Why the World Will End In Two Weeks!

Well now, it has been quite a while since I took the time to post any "heresy" to this little blog of mine. So, I decided I would break the silence and once again let my fingers do some talking. As with all my posts, I will not be held responsible for my desecration of the English language. Grammar Nazis be darned!



Today's actual topic: Why Ken Richmond Is "Unmarketable".

Unfortunately, this post has nothing to do with "Why the World Will End in Two Weeks". (I just thought that title was so cool and I liked the sound of it better….sorry I am a deceiver!)



I like youth ministry. I really do. Not only do I enjoy it, I'm fairly good at it. You might say, "Well, aren't we sounding a little prideful today?" Possibly, but truth is truth. God has gifted me in that particular area of ministry and I know it. I like kids (well most of them), and kids generally like me. Am I the best? Nope! Are there others out there just as "gifted" as myself if not more so? I suppose, still I make a pretty darn good youth dude. Some might say, "If that's the case Mr. Awesome, why aren't you out blessing the world with your tremendous gifting?"

That dear friend is a good question, and I intend to answer it. By the way, I love music ministry too, but I'll save that for a different post!

The truth is while I do enjoy "ministry", I do not enjoy much of what we call "doing church". Now before you jump to conclusions and see this as another, "Ken is once again bashing church" session, STOP! It is not that. I am simply attempting to provide an explanation as to why I sit (not so quietly) on the sidelines. I am trying to be transparent and vulnerable here and you should be moved with great emotion at my obvious sincerity and candor.

I realize most people think I'm completely against "church", but I'm not. Actually, I really miss certain aspects of gathering with other believers in an organized fashion especially when it comes to working with kids. I enjoy sharing life with them, hearing their stories, and walking with them through their struggles and victories. I love teaching them truth, mentoring them, and helping them to realize just how crazy in love God is with them. As a matter of fact, I love just about everything dealing with youth ministry. So what's the problem you ask?

The problem comes when "doing church" begins to suck the joy out of what could and should be a thrilling adventure with people I love.

I suppose I could waste keystrokes with some guarded attempts at diplomacy, but I'm just going to cut to the chase here.

The bottom line is I usually do not enjoy a lot of the other "stuff" that comes with the job of working for a church. You know, stuff like attending meetings that have zero to do with anything remotely concerning me, youth ministry, or even Jesus, serving on boring committees, being expected to show up at every non-youth thing going on in the church, and to be honest with you trying to fulfill the all-important "we need lots of kids to make it look like we're a growing church" expectation. It all really gets old, and unfortunately drives many gifted guys and gals right out of ministry altogether.

Add to that my general disdain for the almighty "Sunday Service" (at least in most cases), and you can see there are probably not many churches out there that would want to hitch their youth ministry wagon up to this particular horse.

So has been my experience, and up to this point it has kept me out of the fray.

I think it's sad really, but I cannot imagine any church out there allowing me to just work with the kids, and not be involved in the showy aspects of "doing church" I just don't care about. Oh I've heard an endless number of reasons why they deem my involvement as being "very important", but in the end it really just ends up being all about appearances. Well, if you know me, you know I don't give a rat's rear end about keeping up "appearances", so I sit on the sidelines because most of the time "church" seems to be more about protocol…than people.

Now, if someone could find me a church that will let me work with the kids and their parents, and skip out on the non-youth "stuff" (unless of course it's "stuff" I want to participate in). I just might be persuaded to lock arms with those folks and bless them with my incredibly gifted self (sarcasm…sort of).

Better yet, why not just get some folks together on Sunday morning in a very "you're free to be yourself" manner, celebrate Jesus, testify of His goodness, sing, dance(if that's your thing), and let God do His thing in the midst of His people. Now that sounds good. If you're there, great! If not, no one will bust your chops about it. Wanna wear shorts and flip flops? Go for it! Will there be a "sermon" every Sunday, not sure, but there might be if God lays something on "your" heart. Are there leaders? Yeah, but chances are you couldn't spot them in the crowd. They'd probably be spending most of their time hanging out with, loving on, and serving people.

