Today is my Birthday. I always dread this day, because traditionally something bad has always happened on my birthday. Deaths of friends and family, friends arrested for D.U.I., getting fired from a job. It's always something. Well today, my family and I get in the car to go to church. Driving the mile to church, I notice that car is handling like garbage. We get to church and park. Get out of the car and *BOOM* there it is. A flat tire. "Yup. It's my birthday alright." My wife and I agree to go into the church and then I would change the tire after the service. We go in to the service and new friends and old friends greet us as worship is going on. Now, a little back story. If you read the first blog from the Fisherman Soldier, you will know that I have been running from God for a long time, and have recently come back to the fold. For a few weeks now I have been struggling with this dream, a thought; that I am supposed to become a Pastor. Terrifying right? Thats a heck of a call to receive from the Lord. So back to todays service. Our Pastor gets up and begins talking about faith. Having faith and the fact that God uses Abraham to illustrate faith in the most profound ways. As the pastors words sink into my brain, I start to get this feeling. Something that I haven't felt in a while. Peace. That's when my mothers favorite bible verse pops into my head. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." This verse has meant so many different things to me throughout my life. Sort of like a Swiss Army knife, this verse has a thousand and one uses. Even though I was running from God, I always carried this verse with me wherever I went. ANd it has gotten me through some of the roughest patches of my life. I thought it was because it was my Mothers favorite verse. I now think that it was because it was God's safety line. That one thing holding me to him so he could pull me back when I was ready. After service we had a soup luncheon and reception. We sat with our good friends Ken and Kat and their family. We talk and laugh, and then the Pastor comes up. He asks to sit and places himself in front of me. We begin to talk, and the topic of my dilemma comes up. The whole time we are speaking this bible verse is running through my head. At the same time, everything the Pastor is saying is making this verse scream louder and louder at me. "God has a plan for you Spike!" the voice in my head is saying somewhat like a Drill Sergeant. Our Pastor, whether he knew it or not, was the nudge I needed, the push from God, the swift kick in the pants to get off of the sidelines and get onto the playing field. We leave, and I start changing the tire. When two deacons from the church come over and begin to help me change the tire. They didn't have to. But they did. It was as if God was once again telling me, "I have a plan for you. I'll take care of you. I have got your back." As if I needed any further motivation to follow the calling I had received all those years ago, God does what he does best. He gives me another sign that he is there. We get to the only tire place that is open on Sunday. We check in and hand over our keys. The gentleman takes the car in and twenty minutes later proceeds to finish our paper work. I reach for my wallet and ask "what's the damage?" "Nothing." He replied. After scraping my jaw off of the floor, I ask "Are you serious?". He smiles, and states "that 'Goodyear' doesn't charge to fix a flat tire". Once again, God is screaming at me " I HAVE A PLAN FOR YOU SPIKE! Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" God not only saw fit to get me through another year, but he gave me the best gift he ever could have given me. A renewal of Faith. I am off to search the web for Bible Schools now, I have a calling that I was supposed to fulfill a long time ago.
