The Sheep and the Goats…An Invitation

Luke 14:12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

I was reading this passage recently for the purposes of doing a painting and it fascinated me. There’s something beautifully selfless, the idea of doing things for those who can do nothing in return and trusting God for the blessing. It’s particularly fitting in light of what Christ has done for us. He has given us a gift we cannot repay, the best we can do is devote our lives to serving others and I believe that is the invitation Christ has given everyone who calls upon his name. I was having a hard time seeing the image in this passage but it drew my mind to another passage.

Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
   34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

   37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

   40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Jesus is telling us that whatever we do to help those in need, we are actually doing for Him. It makes sense if you think about it. Hungry, Thirsty, Stranger, in need, sick and in prison, we were all these things when Christ came to our rescue. For us to be the sheep of our shepherd, we need to follow our shepherd.

Interestingly, Jesus also speaks to those who refuse his invitation to serve. 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

   44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
   45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
The least of these are all around us and we as Christians have been invited to stand up and meet their need. How will we respond to the invitation? Will we be sheep or goats?

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
1 Kings 9-10; Proverbs 17
1 Kings 11-12
Ecclesiastes 1-4; Psalm 80
Ecclesiastes 5-8; Psalm 101
You can also download your own chart here.

#Trust30 You Know

UBU!

The Challenge:
Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

We live in a society of advice columns, experts and make-over shows. Without even knowing it, you can begin to believe someone knows better than you how to live your life. Someone might know a particular something better – like how to bake a three-layer molten coconut chocolate cake or how to build a website – but nobody else on the planet knows how to live your life better than you. (Although one or two people may think they do.) For today, trying asking yourself often, especially before you make a choice, “What do I know about this?”

My response:
This is one thing I often share with people when it comes to sharing their faith in Christ. They inevitably talk about not sharing because they don’t know enough. It’s as if the only ones qualified to share this life-giving, life-changing message are people with a theology degree. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most pastors, most theologians are seen as paid salesmen by the people outside the church. Their response is usually far better when a trusted friend shares and invites them to faith. A friend is seen more as “satisfied customer” than “salesman.” There may be people who know a lot more theology than you, but you are the world’s foremost expert on your experience with Christ. This is a story no one can tell better than you. 1 Peter 3:15 reminds us to: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”

Tell the story you know best… Your story

#Trust30 Speak Less

The Challenge:
What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know I. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I once received a fortune cookie that read: “Speak less of your plans, you’ll get more done.” What’s one project that you’ve been sitting on and thinking about but haven’t made progress on? What’s stopping you? What would happen if you actually went for it and did it?

My response:
I just had this talk with a trusted friend. I was lamenting how far away my dream lives from reality and how many things I was missing. He asked me what do I need to get this done. I said well maybe more training, more experience, more credibility. He started to point to all the things I have already been doing and asked the question, “What if you’re enough?” What if your story, your passion and the things you’ve already done are enough? At that point there was only one right answer, “I’d have to actually do it.” I’d have to commit and launch. I’ve known this was true for a long time and I have been taking steps, but what I really needed was the affirmation that I needed to stop focusing on what I don’t have, work with what I do have and do the work. Stop lamenting, take what you have and do it! Speak less. I tell people this all the time, but sometimes it’s harder to internalize it than it is to tell others. So I close with this question:

“What if you’re enough?”

#Trust30 Invent the Future

The Challenge:
A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

My favorite quote of all time is Alan Kay: ‘In order to predict the future, you have to invent it.’ I am all about inventing the future. Decide what you want the future to be and make it happen. Because you can. Write about your future now.

My response:
Well I feel like I have been talking about this a lot lately, but maybe that’s the point of these exercises to take us past talking and thinking and into creating and doing. My future is in ministry. Because of this I know it has got to be led by God. For this reason, I know I have to hold on to the plan loosely and onto God tightly. In my ideal future, I am traveling all over the world. I’m going to churches to encourage believers to use their gifts to serve others by using my art and speaking gifts to serve them. I’m helping churches to utilize their people, create new ministries and to abandon their “warm body” positions. These being the ones that they force themselves to continue even though no one really has the gifting or passion to sustain them. I have a home base church where I teach and preach, but I also have sufficient excellent leaders to sow into and allow me to do the other things to which I am called. This home church will also serve as testing ground and leadership development. I am also doing “performance painting shows” using the gift to tell stories, share truth. I’m using the internet to resource arts ministries with the resources I create and resourcing and encouraging other believers to use their gifts, thus expanding the reach. I’m able to afford to live and care well for my family and have resources to sow into start and fund churches and ministries and care for the poor. In the ideal world my family will be able to travel with me and minister with me. That’s the future to which I look forward and I pray it becomes a reality. But I’m not just praying, I’m working toward it now.

