Bird In My Window

Read Psalm 139

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there." ~ Psalms 139:7-8 NASB

Outside my window in this house I've been staying in San Diego, there is a small tree. Or maybe it's a large bush. In any event, every morning, there is a small bird that sits on a branch - most times, multiple branches as it hops from one to the other. The branches and leaves are so close to my window that they literally mash up against the window pane. So, when the little bird comes, it's up extremely close and in plain sight. It’s crazy to actually see it that close! Anyway, every morning - at about 10 or so minutes into my daily morning routine of listening to my morning sermonettes and reading my Bible - (ya boy goes in on devotional time ;)) - on cue, I hear this lil bird rustling and tapping at my window. Now, when it first happened, I thought that it was just an isolated thing. You know, like, real cute and whatnot. Disney-like. But after days and days of repeated visits, I began to think differently. It began to seem like the bird was trying to look in.....rather, check inside. It wasn't trying to get inside, mind you. It wasn't incessantly tapping away on the window or anything like that. The bird would just come, look in, hop to a few other small branches....all the while peeking in....then go away. Just about everyday - without fail - this happened. CRAZY!

While I don't know why this was a daily occurrence....and I wouldn't automatically assume it to be some divine happening....I CAN tell you what it brought to mind: The Holy Spirit. Not literally. Just the fact that He (Yahweh God) is ALWAYS watching us. Always checking in on His folk. The difference, of course, is that He never leaves. He's always there. He's EVERYWHERE! And that can be very reassuring. To know that a loving God; The King & Master of the entire universe; The Creator and Giver of Life....The Beginning & End.....doesn't see it as a small thing to be invested in His people...in me...in you. And not just merely invested but invested more in our success rather than our failure. I'll say that, again....He's invested more in our success than in our failure. He's not up there like some "big old kid on a cloud" that just wound up the lil toy (the world) and left it to fend for itself, like deists and some people believe. But our God is ever present. And although sometimes the world or even our very lives seem chaotic...we can be secure in knowing that an omniscient God can never be surprised and an omnipotent God can never be over-powered. Nothing is too big for Him. If He can manage & sustain this universe, then He surely can manage & sustain my life. His power is unmatched. And because His love is perfect AND that He showed & proved His Love by wrapping Himself in mortality and sending His Living Word, His only begotten Son, The Incarnate God, The GodMan, Love in flesh - Y'shua HaMoshiach - Jesus Christ to die a horrible death on a cross and take the punishment that we ALL deserve and defeat death on our behalf.............I AM CONVINCED and resolute in the fact that His Love won't/can't fail and EVERYTHING....WILL BE.....ALRIGHT.:-) No matter what happens, I can give thanks because of what Christ means to me. Because of God's sovereignty, whatever happens will turn out for my good and His glory.

Every now and again, I hear that bird tapping....almost like the bird's reminding me, that He's here. And that serves as such a dope reminder of His love.

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren..." ~ Romans 8:28-29 NASB

"We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren." ~ Romans 8:28-29 Amplified Bible

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"For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:13 (Amplified Bible)

NO....SLEEP...IN BROOKLYN!!!: Crisis Reveals Character

Read 1 Peter 1:6,7

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ...”

Raise your hands if you’ve ever been sleep deprived. :)  Admittedly, that...uuhhh...”pleasure” has never been mine to experience. Well, at least, up until these last few days I’d never suffered through the problem of insomnia of any kind. Prior to this current situation, I’d been one of those brothas who could close my eyes and just drift off anywhere, i.e. - subway car, airplane, passenger seat, standing on my head, I'm just sayin'. ;-) I'd prided myself on literally being able to cop ZZZZ's almost anywhere...under most circumstances. However, while temporarily staying with my brother and subsequently attempting a few good nights sleep for several days on his living room couch.....my skills were challenged and I was eventually found to be 'Sleepless in Crown Heights'.  Sadly, the lumpy, short, leather couch won. I lost.....and boy, did I ever. As a result, I "transformed" into a grumpy, irritable, ornery son-of-a-gun!

For some folks, sleepless nights are a result of a heavy, worrisome or overactive mind.  For others, it’s a noisy environment (or person) or uncomfortable environment....or person.  Then for others still, a lumpy bed, scratchy sheets, change of diet or a number of other things can be the blame.  Regardless of what the culprits are, the results ultimately end up being the same: a tired and sometimes lethargic, ornery, short-tempered, moody, impatient human being.  An individual who certainly can’t be confused with your best self. Recently, I've had the unfortunate pleasure of being introduced to that person in me.