Oh my, there I go again. Dreaming about something a little outside the box, something that looks and smells a lot like…family.

Anyway, regardless of my little church "wish list", I am more than willing to "lock arms" with people regardless of where they are in this journey. The question is, are they willing to lock arms with a very talented (there's that pride again), but very opinionated man such as myself?

Survey says…. not likely.

Chances are my unsightly, free-spirited baggage will continue to land me a spot…on the bench.

The good news is that I know the owner of the team very well (oh yes I do!), and "by george" if He wants me in the game…I'll be in the game regardless of my shorts, flip flops, or even my over-inflated view of myself!

Oh, and if the world does end in two weeks, don't blame me.

"Welcome To Nowhere" Population…1

(If you're already feeling kind of bummed about life, don't read this.)

There are times I really hate where I am spiritually. I was thinking about it the other day and came up with this analogy.

It's like traveling down the road on a bus with everyone you know. Life feels pretty good and it all seems to make sense in some way. The journey may have some ups and downs, but at least you're moving forward.

The next thing you know, you're being told you need to get off at the next stop. It really doesn't make sense, especially when you realize no one is getting up to exit the bus with you. Still, off you go, all alone into the unknown. Quietly, you watch as the bus pulls away with everyone you know and everything that was familiar, and then…nothing.

Every now and then, someone will stop and offer you a ride, but you never get in. Why? Maybe it's simply fear. I mean, how can you know they are even going in the direction you need to go? Besides, you really don't know yourself where you are or where you're supposed to be. All you know is you were told to get off the bus. But in the end, it's probably more about some half-brained belief that somehow you are where you're supposed to be regardless of how little it seems to make sense. The people that offer you a ride think your nuts for just sitting there. Wouldn't it be better to at least be going somewhere? When they ask you what you're waiting for, you honestly don't even know how to answer. So you just continue to sit, holding on to this ever fading conviction that this is where you are meant to be. It is quiet, it is lonely, and it is frustrating beyond words.

And so I sit at my little bus stop, waiting, wondering, and sadly finding myself caring less and less about any of it.

Did You Mean “church” Or “Church”?

The following is my response to ideas presented in an article by Kevin DeYoung entitled "The Glory of Plodding". To read the article, click the link at the top right by that same name.
Is going "to church" necessary?
Not only is it not necessary, the phrase is not found in the bible at all!
You heard me right! Nowhere and I do mean nowhere will you ever find any of the following phrases in the bible:
"Go to church", "Meet at church", or "Attend church"
I could go on, but I'm guessing you get the point.
Yes, I do know what many of you would say. "Ken, doesn't the bible admonish us to not forsake assembling with the saints?" Yes, it does indeed. I have not, nor will I ever disagree with that. It is scripture, it is true, and it certainly represents the heart of God for His kids.
Now, here's a question for you.
What does that have to do with "admonishing" others to attend a man instituted system of religion and the twisting of a biblical term to mean something completely unbiblical?
Answer: Nothing!
By the way, how many people would it take to fulfill this mandate to "assemble with the saints"? I would encourage you to keep in mind that Jesus said where two or three were gathered in His name, He would be in their midst. If I need a special building for two or three folks to assemble, I suppose I better "assemble" with some loaded saints!
Look folks, I know very well that it is God's desire that we travel this journey of faith with other believers. It's absolutely true that there can be no spiritual Lone Rangers. We need each other just like a body needs its parts to function properly, but let's get real here. There is no way on God's green Earth anyone will ever find ANY biblically, sound support for what American's call "going to church".
I've said this before and I'll say it again. "Church" is always used in the bible as a word that describes "the body of Christ". It is not something you attend. Granted, you may choose to meet with "the Church", but you do not meet "at the church". That use of the word comes solely from the mouths of men not God.
You might be tempted to accuse me of splitting hairs here, but I could probably accuse you (at least those of you who adhere to using the term incorrectly) of doing the same.
Is it wrong to meet with other believers in a building? Of course not! As a matter of fact, if you want to buy a building and use it to meet with other believers, have at it! I personally do not see it as being a good use of what God has given us, but you may and that's your business. My problem is that so many folks use the term "church" in phrases such as loving the "Church" and going to "church" synonymously, when in fact these two uses of the word have very different meanings.
With the phrase "loving the Church", "Church" speaks of "the people" while "going to church" would lead us to believe you are speaking of a place or destination. Again, these are two very different words with very different meanings. You cannot use them synonymously.
Again, I have no problem with the idea of "the Church" loving on each other and meeting together however and wherever they choose. I do have a problem with folks muddying the water with religious jargon based on religious traditions instead of sound biblical doctrine. It confuses the world and serves no purpose other than the manipulation and control God's people.
Oh and by the way Mr. DeYoung, Jesus was indeed "anti-religion", "anti-doctrine" (at least the man contrived junk), and "anti-institutional" (just ask the Pharisees).
So, if you're going to use the term "Church", use it within context of what the bible actually teaches. Otherwise, you might find it wise to say nothing at all.

