I came across a really interesting blog entry by someone else. Well worth the couple of minutes it takes to read it. Enjoy!
http://www.becomegoodsoil.com/castration-a-case-for-carrying-a-knife/
Showing posts with label Kingdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kingdom. Show all posts
Friday, February 21, 2014
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Vow of the Modern Knight
The Knight
We live in a day when we are in need of knights. We need warriors who are willing to fight for things that truly matter. As a knight for today, I take this oath.
A knight does not serve himself. He serves a king. I surrender myself totally to the King of Kings. I will obey him in every area of my life. I withhold nothing from myself. I completely and totally surrender. I will obey His every command. I will go on every quest, no matter how dangerous, no matter how deadly, no matter the cost to myself.
Isaiah 6:8, Luke 9:23, 12:51, Romans 6:22-23, 12:1, Rev 19:11-16
A knight is a warrior. We live in a world at war. I pledge to fight. I pledge to defend myself from the attacks of Satan, using the armor God has given me. I will use the weapons God has given me, the sword of His Word and prayer. I will not fight alone, but with my King. I was not meant to fight alone, but alongside my fellow knights. I will lead when others will only follow. I will not get caught alone and be an easy target for the Enemy and his minions. I will fight alongside others. I will defend those who cannot defend themselves. I will join the King on His mission to storm the gates of Hell itself and set free those held captive there. I understand that this is a dangerous mission and that many have fallen in the undertaking of it. That is why I will surround myself with prayer, with the armor of the King, and with knights who do the same.
Exodus 15:3, Ephesians 6:10-18, Romans 8:37-39, Rev. 20:10
The Virtues of the Knight
The first virtue of the knight is integrity. Someone once said, “Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking.” I will strive to be a man of integrity. I will be the same man whether I am being watched or not. Whether I am with my family, with my church, with my friends, or with myself, I will do the right thing. I will live my life built on a foundation of the King of Kings and His Word. I vow have integrity in every area of my life. I will obey the King in every area of my life. No area will be off limits to Him. I will have integrity in even the small things. No exceptions, just obedience.
Matthew 7:24-27, Psalm 24:3-5, Psalm 25:21, 41:12, Proverbs 10:9, Titus 2:7-8
A knight will be a man of courage. I will not let fear hold me. I refuse to be imprisoned by its power. Fear is a great weapon of the Enemy. I will not stay a hostage of my fear. The Enemy cannot stand with the power of the King. The servants of the King are far stronger than the minions of the Enemy. The Enemy is already defeated. His tactics are of the weak and desperate. I will not let my fear control me. There is no bravery without fear. I refuse to surrender. I refuse to die. I will be a man of courage.
Proverbs 28:1, Hebrews 13:6, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Matthew 14:27, 2 Kings 6:16
I will be a knight of compassion. I will seek to truly help the poor, not just give a token dollar to appease guilt. I will fight for justice for those who are oppressed. I will strive for freedom for slaves. I will try to provide food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty. And I will treat those that I meet daily with compassion.
Luke 4:18-19, Isaiah 58:6, Matthew 25:31-46, 1 John 3:17-18, James 1:27
As a knight, I will strive for self-control. I will discipline my body, my mind, and my heart. Satan will try to take me out of the fight through self-indulgence. I will fight him through self-discipline. I will read and memorize Scripture. I will read devotional books and books to help me lead others. I will keep my guard up. I will flee temptation. I will control my body and my weight. I vow to discipline myself.
1 Timothy 4:8, Galatians 5:22-23, 2 Peter 1:5-8, Hebrews 12:11, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
A knight will speak with honesty. I will not tell a lie, no matter how small it seems. My world will be my bond. I will keep the commitments that I make to the best of my ability. I will in no way deceive anyone for any reason. My “yes” will mean yes and my “no” no. My word will be trustworthy.
Ephesians 4:15,25, Ephesians 6:14, Matthew 5:33-37
As a knight, I will strive for humility. I will remember that I am only a servant of the King. I will think more of others than I do myself. I will give glory to Jesus in all things. Max Lucado wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less.”
