Posts Tagged With: God

Baring My Soul

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Daniel

This is from the vault. One of the oldest blogs I ever posted. There is still so much truth in it and the issues that I discuss here still come up for me all the time.

Baring My Soul

Feb 4th 2006I want to talk about the power of Gods promises. But first, I must premise with the following disclaimer: I find it difficult and intimidating to write or share anything spiritual with anyone. I feel this way mostly because I have suffered in the past (and still recovering) from a very serious condition known as hypocrititus.

For those of you who are in the same boat, I feel for you. I know how hard it is trying to keep up a facade of being a Christian and feeling your life slip away as you become an empty shell of the person you hoped to be.I came to the realization and the relief, that it is not my job to make God look good. He looks good all on his own. After all he is, “beautiful beyond description, to marvelous for words, too wonderful comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard.”

A note to those also afflicted with hypocrititus:

I recently watched, which I cannot in good conscience endorse, and probably shouldn’t have watched due to the pervasive foul language, a movie called “Phone Booth”. I was very moved and inspired by the ending which I will now ruin for you by telling you. A man is provoked, by the threat of death by a sniper, to bare his soul to the world. He confesses all and it truly was beautiful…

He says, “I’m a fake… I lie to my friends, I lie to everyone… I haven’t done a thing for anyone when it hasn’t benefited me…

He breaks down in tears and tells his wife, I come here every day to call another woman from this phone booth and I wanted to sleep with her. All I have is weakness and I am sorry. I love you.”

So often we live our lives grasping for some shred of dignity, when in reality, none of us have earned any. So we lie.

When the truth finally does come out, we find ourselves accepted and loved and standing in grace instead of judgement… and it is beautiful.

You may find this surprising but the bible supports this idea of public confession:

The bible tells us to, confess our sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed (James 4:16).

The apostle John writes to us these encouraging words with a promise, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

And finally, Paul writes to us telling us that he boasts of his weaknesses so that Christ’s power may be evident in him. (Making it obvious that is Christ alone who is the source of all that is holy, righteous and good.)

So here I am following suit:

I have nothing but weakness in me. I have nothing to offer anyone. I am a self centered proud hypocrite. I am by no means a spiritual giant. I am often prayerless, faithless, and loveless. I am a fake. A phony. I often love other things more than God. He hasn’t been the center of my life… I have been. He hasn’t been the love of my life… I have been. My motives have been acceptance and approval by others, recognition, fame, and even money. “But I want to start over now, hear me God I calling out for mercy, your sweet forgetfulness…” (sorry, I broke into some lyrics to a song)

We are all human beings. God is the only God of the human race. Jesus is the only Savior of the human race. And though we are frail and weak, we are offered hope by the promise of God in the gift of the Holy Spirit whom God sends to live in us as we place our faith in Jesus. And it is by the Holy Spirit working in us that we reflect His glory. And what is his glory? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The fruit of the Holy Spirit, not the fruit of you or I. This is the Holy Spirit of Jesus living in us, living out his life in us, reflecting the image of God in us!

I want to share one final promise of God that I have found to be a lifeline when I was feeling helpless and hopeless:

Ask (*and keep on asking) and it will be given to you; seek (and keep on seeking) and you will find; knock (and keep on knocking) and the door will be opened to you If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (Luke 11 – *Persistence is implied here see Amplified Bible)

God will freely give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Luke eleven begins with a parable about persistence, and the Greek word for ask implies a continual act. I have been praying this each morning as I wake up and have noticed my life begin to change, but until death I will never stop asking (so help me God) because I know how desperately I need Gods best gift in me every moment of every day. And praise God we ALL (yes you too) have a Father in heaven who loves us and longs to bless us with the best!

Thank you so much for listening I pray that all who read this will be blessed and respond with faith in Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and that Jesus will live his life of love through you for all your days until his return when he sets up His kingdom on earth. And on that day may you stand blameless in His Presence.

in Christ,

Daniel Lovett

Categories: Exposing Self-Righteous Religion, Redemption | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Drunk Canoeing

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Daniel

This story has got to be from around ten years ago. I’m glad I no longer feel like I’m at odds with God as I did then. After a canoe outing tonight with a friend and our children, I thought I’d share this piece of comedy from my past:

So this little story came up in a Bible study the other week. We were discussing our “perfect steak” experiences. This reminded me of my “perfect steak” experience, which also happened to be the first time in ten years that I got drunk. I wonder if the two were related… hmmm… I share the experience because, not only is this story quite comical, there is also a lesson in there… somewhere.

I was on a canoeing trip with some friends. On our drive up, we stopped to pick up some steaks – the best that money could buy, and a bottle of vodka. That night, as we were cooking them over the grill, I imagined that all the bears and wolves in the area smelled our delicious and savory steaks and were licking their chops just out of reach of the firelight. (I later learned that the area we were in is home to wolves)

wolf with no coffeeDid I mention that wolves terrify me? Yes, I know that God controls all the creatures of the forest including wolves but this is not exactly a comforting thought when you feel at odds with him (which, at the time, was how I felt). God could in fact lead every wolf within a hundred miles right to you if he so desired.

