extreme

ARE YOU FREAKING CRAZY? IF YOU ONLY KNEW….

Posted on by BE EXTREME

Here in our part of the world in North Texas, grass fires can flare up at any time, especially during the Summer when it’s hot, dry, and the wind is blowing. Years ago, I read about a large grass fire that swarmed a neighbor’s farm. It took firefighters most of the day to finally get it contained. Days after the fire had been extinguished, it fired back up for no apparent reason. Firefighters realized the tree roots underground had become so hot during the original fire when hot dry air accompanied by winds and low humidity had settled into the area, it provided the perfect conditions for the smoldering embers underground to ignite. Bitterness and anger that has not been dealt with are like that smoldering fire. On the outside, everything seems good. However, deep down in the roots of the heart and mind, the embers of bitterness smolder, waiting to be set ablaze by just the right comment or reminder of someone who has offended us.

Like the picture of Jesus walking beside a German soldier down a long and dusty road, forgiveness is a word that can somehow strike fear in us. “Forgive them? Are you serious? Are you freaking crazy! If you only knew what they did to me! To my family! To my business! How they hurt me.” And yet, God asks us to forgive.

To forgive or not to forgive is something everyone wrestles in life. Perhaps you grew up in a home where hurts and offenses are held onto and even held over you. Maybe a friend or co-worker or relative or spouse has offended and hurt you so deeply that letting go of the pain means letting go a part of yourself. It’s like we keep hurts and faults in a little plastic bag, so they stay fresh and when we feel the time is right, we take those injuries and offenses out of the bag, and relive the pain as if it just happened, and we make everyone involved, including ourselves, suffer through it again.

When the Apostle Peter asked Jesus, “Explain this parable about what defiles a person” [Matthew 15:15], Jesus answered: “19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts and plans, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slanders (verbal abuse, irreverent speech, blaspheming). 20 These are the things which defile and dishonor the man.” [Matthew 15:19-20 (AMP)]. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, ill will, malevolence intent]” [Ephesians 4:31 (AMP)]. Both Jesus and Paul make the point that bitterness, anger, and resentment — unforgiveness — affects who we are and how we behave. The roots of unforgiveness sprout bitterness and anger and feed on continuous animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding, and slander. When unforgiveness takes root, we find ourselves speaking evil and abusive words fueled with every kind of malice, spitefulness, ill will, and malevolence intent. All of which defiles and destroys a person and relationships.

The Bible is full of men and women whose families were dysfunctional and themselves misfits. They knew what it’s like to need forgiveness and the need to forgive and to forgive themselves.

* Noah was a drunk (Genesis 9:21)

*Jacob was a liar. (Genesis 25:26-34)

*Joseph was abused by his family and sold into slavery. (Genesis 37:18-36)

*Samson was an angry vengeful womanizer. (Judges 13-15)

*Rahab was a prostitute. (Joshua 2)

*King David was a liar, an adulterer, and a murderer. (2 Samuel 11)

*Elijah suffered from depression and was suicidal. (1 Kings 19:3)

*Isaiah preached naked. (Isaiah 20:1-2)

*Peter denied Christ… three times. He embarrassed the disciples and said things he shouldn’t. (Luke 22:54-62)

*The Samaritan woman at the well had multiple partners. (John 4:17-19)

Look, I’m no expert on forgiveness, but I do know what it’s like to forgive and be forgiven. What I have found to be true is this, without a divine transformation authentic forgiveness is incomplete. All of the lives above (and countless others throughout time) eventually found life worth living — they found forgiveness. Forgiveness that came through a holy, loving, and just God. When the power of forgiveness is applied by the Holy Spirit, the power of forgiveness, then, flows from God to you, then, from you to others, and, mercifully, to yourself. That kind of forgiveness is life-changing. Life-altering. Life-giving.