Matthew 20:25-28, Philippians 2:3, Colossians 3:12, James 3:13, 1Peter 5:5, Psalm 8:3-4,
Proverbs 16:18
As a knight, I will live with purity. I will keep my mind and body pure. I will not allow myself to be diluted by the lusts and desires of the world. Many things in this world are intended to corrupt man and take away the pureness of his heart, mind, and soul but I will fight against these things to keep my purity. I will keep my eyes clean. I will keep my mind pure by memorizing the Word. I will also be pure in my devotion to the One and Only King in Heaven. No other idols will take me captive or break my whole devotion to the King of Kings.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20, Psalm 119:9, 1 Timothy 4:12, Mark 7:21-23, Matthew 5:48
Another virtue of the knight is perseverance. This world has many hardships. I will joyfully endure them, seeking only to be transformed more into the likeness of the King. No matter the trail, I will seek only to be obedient and to become the man I was meant to be. No matter the battle, I will continue to fight. I will endure and help others to endure. I will seek out relationships that will help me keep to the path.
James 1:2-4, James 1:12, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Hebrews 12:1, Romans 5:1-5, Matthew 7:24-27
A knight will strive for patience. A knight will show understanding. I will let mistakes go, since I have made my share. I will try to empathize with others, especially in their anger, to see things from their perspective and attempt to root out the deeper issues, knowing that sometimes people just need an ear to listen.
Proverbs 16:32, Ephesians 4:2, Galatians 5:22-23, James 1:19
Another virtue of the knight is loyalty. I swear allegiance to the King. I will let nothing stand between Him and me. I will loyally defend my brothers and sisters in Christ through accountability, transparency, and prayer.
1 Samuel 20:42, Hosea 6:6 (NASB), 1 Chronicles 29:18
A knight will work with excellence. In all things, I will work to please the king, and therefore do my best. Hard work is also a virtue of the knight. I will not flinch. I will not hesitate. I will not leave it for others. I will do the work that needs done. I will be a servant for all. I will work not to earn the love of my King, since I cannot do so, but I will work as my act of gratitude for what the king has done for me.
Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 6:7-8, Matthew 25:14-46, Luke 17:7-10, Revelation 2:2
Relationships of the Knight
The King. I will obey the king in all areas of my life. And I will love the king with everything that I am and everything that I do. I will study His Word and apply it to my life. I will seek daily to build a closer walk with Him.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
The lady. I will treat women with respect, as daughters of the King. I will only seek deeper relationships with those that will help me grow closer to the King. I will seek to do the same for her. I will put her above myself and my work, understanding that the first person I should serve is her. And I will love her with self-sacrifice and undying commitment despite wavering emotions or what I get out of it. I seek not a servant nor a princess, but a partner.
Ephesians 5:25-33
Children. I will disciple my own kids. I will make it my first priority to help them to be loyal to the King. The best way to love them is to love their mother. I will help sons to see their strength and to become warriors. I will help daughters to see their beauty and their value.
Ephesians 6:4
Church. I will lead the church by being a servant. I will stand as a shepherd to guide, and a watchman to protect. It is not my church, but the King’s. I understand that I cannot lead from above; I must be with them. I will feed them. I will make disciples. I will seek others with whom I can walk through life. And I will train up other leaders to serve the King and His church.
Jeremiah 23:1-2, Ezekiel 3:17-19,
The lost. I will follow the King in His mission to seek and save the lost, by whatever means necessary. I will remember that I am not superior to them, but “a fellow beggar showing others where to find bread.”
Matthew 28:18-20, Acts1:8
The World. I will not be swayed, deterred, or distracted by the world and following the crowd. No matter how unpopular, I will obey the King as He leads me. I will not seek the world’s interests or possessions.
Exodus 23:2a, Galatians 1:10, 1 John 2:15-17
The Enemy. I will fight the enemy until all my strength is spent, and then I will rely on the strength of the King. I will seek to storm his strongholds and set free his captives. I know that he has lost the war. I will still fight the battles.
Ephesians 6:10-12, Revelation 20:10
Psalm 119
In adding my name in comment, I take this vow.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Wiggle thinking
This past week, I had a great time. It's all summerized by a few words. "It's Da Wiggles." Wiggles is my neice. And she loves her uncle. We had Wiggle Time every morning. She would giggle and squeal and had a great time.
My normal stoic self cannot help but love this little girl. I nearly cried the morning that I had to leave, because the next time I will see her, she will be a year old. She might be walking and talking. She will be so much bigger. She will see flashes of her uncle. Instead of being a part of her life, I will look through a window and see glances of it.
This got me thinking about my college roommate. He's a Marine. He's an officer. He was in Afghanistan when his daughter was born. And he is overseas once more as his wife prepares to have a son. As hard as it was to leave my neice, why did he leave a wife, daughter, and son?
Because it is his duty. To his country? Maybe. To his family? Yes. To his God? Definately. And he goes to that duty to protect and provide for his family. He goes obediently to what many of us would not do because it is where God led him.
A good friend is in China. He left everything he knew because God led him there.
