments

by Alfred Lamar Jackson

INTRO

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good morning! Yeah I switched it up on you. I couldn’t do the traditional thing. I also couldn’t bear the thought of posting a Christmas-y type message because I think that it’s expected on Christmas, naturally. So I wanted to come up with a topic completely unrelated to Christmas, however it is related to reason we celebrate Christmas. And the reason we celebrate class is, all together, “JESUS.” Very good.

Well here’s the result of my attempt: epic fail. I just couldn’t do it. I wanted to talk about gifts. More importantly I want to converse about the gifts that we give Jesus. I think most folks would jump to tithing, but I’m going to skip over to the spiritual gifts. Romans 12:1-2 is very “meaty” verse in my opinion, but I’m going to focus on a simple aspect.

“Therefore I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

So this is simply put, Jesus’ birthday wish list. He wants my body as a gift. I just wandered if I had ever really truly stopped to think about that? The same person who made me and gave me my body wants it back as a gift.

So what? Well I thought it over and asked myself about…. Myself. (Conundrum) Would I want my body in its current form as a gift? I mean don’t get me wrong, who wouldn’t want a six foot eight tower of lean chocolaty goodness? However, I continued to think about other things such as my heart health, my work ethic, my core values, and the things I’ve done and said or subjected my body to. Would I really want to give all of that to God? Eck!

Continue reading Great gift ideas for Christmas! →

Faith

Courage Under Fire….Good Movie

Captain Karen Walden portrayed by Meg Ryan in "Courage Under Fire." Years earlier? Jeremiah, portrayed by himself, in the Book of Jeremiah.

by Alfred Lamar Jackson

Good Saturday, RDC followers new and old. Another week has gone by and we are moving closer to the New Year. Many times a new year brings uncertainty and change. For some, a new year is a welcomed fresh start. To all those who have uncertainty and fear, I encourage you to make fast and anchor yourself in truth. God has you in His hands and in His plans.

This brings me to my journey through Jeremiah. This man has really amazed me! As a reader I sometimes feel like the book is redundant because Jeremiah is prophesying what seems to be the same message over and over again. To an extent it is, “Repent evil people and serve God again!”  God’s message was still the same and Jeremiah delivered it without fail. He had to have courage. It’s not a new concept of people with courage doing God’s will, but it means more when you read the whole story instead of someone telling you how courageous this man was.

In Jeremiah chapter 26 our hero faces the first written attempt on his life. I can’t put the whole chapter here so I’ll summarize. It starts as a normal day for Jeremiah: prophecy destruction, accuse leaders of evil, repent or die, and the Lord’s about to bring some pain. Normal day. However THIS day the priests, other “prophets” and the people in the courtyard reached their limit. They said, “YOU MUST DIE!” Then they snatched him up and brought him to the officials. Fortunately God was looking out for His boy and had wise people and a friend in the city’s high places. And, Jeremiah was released.

Just imagine yourself all alone amidst these odds; one person facing the murderous intent of more than a handful of people. I would surmise the crowd was in the hundreds because the temple courtyard was a pretty busy place. But Jeremiah showed resolve. He said that he was truly sent by the Lord and spoke His words. They could kill him if they wanted to but they’d have innocent blood on their hands. That’s intestinal fortitude.

Continue reading Courage Under Fire….Good Movie →

Faith, Man Cave

Staring Fear in the Face

2 Comments

I am not a risk taker.

I am Conservative Guy.  I am Mr. Play it Safe.

It’s to the point that I won’t even try new foods.  The other night someone offered me some asparagus.  I have no idea if I’ve ever had asparagus and I promise you I couldn’t tell you what asparagus tastes like.  I said, “No thanks, I don’t like asparagus.”

Not true.  To dislike something you have to try it first.

When I go to the grocery store I buy the same products every single time.  I even have my routine down.  It begins with the soap and contact lens cleaner, moves on to bread, frozen dinner section, cereal aisle, produce, beverages, meat, see you later.  There is never a variation.

Okay, sometimes I do it backwards, but that’s only if I’m feeling dangerous.

Food is only one example.  Growing up, all I ever wanted was to become a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.  I watched my ‘Boys every Sunday and dreamed of someday catching passes on the Texas Stadium turf.

My first chance to play real football came in seventh grade.  The gear was sweet.  I had never worn actual shoulder pads or buttoned up the chinstrap on my own helmet.  I took it all home, put on the uniform and went straight to the mirror.

Continue reading Staring Fear in the Face →

Faith, Man Cave

Deconstructing My Christianized Self, Part 2

2 Comments

Editor’s note: Josh’s “Part 1” discussion began last week.  If you’d like to start at the beginning, you may go HERE.  Thanks.~

I want to make the disclaimer that I do not think I have cornered the market on the Truth with a capital T. I get nervous around people who talk a lot about the Truth, and I certainly don’t want to make you nervous as well. There is a strong possibility that after I die, I could discover that I was completely off from the get go. My guess is that some truth may lie somewhere between in the dialectical tension between where I am theologically and where I came from. Who knows?

Please feel free to test, probe, critique, agree, disagree, heck, even deconstruct my deconstructed ideas. What I’m looking for is simply a constructive dialogue. Conversion to my side of thinking is not the goal. Conversation is. So come join me and lets tell our stories and ask questions and dive into the divine conundrum together.

*********

I was six years old the first time I got saved. While helping my mother iron clothes, I accidentally burned my hand on the glowing red metal. As my mom wrapped a towel of ice cubes around my throbbing hand, she matter-of-fact said, “You know, Josh, this is what hell will feel like.”

Looking down at my blistering fingers, I immediately retorted in breathy panic, “Well, I don’t want to go to hell then!” Moments later, as ice cubes melted across my throbbing fingers, I prayed to ask Jesus into my heart. That night I slept soundly. The thought of heaven was like a medicinal balm that soothed and cooled my burning soul. And what I carried around inside of me for many years afterward was the notion that the Jesus story was about saving people from something bad after death and for something good after death.

Continue reading Deconstructing My Christianized Self, Part 2 →

Faith

You Shoulda Known

Greetings

Happy Saturday to you all. This is the month when everyone is getting ready to buy gifts for friends and family, put lights on the house, and decorate the inside to reflect the Christmas spirit. I encourage all who read this to reflect the Holy Spirit while you celebrate the birth of Jesus. Santa is not the only one who sees you when you sleep and knows when you’re awake.

I happen to come across a passage in James that I’ve always found to be that “anti-gray area” kind of verse. I wanted to share it because it reminded me of just how tough it is to reflect Christ every day. Surely I’m not the only one who knows that being a Christian is not the easy choice or a cop out; it’s hard work. I also hope you understand what I mean by work because some people might already by thinking, “well, works don’t save you.” James 4:17 reminded me of just how high God sets the standard.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

I don’t think this needs any elaboration on my part. It’s pretty self explanatory. I also don’t want you to think I’m taking the scripture out of context so I encourage you to read the verses leading up to this and the ones after. If you have a difference of opinion, feel free to reply. As I said earlier, I know I’m not the ultimate authority on the Bible so if I need to be corrected in truth just let me know.

Wrap Up

In short, all those times I knew I should’ve done this or wished I had done that, I had sinned. I also believe, even before I ever read this verse years ago, that I had known deep inside and realized it. This verse just put it in stone for me. I also encourage you to really think about all those times this has applied to your life. Lets both try to not repeat our past mistakes and move forward spiritually.

This is the season to celebrate Christ’s birth. If you aren’t reflecting Christ this month and every month, well, you “should’ve” known better.

Keep each other in prayer.

 ~ by Alfred Lamar Jackson