Resurrection People Part 7

After enough disappointment, hope starts to feel foolish.

I've been there. There was a season in my life that came after I left a job I had poured myself into. What I discovered afterward was that many of the decisions I had made, the way I had treated people, the direction I had led — all of it had been built on lies. My boss had been systematically lying to me, and I hadn't known it!

When I found out, everything I had trusted caved in at once. I was angry in a way that surprised me. I made it my personal mission to undermine everything that person tried to do. Whatever they wanted to succeed, I worked to make them fail.

One day, my closest friend sat across from me at our weekly coffee and told me the truth. He said, "Scott, you're so angry and bitter that you've become toxic. You can't see it, but it's affecting everyone around you. You're mad at one person, but you're taking it out on people who don't even know him." Then he said, "I'll be honest; it's really hard to be your friend right now."

That's what unprocessed hurt does. It doesn't stay where you put it. It leaks into everything, and you don't notice until someone who loves you is willing to say the hard thing.

I say all of this because I want to be honest about what resurrection hope is not.

Resurrection hope is not the decision to pretend that hard things aren't hard. It is not the spiritual discipline of faking cheerfulness when everything is falling apart. That's not hope, nor honesty. That's performance, and we talked yesterday about the cost of performance.

Jesus, on the night he was arrested, told his disciples: "In this world you will have trouble." (John 16:33 NIV) He didn't say you might. He said you will. He was not offering comfort by minimizing reality. He was offering something better.

He finished the sentence: "But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NIV)

Resurrection hope doesn't deny that the world is broken. It refuses to believe that brokenness is final. Naïveté pretends the hard thing isn't hard. Hope looks the hard thing directly in the face and says, "This is not the end of the story."

Some of us have gone quiet in our faith because the gap between what we hoped for and what actually happened is too painful to keep revisiting. That's not a faith problem, though. That's a human problem. And it's exactly where resurrection was always meant to do its work.

Paul writes in Romans 5 that "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (5:3-4 NIV) The hope at the end of that chain is not wishful thinking. It's the hard-won conviction of someone who has watched God show up in places that looked finished.

The next section of this plan will ask you to act on that hope. Before we get there, sit with this question today: where has disappointment quietly turned into a decision that nothing will change? That's the place where resurrection starts.

Identity Statement:

“Because Jesus has overcome the world, I am not defined by my hardest season. I am anchored in a hope that defies reality.”

Reflect:

Where has disappointment hardened into a settled expectation that nothing will change? What would it look like to bring that specific place to Jesus today?

Prayer:

Jesus, I don't want to perform hope I don't feel. So I'm bringing You the real version — the places where I stopped expecting anything. Meet me there. Amen.

All of the above copied from: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/68058/day/7?segment=0

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM

Resurrection People - Part 3

When I was in seminary, I hit a wall.

I was trying to crank through nearly thirty credits in nine months while also learning how to be married. Things at home were good. But spiritually, I was in a dark place.

I had stopped having a personal relationship with Jesus and started having a professional one. I read the Bible for my classes and my sermons, not for myself. I prayed because that's what pastors are supposed to do. I was burning out, going through the motions, and privately wondering if any of it was real.

One day, in a class designed to be a safe space for honesty, I decided to tell the truth. I described the burnout, the emptiness, and the fact that I was writing sermons for other people while feeling nothing myself.

I looked around the room as I talked. Every face looked like a computer that froze. My professor said, "Scott, this doesn't make sense." The rest of the conversation made it clear that this was not, in fact, a safe space for that kind of honesty.

That was the last day I was vulnerable in seminary. Not the last day I told the truth in general, just the last day I let those people in. I learned that day that what the people in that classroom wanted from me was the performance of faith, not real-life reality.

Act 5 tells a story that makes a lot of people uncomfortable, and honestly, it should! The short version is that a couple named Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land, kept a portion for themselves, and told the church they had given everything. Peter confronted them. Both of them died.