When I choose to become a Christ-follower, something amazing happened. What God promised through Ezekiel the Apostle Paul became true: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My ordinances and do them” [Ezekiel 36:26-27 (AMP)]. The Apostle Paul wrote, “17 When someone becomes a Christ-follower, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! 18 All these new things are from God who brought us back to himself through what Christ Jesus did. And God has given us the privilege of urging everyone to come into His favor and be reconciled to Him. 19 For God was in Christ, restoring the world to himself, no longer counting men’s sins against them but blotting them out. This is the wonderful message He has given us to tell others.” [2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NLT)].

“Psychologists generally define forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness” (Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley). Just as important as defining what forgiveness is, though, is understanding what forgiveness is NOT. Experts who study or teach forgiveness make clear that when you forgive, you do not gloss over or deny the seriousness of an offense against you. Lewis B. Smedes in his book, “The Art of Forgiveness”, gives us an idea of what forgiveness is NOT: “Let me make sure that we clear up a few misunderstandings about forgiveness. Before we can build, we have to blast. We have to blast away the erroneous thoughts on what forgiveness is not.

1. When we forgive a person, this does not mean we are immediately healed.

2. When we forgive a person, this does not mean we are going to be buddy/buddy.

3. When we forgive a person, this does not mean we surrender the right to restitution or justice when appropriate.

4. When we forgive a person, this does not mean that we trust them, yet.

5. When we forgive a person, we are not avoiding pain, we are opening the door to healing.

6. When we forgive, we take the journey at the pace we are able to handle… the deeper the hurt, the longer the journey.”

The Apostle Paul had the right idea when it came to forgiveness: “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.  Dear brothers and sisters pattern your lives after mine and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control.” [Philippians 3:12-21 (NLT)]

That picture of Jesus and the German soldier walking down that long dusty road hangs on my office wall. It reminds me that no matter what state I find myself in, Jesus is willing and able to put my life back together through the healing of forgiveness. I’ve often thought to myself, “What was that was that walk like? What would that soldier and Jesus have talked about? How did Jesus make that (many would include the word ‘disgusting’) soldier feel?” Jesus was the perfect example of how to begin to forgive others and yourself. He said: “41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. 43 “There is a saying, ‘Love your friends and hate your enemies.’ 44 But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” [Matthew 5:41-44 (AMP)] I have a feeling Jesus and the soldier talked about life, healing, and… forgiveness.

At Cold Dead Hands religion doesn’t define us, Jesus Christ does. Religion shackles and enslaves folks. Religion manipulates people. As “Christ-followers,” faith lies in our relationship with Jesus Christ and the tenants Christ laid out in both the Old and New Testaments. We would never claim perfection, but we do know forgiveness that runs through Christ and His cross. Like our founder, Patrick James, is fond of saying: “Being a follower of Christ isn’t about being perfect… I’m just an imperfect guy, living in an imperfect world, trying to serve a Perfect Christ. It’s not easy… but it makes a difference in my life. It helps highlight truths… and it helps me to be a better person tomorrow, than I was today.”

Do something extreme today. Let it begin with loving your enemies by praying for those who have mistreated you. As you pray, remember, sometimes the enemy is you.

If you are not a Christ-follower, know that we would never infringe on your right to believe differently than us. In fact, we love hearing from every sector of our readers. Your questions and comments are important.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with these lyrics. The song is called, “God Only Knows” and it was recorded by the band, For King & Country. It would be worth your time to listen to it on YouTube.

“Wide awake while the world is sound asleepin’
Too afraid of what might show up while you’re dreamin’
Nobody, nobody, nobody sees you
Nobody, nobody would believe you

Every day you try to pick up all the pieces
All the memories, they somehow never leave you
Nobody, nobody, nobody sees you
Nobody, nobody would believe you

God only knows what you’ve been through
God only knows what they say about you
But God only knows the real you
There’s a kind of love that God only knows
There’s a kind of love that
There’s a kind of love

You keep a cover over every single secret
So afraid if someone saw them, they would leave
But somebody, somebody, somebody sees you
Somebody, somebody will never leave you

God only knows what you’ve been through
God only knows what they say about you
God only knows how it’s killing you
But there’s a kind of love that God only knows

God only knows what you’ve been through
God only knows what they say about you
But God only knows the real you
There’s a kind of love that God only knows

For the lonely, for the ashamed
The misunderstood, and the ones to blame
What if we could start over?
We could start over, we could start over

Oh, for the lonely, for the ashamed
The misunderstood, and the ones to blame
What if we could start over?
We could start over, we could start over
‘Cause there’s a kind of love that God only knows

God only knows what you’ve been through
God only knows what they say about you
God only knows the real you
But there’s a kind of love that God only knows

God only knows what you’ve been through
God only knows what they say about you
But God only knows the real you
There’s a kind of love that God only knows”

BE. EXTREME. TODAY.