I have other friends who started their family in West Africa because God led them to a people who don't know Jesus.
A young man could have a very successful career, perhaps in pro baseball, but is going into ministry because that's where God wants him.
I moved to Virginia for little pay because that's where God wants me. Now my story may be small compared to the others, but the point isn't me. The point is God. God might lead you to something big, like the mission field or the Marines. God might lead you to go become friends with your next door neighbor. The point is to go where God leads you. Matthew 28:19 best translated "As you are going, make disciples of all nations." God assumes we are going, and he will lead us. He might lead you to other nations, or your own. The point is GO and follow God.
My normal stoic self cannot help but love this little girl. I nearly cried the morning that I had to leave, because the next time I will see her, she will be a year old. She might be walking and talking. She will be so much bigger. She will see flashes of her uncle. Instead of being a part of her life, I will look through a window and see glances of it.
This got me thinking about my college roommate. He's a Marine. He's an officer. He was in Afghanistan when his daughter was born. And he is overseas once more as his wife prepares to have a son. As hard as it was to leave my neice, why did he leave a wife, daughter, and son?
Because it is his duty. To his country? Maybe. To his family? Yes. To his God? Definately. And he goes to that duty to protect and provide for his family. He goes obediently to what many of us would not do because it is where God led him.
A good friend is in China. He left everything he knew because God led him there.
I have other friends who started their family in West Africa because God led them to a people who don't know Jesus.
A young man could have a very successful career, perhaps in pro baseball, but is going into ministry because that's where God wants him.
I moved to Virginia for little pay because that's where God wants me. Now my story may be small compared to the others, but the point isn't me. The point is God. God might lead you to something big, like the mission field or the Marines. God might lead you to go become friends with your next door neighbor. The point is to go where God leads you. Matthew 28:19 best translated "As you are going, make disciples of all nations." God assumes we are going, and he will lead us. He might lead you to other nations, or your own. The point is GO and follow God.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Kony 2012
A knight is a warrior. A knight does not fight for himself. He fights for the King. He fights for Justice. He fights for those who cannot fight for themselves. So based upon that, I encourage you as a knight to fight with me. This video is half and hour long, and well worth every minute. Please join.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
That was a long one
I wanted to write about last week. I put in 70+ hours organizing a charitable event. We cleared out a church building last week, and let people bring in donations. This wasn't money. This was stuff. Lots and lots of stuff.
We all have lots of stuff, more than we need. The shame is, many people have less than they need. A lot less. So we collected stuff, as if we were having a yard sale. We sorted stuff. We asked others to donate stuff. Many people even gave up things that they still used, knowing others needed things worse than they did. And yes, we did have people bring in stuff that was stained or broken, but we had others who sorted through and removed items that were too poor of quality for those in need.
Then, after a week of sorting and collecting, we had a fleet of vehicles and an army of volunteers arrive. We loaded up four large trailers, plus every truck, SUV, van or any other vehicle we could find (my station wagon was filled so full that I could not see out the back window, and I had to create space to see out of the passenger side exterior mirror).
Once we arrived Friday night, we set everything up in an hour and a half, due to our army of volunteers actually growing in size.
Why did we do it where we did? We did it in a community center with a gymnasium. It is larger than the church building that we used, and moreover, it is located in the "bad" part of town. The facility was actually the local Boys and Girls Club. But I'll come back to this more in a minute.
Saturday morning, we got there an hour before we opened the doors for our "Free Community Yard Sale." Already the line encompassed the parking lot. The ladies in the front had arrive hours before that. When we did open the doors, we had instructions in both English and Spanish. "We will provide you with one bag" (they were white, kitchen-sized trash bags). "Please fill that, and take anything else you can carry, remembering to leave some for others who need things as well. Also, please return at noon and take more." We had 580+ of the poorest of our community take advantage of this.
How did we know we were helping the right people? The Sunday before, we had another army of volunteers walk the streets of the "bad" end of town, and tape flyers (English on one side, Espanol on the other) to the houses there. We also got a local elementary pass them out to their poorest students (the schools always have the best grasp on this) and of course the local Boys and Girls Club. This targetted measure (as opposed to a newspaper add) meant we got the people there that we wanted to be there. And we took it to them, since many were not able to come to us (we actually had many volunteers help people carry things to bus stops or even to their front porches, since most were too poor to afford transportation. Had we not taken the stuff to them, we would have missed those who needed most).
