Friday, June 20, 2008

God in a Box

It's amazing how in the last several months God has shown me things about him that I thought I knew already, but liker most of us just didn't get. We claim, especially those of us in the charasmatic/pentacostal group, that with God nothing is impossible but we constantly put him into a neat little box where if he ever tried anything outside of that box we claim it to be anti-God. Most of you know that Christina and I have been on the move church wise again trying to find that home away from Faith Temple, but if you didn't there you go. We have been visiting a baptist church with some friends of ours in the last few weeks, breath everyone, and have truly been blessed by what we have seen.
Like I said at the beginning God has been dealing with me personally about boxes for a while, and on the first Sunday there would you believe the Pastor talked about boxes? Amazingly baptist people feel the leading of the spirit as so many people wrongly think. That sermon spoke right to me as he said "We the baptist church like to put God in a box and not allow him to work, now you Church og God people out there laugh but your guilty of it too your box is just bigger."
As I sat there I was hit with a lot of different thoughts, some concerning a certain baptist church that sang the same songs as we do, had their very own Marsha Hoxworth(one of the best pastors wives Christina and I have ever had), but a pastor who spoke to the heart of what God was dealing with me on.
Now I have always been a person of Faith, as long as you couldn't see inside my head anyway. I have to show strength for my family no matter what, thats my job. But there have been some real down moments for me since moving back to Cleveland. Everytime I think things are looking good again, it seems to turn within minutes. At one point after a particularly challenging problem was fixed I even said that I felt like God had pushed the envelope of my ability to continue on. I started to wonder did we make a bad choice in coming here? Is the dream that gave me to great for someone who is "non-traditional" at school? It seems that everytime I see somthing forming up its crushed and thoughts of moving back home resurface.
Today was a really bad day for me because Christina was hit with another one of migranes. She had more then her insurance alloted five of them so we had to call to get her refill only to hear that she couldn't get anymore in this month. The on call doctor in his great wisdom suggested we just buy one pill to get her through to Monday when her doctor will be available, but that one pill is $92.00! At least in the army they would have given her samples. The army looks really good for someone who thought God was calling him out, someone who wanted to stay in for life and had a family that supported that.
As all these thoughts are running through my head I remember my pastors words when we were discussing some ideas once. I am sure that if I tried to quote it I would mess it up so I'll "wadish" it. "Even though I know what God has in store for Faith Temple he has not yet released me to it". WHAT you mean God shows you things in the future but won't let you do it yet? You mean even though there is a struggle to maintain those things as they are he knew that when he told you but I can't do anything excpet keep walking?
I know over the last few months Christina and I have helped people with stuggles that we would have never seen or met in Killeen, Texas, our comfort zone. That doesn't mean that we don't know what some of what God has in store for us, nor does it mean that this is "our spot" its more like our wilderness." As sure as the world we had put God into a "prosperity box". A box that said we were doing what he wanted so things should go well, more like would go well.
So as I am sitting here thinking of being in God's box and not keeping him my box at 130 because I can't sleep yet again, I flip over to GOD TUBE and watch a video of a drama. For people that know me they know how I am about drama and media in the church. I despise those people that just want to get by. I believe that it is not that hard to make good quality no matter what your resources. I am also not real happy with those people who make excuses for not using it in their service. Excuses like we just dont know how, or God doesn't use that in church. These people are usually againest business managers in church too. Anyway enough ranting off subject, I watch the video that is attached here where this group is doing cheerleaderesk moves combined with drama and I see a place where God is not boxed out of the media/drama but is allowed to move freely in a backflip :)
To sum this rant all up nicely would most likely be impossible but let me try. God is greater then any box a demoniation can put around him. God is greater then any form of ministry can put around him. It doesn't matter how much people think we shouldn't copy the things of the world, because God is a creative person and humans are in his likeness they are therefore creative in the end they are in fact copying him. David danced for God years before churches made it a sin, banners were somthing of every worship service in Israel, so let God out of your box and climb into his!
Dramatically IHS









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