#Trust30 Wholly Strange and New

The Challenge:
When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name;—— the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Can you remember a moment in your life when you had life in yourself and it was wholly strange and new? Can you remember the moment when you stopped walking a path of someone else, and started cutting your own?

Write about that moment. And if you haven’t experienced it yet, let the miracle play out in your mind’s eye and write about that moment in your future.

My Response:
This is pretty much what I am doing right now, though there are some differences. When I first began in this journey of joining art and ministry, I had this feeling that I was for the most part alone. Then slowly as I moved along, I began to meet others with a similar passion. Today there are quite a few out there and the challenge becomes new. Now we need to network ourselves, encourage each other and let the ones who think they are islands realize that they are not alone. The challenge is getting out to the church and convincing artists that they can serve the Lord with their gifts and convincing churches that it’s okay to allow it. It’s about helping God’s people see that creating a venue where people can create and use their talents can be a valuable tool for outreach. These are all part of my journey and I am very grateful for all my readers who are moving out in their gifting and coming along for the ride.

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
1 Kings 8; Psalm 58
You can also download your own chart here.

#Trust30 One Thing!

Dave Weiss' Art/Speaking Ministry

The Challenge:
Do your work, and I shall know you. Do your work, and you shall reinforce yourself. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take a moment, step back from your concerns, and focus on one thing: You have one life to achieve everything you’ve ever wanted. Sounds simple, but when you really focus on it, let it seep into your consciousness, you realize you only have about 100 years to get every single thing you’ve ever wanted to do. No second chances. This is your only shot. Suddenly, this means you should have started yesterday. No more waiting for permission or resources to start. Today is the day you make the rest of your life happen. Write down one thing you’ve always wanted to do and how you will achieve that goal. Don’t be afraid to be very specific in how you’ll achieve it: once you start achieving, your goals will get bigger and your capability to meet them will grow.

I want to be a professional speaker/minister/performance painter. This has been my goal for a long time to use my gift to share the most important message ever, the message of Jesus Christ.

How will I achieve it?
Develop more presentations which meet the needs of individuals and churches.
Specifically these will include, Be the Body, which deals with calling people work together using their individual gifts to serve the Lord in the church and make a difference in the world. This is nearly complete. I will then also publish a short “manifesto” type book and make it available for sale.

Refine the Running AMOK arts Ministry workshop and create a related weekend seminar. In addition I will finish editing and publish the related book.

Refine my Christmas presentation The Gift in time to be presented this year.

Refine the History Makerz youth seminar/workshop and start booking it.

Create some better promo material for all these events and get bookings for them.

Create some new performance pieces.

Increase my networking connections and let people know I am available. (This post is the first step on that journey. )

Running AMOK

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
1 Kings 7; Proverbs 16
You can also download your own chart here.

Forgiven Much?

The Bible speaks of a time when Jesus went to have dinner in the home of a Pharisee. A “sinful” woman came into the home and made a scene. This painting tells that story.
The Bible really doesn’t say exactly what her sins were, but it seems they were of a moral nature.

Those kinds of sins are the ones a lot of people focus on but they aren’t the only sins.
Here’s how the story played out.

Luke 7:36-47
36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an ala-baster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

The pharisee was so focused on the woman’s sins that he overlooked the more press-ing issue, the one issue he could do something about, his own sins. He had them you know and they were many. Worse than that, he was so focused on the woman’s sins that he found himself sitting in judgement of Jesus. This was simply unacceptable.

He was disqualifying Jesus in his mind because Jesus was doing what He came to do, seeking and saving that which was lost. Jesus needed to straighten him out so he told him this story.

40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred de-narii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he can-celed the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Jesus can see he understands the basic point and yet there is a disconnect between his clear understanding and his judgement in the case before him.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

Jesus is telling the pharisee to clean up his own house. His pride has blinded him to the condition of his own soul. He neglected even the most basic of social graces while the woman the pharisee despises has gone above and beyond. Let’s make sure we don’t fall into the same trap. The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all have our own mess and in truth only Jesus can clean it, we owe Him our obedience and love. The people we might be tempted to look down on when we play the silly game of your sin is greater than my sin are people Jesus loves. They are not to be looked down on, they are our mission field. We’re here to love them, serve them and invite them to the table. We all need the same thing, the same one, We need Jesus. He’s the one who forgives and the one who heals.