The bottom line is this is about social justice and unconditional love. Instead of throwing money into programs that don't work, we gave people what they needed. We had stories of people who got clothes for job interviews, coats for their kids, or Christmas presents for grandkids. These are things people couldn't afford on their own. We even helped the local BGC, since we were in their facility. We donated snacks that they sold to raise money, and were recruiting people to send their kids there. We did not make the mistake of doing what many churches do, make them come to us and sit through a half hour explanation of the Bible that no one listens to. Why is this a mistake? It says to them "We only care about converting you. We don't care about you." That's not what those that do such things think, but that is what they hear. In contrast, we wore bright orange shirts, with a our church name and motto (Love God. Love One Another. Love the World) on the front, and "Because God cares, we care" on the back. It let them talk to us, and showed them unconditional love. We don't love them on the condition that they become one of us. We love them period. Interestingly, this gives them the opportunity to become one of us without feeling pressured to. It is counterintuitive, but it works.
The important thing is now, what can you do to meet a concrete need in your community? This may not work were you are, but something will. Find it.
We all have lots of stuff, more than we need. The shame is, many people have less than they need. A lot less. So we collected stuff, as if we were having a yard sale. We sorted stuff. We asked others to donate stuff. Many people even gave up things that they still used, knowing others needed things worse than they did. And yes, we did have people bring in stuff that was stained or broken, but we had others who sorted through and removed items that were too poor of quality for those in need.
Then, after a week of sorting and collecting, we had a fleet of vehicles and an army of volunteers arrive. We loaded up four large trailers, plus every truck, SUV, van or any other vehicle we could find (my station wagon was filled so full that I could not see out the back window, and I had to create space to see out of the passenger side exterior mirror).
Once we arrived Friday night, we set everything up in an hour and a half, due to our army of volunteers actually growing in size.
Why did we do it where we did? We did it in a community center with a gymnasium. It is larger than the church building that we used, and moreover, it is located in the "bad" part of town. The facility was actually the local Boys and Girls Club. But I'll come back to this more in a minute.
Saturday morning, we got there an hour before we opened the doors for our "Free Community Yard Sale." Already the line encompassed the parking lot. The ladies in the front had arrive hours before that. When we did open the doors, we had instructions in both English and Spanish. "We will provide you with one bag" (they were white, kitchen-sized trash bags). "Please fill that, and take anything else you can carry, remembering to leave some for others who need things as well. Also, please return at noon and take more." We had 580+ of the poorest of our community take advantage of this.
How did we know we were helping the right people? The Sunday before, we had another army of volunteers walk the streets of the "bad" end of town, and tape flyers (English on one side, Espanol on the other) to the houses there. We also got a local elementary pass them out to their poorest students (the schools always have the best grasp on this) and of course the local Boys and Girls Club. This targetted measure (as opposed to a newspaper add) meant we got the people there that we wanted to be there. And we took it to them, since many were not able to come to us (we actually had many volunteers help people carry things to bus stops or even to their front porches, since most were too poor to afford transportation. Had we not taken the stuff to them, we would have missed those who needed most).
The bottom line is this is about social justice and unconditional love. Instead of throwing money into programs that don't work, we gave people what they needed. We had stories of people who got clothes for job interviews, coats for their kids, or Christmas presents for grandkids. These are things people couldn't afford on their own. We even helped the local BGC, since we were in their facility. We donated snacks that they sold to raise money, and were recruiting people to send their kids there. We did not make the mistake of doing what many churches do, make them come to us and sit through a half hour explanation of the Bible that no one listens to. Why is this a mistake? It says to them "We only care about converting you. We don't care about you." That's not what those that do such things think, but that is what they hear. In contrast, we wore bright orange shirts, with a our church name and motto (Love God. Love One Another. Love the World) on the front, and "Because God cares, we care" on the back. It let them talk to us, and showed them unconditional love. We don't love them on the condition that they become one of us. We love them period. Interestingly, this gives them the opportunity to become one of us without feeling pressured to. It is counterintuitive, but it works.
The important thing is now, what can you do to meet a concrete need in your community? This may not work were you are, but something will. Find it.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Middle Eastern protests
Ladies and gentlemen, this thing is getting serious. It started with Egypt protests. Now, it has spread across the middle east. Now Libya and several other countrise have turned lose the military, opening fire on civilians. Gunboats firing on women and children. Might makes right.
Makes you glad to live in a country that doesn't do that right? Sure, we aren't as free as we used to be. But the army hasn't been sent in against the Tea Party, Immigration, Pro-Union protests, (even when they turn moderately violent). Qaddafi is an evil dictator, the like this world has seen, well, a lot. Hussien, Il, Stalin, Hitler, all are famous for such actions, but this true in much of Africa and the Middle East, even central and South America, Cuba, Haiti, and the list goes on. Mostly, it doesn't make the news. Like Uganda and the Congo.
