We are all in need of grace…

On By Osborne Purifoy IIIIn The ChurchLeave a comment

What’s your struggle (read: sin)?

I ask this rhetorically, of course. Nevertheless, I want you to think about that thing. Not the one that you’re willing to confess to your friends, prayer group, or pastor when you talk to him or her in private. I want you to think about the thing you don’t want to even acknowledge in your own personal prayer time. Yeah, that one.

What’s grace?

For the purposes of this post, I’ll define it as God’s infinite love for us and His provision of a helper (the Holy Spirit) to transform us to the image of Christ. Also, it’s God allowing us the space to make mistakes and poor choices in the transformation process.

I think that should work fine.

Whatever it is you thought of, from the first question, you are in need of God’s grace to get you through to victory over that thing… until God reveals the next thing that we need to work on. Guess what? You’ll need God’s grace for that too. And that’s fine. Paul in his letter to the church in Philippi encourages them (and us too) that the work that Jesus, through the working of the Holy Spirit, begun in believers will perfect it until his (meaning Jesus) return (Philippians 1:6 AMP). That tells us that we will never be perfect while here on Earth, but we should keep doing the best we can as we are walking out our respective journeys [hand in hand with the Spirit].

What is the work? Good question. The work is the continual transformation of us (the individual) into the image of Jesus so that we might do his will here on Earth.

One of the most freeing things that I have experienced on this journey is letting go of my active judging of others and their issues. It takes way too much energy to think, analyze, and respond to what someone else is doing while I’ve got my own set of issues. I see it all the time in the classroom. (I teach middle school math, fyi.) I can redirect someone who is not on task and about 95% of the time the kid actively looks for someone who is doing the same thing or worse to bring attention to, as if I was going to ignore their wrongdoing. (I could stay here for a long time but I must move on.)

“At least I’m not doing that.”

that (noun) –  1) the thing you have victory over (aka “the thing I’ll never do… again”)
2) the thing you’ve never struggled with
3) the thing you find icky

If we all could just come down from our spiritual high horses and be humble for just a little while. We waste too much time standing in a place of judgment and feeling superior that helping our brothers and sisters through whatever is their struggle. Too much time wasted… just too much time. None of us have a heaven nor a hell to send someone to and I thank God for that. We have our lists of acceptable/respectable sins as well as the unforgivable ones (or “they can’t come back from that”). Truth is, all of it makes the Father sad. He wants us to love people and show the way to him, that way is Jesus.

We’re so desperate to make people do right that we even champion legislation that supports our belief set. I’m going to let you in on a little secret… you cannot legislate righteousness (one for the Father). One more time, you cannot legislate righteousness (for the Son). You cannot legislate righteousness (for the Holy Spirit). People are going to do what people are going to do and if they have to, illegally. I believe that only contempt is bred toward the God we serve carrying on in this manner. This is not to say that anything goes and we should spiral into a free-for-all and accept and tolerate whatever. (Yes, we have grace, but we also have a responsibility too. I think best to do another post about grace abuse.) Rather, we should focus and battle back from a grace mindset showing Christ’s love and let the Spirit do the transforming.

We already had a law. It showed us that it was impossible for anybody to do it alone. That’s why Jesus came to be the ultimate sacrifice so we don’t have to struggle with keeping the law. We now have the Spirit to teach and guide us along the way so that we can make the choices continually that bring us closer to Christ.

Think about how God’s grace has kept and is keeping you going. From the day we are born until the day we day we will be in need of God’s grace. Let’s remember this as we interact with our brothers and sister we see everyday and extend them some grace.

Comment, subscribe, share, or a combination of all three. Til next time.

Victor’s Crown by Darlene Zschech – I Love This Song

On By Osborne Purifoy IIIIn Music1 Comment

I don’t really listen to the radio that much so as a result I miss a lot of music that comes out unless someone tells me about it or I hear it at church. Well, at church I heard this for the first time maybe a month ago and I love it. According to a quick google, this song has been out since 2013 (about four years old, I’m so late, lol). Anyway, I woke up this morning with this song on my heart and I’ve been singing it on and off all day. Listen and let it minister to you. You can get the song on iTunes and I’m fairly certain Google Play and/or Amazon Music has the song available too. If you have any songs that you like and recommend, let me know and I’ll give it a listen.

The video and lyrics are below. Enjoy.

You are always fighting for us
Heaven’s angels all around
My delight is found in knowing
That You wear the Victor’s crown
You’re my help and my defender
You’re my Savior and my friend
By Your grace I live and breathe
To worship You

At the mention of Your greatness
In Your Name I will bow down
In Your presence fear is silent
For You wear the Victor’s crown
Let Your glory fill this temple
Let Your power overflow
By Your grace I live and breathe
To worship You

Hallelujah
You have overcome
You have overcome
Hallelujah
Jesus You have overcome the world

You are ever interceding
As the lost become the found
You can never be defeated
For You wear the Victor’s crown
You are Jesus the Messiah
You’re the Hope of all the world
By Your grace I live and breathe
To worship You

Hallelujah
You have overcome
You have overcome
Hallelujah
Jesus You have overcome the world

Every high thing must come down
Every stronghold shall be broken
You wear the Victor’s crown
You overcome
You overcome
[x4]

At the cross the work was finished
You were buried in the ground
But the grave could not contain You
For You wear the Victor’s crown

Hallelujah
You have overcome
You have overcome
Hallelujah
Jesus You have overcome the world

Every high thing must come down
Every stronghold shall be broken
You wear the Victor’s crown
You overcome
You overcome
[x6]

This is the Beginning – Part II

On By Osborne Purifoy IIIIn IntroductionLeave a comment

In the last introductory post, I addressed the question of “Why?” Today, I will answer the question of “What?”

