Galatians 5:13-24

"For you were called to freedom brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bit and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another."

How do I walk by the Spirit that I might not gratify the desires of the flesh? By acting in love manifested in serving one another we nip the opportunities for flesh-living in the bud. We have freedom, but we use it to serve in love, otherwise we could use it for selfishness; how then manifesting? well instead of love in service, biting and devouring one another. That sounds violent eh? Hateful, strife, bitterness, anger, jealously towards one another, but I would assume it includes other things in the list of fleshly manifestations: sexual immorality, sensuality, idolatry, impurity, and even sorcery - things not typically coming to mind when we read about biting and devouring one another. It can be even a desire to consume the other, to take from them, control them, to deify them, and be deified by them.

"But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." If in our freedom, we are to be careful not to give opportunity, and this opportunity is canceled by serving one another through a heart of love, then let us examine the nature of our new heart in the Lord. From this we will start dropping fruit from our trees, fruit like love eager to serve, effervescent joy, peace will release in our hearts, patience unthreatened by any fearful thought, kindness as we have our needs already taken care of that we can seek to be kind to others, goodness with out the shame of indulging deviance, faithfulness with an allegiance to the one we are under current submission, gentleness again unthreaten by anything that we might need to defend ourselves against - especially accusation, self-control that will give no quarter to a fleshly rebellion that seeks to preserve itself. There is no law, no guilt, no condemnation, no charge to be levied against these things.

"Walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." They are mutually exclusive. you cant have dead people living in graves. "For the desires of the flesh are against the desires of the Spirit; and the desires of the Spirit are against [not simply 'uncomfortable around'] the flesh. For these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing what you want to do."

And what should we fail? Should we take steps with our flesh, we know that "if we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the law." Therefore the shame and guilt and naturally demanded condemnation that the law carries does not stick when come under submission to the Spirit. We repent and led the flood of Jesus' blood cascade over us to shed our guilt. We come under the Spirit. Remember, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Occupying Occupy Denton

Call me a pansy but flower-essence tea steeped in bit of (local) honey ain’t anything less than refreshing lovin’goodness – like the kinda that may have existed in the pre-fall side of the Garden of Eden. I picked the smallest table at Big Mike’s under one of the better local art canvas of Denton (Venetian Dream by Kelsey Anne), processing the thoughts and sentiments of a conversation I just held with a few local organizers of Occupy Denton. As evidence by the news reporter who couldn’t get a straight answer as to what to write about, this event isn’t something describable in one sentence as to what they are rebelling against and/or espousing. Nonetheless, if I could take an open-to-correction stab at it, I would say its antiestablishmentarianism. Corporate capitalism as a societal function is failing us. We want equal rights, anarchy, freedom in every way. We want not to be exploited by those in power, we want exploiters to be held accountable, and we want everyone’s voice to be validated.

I rode up on my bike reading all the posters and watching the American flags fly, boasting a peace sign instead of stars. On one side of me, people were lounging in the grass and painting, on the far back side, a vocal supporter of the cause was engaged in passionate conversation with a passerby, and in various landings tents were pitched for the dedicated campers. It reminds me a bit of a recently watched Wonder Years episode where Kevin Arnold joins up with this hippie sister and freinds for a few days. I would not have been surprised to see Karen Arnold pop out of one of the tents and either start painting or step up to her soapbox.

She didn’t and I dismounted my bike to walk about for a bit. I spoken with one kid who was pickin’ at his guitar. He was tall and lanky like me, a young shaved face, and a patchwork of Hot Topic patches on black plants. I asked him somewhat pointedly what he was all about in this context. I may have backed him in a corner. The most he could come up with was disgust for raising tuition prices. But he did express an enjoyment of the community he found with the people around him.

Moving on I passed a poster with tons of different people's sound bites, like busy bees buzzing around their queen, the question, “What do we want?” Well, just take a gander at the pic to see the buzzreply.

Making my way to the back I came to the most vocal of the group. He wouldn’t call himself the leader, but he seemed to know the most about what was happening. It didn’t take 15 seconds of listening to his discussion with another girl for me to interject a thought into his claims. Thus the conversation between us two began. We debated in theory the government and established systems of authoritarianism. I asked him to use smaller words here and there; he was very informed and intelligent, passionate about what he wanted to see.

