Vivir

It seems that I'm in a particular season of reflection of life.

Without any real sense of major direction, I find myself reflecting back on where I have come from. I recently heard it said that in order for you to realize where your headed and to become who you were created to be you have to realize who you are and to realize who you are you have to see who you were.

What I was before this moment in time was, dead. Not in a physical death, but in a spiritual death. The reality is we are either alive or dead. Our souls are in need of life or in need of food for that life. The dilemma comes in the way of trying to find the true food, the true source of life, to find our self.

I find it interesting that Jesus says that in order for you to find life you must lose it. What?

I must be willing to lay down my life...
In all my desires of advancement for the sake of me.
In all my desires for the best career that will help me to live a comfortable life. In all the dreams of finding the best mate that will fulfill all my wildest dreams of stability.

Jesus challenges us by saying in order for your soul (true self) to be satisfied you must deny all that your flesh desires, take up your cross, which in essence demands we would walk the hill of Calvary and slaughter the deepest emotions and desires that are outside of God and Follow Him realizing His desires that will not advance who we are in society but who He is as God and Lord. That we would trust (put our faith) in Him for the only source of life. That we would follow Him. His mission was to serve God the Father and to do only that which God wanted Him to do. That was to be a sacrifice for all of Humanity. The cost is no less for us. We are to do what God wants which in essence would be to lose our life for His sake. To use all that we have not for our good but for His name and Kingdom.

Maybe it sounds strange and maybe it goes against the teaching of some, but it's clear in the red letters that Christ raises the bar of living and challenges us to more than simple mediocrity of our self. And the most amazing thing is He says we don't have to do it alone, He will be with us in Spirit.

We immediately read those words and want to give up, but I'm finding that as Jesus looked on the crowds He had compassion for them and healed them. I think that he does the same now. He looks at you and me, in all of our sickness that goes against the character of who God is, and He has compassion on us. We can stand firm in Him, because He is now our life and we are now hidden in Christ. For we are now a new creation, in a new Kingdom that is advancing in the integrated world of an old kingdom. May we fix our eyes on Him for He truly is the author and finisher of our faith.

Passages

Welcome friends,

To the new site and the new name. I thought that Five Porches was to confusing to understand its meaning (it was a place of healing in days in the past).

Welcome to the Porch a place to relax and converse over some of the topics that relate to you and me.

Today I wanted to share a passage that has really been instrumental to me in my journey with God. This post was inspired by the series that Mosaic LA is currently in.

This particular passage was read back in 2004 during a tough time for me but it pointed me towards a goal. A goal that is unseen but eternal, a goal that did not build myself up but humbled me to reach up and cry out in desperation for a Lord that loves me no matter what and wants to use me in extraordinary ways, even if they aren't successful according to success of today.

Philippians 3:7-21 (NIV) courtesy of biblegateway.com

7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing on Toward the Goal

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Share a passage that has been instrumental to you on your faith journey.

I Know You and You Know Me!

The title of this post is my latest thought as I find myself doing some work that I know in my bones I was not created to do. If I don't work, I don't eat, so I must move forward and tough this out, but isn't that the hardest thing to do sometimes.

Until, I remember that He knows me and I know Him (the father).

I was not voted in as Youth Pastor in Wendell, NC. It was a close vote and it didn't pass. I stepped out on faith, made myself available and the door closed. This shocked me but did not throw me into a doubting of God pit or even a anger pit at the church body in Wendell. Instead it was a catalyst to push me into the living scriptures to know Him and discover my new identity in Him even more. I'm now helping my grandfather in Surfside Beach do some work and it is the kind of work that my mind does not understand, houses. He has been doing house work and home appliance work for years. I'm trying to learn it in, oh I don't know a week. It's not working, it has felt like emo Monday everyday this week.

Please be praying for me as I journey right now in faith and figure out where the road leads today, tomorrow and the next.
If you know of anything that would be awesome too, brent.sears@gmail.com

Until later, Stay cool, gosh it's hot.