What…

…will you be posting?

A little bit of everything. In my first intro post This is the Beginning – Part I I sort of lay out the purpose of the blog and the whys of it. Everything I post will be toward that end – pointing the reader towards Christ. One day, I might just post a verse that sticks out to me as I read or the YouVersion.com app’s verse of the day. Maybe a video of some teaching/preaching or song I like via YouTube. Also, I’ll post commentary about books I’ve read here too. Finally, posts designed to make you think, laugh, and/or act on developing your current relationship with the Lord.

…if I don’t agree with what you say?

Good question. If we don’t share the same thoughts or opinions you are welcome to respectfully disagree and tell me why you feel like you do. Back in high school, I had a chemistry teacher named Mr. Ishakis (hope I remembered the spelling right) and 99% of his quizzes started with this, “Agree or disagree with the following statement and support your opinion with specific and accurate facts.” I will never forget that writing prompt and that will be the way we handle things here. Agree or disagree, we will support what we say and have responsible (read: adult) conversation. Everything will be done in love or else you risk the intended party to miss what you’re trying to convey.

Remember that we are all at different places in our journey. Everything I post and think will be a function of my current understanding, so please allow me the grace to grow as I will for you. I understand that some of the things that I post may challenge your current understanding or denominational teachings but I ask that you ask the Holy Spirit to clarify and teach you (John 14:26 AMP) what the truth of the matter is. Let’s all grow together.

…do you do, when you’ve done all you can and it seems like it’s never enough?

You just stand when there’s nothing left to do. You just stand watch the Lord see you through. After you’ve done all you can, you just stand.

…if every post is as long as the first couple? I don’t have time for that.

Relax. The posts will vary in length depending on the post’s purpose. If you don’t have time, read in pieces when you do have time. The most important think is that when you read it you are impacted in a forceful and positive way.

Actually, I’m done for today. Look for a few more posts this week, I want to make up for last week. As always comment, subscribe, share or a combination of all three. Pray for me as I pray for you. ‘Til next time.

I’m hurting… and it’s the fault of the church

On By Osborne Purifoy IIIIn The Church2 Comments

Church hurt is real.

The above statement is an unfortunate truth, but know it is an experience from which you can be healed and overcome. Let me share with you my story. A few years ago, I was in a space where I had become, at best, stagnant with my relationship with God. Part of it was my desire for more from my church experience and the other part we’ll leave for another day. I was attending church semi-regularly and one day my then-girlfriend (now wife) invited me to her church where the Pastor and Assistant Pastor were her former Youth Pastors when she was growing up. I was not disappointed when the day came for me to visit and see what she had been talking about. For the first time in a long time I had begun to feel inspired to dig deeper and get back to work.

Um, this doesn’t sound painful. Actually, it sounds like you were moving in the right direction.

I’m getting there please hold on just a little bit longer.

Eventually, I joined the church and began to enjoy the process of growth and being challenged to live my life better everyday. One of the first things I learned about this church is that it operated under an itinerancy. Itinerancy basically meaning that the pastor of the church could be moved to another congregation at the denominational leadership’s discretion. I knew it was a possibly that this pastor that I began to develop a relationship and fondness for could be moved (usually during the yearly conference meetings) and prepared myself inasmuch as I could for that chance. I soon found how prepared I was… not very.

One Sunday, the pastor called a meeting for all of the church’s leadership for an announcement and I attended because my wife was serving in the church at the time. What I would then hear would break my heart. The next Sunday would be the last one at our church for him and his family. A whole range of emotions would flood my being as I began to process this information. Anger. Fear. Sadness. Confusion. I simply just did not understand. The main reason for all of these feelings was because it wasn’t time yet, it was March, so something felt off about the whole thing.

After hearing some people speak on the situation, I began to see and understand what really was going on behind the scenes. I don’t want to oversimplify, but it seemed to boil down to some of the traditionalists resistance to change and the fact that people worship a system rather than Who (intentionally capitalized) the system was designed to facilitate worship for. Was the outgoing pastor perfect? No. Could some things could have been handled differently? Of course. Still, none of those things seemed (and won’t ever be) justification enough for what was happening. The Sunday came, then went, and when the pastor and his family walked down the aisle for the final time my heart broke. I burst into tears as soon as church was dismissed and wept for a while afterward.

Oh.