In fact, he was no stranger to me. I cashed his checks a couple summers ago down at Point Bank and seen him on campus since then (passing out socialism flyers). He never wrongly guessed the identity of the “Famous Person of the Day” trivia that I put out at my teller station no matter how obscure the figure. (Most impressingly, he guessed Captain James Cook, credited with claiming Australia for England).

As we continued our discussion I laid down my hand and played the Christian card. “So, ok, I’m a Christian. What has been your experience and interaction with the Christian worldview in relation to what your talking about?” (something like that.)

“I have no problem with Christians. We are looking for an all inclusive reality and community to exist together.” (something like that.)

We continued from there, especially hitting on Truth. He said he believed in the existence of big ‘T’ Truth, but we all have little ‘t’ truth that works for us. He is searching constantly to know the big ‘T’ Truth and wants to know it. Between atheism (which he claims most closely), and Buddhism (he likes to meditate), and other less overtly mono-theistic views, he believes there are truths to be drawn, but of course as one who is railing against the government, doesn’t want to yoke himself or pledge alliengence to a God that seems to be a killjoy, authoritarian, strong arming, egotiscal George Bush type of being.

Nonetheless, I reluctantly challenged him to, in his words “knock on Jesus’ door” as he meditates. I say reluctantly because I assume that Jesus’ name has been smeared and soiled and made utterly despicable in his eyes and I want to give no more reason for people such as his self to believe irrealities of Jesus' nature. I don’t want to be disrespectfully pushy under the banner of being bold for Christ!! I’d rather take Donald Miller’s approach from Blue Like Jazz and apologize for the damage we have done and invite them to take another look at Christianity.

Not to say there is no room for sharing the Gospel because I then spent the next 20-30 minutes talking with the girl beside him about homosexuality and Jesus, with bits of Gospel interlaced. No, I didn’t lay it out for her in full (the Gospel that is), but I pray that I pushed enough for her to reconsider some of her assumptions on Christianity while pushing not so hard that I forced Christianity down her throat.

Walking away, I felt conviction over the pride with which I rode up to the event. “Who are these prideful, rebellious hooligans? They are so blinded by their pride and hate they can’t begin to love truth!” Mind you, when Jesus saved me, he saved me in the midst of my religious self-righteousness. I confess I still struggle with this, and I repent that I may love people of every sinful-prideful condition in their heart, that I might love myself, and anarchist on the corner of Fry and Hickory, and others.

May I say too that I’m challenged by what was presented. Maybe I’m wrong in my political views. I’ll concede that. My dad is hardlined in his political opinions and allegiances, and I get most of my pre-spun information from him. At the same time, I find these often challenged. While, I don’t see a need for revolution quite yet, maybe it's true that one is coming and we need it.

But my allegiance is to Christ.

To love him and others.

To renounce my sin.

To renounce my pride.

And, God thank you, to worship in joy and discomfort and pain; in every despertar, every step and dream.

For the Record: Christ's love for me today is comparable to the sweetness of a flower-essence iced tea steeped with honey.

ISFBSN at my place (BYOF)

I got out the oil tonight, asked the Lord to keep me from doing Christian witchcraft, blessed it and spread it over the top and sides of my front door. I declared that all demons were to be checked at the door. Moreover, I invited the Holy Spirit in to my house to minister as He saw fit.

Thirty minutes later, the door bell clanged once then two or three more times in playful succession. My two new Turkish friends had arrived for the International Student Fellowship Bible Study Night (ISFBSN). They come from a Muslim background, but wanted to know the beliefs of Christianity.

We talked about Creation and how we learn that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. This a deep mystery and fundamental truth of our faith - a rich well of life, a treasure box with ever valuating treasure. By means of inquisitive request, we moved towards the reason that God, in his self-sufficiency, made man. This God in his infinite self-sufficiency created us to relate with him, to know the fullness of a God such as Himself. Most of the night then focused on who Jesus is/was. He being the husband/God in a covenant relationship with his wife the church.

Oh that the Spirit would move. Oh that Christianity would not be another subject of study from an ancient textbook. Oh that the Spirit would be active in regeneration, that Jesus would show up and cause belief. Oh that the gifts of the Spirit would manifest, that the fruit of the Spirit would be produced.

For the Record: F=Friends.