Sometimes all I want to do is APPLAUD GOD.

Posted on by BE EXTREME

I used to be an avid hiker spending weeks at a time with friends in the mountains of New Mexico. There is nothing like pitching your tent thousands of feet above sea-level. The air is crisp and clean. Your whole body gives way to a relaxed state. You want to stay there forever.

One night my friends and I were camped in a clearing approximately seven-thousand feet above sea level. We stood outside our tents mesmerized. Speechless. The brightness of the stars — the universe — it’s hard to put it into words the feelings and thoughts gushing through your body and mind at that moment. As I stood looking up at the gathering planets and stars, I closed my eyes and began imagining the God who had created it all standing to address the galaxies. At that moment the universe became quiet. Then all of heaven — stars, planets, moons — suddenly stood and erupted in applause. After a bit of time, I felt the heavens again grow quiet as the universe bowed in worship. In that moment I stood in awe with my hands lifted towards the heavens and repeated the words of Nehemiah: “YOU ARE THE LORD, YOU ALONE; YOU HAVE MADE THE HEAVENS, THE HEAVEN OF HEAVENS WITH ALL THEIR HOSTS, the EARTH and EVERYTHING THAT IS ON IT, the SEAS and EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THEM. YOU GIVE LIFE TO ALL OF THEM, and THE HEAVENLY HOST IS BOWING DOWN IN WORSHIP TO YOU!” [Nehemiah 9:6 (AMP)]

Over the years I have looked into the expanse of the “known” universe and discovered some amazing things. Before the invention of the telescope in the 1600s, stargazers could only count a few hundred stars. In the Old Testament (O.T.) book of Genesis, God compared the number of stars to the number of grains of sand on every seashore (Genesis 22:17). You would think that linking the number of stars in the heavens to the sand on the beach would be an absurd conjecture for a mere human author to make 6,000 years ago and, yet, throughout the O.T. God compared the number of stars to the grains of sand on Earth.

For the next 3 centuries following the invention of the telescope, mankind only knew of several billion stars — still not enough to compare the stars in the heavens to the sand on the seashore. Until 1989, that is….

In 1989, two astronomers, Margaret Geller and John Huchra, discovered a “Great Wall” of galaxies spanning millions of light-years. This “Great Wall” is estimated to be 500 million light-years (3 quintillion miles) long, 200 million light-years (1.2 quintillion miles) wide, and 15 million light-years (90 quadrillion miles) thick.

The “Great Wall” consists of more than 15,000 galaxies, each with billions of stars. Based on detailed measurements of each galaxy’s brightness, astronomers can render an approximate number of stars each galaxy contains. They estimate that this “Great Wall” consists of 1,500 trillion (1,500,000,000,000,000) solar systems! It is not known how much farther the Wall extends due to light absorption in out Milky Way galaxy.

The following year (1990), astronomers discovered more than a dozen other evenly distributed clumps of galaxies, suggesting a structure to the universe that is so regular and immense that it defied the then-existent theories of cosmic origins. A team led by an Australian astronomer calculated the number of stars in the “known” universe to be 70 sextillions. Seventy sextillions is 70 followed by 21 zeros; so 70 sextillions is 70 followed by 21 zeros x 70 followed by 21 zeros (or 343,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)! One scientist made the statement that this unfathomable number is “more than 10 times the grains of sand on every beach and desert on earth!” In 2003, speaking at the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union meeting in Sydney, Dr Simon Driver said, “The actual number of stars could be infinite. The universe is so big light from the other side of the universe hasn’t reached us yet.”

