The rocks will cry out...

Wow...crazy week. Learned so much. i want to let it out...and since I'm in Minnesota and I can't ask each of you, one on one about it, I'll just write it all down here just so I can get my thoughts down. Then, if any of you want to talk about it more with me, please just tell me. We can grab some coffee or somethin.

Been spending a lot of time lately learning about how we need to be honest with one another. Nanette (http://www.nanettechristine.blogspot.com/) has really been challenging me this week with her post. It drives home the idea of making sure that we are honest with each other. Her latest post was very cool.

Being real. She is so right. We must be REAL.

What does that mean?!?!

I seemed to be limiting that to mean that I needed to make an effort to point out my flaws. Don't misunderstand--it is very important. I think it would be great to be broadcasting my sins to the rest of the body rather than being caught up in foolish pride. Well, not "great" per se, but freeing. I think that is one essential form of honesty on which I miss the mark all the time. However, I think that there is so much more to honesty than that. For an easy example, (bwahahahahahaha I'll just use her as my guinea pig!!!! bwahahahahaha *evil cackle* rrrrhem. I think she's my friend. So hopefully it's ok. :) )Nanette points out in her post her brokenness, imperfection...her need of grace. But it seems as though she tries to be joyful because of Christ even though she is pointing out her flaws.

I need to be honest about the joys in my life. I definitely need to actually learn this and apply it to my life...God put us here, together, for a reason. When God has broken me, taught me, shown me His love, encouraged me, strengthened me, and/or healed me, I must not bottle it up. I cannot! I must share it with members of the Body. If I don't, the joy will become stale. The bottle will break. Shards will slash and scar. I truly believe now that we will feel a void and a pain worse than before the experience with God if we keep it to ourselves!

I think I'm writing this because I am eager to hear about the joy that Christ has brought to us. Generally speaking, pain seems to precede that, because we must be broken. But we do have hope no matter what. We can always find solace in that hope even when we don't feel joyful. Both parts should be shared--our pain and His triumph. I wonder about the times in my life in which I find something about myself of which I'm ashamed. This last week I think my Father spoke with me sternly by making me aware of some stuff that was hindering my growth. Reminds me of how Christ spoke to the rich man. Our Saviour was unmoving. Loving, but unmoving. "You must do one more thing" He made the man's flaw as clear as day. This week seemed to be a time of God saying "You say you love me, then obey my commands." Some areas of faithlessness in my life were placed right out on the table for me to stare at.

As I look at the way I've been reacting to this discipline, I notice that I became ashamed to speak the name of God. Why? We're not called to speak in sugar coats, but we are called to rejoice in the Lord always. Speaking His name and of His love is TRUTH. No matter how I'm feeling, I can still be completely real when I say that God is great. He is, no matter what I do. I must speak it if I want to strive for complete honesty. Sad that even after all of the amazing things I've seen God do in other people and even those that have happened in mine, i still can't acknowledge him when my emotions are running around.

So here's my attempt at honesty for this week--- I have had the crap kicked out of me this week, but God is so HUGE and so amazing. I've felt pain in the offering, but I've tried to remember the joy of His triumph and the hope that we have because of it. I was reminded of how I need the fellowship of other believers. I was reminded of how I need to be listening for Him and quieting my distracted self. Not so I could find immediate, applicable answers, but so that I could simply be in love with Him. There were times this week in which I really tried to quiet myself long enough to crawl up into His lap. It was so hard to quiet my soul and still my anxious heart. I realized that I am the only one stopping myself from experiencing Him in my life. He is faithful. He is love. We will have trials and pain, but He loves us all the way through.


31"You believe at last!"[b] Jesus answered. 32"But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:31-33

I love the chorus of one of Rich Mullins' songs that gets to the point of what Christ was saying. "in this world you will have trouble, but I leave you my peace that where I am there you may also be."

Just like Nanette, and many others, i'm sure, I desire honesty within the Body Christ. I hope to hear about the struggles in the lives of my fellow members of the Body. And I also want to hear Truth from my fellow believers. The fight has been won. I don't need to dwell on pain. I don't want to dwell on my pain. But for some reason, I still focus on it.

And He says an emphatic NO to that. He has already triumphed over pain. There is peace and joy available because of the hope that we have no matter what we are feeling.

grace

And I want to share this peace and joy, regardless of how I'm feeling. It's hard, and i'm not good at it yet, but I want to try. I hope the rest of the Body feels the same. If we do not share it, then who will? The rocks? I don't think any of us want it to have to come to that...

Sorry it was long and probably a little random.
Have a great day guys
-Dave