Enjoying Family and Taking Care of Business

Sorry folks this weekend is being dedicated to family and taking care of special family business therefore I will not be posting an article in my blog.

I truly appreciate all who read my ramblings every week if the Lord wills I'll be back to writing my regular weekly article next Saturday.

Now we are heading out to celebrate my daughter's 20th birthday.

Make Jesus all in all in all things.

In Brotherly Love,
Tom Wilson

Deciding What Is Good and Evil For Ourselves

The biblical definition of independence is deciding what is good and what is evil for ourselves.

We are our own worst counselors when it comes to determining good and evil. Our criteria without exception comes down to our opinions, preferences, desires and whether something is in alignment with them or not. Independence is simply the act of deciding on and pursuing them ourselves. The criteria for our opinions, preferences, and desires is simply does it appeal to my eyes, does it satisfy my physical appetites, and does it contribute to collecting things I want. In other words the Lust of the Eyes, the Lust of the Flesh, and the pride of life.

Genesis 2:8-17 (New International Version) "Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

I mentiones this before, but since my "official" departure from the institutional church approximately 9 months ago I have been in a season of pruning and purification. Though I had left in my heart at least 12 months before that the last 12 months were very uncomfortable as it placed me in a position of choosing to love and voluntarily submit to a system and self-appointed leadership I do not believe in who I knew were purposely betraying and using me with malicious intent.

Father called me to stay for the good of others whom He had given me to serve. Though that season was quite uncomfortable at the time I was going through and I was often tempted to believe that it could not be Father calling me to stay, because my heart was broken, again and again as people I had trusted continued to do me harm. However by that criteria what Jesus went through for our good was not God's plan or will either.

However now that I look back and see the on going relationship and the memories of what God did in the lives of those he had called me to stay and serve the best way that comes to mind to describe my feeling is my heart sings and all I can do is smile.

Since I left I and nearly everyone in the United States and globally has been experiencing an extremely unconformable and disturbing season of economic recession. I am faced with choices that I hear Father calling me to make that I find uncomfortable and disturbing. Choices to sell things I have enjoyed to pay bills and for my family to have food. Not bad things either actually all of them are good things.

However I am at the same time very exciting, because I also keep hearing the Spirit saying to me that before I can say to someone "silver and gold I do not have, but in the the name of Jesus stand up and walk." First I have to be able to honestly say "silver and gold I do not have."

Though I do not enjoy this process as strange as it may sound at the same time I am a very exciting to see what the end result is going to be.

Hebrews 12:7-11 (New International Version) "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have
all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

Contentment in Any and Every Situation Ya Sure Get Real

This morning I had a wonderful conversation with David Fredrickson of Family Room Media and author of the excellent book "When the Church Leaves the Building."

I am so thankful for brothers that I can be open and candid with and know that I will not be judged. When in the institutional church we all talked about that a lot and how important it was, but in my 31 years in the institutional church I found I was often safer and less likely to by judged by those who do not profess faith in Christ then those who do when it comes to being open with my short comings and struggles.

However with David and a few others I've found acceptance of my uniqueness and willingness to genuinely be my friend and brother in the Lord right where I am at the moment.

You see I am really in the beginning stages still of learning to walk in relationship without religious obligation and unrealistic expectation. The season I am in is one of cleansing and being freed of many of the things which prevent or at least interfere with authentic relationship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Church and my neighbors. Some of those things are based on ideas of religious obligation. Some are the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

In this season within a season where I have been experiencing trials in the areas of both health and finances I am beginning to see that I have much more of the love of treasures of this world then I am comfortable with admitting.

As I mentioned before I work for the State of California and as a State Civil Service employee due to California Government's budget deficit I have been forced to take a 10% cut in pay by being furloughed 2 days per month and though it will be modified to one day and thus a 5% cut according to the Governor's agreement with our union. The last payroll and next one have created a huge financial difficulty for me and have so far resulted in being unable to pay a unexpected dentist bill for one of my children. Nevertheless as Father promises all of our actual needs are met.

However I have to admit I've found the financial challenge more difficult to accept then my health challenges. Just today I felt conviction that I have not learned how to be content regardless my situation as the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:12 (New International Version) I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

In my instance it is not even that I am hungry frankly I am well fed. When I comes to actually needs they are all well taken care of. This tells me that there is something about father's love I have either not learned or believed and that I have not yet given up the love of the pleasures of this world and fully died to the world and to self. That my heart is not set free to some extent great or small.

However I do not feel condemnation or guilt, but I pray Father give me the grace to genuinely repent of not being content and of loving the stuff of the world or as I heard a brother once say the red and gold shiny things of this world.

Teach me how to truly be and give me a heart that authentically is "content in any and every situation" and have all my pleasure be only in knowing and having relationship with you and loving my neighbors regardless what I do and don't have.

Today one more of the things I believe you showed me is that in order to get to the place of being able to say silver and gold I don't have, but in the name of Jesus stand up and walk. I also have to get to the place of actually having no silver or gold, but having plenty faith, contentment, and pure joy.

Marginalized Neighbors The Least of These Next Door

This week I want to share with my readers one of my favorite blog writers Kathy Escobar and her blog Titled "Carnival in My Head."

Kathy is an articulate and passionate writer and leads a unique faith community called The Refuge it is one of the few institutional churches that has an excellent handle on authentic organic community under the headship of Christ.

Kathy recently wrote a series of articles in her blog she called "A View from the Margins." She is one of very few people in traditional ministry or outside that I know of that lovingly, but directly tackles the toughest issues.

Marginalization is a huge issue inside and outside of the Church and something that we as believers need to take far more seriously it was an issue that Jesus took head on when he told the story of the Good Samaritan, The Woman at the Well, the Woman who touched his garment to be healed of a never ending menstrual flow that made her unclean... and numerous others.

I strongly urge you all to click on the following link to read "A View from the Margins."