Mind… BLOWN!

Ready to have your mind blown again? Creation.com writes, “Suppose we used a computer that could perform 10,000 million calculations in one second. Even at this great speed, it would require 30 million years of non-stop counting to count the stars.” The Psalmist wrote, “GOD COUNTS THE NUMBER OF THE STARS; HE CALLS THEM ALL BY THEIR NAMES. Our Lord is great, with limitless strength; we will never comprehend what He knows and does” [Psalm 147:4 (AMP)]. As a Christian author, John Piper, rightly noted in “The Pleasures of God”: “What is this universe but the lavish demonstration of the incredible, incomparable, unimaginable exuberance and wisdom and power and greatness of God! What a God He must be!”

If that weren’t enough, around the 5th century B.C., the first documented reference of the “Spherical Earth” concept was mentioned by ancient Greek philosophers. However, the God of the Bible taught the earth was round in approximately 739 B.C.E.: “Don’t you understand the foundation of all things? Are you deaf to the words of God — the words He gave before the world began? Who else could have done it except God, who sits enthroned high above THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH…? From such a vantage people seem like grasshoppers to Him. Who else but God could stretch out the skies as if they were a curtain, draw them tight, suspend them over our heads like the roof of a tent?” [Isaiah 40:21-22 (VOICE)]. And long before it was accepted by astronomers, God has repeatedly told us the universe is ever-expanding (Isaiah 42:5; Jeremiah 51:15; Zachariah 12:1). Even Einstein believed the universe was static and should have collapsed on itself. He later admitted his mistake when in 1929, astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that distant galaxies were receding from the earth, and the further away they were, the faster they were moving.

It wasn’t that long-ago scientists insisted the Sun was stationary. Of course, now we know the Sun is traveling through space at approximately 600,000 miles per hour. It is moving through space in a huge circuit. In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus finally put forth his theory the earth rotated around the Sun. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said this about Copernicus’ discovery: “Of all discoveries and opinions, none may have exerted a greater effect on the human spirit than the doctrine of Copernicus. The world has scarcely become known as round and complete in itself when it was asked to waive the tremendous privilege of being the center of the universe.” However, the O.T. scriptures taught this more than 3,000 thousand years ago: “The SUN’S RISING IS FROM ONE END OF THE HEAVENS, and ITS CIRCUIT TO THE OTHER END OF THEM; and there is nothing hidden from its heat” (Psalm 19:6). There was a time when scientists scoffed at God’s teaching in Psalm 19:6.

We’ve barely touched on the universe and our minds are blown. We haven’t even mentioned the intricacies of the human body or plants or vegetation. Who can fathom those things? When I think about God’s hand in all of creation I can’t help but say, “OUR LORD IS GREAT, with LIMITLESS STRENGTH; WE WILL NEVER COMPREHEND WHAT HE KNOWS and DOES” [Psalm 147:4 (AMP)].

Often times I have wondered, as the Psalmist did: “When I gaze to the skies and meditate on Your creation — on the moon, stars, and all You have made, I can’t help but wonder WHY YOU CARE and are MINDFUL ABOUT EACH OF US INDIVIDUALLY, for we are like specks of dust floating about the cosmos” [Psalm 8:3-4 (VOICE)]. So, why me? Why you? I have contemplated King David’s words many times: “HOW PRECIOUS ARE YOUR THOUGHTS TO ME, O GOD! How vast is the sum of them! IF I COULD COUNT THEM, THEY WOULD OUTNUMBER THE SAND.” [Psalm 139:17-18 (VOICE)].

None of us will ever know why this strong creator God of the Bible cares for each of us. His love for mankind is mind-blowing in itself. Yet, over and over again, God reminds us of His love. All we have to do is look around and, “SEE WHAT AN INCREDIBLE LOVE THE FATHER HAS SHOWN TO US! [1 John 3:1 (VOICE)].

