doing the dishes

So living in an apartment without a dishwasher has made me realize something: Jesus would do the dishes.

(This is kinda cheesy, but if you look past the cheesiness it makes a point)

            It’s Passover, Jesus and his twelve disciples come to you hose to celebrate the Passover. They sit down and eat their meal, you overhear them talking upstairs, most of which is confusing to you. After they talk for a while and one guy leaves early. You over hear this: Jesus gets up and takes everyone’s dirty dishes he walks into the kitchen and starts cleaning the dishes along with the pots and pans. Your house doesn’t have a dishwasher. Every dish need to be hand washed in scorching hot water, rinsed and the dried. You get up to help Jesus wash the dishes, but your spouse tells you that something important is taking place and you shouldn’t interrupt. Jesus goes through each pot and each pan and wipes away the backed on grime, he scours with all his might using the steel wool to get the loaned baking pan -your pan- back to it’s original shine. He starts to clean the individual disciples plates. As he begins he can her them laughing and having fun in the dining room. He cleans off a few when Peter walks in. Peter tells Jesus he’ll finish up the few dishes left. Jesus tells him he does not understand. Peter replies that he can finish up the few left. Jesus tells him that he must finish the dishes, and that he cannot receive help. Peter tells Jesus to clean all of his dishes. But Jesus tells Peter they are already clean, but not all of the disciples are.

            Jesus did the lowliest of the low. He washed the disciples feet, something left for the lowest servant to do. Even we leave the dishes for a machine to do. I feel in modern times Jesus would clean a lot of dishes. He was always serving others, always doing the dirty work. I think that we as Christians need to do more dishes. We need to find those jobs that everyone hates to do and do them in service for others. We need to clean the dirty bathrooms. We need to clean up the throw up, the trash that missed the trashcan, the trash that’s nowhere near the trashcan. As Christians we are called to sweep, dust, mop, scrub, rinse, wipe, sponge, etc. etc. etc. I think if more Christians got down on their hands and knees and worked hard with others, instead of sitting on our butts in a pew, a lot more people would see and know Christ. 

A little hard work never hurt anybody, but a life of it may save somebody.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

John 13:12-17

everyone has something to say

What I think about this Chick-fil-a dilemma… I think?

S. Truett Cathy did nothing wrong.

I do firmly think that S. Truett Cathy did nothing wrong. He and Chick-fil-a didn’t do anything unacceptable to my knowledge. He has a right to believe and say whatever he fells like. Remember it’s a free country. Free to be/like LGBT, free to not be/dislike LGBT. Just as it’s free to like Dr. Pepper and free to dislike Dr. Pepper.

Money for Chick-fil-a could go to missions/world hunger:

I agree with the fact that your money could go to missions or it could go to end world hunger, but let’s be honest it wont end up going there anyway. Think about it. You don’t NEED a car, thus you don’t NEED gas...  $$$$. You don’t NEED power thus you won’t NEED to worry about that bill… $$$$.  You don’t NEED ect. thus you can give ect. to missions/to end world hunger…$$$$. But you’re never going to give those up, so what does a few dollars on a good meal once in a while mean. (You almost got me started on what you really NEED in life; you wont like the end of that story. It looks a lot like eating locus and honey, and wearing some fashionable camel skin.)

Christians must tread lightly as to not lose their witness/Support your brother in Christ.

Support your fellow Christian Brother, but don’t support so much that you lose your witness. Does Chick-fil-a really need your business on August 1, 2012? I believe that as Christians we all run this race together (Romans 12:3, Ephesians 4:1-3 ect.). We also should build each other up (Ephesians 4:29, Romans 14:19, Romans 15:1 ect.). We also are closely watched by the world and must not do anything that loses our Credibility as a Christian (1 Corinthians 8:9&13, Philippians 2:3). I.e. Say I have a LGBT friend and I’m trying to witness to him about the love of Christ. I tell him how Christ loves everyone no matter who they are, and that I also love everyone. This friend decides to not side on S. Truett Cathy’s side of the debate. Then this friend see’s a picture of me at Chick-fil-a gorging myself with chicken sandwiches. Will he naturally think, “I bet my friend is just eating at Chick-fil-a because he believes that as a Christian he should help his fellow Christian and edify him?” Or do you think he will think that I ate at chick-fil-a because I don’t agree with the lifestyle of LGBT, and thus do not love him like my God told me to do. (Mind you that TO A LGBT it was not their Choice to be LGBT. They were born that way. Thus to ‘Love the sinner, hate the sin’, you are directly hating the way they were born. [It would be like saying I love you, but I hate that you keep sinning by having to breathe] not that I agree with that, but it is what it is.)