This is not a story about money. It's a story about hypocrisy: the decision to present a version of yourself that isn't true to receive credit you haven't earned. As one pastor wrote, “they wanted the credit and prestige of sacrificial generosity without the inconvenience.”

In Matthew 23, Jesus called people like this “whitewashed tombs.” They were beautiful on the outside, full of death on the inside. The gap between who we present ourselves to be and who we actually are is something Jesus takes seriously.

After all, hypocrisy destroys community. A community where people perform rather than live, where image matters more than integrity, cannot sustain the kind of trust that resurrection requires. God can't heal our masks. He can only work with what's real.

One reason I share honestly on stages and pages (including stories that don't make me look good) is what I expected that day in seminary. I learned what happens when people sense they're not safe to be real. They go quiet. And the quiet isolation is worse than the mess.

Identity Statement:

“Because Jesus is alive, I don't have to protect an image. I am free to live with authenticity and integrity.”

Reflect:

Where are you managing perception instead of living honestly? Is there a gap between who you are in public and who you are in private? What would it cost to close it?

Prayer:

Jesus, free me from the exhausting work of protecting an image. You already know the real version of me, and You came for that person. Help me live like that's true. Amen.

All the above copied from: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/68058/day/6?segment=0

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM

Resurrection People - Part 1

Have you ever bought a new car, or seriously thought about buying one, and then suddenly noticed that same car everywhere you drove?

The parking lot is full of them. On the highway, every third vehicle matched. You started to wonder if there was some kind of sale you didn't know about. But those cars were there the whole time. You just weren't looking for them.

Scientists call it this “frequency illusion.” Your brain processes an enormous amount of information every day, and to manage that load, it creates patterns and writes stories. When something becomes important to you, your brain starts noticing it in places it always existed but previously ignored. The cars didn't multiply; your expectations did!

I want to tell you about something Jesus said that most of us don't actually believe, even if we'd never say that out loud. At his last meal with his disciples, he told them: “Truly I tell you, the one who believes in mewill also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12 CSB)

You may be thinking, "I will do greater works than Jesus?!" Think about what that claim means. The man who healed the blind and raised the dead is saying that you, through the power of his Spirit, are capable of more.

I told you that you probably don't believe it!

But the early disciples did. When they ran into persecution, when doors closed, and when people mocked them or threw them in prison, their response wasn't despair. It was: “Jesus was killed in the most violent way possible and came back from the dead. So anything is possible.” Their expectations had been permanently reset by what they had witnessed. Like the person who just bought a new car, they started noticing resurrection everywhere.

Your expectations are not neutral. They shape what you see and what you're willing to do. If you've decided a person will never change, you won't give them room to change relationally. If you've decided a situation is beyond hope, you'll stop praying and stop acting.

For the early followers of Jesus, resurrection wasn't a distant event they commemorated once a year. It was the pattern they expected daily. When they walked into a hard situation, their instinct was to ask: What would resurrection look like here? This seems impossible, but so did the sealed tomb.

Where have you stopped expecting the power of the Resurrection to change things? A relationship you've written off? A habit you've tried to break so many times you don't try anymore? A dream you buried because hoping felt worse than giving up?

Identity Statement:

“Because Jesus rose and sent His Spirit, I am not powerless. I will live today expecting resurrection.”

Reflect:

Where have your expectations become fixed at 'this will never change'? What would it mean to ask, 'What would resurrection look like here?'

Prayer:

Jesus, reset my expectations. Where I have accepted hopelessness as realism, show me the difference. I want to see the world the way You see it. Amen.

This is all copied from Bible.com, created by Scott Savage. 

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM

Answering Anxiety Part 2

The Answer for Anxiety

Is there a biblical answer for my struggle – an answer in Jesus Christ for the anxious heart? The answer is yes, and it is simple and straightforward. The answer comes to us from Scripture with the authority of God. 

It can be captured with one word found in 1 Peter 5, and that word is humility. Peter speaks of casting all your anxieties as the expression of his call to “humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God.”