Lines in the Sand

Do you remember the story in the gospel of John where a "harlot" is brought before Jesus caught in the act of adultery? The people want to stone her, but pause long enough to ask Jesus what he thinks of the situation. If you remember, before Jesus speaks a single word, he begins to draw in the dirt with his finger. I don't know about you, but I've always wondered why Jesus would do such a strange thing. Some say it was a word or phrase that pertained to the situation, others figure he was just "doodling" while gathering his thoughts, but I have a different thought.

I believe He drew…a line.

Metaphorically speaking, to "draw a line in the sand" is to establish a point that shall not be crossed. It is a way of saying, "you may go no further". You see, I believe Jesus was drawing a line in the sand as if to say, "No more!" Jesus knew these people were stiff-necked folks full of religion, void of love, and empty of the life of God. I do believe that line said to all, "Today, this sort of nonsense comes to an end!"

Can I prove it? Heck no, but it's as good of a hypothesis as I've ever heard and I kind of like it!

Today, I too am drawing a line in the sand.

Back in September, I wrote a post entitled, "WARNING: Throwing Rocks Will Get You…Nowhere Good!" Please know that I meant every word of that post but honestly, I just didn't have the "whatever" to actually walk it out at the time. Today, I am reaffirming the commitment I made in that post. I am drawing my own line in the sand and declaring "no more"! By the way, if you are wondering just what I had to say in that post feel free to check it out. If not, cool beans!

Guys, I really wish the "stuff" that junks up our hearts and minds could be easily dealt with, but I suppose it just takes time, a lot of prayer, and a lot of Jesus. Jesus said that He came to set captives free. He did not say it happens instantaneously.

Over the past several weeks, I have come to see more clearly than ever that life is too short and too full of hurt and pain for anyone who names Christ as Savior to be "throwing logs on the fire". In other words, there's more than enough hell-fire strife in the world without me making things worse with hurtful words and mean spirited rhetoric. Honestly, I just don't want to continue to use any part of my life to make things worse for anyone when I could be using my energy and gifts to make things better. The bible says that our witness to the world is our love for each other. If that is the case, my witness has been a poor one at best. For that (and a host of many other things), I am very sorry. I am not your Holy Spirit friends and I do not possess the capacity nor have I been given the right to judge the motives of anyone. And the people said….amen.

With that, I would like to reaffirm my commitment to NEVER AGAIN write a blog post (or Facebook post) that attacks my brothers and sisters in the body of Christ in ANY WAY!

Why? Because I have been completely persuaded by our gracious Lord that we have been called to love each other, support each other, and treat each other as He would love, support, and treat each of us. That means each and every person no strings attached, no conditions.

At the end of the day, we must all carry our hurts and pains to Jesus if we truly hope to be free. No amount of mudslinging will ever undo a bad experience or heal any wound. I should know. Only Jesus can restore us and fill our lives with purpose, hope, and meaning regardless of what anyone has said or done to us. If you are hurt, take it to Jesus. If you want justice, take it to Jesus. If you are angry, bitter, or full of unforgiveness (if that's really a word), take it to Jesus. Hit back, and you'll end up with a black eye every single time. Again, I should know!