I am not saying don’t eat at Chick-fil-a because S. Truett Cathy supports a biblical family, please don’t think that. I am just saying it may not everyone’s best witness to eat there on Aug 1 2012.

You may be able to cast the first stone, but I can’t because I’m a sinner just like LGBT’s.

Here’s what I really think about the stance most Christians take on LGBT. We think that we have a right to throw the first stone because they are LGBT. But we miss the fact that every time we lust after a woman (OR MAN for the ladies [yes, lusting isn’t just a male sin]) we are committing adultery (Matthew 5:27-30). Or maybe we forgot that every time we hate, we are committing murder (Matthew 21:22). Remember that being gay sends that person to the exact same place you and I are going (Romans 3:23). Or did you forget that you and I are not entitled to a ticket to heaven, but that it is by grave you and I have been saved, not by works so that you or I cannot boast  (Ephesians 2:8).

Did Christ ever say Christians will be treated the same as everyone else?

No, in fact He said the opposite (John 15:18). So stop getting all bent out of shape when Christians don’t get equal rights. Btw there are people around the world that are being KILLED because they are Christian and they have a business.

remember LOVE GOD AND LOVE OTHERS

If you disagree with anything I have said please tell me. I would love to work it out together. I am by no means saying I know everything on this subject.

and you will receive Power...

So I’m lying here in my Brazilian hammock, outside on a beautiful night. And I’m starting to reflect on what God has taught me in Brazil. And of course He has taught me much about being flexible, which was one of two themes. The other was everything is harder in the jungle. So here are some things I have learned…

 The thing that impacted me the most was probably a man (who I won’t tell you much about him for the protection of all involved.) But I will tell you that he had been a Christian for 3 weeks and had been to about 3 bible studies. What amazed me the most was his bible, it was filled front to back with highlights. We almost started a game, ‘see what scripture he doesn’t have marked.’ Needless to say the game amazed us more than helped him. I can’t explain to you how much this man, who again, was a Christian for only three weeks, knew about the bible. He amazed us. Less than a month with only the Holy Spirit about equaled my 5+ years of academically studying the bible. I never have seen the Holy Spirit more. I’ve been to camps where the worship was amazing, but to see the Holy Spirit teach someone is more powerful than seeing Him in musical worship.

            So I can’t help but thinking… what if we could have both? What if we had the Holy Spirit and academic scholars too? What if we knew the bible like this man did, and we were able to pull scripture for every situation just like he was able too. What if we actually took the time to study the scripture ourselves, and not just quickly read someone else’s work. This man didn’t have time to dive theologically into each scripture. He read the bible just like a really good book. He hung onto every word realizing it was vital for the next. Maybe we could enjoy the Bible the same way we enjoy our favorite book, or favorite move, or show.

            But why can’t we enjoy it?

            Because honestly, you have to want to love it, just like friends and family. Love is not always easy; ask anyone married for more than a few years. Remember, the best things in life are not handed out. (well … THE best thing was, but someone paid their life for that)

Acts 1:8

a little off topic (Brazil)

So this blog post is gonna be a little off normal topic. This blog post will be about my trip to Brazil. 

             I’m going to Brazil this summer… hopefully. I’ve learned a little bit more about my trip in the last few weeks. It looks like it will be the last two-weeks in May and the first week in June, or so. The plan so far is we will fly into Manaus, Brazil and then take a hammock boat for two to three days up the Amazon River. While we are on the boat we will be in contact with 75-200 people and we will be able to talk to them, get to know them, and witness to them. Then we will get to an interior community where we will work in groups along with two other missionaries where we will train local Christians on planting their own churches. We then will help disciple locals and just help them out spiritually and physically. Then we will spend a week in Manaus, a city of 2 million people, working with local churches, orphanages, schools teaching English, and possible construction and maintenance. There will be six students going, five guys and one girl, plus a professor here at OBU. So if you could be in prayer for all of us that would help out more than any of us, but God, could imagine.