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There is that old expression that I have heard my entire life. "... Judge not, lest ye be judged." So why is it then, that some of the most judgmental people on the planet, are Christians? Time and time again, I am let down by my fellow followers of the Way. I am heavily tattooed. Arms, legs, chest and hands. Nothing that could be deemed 'offensive'. I am a Veteran of the U.S. Navy, and many of the tattoos I have are in accordance with old school maritime tradition. Still, the hate and judgement comes in waves. Maybe a reason I was running from God for so long was because of how other Christians made me feel. The look of scorn and disdain. Disapproval greeted me at every church I walked into. The eyes glaring in contempt for the ink that is in my skin. I even had an old Catholic lady in a grocery store tell me "I was going to burn in Hell for destroying God's temple..." "You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord." Leviticus 19:28 The 'Go To' Bible verse for anti-tattoo advocates of Christian persuasion. So I did some homework. The section, "cuttings in your flesh..." is in reference to a barbaric ritual that existed back then. It was a type of 'sacrifice of flesh' to appease the Gods. A ritual still practiced today by many Muslims during the Day of Ashura. Now, the 'tattoo' portion of the verse is a tricky thing. From Aramaic to Greek, Greek to German/English etc... Not all words translate completely. The closest I could find was 'marks' or 'markings' that are the closest in translation from the original Aramaic in reference to scarring the body to remember the dead. So, it is reasonable that scholars could have made an assumption that this just meant 'tattoos'. A conversation thread I found on Biblical Hermeneutics made an interesting observation. "The command is clear in this passage to not pierce one's body for the dead. The slaves were to be pierced by their master upon choosing to stay with them rather than going free; therefore, it seems clear that the command does not forbid all piercing, but only piercing for the dead. In regard to tattooing, however, the English does not connect the command not to tattoo with "for the dead in any way. I read the other post pertaining to this passage and though it is insightful, it does not pertain to my question, that being: Grammatically, is there a connection in the Hebrew between the command forbidding to tattoo and 'for the dead?'" It's just a thought. An opinion. For isn't the Bible interpreted differently by each individual person that reads it? What I like to call "Idiopathic Christianity". Meaning each Christians walk with God is different and pertains to them specifically. No one else. What I think is important, is that I AM a Christian and walking with God. I AM a good Father and Husband. I AM a good neighbor to my Brothers and Sisters. Isn't that the important thing? I used to stress about things like the entirety of this blog. Until I had the revelation of "Idiopathic Christianity". Then I was at peace. It doesn't matter what other Christians or non-Christians think. It matters what God thinks, and how I live my life walking with Him. I will Love my Wife, Protect and teach my Son, be a good neighbor to my Brothers and Sisters. I will enjoy life, Praise the Lord; Dance and give Joy unto him. The next day I will do it all over again. The Judgments of others no longer hold sway on me. While your contemplating the opinions I have put forth so far dwell on this: In Revelation 19:16 "And He has on His robe and His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." The Aramaic translation for the words written and on Jesus' robe and thigh is 'writers ink'. This Video is from one of my favorite bands, and is very much how I view my life, especially since I am back on the path. We've all said it before. "God, give me the strength..." But have you ever noticed that he doesn't? He doesn't waive his hand and *POOF* , magically you're as strong as an Ox! Or, *POOF*, you have the resolve of a dozen people and are able to get through the day. That's not at all what God does. What he does do, is give us an opportunity to be strong. To do what needs to be done on our own. Don't get me wrong, he is always with us, but like any good parent; he wants his children to be able to stand on our own. I have come to understand this hard truth in the past few years, and have wrestled with it sporadically. But once I accepted the fact that God wants me to be strong, things got easier. Now, I don't pray for God to give me strength. I pray for God to give me an opportunity to be strong. "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 I have heard this verse cited all my life, and I look at it now with new eyes. God does give us strength as Paul states in Philippians, but I think he does it by giving us the opportunity to be strong. To learn from our mistakes, to develop and grow. Not just as a human being, but also as a child of the Lord. "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1 Psalm 46 is another very resounding verse about God being our strength. I look at this verse like this. A parent is teaching their child to ride a bicycle. The parent holds onto the back of the bike and reassures the child that they are there. But at some point, the parent has to let go so the child can ride the bike on their own. Yes the child might fall down a few times, and God, like a good parent, is there to pick them back up. Our "refuge" like Psalm 46 says. But the parent gives the child a chance to try again. A chance to be strong and to learn from past mistakes and events. Yes, you might stumble. Yes you might fall. But he will always be there to help you back to your feet and to give you a chance to be strong. I like to end my blogs with music, so please enjoy this song from DC Talk. It always helps me to be strong. Be Blessed. (Photo Credit: Pintrest) |
AuthorSpike Bowan is the Pittsburgh, PA born Writer and Fiction Author. He is a Veteran of the US Navy, retired Paramedic, Husband, Father and Christian. BECOME A PATRON. CLICK BELOW!
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