Once again I must say, I'm glad that my citizenship is not of this world, and my loyalty is to no president, prime minister, or dictator, but only the King of kings.
Makes you glad to live in a country that doesn't do that right? Sure, we aren't as free as we used to be. But the army hasn't been sent in against the Tea Party, Immigration, Pro-Union protests, (even when they turn moderately violent). Qaddafi is an evil dictator, the like this world has seen, well, a lot. Hussien, Il, Stalin, Hitler, all are famous for such actions, but this true in much of Africa and the Middle East, even central and South America, Cuba, Haiti, and the list goes on. Mostly, it doesn't make the news. Like Uganda and the Congo.
Once again I must say, I'm glad that my citizenship is not of this world, and my loyalty is to no president, prime minister, or dictator, but only the King of kings.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Stupid again
Some of the people that I made the "Stupid" blog entry returned to haunt me. I thought the deal was over.
Here's what they say: anything Jesus said about the Kingdom of heaven/God was only about the afterlife. What? Are you serious? I looked this morning, and found TWENTY-ONE references to the Kingdom refering to this life IN THE BOOK OF MATTHEW ALONE. The other new Testament authors have the same understanding. Read Luke/Acts (origonally a two-volume work). Luke especially understood that Jesus idea of the kingdom and of life was about the outcasts. Jesus went to those that you "aren't supposed to." He went to the lepers (those suffering from contagious disease that people feared and hated. Anyone thinking AIDS?), the tax collectors (corrupted Jews collaborating with the enemy to steal from their own people), prostitutes (yeah...), women (outcasts of all societies of the time), children (same), Gentiles (that other race, whether it be white, black, hispanic, asian, etc.), the disabled (which in that day were considered cursed by God).
Jesus didn't say, "I'll stay here and let them come to me." He WENT to THEM. His idea of the kingdom was that his followers would go to the poor and the outcast. He sought them out. He looked for ways to help them. Go to biblegateway.com sometime and search for the Kingdom. Jesus said constantly "The kingdom of heaven is like..." and he talked about a Kingdom that seemed small and insignificant, but spread everywhere.
Here this, no matter your perference of the kingdom of this world (Obamacrat, Blue Dog, GOP, Tea Party, etc.) it is still flawed. Maybe God's kingdom is flawed here too, but we have seen the Perfect, and strive to achieve the example He set. If your loyalty is to any version of the kingdom of this world, you will still learn that it is temporary and flawed. At the end of things, it will "burn up like chaff." That isn't a threat. It is a "poof and it's gone" type of thing. You can argue, you can plead, it doesn't matter. So you can either strive for the world, or you can bring the Kingdom down to the world. Your choice, but I advise the latter.
Here's what they say: anything Jesus said about the Kingdom of heaven/God was only about the afterlife. What? Are you serious? I looked this morning, and found TWENTY-ONE references to the Kingdom refering to this life IN THE BOOK OF MATTHEW ALONE. The other new Testament authors have the same understanding. Read Luke/Acts (origonally a two-volume work). Luke especially understood that Jesus idea of the kingdom and of life was about the outcasts. Jesus went to those that you "aren't supposed to." He went to the lepers (those suffering from contagious disease that people feared and hated. Anyone thinking AIDS?), the tax collectors (corrupted Jews collaborating with the enemy to steal from their own people), prostitutes (yeah...), women (outcasts of all societies of the time), children (same), Gentiles (that other race, whether it be white, black, hispanic, asian, etc.), the disabled (which in that day were considered cursed by God).
Jesus didn't say, "I'll stay here and let them come to me." He WENT to THEM. His idea of the kingdom was that his followers would go to the poor and the outcast. He sought them out. He looked for ways to help them. Go to biblegateway.com sometime and search for the Kingdom. Jesus said constantly "The kingdom of heaven is like..." and he talked about a Kingdom that seemed small and insignificant, but spread everywhere.
Here this, no matter your perference of the kingdom of this world (Obamacrat, Blue Dog, GOP, Tea Party, etc.) it is still flawed. Maybe God's kingdom is flawed here too, but we have seen the Perfect, and strive to achieve the example He set. If your loyalty is to any version of the kingdom of this world, you will still learn that it is temporary and flawed. At the end of things, it will "burn up like chaff." That isn't a threat. It is a "poof and it's gone" type of thing. You can argue, you can plead, it doesn't matter. So you can either strive for the world, or you can bring the Kingdom down to the world. Your choice, but I advise the latter.
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