            I’m am extremely excited for this trip, I am super excited to see God’s hand at work already. Many things have already been happening here in Shawnee that could only be explained by God. I hope you will join me in prayer and also consider donating money, because this could not happen without your support. Anything will help; it doesn’t have to be a big gift to help. One crazy fact I’ve already learned in school is that if ten families give ten present they can completely pay for a missionary family. (10% x 10 families = 100% for one family.) Now I don’t have a family and I’m not looking to be a full time missionary (at east for now), but that’s just how easy something we make so complicated could be.

            Thank you,

-Micah Keeney

Soli Deo Gloria (may everything I do be for God’s glory)


Ps. here is the form to give money sorry i forgot about this 
http://www.okbu.edu/academics/theologymin/cmr/donor%20form.pdf
i guess you'll have to copy and paste it into the URL box, sorry 

have we lost it

            At my job the owner is passionate about the stuff we sell. If you have ever came in when he is there, you will know who I am talking about. He is obsessed with it. The second you come in he’s going tell you about how good the stuff is, and by the time he’s done telling you, even if you didn’t want any when you came in, you want some now; because if it’s that great to him it must be pretty good. So you end up buying some anyway. If you come in a lot he gets to know you. There are some regular customers that will come in when he is there, and wait till he’s done doing whatever just so they can talk. The funny thing is that’s he’s like that all the time, some days he’s having a bad day, but when a customer walks in it’s like a switch turns on and he’s just as happy as can be, only the people close to him could see/are told he’s having a not so good day. He’s got a passion for the product we sell, and my words (compared to his passion) don’t even do him justice.

            It hit me a few days ago we as Christians need a passion like him. We need to want to tell everyone about our Savior. It should be such a big deal in our lives that people come in just because they heard about Him. Just like at my work people come in saying “we heard it was the best so we thought we would try it out.” People should be coming into our churches because they heard the people there were the best, but we shouldn’t limit it to inside the church. Just like a business will go out and advertise. We need to get outside our four walls known as “the church” and go tell others how great our God really is. But the most important thing is that they need to SEE how great He is. It doesn’t matter if we have the right words to tell people if we have the passion and love for Christ they’ll see it and most likely want some of their own. Christians, in general, myself included, have become boring, grumpy people that want other people to think the way they think. When we should be excited, passionate people wanting everyone to know whom we got our passion from.

One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).  John 1:40-42

modern day hypocrisy: social networks

 “I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day”

-Edgar A. Guest

Recently I have seen a ‘Christian Movement’ on social networks. This could be because I have entered into the world of Christian Colleges, but I think it’s more than just that. The movement I have seen promotes men to become true men of God, and for women to become true women of God. This movement is a good movement, but only if people apply it to their lives. See I’ve come across a new form of hypocrisy in the church during the technology age. Online hypocrisy. Christians, or so-called Christians, can now throw up a post about how they want to be a chivalrous man or honorable woman, but yet their lives reflect just the opposite.

Mark writes about what Jesus said in Chapter 11, “And the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” We as Christians can learn to say, or post, the right things. We learn to do the right things, go to the right places, and put in just the right amount of time, but we manage to lose sight of what Christianity is all about,

Loving God and Loving People.

 We read our bible daily but it never changes us. How is it that we can some into an encounter with the creator of the universe and not be changed. Or maybe we never have any encounter with Him, and that’s how we manage to leave unchanged.

Now don’t think that I’m out to get every Christian out there, because there is nothing I want more than a woman of God who is not ashamed to post about it. I know that there are men and women out there who are posting these statuses trying to change or that have already became a man/women of God. And someday I hope to be in the right place with God to find one of these ladies.

Also don’t think that because I’m writing this I’ve got it all figured out. I still struggle with being the man God wants me to be. I still mess up, but hopefully I will learn from my mess-ups and they will make me a better man. Because I believe that Christians mess-up just like anyone else, the only difference is they learn from their mess-ups and become a better person because of them.

            “I'd rather see a post than read one any day”

           

-Micah Keeney