Do you want to see God's glory?

Two days ago I was blessed to be out walking early so that I could see the sunrise. It was spectacular and the color and drama lasted for a long time. All of a sudden it dawned on me that I was seeing the glory of God.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Psalms 19:1

Have you ever thought of that?

Much of the time I think we imagine God's glory as some "spiritual" thing we hope would fall around us; Some kind of experience that would feel a certain way or do something special.

Well that sunrise did something special for me. I thought of how magnificent God is and I was filled with praise.

The sunrise, sunset, stars and sky are so easy to take for granted. Not anymore for me!

Philip

Do you believe in redemption?

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If anyone ever qualified for the death penalty it would be James Holmes - the Aurora theater shooter/murderer.

I do believe in the death penalty. My only qualification is that our present justice system is not always righteous. There are times when prosecutors lie, withhold evidence or distort evidence. So it is possible that an innocent person could be convicted. Not so in the case of James Holmes.

What do I feel in my heart? Am I angry and resentful that he will not be put to death? Never mind the fact that if he had been given the death penalty, the appeals would go on for another ten or twenty years. That aside, what do I feel?

Is James Holmes beyond redemption? Oh, another thing: let's get rid of the mental illness issue. Have we forgotten about demon possession? That is Holmes real problem. And that is not an excuse for his behavior but something that should move us to compassion.

How does someone get demon possessed? Does it just happen all of a sudden through no fault of their own? I don't think so. I think it is the progression of sin acted upon and practiced. Choices are made; anger, hate and resentment build and in a subtle or dramatic way an invitation is given.

Can you, have you prayed for James Holmes? Wouldn't it be wonderful for the sin in his life to be untangled and his life and soul to be redeemed?

Would you like this to be true in your life?

"If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them."

These promises are made after Step 9 in a Twelve-step program. I have found it to be one of the most rigorous and demanding programs of Christian discipleship. I have learned and done things that have transformed my life; things that were never asked of me in the 40 years of being a Christian.

If you would like this to be true in your life I would be glad to help you start the journey.

Compulsion

Compulsion: an irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions against your will.

I don't think any of us are completely free of compulsive behavior or behaviors. The first step to healing is recognizing and acknowledging these things that we are pretty much blind to.

Little clues can lead us towards honest introspection. Greater benefit comes when we open up to a trusted person, one who recognizes their own brokenness (a wounded healer). Optimal is when the person has recovered from the same compulsion.

Fear paralyzes us. We mistakenly think no one else would understand let alone share our defects of character. Shame from past bad experiences of opening up to a dangerous person can also make it more difficult.

Look for someone with a limp.

"Never trust a man who has not had a bone-jarring encounter with his own depravity."
~Nate Larkin