n0klu's Rants

  Oct 1, 2021 at 1:34 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Can They Hurt Me? Can They Hurt Me? “Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me in. Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path.” Psalm 27:10-11 Scripture Focus: Psalm 27 You think you have the only messed-up family? Does it feel like mockery to hear preachers and teachers talking about God being “like our father”? Often there is no comfort in comparing God to our earthly fathers. Most soldiers who pass through my office have few memories of their fathers, and the ones they do have are haunting. Whatever your family circumstances, there are evidences of brokenness. This matters! Sigmund Freud argued that we invent a heavenly father as adults because we need the security our earthly fathers provided when we were children. He was right in that the two are linked. But God is not a projection of our fathers; our fathers (and mothers) are a projection of God! They shape our view of Him. How have your parents shaped y

  Sep 30, 2021 at 1:15 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Who Is God? Who Is God? “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 Scripture Focus: Exodus 3 The Lord called Moses to confront Pharaoh, and Moses responded, “Who am I?” Don’t be quick to judge Moses—we respond the same way, often thinking there is no way God would want to use us. If we are honest about our sin and brokenness, we know that we are utterly insufficient to serve God and care for others.   I have struggled with depression and despair because so many of my efforts as a pastor seem to fail my parishioners. Part of understanding who we are is to first know who God is. Moses said, “Who am I?” and God said, “I am who I am.” If we know who God is and what He has done for us, then we begin to feel the safety of belonging to Him.   As we explain to others the importance of having an identity that withstands the tests of suffering and time, we will explain th

  Sep 28, 2021 at 12:25 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Who Are You?   Who Are You? “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus… Grace and peace to you.” Philippians 1:1-2 Scripture Focus: Philippians 1:1-6 If you look closely at this passage, you’ll notice that Paul and Timothy are servants in two respects: they are servants of Jesus and servants to others. That order is important for us. Before we exercise our God-given purpose of serving others, we need to know our God-given identity in Christ. What is this identity? He created you, and you are His—one of His people and a sheep in His pasture (Psalm 100:3). Your “life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Not only do you need to know these things before you can share your hope with others, but these truths speak to a similar need in others. We all have an identity. But most of us look for it in the wrong places. Traditionally, people have found their identities in their work, their families,

  Sep 24, 2021 at 1:00 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Could God Even Use Me? Could God Even Use Me? “For that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Jesus Christ might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:16 Scripture Focus: 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Every day you see your weaknesses before you. They’re reflected in your work, in your family, and in the hollows of your own heart. You might be wondering, what did God get Himself into? Did He know that I would be such a wreck? Would He take His offer of salvation back if He could? What good is someone like me to the purposes of the perfect Lord? My friend, you must realize that indeed, you are not worthy. Christ saved you because you are a sinner, sick, weak, and foolish. He has washed you by His own blood and made you worthy because He is worthy. Our Lord wanted you exactly because you are a wreck. When people see His love for you reflected in

  Sep 23, 2021 at 12:43 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Dinner For Three? Dinner For Three? “But they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them.” Luke 24:29 Scripture Focus: Luke 24:13-35 We can find plenty of reasons to avoid inviting others into our homes. I am too busy. My house is too messy. We are too messy. I would be sacrificing time with my family. Yet hospitable situations often were the setting for Christ’s saving work. The disciples on the road to Emmaus invited Christ into their home where He broke bread, and their eyes were opened to see their Savior for who He was. In our age of locked doors and fenced-in yards, it can be hard to show hospitality, but it is worth it. When a family invited me in for a meal during college, I thought it was a foretaste of heaven! So what if your house or your lives are messy? Doesn’t Christ minister through weakness? Your family is your priority. That’s rare. Wouldn’t it be

  Sep 22, 2021 at 12:02 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Do I Neglect Others? Do I Neglect Others? “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together… but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 Scripture Focus: Hebrews 10:19-39 If we are honest, many of us have to admit we strive to live Lone Ranger lives though God created us to be in relationship with others. While families and communities collapse around us, and while neighbors, friends, and relatives struggle with loneliness, we are not exactly seeking to do anything about it. Perhaps these are excuses you have used: People have hurt me. The church has hurt me. I can’t trust anyone. At the heart of it all, we long for relationships that will not fail. When we withdraw from the community, we think we are protecting ourselves from new abuses and betrayal. But our human relationships will always fall short in some way. We need