How do I humble myself under God’s mighty hand? Casting all my cares upon God is a decision, an action that demonstrates obedience to God’s call for my humility. 

So that means that the answer for the anxious heart is humility. 

Or, we could turn it around and ask, “Why do we have anxious hearts?” 

The painful answer is Pride.

If I were to ask you: Do you struggle with anxiety? With worry? With discouragement? 

You may very well admit that you do. 

But if I were to ask you whether you think the root of your problem is pride, would that have been the first thing that came to your mind?

Probably not. 

People who are dealing with discouragement, depression, or despair seldom feel proud. In fact, they feel that they think of themselves in a lowly way. Psychologists would probably say that they struggle with a poor sense of self-worth. So, the human diagnosis of such a problem is not pride, but rather that the person doesn’t think more highly of himself.

But the One we meet with in chapter five of 1 Peter is the great physician of the soul, and He is the only One who accurately knows the heart of man.

The almighty God who has breathed the Bible tells us that the answer for the anxious heart is to humble one’s self, and that you humble yourself by casting your cares upon Him. So, as much as it may surprise us, the One who knows our hearts tells us that the problem of the anxious soul is pride. How can that be? We’ll consider that in the days ahead.

When the anxious heart cries out to God and begs for an answer, its pain is often intense and its energy exhausted. It is painful to hope and to be disappointed, but when the hope is found in God’s Word, then it can be sure – even if at first it seems unlikely.

Blog Author: The rest of these 'plans' can be found on Bible.com. I just wanted to post the first two because they had the biggest impact on me. The author of these posts is Scott Savage, and a link to his website can be found on 'fav sites' on my page.

JoJo The Mystical Monk

SOUL RESET: Forgive Without Compromising Your Peace

Though I'm not proud to say it, I said many mean things about my ex after a messy breakup in college. One day, I realized my words were hurtful and regretted them. I emailed her, saying I was sorry and wanted to make amends. But I hadn’t experienced genuine repentance; it was just regret. I knew this because I kept saying mean things. I hadn't changed!

I'll never forget eating a chicken burrito in an airport restaurant. I opened my computer to check my email and immediately lost my appetite. She had written me back, and her words cut deep. She called out my lack of integrity, questioned my faith, and pointed out how my actions didn't match my words of apology. The truth was, she was right about everything she said.

That moment began my journey of understanding the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Though we often think they are the same, these two things aren't the same. Here's the key truth I want you to grasp in this series: Forgiveness involves me. Reconciliation involves us.

The distinction between these two experiences is clearly illustrated in one of the Bible's most dramatic stories of broken relationships – the story of Jacob and Esau. These twin brothers had been estranged for twenty years after Jacob deceived their father and stole Esau's blessing. When Jacob finally headed home, he sent messengers to his brother Esau in Genesis 32. Worried about Esau’s reaction, Jacob included many gifts for the brother he once cheated.

Jacob's heart must have been pounding as he sent those messengers. Would Esau still want to kill him? Had anything changed in twenty years? The messengers returned with news that Esau was coming – with 400 men—an army.

This story illustrates something vital about reconciliation: it's vulnerable, risky, and sometimes impossible. That's why Paul writes in Romans 12:18, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." Notice those first two words: "if possible." Sometimes, reconciliation isn't possible.

Over the next few days, we will explore what makes reconciliation possible and what makes it impossible. We'll examine common myths that keep us stuck, examine what true repentance looks like, and understand why trust takes time. Most importantly, we'll learn why forgiveness and reconciliation aren't the same thing—and why that's good news for those of us carrying deep wounds.

On the following day of this plan, you will be exposed to common myths about forgiveness and reconciliation that hold you back from freedom. These myths have caused countless people I’ve worked with to remain stuck in toxic situations or rush into reconciliation before it's wise. But first, take a moment to reflect: Who comes to mind when you think about reconciliation? What would it mean to you if reconciliation were possible? Or what if it's not possible – how might that change how you move forward?