Oddly enough, experiencing the results of my lack of sleep got me to thinkin' about how Jesus’ death shows us how to live. Yup. "How?!", you say? Welp, I'm glad ya asked! :-) I know...it may seem a bit contradictory or maybe even a little far out there to say that a death can teach a person how to live.  I mean, a death - albeit the Son of God’s - informing us on how to live?  It’s almost common knowledge that the life of Christ gave us a perfect template on how to live.  Few people would argue that.  But most folk would not assume that the death of Christ was an example of how to live.  1 Peter 2:21 reads,

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps...”

This verse highlights the example in His dying rather than in His living. He died not only for us...but as an example to us: to show us how to live; how to love; how to forgive and care for those who’ve sinned against us. The fact is that you learn more about the character of a person in their “dying” rather than in their “living”.  For the most part, the truest revelation...the truest picture of you & me comes in the times of our deepest trial. Contrary to belief, trials don’t make who you are. Actually...they REVEAL who you REALLY are. Trials reveal character, i.e. what is TRULY on the inside.  Adversity reveals virtue or the lack thereof. The greater the trouble and the more severe the adversity.....the purer the revelation of what we are. As the saying goes, “a tree is best measured when it’s down.” The strength of a thing is best measured when it is tried and tested. That being true of us was also true of Christ Jesus. We see the truest, purest revelation of the character of Christ in the time of His greatest trial: His dying and death on the cross. We find that in His dying, that He was as perfect as in His living. In His dying, He gives us revelations of His character that teach us how to live.

To be sure, getting a surprise visit by your realest self may not be your most fave thing. However, there is great benefit in it. Simply put - if we never recognize or acknowledge and allow God through adversity to show us who we really are, then we can never manage and address those frailties and character flaws that might hinder our relationships or sabotage our growth. We never allow God the opportunity for Him to do the corrective work in us that He desires. I don't know why - but God in His wise sovereignty chooses to do His most profound transformative work in us through adversity & crisis.  Unfortunate is the one who goes through life perceiving themselves to be something other than who they truly are and thereby delaying God's refining work. A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. So let us use it for what it's for: growth & maturity. Painful, uncomfortable crisis & trial indeed reveal who we really are. However, glory be to God that those things can also be the very tools the Master Builder uses to refine us and make us whole in Christ, “lacking in nothing”. James 1:2-4

Yay CRISIS! Now, lemme try and get some sleep! Sheesh!;-)

"Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of." ~ Charles Spurgeon

1 Peter 1:6,7; James 1:2-4
#betternotbitter



"Diary of a Mad Christian: A Cross Reference" is available on BarnesandNoble.com & Amazon.com and ALL E-Reader devices (iPad, Kindle & Nook)

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"For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:13 (Amplified Bible)

The Closer I Get To You....and OTHER Lessons Learned From Madison Square Garden

Read Isaiah 6:1-7

At this stage of my life - for many, many, MANY reasons - I've become increasingly more dependent upon the worship and praise of my Father. Like, He's not simply viewed as a "great idea", anymore.  I NEED Him like a child needs their parent. Truth is...I've always needed Him. But recently....let's just say that there's no doubt, now. And that's great! That’s dope! 100% Humbling. Pride-lessed. Faith-filled. But GREAT! And just to clarify - by “worship” I simply mean: the submission of all of me to all of Him, i.e. His holiness; His Truth; His beauty; His love, will and purpose. All of this gathered up in adoration is the greatest expression of which we are capable. I picture myself holding onto His “leg” like a child holds onto his big, strong, protective Pops. As of late, I've systematically; one after the other - been letting go of all I can't control (as well as some things I've consequently deceived myself into thinking I could control) and have rather begun holding on desperately to the only One who's capable of brilliantly and effortlessly controlling everything. Sidebar: I keep getting this visual of how former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy held on to Alonzo Mourning’s leg in that brawl at Madison Square Garden years ago. ‘Memba that?  I mean, my situation is far less funny, though. Similar desperation....but far more peace & blessed assurance than what I'd imagine Van Gundy felt in the moment. ;)

True worship is NOT bringing God closer to us.  Rather, it is us yielding ourselves and allowing God to bring us toward Himself. Worship is a way of seeking God's face; seeking his presence. And consequently...to be honest wit’chu...to be in God's presence means to be laid bare and exposed. There is some straight up divine paint stripping that happens when you come into the presence of Holy God. You see yourself for who you truly are. When Isaiah came into God's presence, for example, he dropped straight to his face and said, “Woe is me for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips.....For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts."  He confessed and acknowledged that what came from his lips revealed what was already deep in his heart — sin. The light of God's presence will always expose sin and darkness. When Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord in His holiness he could only fall on his face in brokenness and humility.

