live | And 2 Makes Crazy

Today, my mom and dad, Maxwell, and I went to a little church in the mountains of Pinetop, Arizona. And the guest preacher was an 18-year-old kid fresh in college.

And, boy howdy, was he a HOOT!

First of all…He was 18. It looked as if I could be his mother!

Second of all…he was so funny. But maybe not always on purpose 🙂

Lastly…although his sermon was as fresh as he himself was, it was awesome and from the heart.

I’d like to share a bit what I learned from this young chap today:

His sermon was on optimism and pessimism. And his reminder was that we may be the only Bible that some may ever read.

So he asked us, the congregation hanging on to every word from this adorable boy…

How do you react when in a situation that is unfair or unjust?

How do you react when you are mistreated or disrespected?

How do you react when things do not go your way?

How do you react when life serves you tragedy and not always triumph?

And it does give you a lot to think about. Truly.

How do I react to situations in my life that were not of my choosing or not in my control or not pleasing to me?

Because, after all, I may be the only Bible some will ever read.

The next thing he stated really painted a visual picture that shows unfathomable pain…

A friend of his was in a tragic plane accident that killed his father (his friend’s father). And his friend, himself, was burned over 40% of his body. He had to go through months of excruciating and painful healing and skin grafting.

And his friend shared this with him…

You have to remove the old skin in order to not receive infections and to heal. You also need this removal so that they can graft skin from other parts of your body to replace the old skin with new.

BUT…you have to use a hard wire brush and have the old skin scrubbed off of you. You have to be scrubbed. Raw. In order to have a chance to heal.

This made me think…it’s so true in life. Often, we have to be scrubbed raw to rid ourselves of what it is that is keeping us from being healthy. We have to be scrubbed raw, sometimes, in order to be brought to restoration and healing.

And it’s not pretty.

And it’s not pain free.

But it’s necessary.

And only when the dead and infectious skin is gone. Only then can we be given new skin. Only then can we begin to heal.

Perhaps this is why sometimes people don’t heal. Because it’s a wire brush. It’s a scrubbing. It bares their very soul raw. And it hurts.

Perhaps this is why many cover what is infectious with ways to mask their pain?

But, he went on to share, when his friend went through all of his unfathomable pain and re-grafting of skin…only then was his friend able to heal. And only then was his friend able to leave the hospital. And only then was his friend able to live, once again.

You know…Today’s message was brought about by a kid with dirt still behind his ears. But what he shared was from his heart—and it went straight into the hearts of all those of us listening.

I hope it resonates in yours, too.

Let me end with this…

As he was praying at the end, he said, “Dear Lord, Thank you for helping me not pass out today!”

And we, the audience, lost it! Good thing his sermon and church were over.

We were left with a lot to think about…and a good laugh to leave.

Friends, you’re never too young to let God use you in great ways.

And you’re never too DEAD to allow him to help you be scrubbed raw…and healed.

And don’t forget…You actually may be the only Bible some will ever read!

I don’t love Jesus. Can we still be friends?

Dude! Do you even know me at all?

Wait…technically, since this is a cyber world, it is possible that you don’t know me.

So let me introduce myself and answer that question for you.

My name’s Brooke, and I’m like a big polar bear. But cuddly. Not attack you type bear. And actually not that big. Unless a preggo belly counts?!

Anyhow, back to your super question, “I don’t love Jesus, so can we still be friends?”

And my answer is simple…Yes.

And this is why. WWJD, man? WWJD?

But hey, since you’re here, at least let me introduce you to Jesus that you don’t love.

Jesus was a man’s man…All tough and cool. They depict him all wrinkle-free and pretty in pics, but let us not forget that he was a carpenter for 30 years. Well, probably not 30. But when he left his daddy’s workshop and went to work for his Father, he was 30.

Therefore, it’s safe to assume he was at least a bit weathered and worn. And strong.

Richard’s grandpa was a carpenter. And his hands showed the art of his work. They were gnarly and tough. And as strong as nails. Yep. There’s no mistaking the strength of a carpenter.

Much like Jesus.

But, you see, Jesus had this presence to him (let’s call it what it is—God) that drew people to him.

The interesting thing you should know, however, is that Jesus never forced a conversation, never threw a stone, and never backed away from being seen with people that others might deem “questionable”. You know. People like prostitutes and thieves.

Guess what else. Jesus never demanded you listen.

He spoke words of wisdom and truth. He shared food. He performed miracles. He loved. He healed. And he taught. But the crowds always came to him.

One time he even went all Indiana Jones (except 2000 years ago) on the people in the Temple that were swindling the innocent by collecting money and “selling” religious sacrifices. Turning tables and whipping a few.

And, oh yes! Jesus could hold his own when it came to a verbal smack down. But guess whom his debate adversaries were—those that found themselves most religiously righteous. Yep.

Jesus didn’t come to seek and save the righteous. After all, they don’t even think they need saving.

He came for the doctor. And the lawyer. He came for the tax collector and the fisherman and soldier. He came for the healthy. He came for the sick. He came for the prostitute. He came for the criminal on the cross.

And never once did he bind and gag someone, demanding they listen.

Nope.

Again. He walked. He talked. He taught. He loved. He shared. He healed. He lived.

And, through it all, God was glorified.

I think Jesus is plain and simple AWESOME! He’s my savior. And I’m thankful for him.

But one of the greatest lessons I learned from Jesus was this: he didn’t force anyone to love him. He invited them to. If they did. Great. If they didn’t, he didn’t chase them.

And that, my friends, is how I live my life.

I do, however, invite you to find out about this awesome Jesus—start in the New Testament.

But, if you don’t, I’m not going to tie you to a chair and force read the Bible to you.

That is definitely not “WWJD”.

Jesus is enough to stand on his own two feet. He doesn’t need me to take karate chop action on people to introduce them to who he is.

In the end, you may not love Jesus, but he loves you. Nothing you can do about that. And, if you ever decide to have a conversation with him, I’m telling you now, he has time for you.

So do I.

In the meantime, big polar bear hugs and 3 Polish kisses thrown in for good measure. Because hugging and kissing are always good things! Like Jesus.