From Bible.com by Scott Savage.

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM

Spiritual Sustainability

Here's another great contribution from Scott Savage in regards to spiritual burn-out. Scott has a lecture that goes along with the picture below. Just do a quick Google search for Scott Savage and subscribe to his e-mail mailing list. Great stuff! To enlarge the picture, just click on it! 

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM

Pause App

Just a quick post: I found an outstanding app called Pause, by John Eldredge. I got it from Scott Savage, one of the author's on Bible.com. I think it's excellent and I highly recommend it, especially if you are a 'busy and on-the-go' type person, who needs a bit of a break and 'pause' from time to time. I've high-lighted it above for Apple users; for other hardware just do a quick Google search. Enjoy~!

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM

Stop Cleaning Cobwebs...Part 1

This is an excellent 'plan' on the app, Bible.com. I hope it's okay to post it...I'll include a link to their site to at least promote them a little big. I am seriously impressed with their app! Here is a link to the actual site: Stop Cleaning Cobwebs: Beyond Quick Fixes to Real Freedom by Scott Savage. 

Here we go...

Things are not always as they seem.

Carlos Whitaker knew this reality intimately. From the outside, everything looked perfect in Carlos’ life. He was a successful worship leader, working at large churches. He signed a recording contract and embarked on a nationwide tour. He found fame online through his blog and social media posts.

But things were not as they seemed online.

Behind the scenes, Carlos was battling massive anxiety and struggling with panic attacks. His marriage was marked by emotional infidelity, and he was desperately trying to hold it all together.

One day, it all came crashing down as the truth came out. His wife separated from him. He thought his family was gone forever, and that his life was over.

Several years later, a Christian counselor sent Carlos to a seven-day treatment center—a year's worth of therapy would be compressed into one week. While driving there, he remembered he'd have to give up his phone for a week, so he called his parents so they wouldn't worry.

His father is Fermín Whitaker, an evangelist and influential Christian leader. During that phone call, Fermín said, "Carlos, I have a story to tell you." Carlos encouraged his dad to hurry up as he was close to the treatment center!

Fermín said, "Son, when I was a pastor first beginning in Panama, I was giving a revival one night, and I preached my heart out. This woman named Mrs. Ramirez came down the aisle and asked, 'Pastor, would you please pray that God would clean the cobwebs out of my life?'"

Pastor Fermín prayed for her, and Mrs. Ramirez went home. The second night, he preached again, gave an invitation, and Mrs. Ramirez came down the aisle again with the same request: "Pastor Fermín, would you please pray that God would clean the cobwebs out of my life?"

He prayed for her again. Third night, the same thing happened.

Finally, Pastor Fermín stopped her and said, "We are done praying that God cleans the cobwebs out of your life. Tonight we're praying that God kills the spider."

Then Pastor Fermín told his son, "Carlos, I have watched you for your whole life become a professional cobweb cleaner. You project a picture for the world, while there are big, hairy spiders hiding in the shadows. If you're going to this week-long therapy program, don't go to clean out the cobwebs. Go to kill your spider."

When I shared this story with my church several years ago, you could hear a pin drop. As I shared Carlos’s story in a sermon series inspired by his book, 'Kill the Spider,' it was as if God turned on a massive spotlight in our lives, shining into places where people have been struggling for years without finding freedom.

The central idea we explored in that sermon series is the same one I want to explore with you here: We settle for cleaning cobwebs when God has the power to kill spiders.

Have you been struggling with the same things for years or decades? Have you settled for less than Jesus intended for you? Jesus didn’t die so you could cope. John 8:36 and Galatians 5:1 boldly declare that Jesus took our place and died, so we could be free!

Tomorrow, we'll explore what cobwebs and spiders actually are, and why the difference matters for your freedom.

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM

Here is their link, one more time: Stop Cleaning Cobwebs: Beyond Quick Fixes to Real Freedom by Scott Savage.