God’s love calls out to us every day. He wants us to “comprehend with all God’s people the WIDTH and LENGTH and HEIGHT and DEPTH OF HIS LOVE [to FULLY EXPERIENCE HIS AMAZING, ENDLESS LOVE]” [Ephesians 3:18 (VOICE)].

As a Christ-follower, I am constantly reminded and overwhelmed by the greatness of God. There are times when I look at the night sky and all I want to do is applaud God. To stand in that moment applauding, lifting my hands, and worshipping the strong creator God. Yet, as Louie Giglio says, “Singing stars and earth’s ovation cannot drown God’s desire to hear your voice. In the midst of a miraculous and immense symphony of praise, God is still mindful of you, going to extraordinary lengths to give you life and breath through His Son (Jesus Christ).”

At Cold Dead Hands we are not about religion. Religion binds and enslaves people. Religion manipulates people. We call ourselves “Christ-followers.” Our faith lies in our relationship with Jesus Christ and the tenants Christ laid out in both the Old and New Testaments. Like our founder, Patrick James, reminds us: “Being a follower of Christ isn’t about being perfect… I’m just an imperfect guy, living in an imperfect world, trying to serve a Perfect Christ. It’s not easy… but it makes a difference in my life. It helps highlight truths… and it helps me to be a better person tomorrow, than I was today.”

If you are not a Christ-follower, know that I would never infringe on your right to believe differently than me. In fact, I love hearing from every sector of our readers. Your questions and comments are important.

In the meantime, whether you are a Christ-follower or not, I hope these words will encourage you. They might even motivate you next time you find yourself under the dome of galaxies.

“ON YOUR FEET NOW — APPLAUD GOD! SHOUT JOYFULLY TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH. SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS and DELIGHT. BRING A GIFT OF LAUGHTER, SING YOURSELVES INTO HIS PRESENCE WITH JOYFUL SINGING. KNOW and FULLY RECOGNIZE WITH GRATITUDE that THE LORD HIMSELF IS GOD. HE MADE US; WE DID NOT MAKE HIM. WE ARE HIS — HIS PEOPLE WE ARE, HIS WELL-TENDED TO SHEEP. (Therefore), ENTER HIS GATES WITH A SONG OF THANKSGIVING and HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE. BE THANKFUL TO HIM, BLESS and PRAISE HIS NAME.” [Psalm 100 (MSG)]

“THANK GOD BECAUSE HE IS GOOD, because HIS LOVE NEVER QUITS. TELL THE WORLD… ‘HIS LOVE NEVER QUITS!’ And you, clan of Aaron, TELL THE WORLD, ‘HIS LOVE NEVER QUITS!’ And YOU WHO FEAR GOD, JOIN IN, ‘HIS LOVE NEVER QUITS!’ PUSHED TO THE WALL, I CALLED OUT TO GOD; FROM THE WIDE-OPEN SPACES, HE ANSWERED… GOD IS MY STRONG CHAMPION… FAR BETTER TO TAKE REFUGE IN GOD THAN TRUST IN PEOPLE; FAR BETTER TO TAKE REFUGE IN GOD THAN TRUST IN CELEBRITIES… I WAS RIGHT ON THE CLIFF-EDGE, READY TO FALL WHEN GOD GRABBED and HELD ME. GOD IS MY STRENGTH, HE IS ALSO MY SONG, and NOW HE IS MY SALVATION… I DID NOT DIE. I LIVED! And NOW I AM TELLING THE WORLD WHAT GOD DID… LET US CELEBRATE and BE FESTIVE… GOD IS GOD, HE HAS BATHED US IN LIGHT… O MY GOD, I LIFT HIGH YOUR PRAISE. THANK GOD — HE IS SO GOOD. HIS LOVE NEVER QUITS!” [Psalm 118 (MSG)]

Therefore, “PRAISE GOD, EVERYBODY! APPLAUD GOD, ALL PEOPLE! HIS LOVE HAS TAKEN OVER OUR LIVES; GOD’S FAITHFUL WAYS ARE ETERNAL. HALLELUJAH!” [Psalm 117:1-2 (MSG)]

BE. EXTREME. TODAY.