He still sets captives free and only He has the strength to turn that key in the lock and open the prison door. Trust me; I'm speaking from experience here!

So for all of you who have been concerned, offended, or completely baffled by my posts over the past couple of years, please rejoice for I am finished being "ugly"! I will continue to write (if God allows), but I will only write that which will edify my church family. Anything past that is indeed pointless.

_______________________(MY LINE IN THE SAND)_____________________

“Satan” Claus? Well…He Does Wear A Red Suit!

For years now, I've heard many of my Christian brothers and ……well mainly just the brothers rattle on and on about the "evils" of allowing children to believe in Santa. In an article called "Christians and Santa Claus", Pastor Andrew B. Ray shares the following with us:

"If we agree that Santa Claus is a made up character and that for years we have been spreading the lie to children that he is real and we believe that Satan is the father of this lie then it kind of makes you wonder if it really is a coincidence or not. Bible students have known and proven that Satan is the greatest counterfeit of the Lord Jesus Christ, so it would only make sense for Satan to create such a character to do his work."

He goes on to say the following:

"We have the fact that Santa Claus is not real.   I know that most adults realize this but adults have told children that Santa is real. It is a Lie!

Oh you devilish "Satan" Claus devotees! Feeling a little….guilty yet? Nah, me either.

Look, I know Santa Claus probably isn't real (notice I said probably…..you never know), and yes technically we are telling our children a lie, but dog gone it, I like Santa! He's nice, does good stuff, and cares a lot about people. Of course I do realize he is portrayed in many various ways (some of which are less than benevolent), but that's not his fault! In the end, we would all have to agree that at the core of his character he is really good fellow real or not so real!

Still, there are plenty of upstanding folks out there that do not like the idea of having Santa around at Christmas.

I do wonder if people like Pastor Ray have ever exchanged a shiny new quarter for one of their kid's teeth courtesy of the Tooth Fairy. How about telling a kid that their recently deceased pet is now frolicking through the golden fields of Heaven, isn't that a lie? Can you biblically prove that statement as being factual? Then of course there are those "other" situations like when Uncle Joe dies and we tell the kids he's in Heaven, but in reality we know Uncle Joe was a real creepo and only mentioned the name of Jesus when he was honked off at someone. Is that a lie? What about Christmas? Is it wrong to celebrate the pagan holiday known as Christmas?

"Pagan" you say? Indeed, I say!

You see whether you want to deal with it or not, we all in some way or another take part in "stuff" that is rooted in good old-fashioned heresy and deception. Unfortunately, that would include the wonderful holiday known as Christmas.

With that, I would like to share with you (at least for those "Pastor Ray" types), the truth behind the origins of the Christmas holiday.

For starters, let's take a peek at how Christmas came to be. It all began when Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25.  During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the weeklong celebration.  The festival began when Roman authorities chose "an enemy of the Roman people" to represent the "Lord of Misrule."  Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week.  At the festival's conclusion, December 25^th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman. The ancient Greek writer poet and historian Lucian (in his dialogue entitled Saturnalia) describes the festival's observance with the following:

"In addition to human sacrifice, he mentions these customs: widespread intoxication; going from house to house while singing naked (that sounds fun!); rape and other sexual license; and consuming human-shaped biscuits." (Which by the way are still produced in some English and most German bakeries during the Christmas season).

In the 4^th century CE, Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival hoping to take the pagan masses in with it.  Christian leaders succeeded in converting to Christianity large numbers of pagans by promising them that they could continue to celebrate the Saturnalia as Christians.  The problem was that there was nothing very "Christian" about Saturnalia. To remedy this, these Christian leaders named Saturnalia's concluding day, December 25^th, to be Jesus' birthday and "VOILA!" Christmas is born.

And it doesn't end there! How about Christmas trees?