Yeah. I began to distrust some of my fellow congregants and held a bitterness towards these people, the church, and the system itself. I’m certain that the enemy enjoyed my feelings at at time.

So what did you do next? You had to leave the church, right?

Actually, I stayed. There were many others who did leave. I prayed for release but received none. I became involved with the youth ministry (sometimes it’s okay to say “no” – another post for another day) and resolved to serve until God no longer gave me the grace to continue at that church.

As I began to serve, I saw that the people needed my prayers and whatever light I could bring and show in those times. Helping those young ones develop and learn about Christ became my priority and helped me work through many of my issues. It wasn’t easy serving in that regard but there were good times as well as times which served as growth opportunities.

Two and a half years later the day came where it was time to go and we moved on. I still bear a scar from my experience, but God did heal and make me whole. Wholeness and forgiveness to the point that I hold no ill will towards anyone that contributed to any hurt caused to anyone. I wish the best for everyone and above all that God’s will be done for that church and community. I had to chalk this painful situation up to the sovereignty of God, trusting that He knows and will do the best thing for those who love him according to his purposes (Romans 8:28 AMP).

What does that have to do with me?

First, while I cannot ease your pain nor erase your experience, I would like to express my sadness that your church experience (or church folks) has caused you such pain. Know that the church is full of imperfect people trying to serve a perfect God. This is not an excuse but a statement of what is. There are bound to be some missteps on this journey as we travel onward, but those of us who are serious about it endeavor to improve and reflect Jesus and his love for us. I really want to encourage you to focus on the God we serve as opposed to the people. Knowing and feeling the difference is key to moving forward in your journey.

Maybe someone hurt you that was being a poor representation of Christ which made you want nothing to do with Him. Perhaps someone verbally and emotionally beat you down for an issue with which you’ve been struggling. Or, it may be that you’ve faced judgement for something you’ve said or done, just know that the Father loves you intently and intensely desiring to be in relationship with you through His son, Jesus. I believe that there is a place for you among a (or the) fellowship of believers that will accept you, love you, and give you the grace to make mistakes as you grow in relationship with Him. I am not exempt as I have hurt and been hurt and I sincerely hope that I haven’t turned anyone off to the gospel due to my actions. I find myself thinking of this more as I try to be more intentional in my interactions with others.

There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, that you’ve done (or will do) that you can’t find forgiveness for in Him. There also is no hurt you’ve experienced, inside or out of the church, you can’t be healed from and be made whole. If you’re seeking, keep seeking, I am confident you will find what you need. I will earnestly pray that God surround you with exactly what you need to begin and sustain a relationship with Him. If nothing else, you have a safe space here, you are loved, and you are accepted. Let’s turn our hurts into testimonies of how God has healed us and is moving us forward and deeper in Him and help others do the same.

I wanted to share with you my experience and let you know that you aren’t alone in your hurt. You can be healed and whole, if you really desire it. I pray it so for you in Jesus’ name. Subscribe, share, comment or a combination of all three, I’d love to hear from you. Until next time.

This is the Beginning – Part I

On By Osborne Purifoy IIIIn Introduction2 Comments

The hardest part of undertaking any project or anything of value for me is starting. So, here I go. I created this website (or blog, I guess) for a lot of reasons and it is my goal to introduce it to you, the reader, slowly through a series of posts with the theme of “The 5 W’s and 1 H”.

Before I continue, I will offer a quick prayer, “Jesus, be an editor.” I don’t fancy myself a writer, nevertheless I will give my best effort to not commit all kinds of grammatical errors until I get better (attempting to locate my Little Penguin Writer’s Handbook) or I develop a relationship with an editor. I desire both of those things to happen.

So which of the w’s will I take on today? “Why?”

Why…

…did you create this site?

There are three main reasons:

1) It’s something I’ve had on my heart for a long time. I want to create a safe space for everyone to come learn and share ideas about relationship with Jesus Christ and bible related topics and NOT BE JUDGED BY ANYONE. There may be times where conversation may lead elsewhere and that’s okay.

2) One of the things I’ve heard throughout my schooling is that you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions because there’s likely someone else in the room with the same question. As I research and post, it could be the case that someone is wondering about the same thing.

3) There are many sites, blogs, or whatever out there on the internets that deal with Jesus, religion and the like. I want to be a blessing to whoever comes to this site that may or may not ever go to any other site.

…the name “enlarged territory”?

The name of this site is a nod to what is knows as “The Prayer of Jabez” found in 1 Chronicles 4:10 (NASB). Part of Jabez’s prayer to God was to enlarge his territory. I believe that God will use this place for His glory and that He has and will make it as big (or influential) as He pleases as long as I do my part and be faithful to the work. The “-ed” is kind of like my statement of faith like “somewhere in the future, this endeavor has become exactly what it was supposed to be”. I plan to do a post in the future about Jabez, so that’s why I’m not going too deep here.

That’s one down. There are 5 more questions to address. My plan is to do at least one of these introductory posts a week at a minimum until they are complete. As far as my next post, stay tuned. Comment, subscribe, share or a combination of all three. Until then.