Signs Signs Everywhere The Signs

Blocking up the scenery .... do you know the tune... it's not the best of tunes, it is fairly rebellious.. but it really fits this season. Just drive around, Everywhere ya look there are signs. I don't just mean the wonderful signs advertising the inflated gasoline prices, robbing your hard earned dollar, no, nor am I referring to the plethora of obnoxious bad fast food joints trying to poison you with their toxic genetically altered food deep fried, and served with bad manners and the wrong change.
No i mean the common garden variety signs, literally... Drive by the neighborhoods, and look at all the gardens, and lawns and you will truly be accosted! Signs for security systems JUST in case some thief has any BRIGHT ideas and can read. Or Signs advertising Roofers, or Siders, or Painters, or Asphalt layers. Then there are the Politicians. O Yes, the many fun and enthusiastic supporters various Political Leaders, has signs all over their lawn. Some are very mild, having only one demur sign on their lawn, and others, perhaps unable to pawn more signs off on unsuspecting neighbors or friends, put an enormous amount on their front lawn to really catch your fancy as you drive by.
But these are all the signs we ignore, for they are so plentiful, too frequent to obvious. Yes you have the occasional Someone turned 40, or 50, or maybe there is a gigantic hysterical stork on Mr & Mrs front lawn.... but then...
Then their are the signs that REALLY get the neighborhood chatting. These are the actually insulting signs. They are far and few between, actually, this, I confess as a mid thirty something, this is something entirely NEW to me. I am certain that is NOT new at all. For there is NOTHING new under the Sun. But such a foolish mistake by Brothers in Christ is just so grievous to me

Here it goes..... the "Authentic Jesus" signs.. They are very popular. One particular church is passing them around. People from this church put them all on their front gardens (lawns) and display this sign as a symbol of what would appear to be ... perhaps.... pride....

I don't know WHY, but perhaps because I am a bold Christian, perhaps because of certain past experiences with this church, people in my community, feel VERY comfortable coming up to me, and discussing with me how they are personally very INSULTED by this sign.

Do the people with the sign think they have the "only authentic Jesus"?
Are they saying my Jesus "is a false" Jesus?
Is there Jesus the ONLY Jesus In Town....?
Is that Church saying that Jesus only LOVES their members?
Is the only way to have an "authentic relationship" with the "authentic JESUS" to go to their church?
Why do they always insult everyone else when they talk about Jesus?
How is this sign drawing me into wanting to know about Jesus?
Are they a Cult?
Are they a false Church?
are they teaching a "different gospel" like the scriptures warn us to be wary of?
Should we be praying for these neighbors, they seem to be totally unaware at how offensive they are being to the rest of us, in thinking that their Jesus is the only "authentic Jesus"

and the questions continue, and they are legitimate.... and all I can say, is perhaps the sign has something to do with some "sermon series", to motivate the congregation. But I confess, the leadership of this church, does NOT seem to realize how VAST the congregation is, that everywhere you go, you can see these signs, and they stand as a little symbol to all who do not go to that church, and what we see, is this....

you don't think we can have a real authentic relationship with Jesus with out YOU
you think you have the corner on the "authentic Jesus"
and if we want to have the "authentic Jesus" we should call YOU, or come to Your church...
somehow,
that makes it all about you, and your church,
and not about Jesus....
a little egotistical in my book.
I know sinners and saints who can call you on that one....
take the signs down, get OUT of your houses, and start loving your neighbors as yourselves, :) I know the more people have come to me on this issue, the more I have been convicted to come out and love them myself. It is through our obedience to the gospel, our active seeking to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and be changed, that they see Him in us. No sign in the yard will do as much as a cold glass of water on a hot day, or a cup of tea to visit over.
Love the LORD your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind
this is the first and great commandment
the second is like unto it
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself
ON these two commandments hang ALL the law and the prophets

you are loved

Graceful Bow.......& me not so graceful

Graceful Bow
Originally uploaded by kafka doodle

I confess I am not so graceful lately.
I fumble and fall, and frankly am quite the klutz. I am simply NOT very graceful. Perhaps I need a class on ballet, or ice skating or some other wonderful class to help teach me the fine art of grace. But really the areas that I need more grace are not the physical graces....
I am sad to say, lacking in the spiritual graces.
I am irritated, and short fused. I am hurried, and overwhelmed. There is a whole LOT on my plate, and I DID NOT put any of it there, don't want it there, but THERE it is, and IT must be dealt with none the less. Sometimes I don't deal lovingly, or as "meekly" as I imagine I ought. Are my standards even biblical? Are they simply ridiculous, or am I just falling way short and trying to find a way out of this mess?
Growing in grace? I feel like a kid in the fourth grace, looking around class mid December.... When did Johnny get SO tall, and did Susie grow like a foot?! By January I am clearly the shortest kid in town, and by mid March the situation is down right embarrassing. Spiritually, I am feeling like that kid. Am I growing dear Father????? REallY, can YOU measure me against the WALL???? Is there ANY change at all??? Perhaps I have shrunk?

Have you ever felt that way? Sure you have NOT shrunk any more than I have. And don't fall for the many modern preachers that tell you if you aren't doing A. B. C. D E. F & G H I & J & for sure K you are just NOT growing spiritually and perhaps are a bad christian (they will NEVER use those words but will leave you with that UNmistakable understanding), and will also let you know if "you are not growing you are backsliding." As if Jesus was a rollercoaster ride. A freakshow, carni ride. NO!
Lets THINK. yes, let us REASON together. Let us think about the hundreds of years the church had no bibles ( I mean the believers not just the leaders).... What about the many Christians being persecuted all around the world. Many have never even read the Bible in its entirety .... have you? There is something wonderful about slowing down, thinking through, pacing oneself, breathing, walking, rather than running.
Jesus has not laid out a reading plan for us in His word. Some how somewhere the guilt has been added to the grace, and it is a shackle that must be thrown off.

Life is too overwhelming as it is, I don't have room for all that too. I am so full of the things He gives me, the things that family has for me, so full of being sinful in trying to grow in grace in needing more grace in trying to sprinkle grace (grace is a bag of goodness) I simply can NOT heap guilt on top, we aren't talking a banana split here!
Everywhere I go, people have standards, Ideals, how I should live, what I should do, what comes next, what they expect of me, or of my family, it is overwhelming. Just turn on the radio, and listen to a preacher tell you some more; you gotta read this much, gotta have this long a "quiet time" gotta have "this long a devotional"; "this long a family worship" this and that, and this and that, and good thing they are preachers and get paid to do that, because I don't know when they would have time to leave their house to get a job to pay the bills. ( no disrespect meant - my pastor does NOT do this)
So here we are in a season, a hard very hard season, one could say that the boat has sunk and we are treading water and have been for some months..... we have a raft now, and we are not drowning .... per say..... not yet.... PRAISE GOD.... and frankly the way many of my brethren are today (all gussied up with "church speak" and little bible knowledge and little grace and love of Christ Jesus), I am more and more fearful to ask for prayer. Many times when I do, instead of a life preserver or help, we get stones thrown our way. More YOU should, or "if only", and all it is is more standards... and this persons is different than that persons, and you can get dizzy trying them all out, or you can just STOP
and go to GOD
and pray
and WAIT
and PRAY
and wait
and the Bible talks a whole lot about that.... so that is what we are doing...
so it looks weird, and awkward, and very uncool. and frankly, I am ungraceful at it. I am sinning in it, it is awkward for me, and I don't like it, I want a person to come and help, but God is making it very clear, it is HE who is our Rescue, our Redemption, our Saviour.... there is NO other.