Well, just as early Christians recruited Roman pagans by associating Christmas with the Saturnalia, so too worshippers of the "Asheira" cult and its offshoots were recruited when the Church sanctioned the use of "Christmas Trees". Pagans had long worshipped trees in the forest, or brought them into their homes and decorated them, and this observance was adopted and painted with a nice little touch of "Christian veneer" by the Church.

Christmas presents?

In pre-Christian Rome, the emperors compelled their most despised citizens to bring offerings and gifts during the Saturnalia (in December) and Kalends (in January).  Later, this ritual expanded to include gift-giving among the people.  The Catholic Church gave this custom a "Christian flavor" by giving it a makeover and touted it as being a supposed gift-giving act of Saint Nicholas.

I could go on, but I think you most likely get my point. The truth is that we all are guilty of promoting the "lie of Christmas" in one way or another. Even our annual church Christmas plays are chock full of half-truths and misconstrued facts (i.e., the wise men). Yet, rarely does anyone dare question these heinous forms of deception. Why? Well, I suppose the reasons are many, but it could be that most of us just don't see any of this as being a big deal. We know we love God, we love His precious son, and we believe that honoring God in our hearts is far more important than picking apart historical facts and forgotten traditions of long lost cultures.

Frankly, I just couldn't care less about all that stuff and I'd guess most of you don't either! In 1^st Samuel 16, God tells us that "man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart", and that's good enough for me!

So, to all you "Pastor Ray types" out there, I would implore you to give it a rest. Yes, you got it right on one point, but you missed the bigger picture. That of course being that our gracious God most likely isn't offended by our pagan trees, presents, and Christmas plays full of deplorable fallacies. No, I'd dare say His heart simply looks for other hearts that long to love, worship and adore all that He is and appreciate all that He has done in our lives.

So rock on Sata…..I mean Santa Claus! And when you fly over the abode of the good "Pastor Ray", try not to think poorly of him. After all, I'd say being on the naughty list for writing "mean stuff"…is punishment enough!

PS – If perhaps you awaken Christmas Eve to find a guy in a red suit poking around your house, try not to panic, unless of course he happens to be carrying a pitch fork!

Peace to you all and may you all have a very Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20 Percent…And I Feel Fine!

The following is a list of a few popular Christian charities and how they spend their money. By the way, the administrative category would include all staff salaries.

Angel Tree Prison Ministries:

Programs: 67%  Fund Raising: 20%  Administrative: 13%

Compassion International:

Programs: 82%  Fund Raising: 10%  Administrative: 8% 

HOPE International:

Programs: 79%  Fund Raising: 14%  Administrative: 7%

Salvation Army:

Programs: 84%  Fund Raising: 1%  Administrative: 15% 

Samaritans Purse:

Programs: 89%  Fund Raising: 6%  Administrative: 5% 

 

Looks pretty good right? Most of these organizations spend the majority of their budgets on helping people. Some obviously do a little better job than others, but all are doing a great job.

With that in mind, consider the following:

A recent survey conducted by "Christianity Today", found that the average church spends less than 20% of its total budget on ministry that directly assists others. The survey was based on the responses of almost 1200 churches of various denominations. The overwhelmingly largest portion of these churches' budgets went towards paying the salaries of their staff with the pastors' salaries comprising most of that category.

In fact over 70% of most churches' budgets are allocated to cover staff "compensation" and facilities costs. Typically, most charities spend between 5 and 13% of their total expenditure on salaries.
Throw in supplies, denominational "fees", and the all-important "other" category and you will burn up another 12 to 15 percent of the total budget.
What's left over? Not much.

I find that to be….disturbing. Actually, shouldn't we all find that a little bit disturbing?

Would we be quite so "charitable" to any other organization knowing full well that so little of what we give goes to actually helping others? I don't think so.

I can hear it now, "Ken it's different with church. That money goes to provide for the needs of our pastor and staff!" Well, I can assure you that were it the CEO of any charity out there receiving almost half the total budget as a salary, there would be an uproar of monumental proportions. Yet, for some strange reason we are more than willing to embrace such a mindset within the body of Christ. Why? Because that's what "church" is. That's how it works! You give the money, you trust the "leaders" to allocate the dough correctly, and all is well.