Whenever in Scripture someone is brought into the presence of Almighty God, they see the vast distance between God and themselves. They recognize the infinite contrast of their sinfulness verses God’s holiness and is broken of self.  One of the hardest things for a person to do is to face oneself with the holiness of God - to face oneself in the pure, unsullied light of God - and let God's Spirit search into the avenues of the mind and the imaginations of the heart, into the purposes of one's life and to let God see all the wrong, the evil and the self-seeking that are there.

Authentic worship will always have TWO expressions: #1 awe before the Holy God and #2 brokenness & shame from revealed sin and an exposed self.  The closer Jeff Van Gundy got to Alonzo Mourning, as he held on to the this superior athlete's leg - the smaller and the more helpless, I'd imagine, Van Gundy felt.  The reality of his weakness, in comparison to Mourning, was put on blast...if to no one else but him.  Similarly in worship, God lays bare our sin....yet He also provides His remedy for sin: HIMSELF.  Yeah....being in the presence of God's glory exposes sin but it also leads us to repentance and transformation if we will respond properly in humility.  (Cor.7:10) It is only after that humbling; that brokenness of self the the Father cleanses us and gives us a new outlook.  Now, we're ready to serve! :) (Isaiah 6:8)

The closer I get to Him....

The less foggy I am toward the reality of the nature of my sin....

The clearer I see myself for who I really & truly am.

Check it

This is far from being self-deprecating, I assure you

And more akin to self-realization

See

I get that it really should've been me

Nailed to that tree

My hands for His hands

My feet in exchange for His feet

Bound to that old-rugged cross on Calvary...’cept it wasn't me.....

The more lucid my Savior's face becomes

The more I recognize that it is I who am truly undone

And who deserved to be the one

Hung

Strung to a cross...that old rugged cross....

The closer I get to You, Lord

The more I understand why it had to be You, Lord - the Perfect & unblemished Lamb

You who bore all my sin

And needed to die.

Cuz fact is, even when I'm kinda, sorta feelin' myself and am so dope in my own eyes,

Truthfully....

I'm so unattractive

My good deeds are so much like filthy rags

It's embarrassing

It's madness

When compared to the only standard that matters

Yours

So how dare I get mad when someone doesn't treat me in a way that I think they should have?

The audacity of me!

What arrogance I must keep to measure someone else’s deficiency against my own tragically flawed axiom

While daily and purposely falling grossly short of Your perfect banner

The manner in which I coddle my own bad habits

My stank attitude...and bury it under

Excuse after excuse after excuse

Astounds me

Especially while in the very next breath my propensity for grace regarding someone else's blatant fallacies and mistakes is sorely lacking

What a wretched bastard, I am!

Yet

THANK YOU, Father, for not seeing past it

Yes

Thank YOU for having the fortitude; the authority and perfect justice to hold me to that unreachable yet perfect standard

Seeing me for exactly the man I truly am

You made it obvious to me that I needed you by showing me what I cannot do

But now, by your redemptive Blood, You actually regard me as grasping Your love ballad

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for seeing & defeating the death within me and declaring that You’ve mastered it!

(sing)

The closer I get to You.....

The more You’ll make me see

Like giving me all You’ve got

Your love has captured me.............

"The more holy a man becomes the more conscious he is of unholiness." ~ Charles Spurgeon


"Diary of a Mad Christian: A Cross Reference" is available on BarnesandNoble.com & Amazon.com and ALL E-Reader devices (iPad, Kindle & Nook)

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"For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:13 (Amplified Bible)

MadChrstnDiaries: A Devotional Blog!!!

'Sup everyone!!!?? So as the title suggests, this blog is inspired by, based on, birthed out of the soon-to-be released devotional that (Lord willin') will be headed to press within the next 12 -14 months.  Long time, right?  On the contrary, next year will be here before ya know it! And failure to prepare is preparation for failure. - John Wooden :-) This'll be the second release and follow-up installment in the "Diary of a Mad Christian" series.  Having the best offering to give is of the utmost priority....for my neighbor's benefit & God's glory. That's where YOU come in! :0)

I'll be posting a devotional entry, periodically.  Feel free to leave comments. In fact, I would love your feedback. Any and all comments.  Tell me what'cha liked....what'cha didn't.  Which devotional pieces stood out to you more than others? Which were not as clear? What blessed you? Encouraged you? What was, "eh"? ;-) Considering that I'm STILL pretty much a novice writer, I'm still prone to fall into some novice writer pitfalls. So please.....leave comments.

With that said, I'm really excited to share what's been placed on my heart over the last 12 to 18 months. So, without further delay....introducing:

MadChrstnDiaries: A Devotional Blog!!!

"Diary of a Mad Christian: A Cross Reference" is available on BarnesandNoble.com & Amazon.com and ALL E-Reader devices (iPad, Kindle & Nook)

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"For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:13 (Amplified Bible)