Remember what Jesus said “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

Whether you know it or not, you have been forgiven much… so love much.

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
1Kings 3-4; Psalm 73
You can also download your own chart here.

Tell a better story… The Good O Meter

Okay this one is a little corny, but it illustrates the point really, really well. How could you tell a better story?

John Lennon Was Right…

In the late sixties, John Lennon of the Beatles touched off a firestorm by saying that the Beatles were “bigger than Jesus.” Now of course I don’t believe that the Beatles were bigger than the creator of the universe, that would be stupid. I’m not even a Beatles fan, but in terms of pop-culture at that point in history, they were extremely influential, especially among teens, quite possibly more so than Jesus. Of course the Church was outraged (or so I’m told I was a first grade student at the time and had bigger fish to fry) as they should have been. The problem was their anger was directed at the wrong people. We were upset with a boastful English pop-star. We should have been upset with ourselves.

How does a rock band with a misspelled name become more popular than the Creator of the universe? I think the answer is that those who represent Him were asleep at the wheel and if you think they had problems, look at our culture today. Today lots of things are “bigger than Jesus” and it’s up to us to do something about it. It’s up to us to represent Him well, as He is as reflected in His Word. It’s up to us to use whatever gifts we have received to serve others. It’s up to us to love our neighbor as ourselves. It’s up to us to preach the Word in and out of season. It’s up to us to speak the truth in love. It’s up to us to humble ourselves. It’s up to us to love our enemies. It’s up to us to pray. It’s up to us to read, know and follow the Word of God and it’s up to us to lay down our pride, deny ourselves and take up our cross.

Jesus, speaking of going to the cross said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” Today, lifting Him up is up to us. Pointing to Him, going and making disciples, being His witnesses to the ends of the earth—these are our mission, church. We represent Him not as self-righteous judges, but as humble servants, using whatever He has given us in His name to bring Him glory. It’s up to us, but it’s all about Him, all about Jesus and as we faithfully serve, it’ll be as it was with John the Baptist. Jesus must become greater (in the eyes of the world He came to save) and we must become less until when people look at us, they see Him. The video below illustrates this. How can you use what you’ve been given (your gifts talents, resources,life) to lift Jesus up.

Nothing and no one is bigger than Jesus!

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
2 Samuel 12-13
You can also download your own chart here.

Enough?

Enough?

Did you ever have one of those days where you have serious questions as to whether or not you’ll ever be enough. I’ve been having a few of those recently. Am I a good enough artist? A good enough speaker or writer or pastor or husband or father…? I know there is always room for growth, but that’s not really where I’m going. I fully intend to learn and grow, and am trying to do that each day, but am I enough of whatever to face what’s in front of me today and will I have enough to see my vision become real? It’s one of those long dark nights of the soul, if I want to be honest (and I do).

I’m not writing this to bleed all over my blog. Maybe the post is simply to tell you you’re not alone. A lot of us go through this and it seems like when we’re in this place the outside stuff just piles on. Half my job is going away, my home is in need of a major repair. I have a son a year away from college. I have a vision for a ministry but it seems much further away than my need. The vision is beautiful but is it a pipedream, and will pursuing what I believe to be God’s will for my life put my family in undue stress? Is it really of God or is it just a dream? Is it time to “accept my limitations? Am I enough?

As I deal with this and wrestle with my thoughts, the verse about being double minded and not being able to expect anything from God as a result reverberates in my brain and it scares me more. Am I enough? Are you enough? Probably not. Am I supposed to be enough? Are you? Probably not. I think I’m in a place where I am being forced to depend on God and as much as I know that is what I’m supposed to do anyway, is it okay that I’m a little scared?

In the end I know what I need to do. Trust and obey, pray and make the next step, do the next right thing and repeat the process. He who began it will complete it. I can’t hold on to God and control at the same time and probably neither can you. We need to hold on to Him and trust that He’s enough. It’s one thing to know it and another thing to do it, but it is what I know is right. How about you?

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
2 Samuel 7-8; Proverbs 4-5
2 Samuel 9-11; Proverbs 6
You can also download your own chart here.