Here's a thought: Maybe "church" and how we "do" it…needs an overhaul!

Maybe we need to "rethink" what it means to be salt and light in the world and how that is actually "fleshed out" in the lives of those around us.

By the way, please don't say it's all about reaching "the lost" for Christ. We all know that the research proves that the majority of new church membership comes from "the sheep" shifting pens! It does not come from new conversions. That is an illusion.

In closing, I would like to say that I do know of a church and a pastor in the Dalton area that is truly managing God's money in a God honoring way. This particular church uses almost 100% of its budget to help people. This pastor takes nothing and wants nothing in the way of compensation. He works just like the rest of us. How can he do that? The "members" of that church understand what it really means to be the body of Christ. You know, more than 20% doing the work!

Hey, there's that number again….strange!

By the way, if your church is doing better, God bless ya!

At the end of the day, we can all "do better", but that will only happen when we get real about who we are and what we're doing, or not doing…me included!

Hula Hoops and Pharisees

I do not like hula hoops. They are evil things! They require movements that border on being risqué and present a high likelihood of painful hip dislocation! Still, as bad as these foul contraptions are they aren't nearly as bad as "religious" hoops. Those are the worst hoops of all! Unlike the hula hoop which has been conquered by a proud few, "religious" hoops cannot be mastered! Oh one may try, but no amount of jumping can ever suffice for there are always more hoops waiting to thwart your best efforts. They come in many varieties, but most seem to find their beginnings as twisted bits of scripture taken out of context. For example, I have ALWAYS struggled with the following scriptures from Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John:

^Verse 15: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

^Verse 21 "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me."

^Verse 23 "Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words."

Am I the only one? Please tell me I'm not the only one who struggles with this!

These scriptures seem to indicate that our love for Jesus is based on our ability to keep His commandments. Keep them, and you obviously love Jesus. Fail to keep them, and you my friend…are a loser! Not only are you a loser, but you are a loser who does not love Jesus which of course is the worst kind!

Every single time I fail Jesus (which is ALL THE TIME); I am reminded of my lack of love for Him. It's just not fun folks! It's like a riding some sadistic rollercoaster. Up and down, over and over, and I WANT TO GET OFF!

So, I am left to deal with the following conclusions:

I fail God constantly. If I fail to keep His commands, I obviously just don't love Jesus. If I don't love Jesus, how can He really be pleased with me or any part of my life? Therefore, how can I ever call myself a Christian which means "follower of Christ" if I don't love Him? I can't!

BUT, I WANT TO!!!!

I really do want to keep His commandments. I just cannot seem to pull it off. No matter how hard I try, I fail, everyday, all the time! It is this idea of having to do something that I know I cannot that DRIVES ME NUTS! Not only does it drive me crazy, but it keeps me in a continual state of defeat.

When I first came to Jesus, it was "just as I am". Now, it seems to be more along the lines of "do this, or else"!

What happened?

Well, I think several things are at work here.

Number one would probably have a lot to do with my personality. Honestly, I think I need medication! I obsess over EVERYTHING! My wife would give a hearty AMEN to that. Nothing is ever a small deal for me and I constantly analyze and pick apart every aspect of life. So, feel free to feel sorry for your poor tormented brother!

Secondly, I think I have heard far too many sermons about how much we all suck (excuse me, but it seemed appropriate) and we never "do" enough "for Jesus". I'm honestly not bashing anyone here. Heck, I've preached more than a few guilt laden "tongue lashers" myself. I think sometimes we forget that the guy standing up on the platform is still just…"a guy". I realize he's doing the best he can, but we shouldn't dismiss the fact that many of his own views were formed by listening to other "guys". That doesn't mean we should avoid "guys", but I do think we need to be very careful especially when we assume "our guy's" words are coming straight from the throne room of Heaven.