After having my perfect steak and a few drinks, I continued to meditate on the fact that God could kill me with a wolf attack, and attempted to go to sleep. It was no use.

Imagine lying there in a tent hearing all sorts of noises outside, staring at the thin wall of the tent conjuring up in your mind images of a wolf ripping through it and into you. I panicked. I grabbed a flashlight and ventured outside for a look. I was so badly frightened that I ran down to the water, got into the canoe and paddled out to the middle of the lake. So there I sat, in the middle of the lake in the middle of the night, safe from the big bad wolf. And then… it began to rain.

‘Just perfect’, I thought.

You hear a lot about drunk driving but I have never heard anything about drunk canoeing. There is no slogan that says “don’t drink and canoe”. Not very catchy. It dawned on me that I was definitely a high risk for a drowning that night.

Disclaimer: Drunkenness is in fact not advisable under any circumstances but especially while operating vehicles whether it be it a car, tricycle, skateboard, or canoe.

and remember: Don’t drink and canoe! Get a designated paddler.

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Lost Episode: “the Moth”

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Daniel

(From the vault – posting some of my past journal’s best entries)

My wife and I recently discovered the TV series Lost. We “rented” the entire first and second season from the library and watched it all in the span of a few weeks. We got so involved with the characters that at one point I was so exasperated and frustrated at what Jack or Locke or Charlie had done that I threw up my hands and ending up knocking out a few lights in our chandelier.  There was one episode that really rocked my world. It was called “The Moth”.

Charlie_Pace_-_LostCharlie, a musician who was addicted to heroin, was trying to get away from the others (not the “others” but the others – if you know what I mean) to get alone so he could get a fix of heroin from the bag he was carrying with him. Locke, the ‘father figure’ of the show, observed Charlie’s behavior and knew what was going on. He confronted him and told him, “Your stash will run out sooner or later, so why don’t you just hand them over?  I want to help you through this.” After some thought, Charlie handed over his drugs. Locke then told him that if he asked him three times for the drugs back that he would give them to him.

Over time, and in the discomfort of de-toxing, Charlie broke down and asked twice for the drugs. Locke pointed to a moth that was struggling to free itself from its cacoon. He explained that he could help it in its struggle but that it was the struggle that made the moths wings strong and ready to fly. If it was freed prematurely without that necessary struggle it would be weak and unprepared to face the world. Charlie finally came the third time and said, “give me my drugs.” Locke replied, “you know this is the third time?” Charlie said, “I know. I have made my decision.” Locke gave it to him. Charlie, right then and there, threw it into fire. Locke said, “I knew you could do it. I am so proud of you.”

Wow.

So what does this speak to you about? I’m interested to hear from you – leave a comment!

——

Here are a few of my thoughts and reactions:

I usually process things that really move me, whether it is in a book, blog, TV show or a movie through the grid of my relationship to God. Like Locke was to Charlie, God is my father figure. He doesn’t just instantly resolve all our problems or give us a struggle free, pain free existance. Yes, we often wish he would, and we often pray incessantly to that end, and then when he “doesn’t come through for us” according to our expectations we often get bitter and dissappointed with God and wonder what good is God if he won’t do such and such a thing for us?

What if he did? A scene from Bruce Almighty just flashed though my mind where Bruce says yes to everyones prayer and bedlam ensues complete with riots in the street, etc…

Often the best thing God can say to us is no, or wait. Yes, God will say yes, in fact, I believe he loves to say yes! But are there people still asking or praying anymore? Are we all still bitter about the time he said “no” or “wait” and so like a spoiled child we don’t talk to God anymore?

So what if, in a moment, he freed you from the cacoon of that vice or that disease, or whatever it is that we are struggling through? What would have failed to happen in our lives? Would our character somehow have failed to be developed from that trial by enduring that temptation or pain? I think so.

It is true that God can and does free people instantly from a vice (be it a drug or porn addiction) or from our suffering (such as cancer), and perhaps this is exactly what he wants to do in your life right now, so by all means keep asking, but also keep fighting. (Paul talks about our fight for the faith – I think this is basically hanging on to the truth that God is love and good and kind in spite of all the supposed “evidence” to the contrary. In this broken fallen world, occupied by enemy spiritual forces of pure evil, all “evidence” is suspect. As someone once said, “Don’t confuse life for God”.

I believe that like a loving understanding father, he is here for us in our trial. He knows far better than we do about what is best for us. I believe God gives us the freedom and strength to endure, to stand strong in it and through it. This strength is something we would not have had on our own… but now we do. Not only that, he promises to never allow us to go through anything that we couldn’t bear, that we couldn’t endure.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (New International Version – NIV)

13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Isn’t this amazing? Our Soveriegn God will never let us go through anything that we can’t bear. So if you are really going through it – he has great faith in you!