Last, but not least would have to be a misreading of scripture and taking verses out of context. This is certainly at the core of all "religious hoop jumping". When you look at the totality of scripture, it seems quite clear that God is completely aware of our inability to do anything good! We NEVER get it right and when we do, it's not us, it's Him. We would have to admit that it is God living in us that enables good things to happen. It is never "us", because it is impossible for humans to "be good" or"do right"! Even Paul made it clear in Romans 7 that he was completely incapable of "doing right".

So, what's up with the above mentioned scriptures? Is Jesus really saying, "Jump through the hoops to prove your love for me suckas"?

I just don't think so. If we look at these verses in light of what all scripture teaches, I believe we will see a different message.

Notice verse 15 says, "If you love me, you will…." Could it be that Christ is saying that our focus should be on loving Him and not on keeping commandments? Could it be that loving Jesus is the key to keeping His commandments, not the opposite? IF you love me, THEN you will be able to keep my commandments. After all, isn't that what most of the book of Galatians is talking about?

If my focus is on getting to know and love Jesus, maybe I will not have to worry about keeping His commandments. It is no longer me trying to "pull off" the Christian life, but rather it is Jesus doing everything through me because I'm in Him and He's in me. In fact, in the very next chapter of that same book (chap. 15), Jesus lets us know that, "Apart from me, you can do NOTHING"! Absolutely NOTHING! And friends, surely that would have to include keeping His commandments!

You see, if keeping commands satisfies God and proves our love for Him, then every Pharisee ought to have had it in the bag! They knew God's commands and were quite zealous in keeping them. Still, Jesus called them a, "brood of vipers" and "white-washed tombs". And let's not forget about Saul (later to become Paul). He was certainly someone who took God's commands very serious. Yet on a certain road to Damascus, Jesus let Him know He was not "okay" with him at all!

By the way, you should know that thinking this way REALLY scares me! The little Pharisee in me is constantly prodding me to work hard to please Jesus. Grace…is for lazy, sin loving "wannabes"! For me, embracing such truths goes against every religious bone in my religious body….and it probably does yours also.

Why is this? Is it fear? The fear that God will "whack" us is very prominent in the body of Christ (and in the life of Ken Richmond). Still, I think it is more than that. I really think the root of performance based thinking is really just plain old pride! Yep, you heard me right, pride.

You see, in a very sick way, it is much easier to "try" your best at hoop jumping rather than trust in the goodness of a very great God. For years, I've tried to convince myself that I really do have some part to play in this whole Christianity deal, but truthfully it just doesn't work out that way. As soon as I get involved, it all goes wrong. Not only that, but having to rely on God's goodness causes me to have to deal with the reality of what my relationship with him looks like…and many times that tends to be a little more than I'm looking for. It's far easier to attempt to do the stuff, fail, and then ask for forgiveness than to simply give Him my heart and trust him for everything including my right standing with Him. Unfortunately, I don't "do" trust very well. Besides, relationships are messy, scary things. They take effort, time, and are full of unknowns. Not only that, but you actually have to listen and at times walk by faith and who wants to do all that? Religious hoop jumping is far more convenient and allows us to at least fool ourselves into believing we are somewhat "in control".

News flash for Ken (that's me): You are not "in control", nor will you ever be!

I suppose for me it all boils down to one of two lines of thought. Either we are expected to live this impossible thing called the Christian life or Jesus has to do it through and for us. All I know is that I'm 42 years old and I have never lived a single day without thinking, saying, or doing something ungodly….and I probably never will. If God doesn't love me today "just as I am", then I doubt He ever will. At the end of the day, I know that the hoops will never go away unless I begin to truly embrace what God has clearly and lovingly shown me in His word. That of course being, that He does indeed love me "just as I am" and He promises to never leave me or forsake me...regardless of my endless list of failures! By the way, if you are His kid, that would apply to you also!

Apart from that, I suppose we are all toast!

So, if you get to Heaven and realize I'm not there, you can assume that I had this whole business of just trusting Him wrong. Tell all the "hula hoopers" and Pharisees I said hi and try not to gloat too much!

Just kidding…..sort of!