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A person’s a person, no matter how small

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Daniel

On new years day my wife and I watched the animated Dr. Seuss film “Horton Hears a Who”. The movie was hilarious and I laughed quite a bit, but it also gave me something to ponder on. One of the lines that Horton repeats a number of times is this:

“…a persons a person no matter how small.”

After the movie was over and I was reflecting on it, I had an “omigosh” moment when I considered the implications as this relates to conception and the question, “when does life begin?”

I don’t know if Dr. Seuss, whose books have delighted and entertained children for years, believed in life at conception… I doubt it. But, his book “Horton Hears a Who” was all about life that was found on a “speck”. And, when you think about it, isn’t that what the earth is in the vastness of the universe? Just a “speck”?

I think that if God respects the lives we live on this “speck” called earth, shouldn’t we also have respect for the life in the “speck” that is a conceived human child?

After all, “a persons a person no matter how small.”

It is my desire to convey the message that each new life is meant to be valued, cherished and most of all, loved. So I wrote a song called “tiny hands” that I think beautifully expresses that message.

I am offering this song as a free download – and all I ask is that you pass it on. Consider forwarding this message on and help me in this effort to reach and change the world one person at a time.

Visit www.reflectworship.com to watch the music video, read about the inspiration behind the song, and download “tiny hands”.

Blessings,

Daniel Lovett

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tiny hands – a right to life song

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Daniel

Above is my very first music video feauturing a song called “Tiny Hands”. It was inspired in part by the amazing movie “Bella”, but mostly by my sister-in-law Stacy and her little girl Ava.

Stacy was diagnosed with terminal cancer of the blood and soon after learned that she was pregnant. She was advised by her doctors to abort her child in order to recieve the treatment that would prolong her life. Stacy refused and expected, for all practical purposes, to deliver the child and die soon after. All of her family and friends began praying for her situation and asked that God would heal her.

I still remember the shock and surprise I felt when my wife and I received a phone call with news that Stacy’s cancer was gone! The Lord had answered our prayers and healed her! She gave birth to a happy and healthy daughter named Ava Grace. Ava is truly the happiest baby I have ever met (besides my own) and has given me insight into the joy of God.

I had previously mentioned in a blog that whenever I vote, the overriding issue for me is a baby’s right to live. But this is not just a political issue. A friend of mine made the comment that people only bring up the issue of abortion and were “pro-life” once every four years. He said that this wasn’t really being prolife, it was being anti-abortion, and not very effective at that.

It is true that this uncomfortable topic is brought before the public when this nation is choosing leaders who might effect the laws that permit mothers to “abort their pregnancy”.

BUT, in response to my friends comment I say that if those in favor of the murder of infants can call themselves “pro-choice”, then certianly those who oppose the murder of infants can call themselves “pro-life”.

We don’t live in the dark ages. I so appreciate seeing that commercial that shows the baby in the womb and a woman narrating about its heartbeat at so many weeks, and the stages of the babies development. She finishes by saying that she once thought of it as a blob of tissue and now she sees just how wrong she was. Watch it for yourself:

This has been going on for far too long in this nation. Yet so many of us are silent on this issue. Where is the overwhelming outcry against abortion? So what are our leaders to think? They represent us don’t they? They represent the fact that we care more for our individuality and our precious freedom of choice, then we do about the rights of the unborn.

Will you help me change this? It’s ridiculous to think that any particular political party’s policy to be prolife, or to be “prochoice”? Let’s give an unborn child the right to live? I believe that if we all continue to stand for truth and justice that we can change the world. Much like William Wilborforce stood against the profitible and dispicable practice of the slave trade in England, we must stand against the murder of children in “God blessed” America.

This is a human rights issue. A human being has a right to live.

I honestly don’t know if we will ever be able to legally defend the life of the unborn until Christ returns. I don’t know if the laws will ever change. Be we can and ought to do what we can, reaching one person at a time with the message that each new life is precious, a gift from God to be cherished and loved.

This is why I am offering my song “tiny hands” as a free download.  Please pass it on! If even just one woman decides to keep and cherish her child. It will be worth it.

(visit this website to download–> www.reflectworship.com)

Bella-782941Please pray with me and fight with me for the unborn! Do what you can while God lends us breath to pursue justice and truth and, most of all, love.

I was thinking this morning about the scars, both physically and emotionally, that women carry the rest of their lives after an abortion. Many of us are trying to be sensitive to them and not raise such a painful issue. But future pain can be avoided, and present pain can be healed.

My wife and I recently watched a movie that “lit a candle in our heart” and spoiled us by showing us what a good movie is all about. The movie is called Bella. Make it the next one you rent and be blessed.

Thanks for listening,

Daniel

Categories: Prolife | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

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