Hold Your Tongue & Get Used to It

Posted on February 13, 2012 by admin

I hate you. You’re the dumbest person I’ve ever met. I wish you were never born.

We’ve all heard these things said, said them ourselves, or know someone who has been told this. It’s amazing the impact that simple words can have on a person. They can make you feel like the most special person alive one moment and literally the worst a moment later.

James 3:3-10- We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell (Gehenna) itself.
People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

James is warning/preparing/sympathizing to us and with us the potential that lies within our tongue. It’s the smallest member of our body but holds the most potential, both for good and for bad. The horse moves and the ship sails with the smallest use of force but the tongue cannot be controlled.

The tongue is a product of what is in our heart.

Why is it so difficult to control the tongue? Within Christianity we are not able to ask questions and the tongue brings about hate, anger, and division because the religious type gets uneasy when their faith is questioned. Anything that is worthwhile can hold up to intense scrutiny, questions, and doubt.

The tongue should bring life. Life in doubt. LIfe in certainty. Life in community. Life in honesty. Life in love.

Every aspect of our lives should be led in love and every word we speak should bring life. Our works do nothing for us except that our works come from the grace given to us by God. When we show kindness to those around us, we show Christ. When we speak life, we speak Christ.

I saw a church sign today that said, “God loves you. Get used to it.”

No thanks. If I weren’t a Christian, I think I’d laugh and say, “Stupid Christians.” They’re right. God loves me so I should get used to it…. although He only loves me if I love Him back. Because if I don’t love Him back, He will punish me forever.

I saw a different church sign yesterday that said, “God loves you anyways.” I like this because it’s true. God loves you regardless of whether or not you love Him and that is speaking life to those around us. True love has no end game and loves even if the person never changes or agrees with you. There are no strings attached.

I love you. You are a really talented person. I’m glad you are my friend.

“We are now so far from the road to truth, that religious teachers dispute and hate each other, and speculative men are esteemed unsound and frivolous.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson (“Nature” 1836)

Get “What the Hell” for Free on the Kindle Sunday, February 12th!

Posted on February 11, 2012 by admin

Download “What the Hell” for free on Sunday, February 12th! Click on the cover below and help spread the word by sharing this on Fabebook/Twitter/Youtube and any other venue you use.

Thanks,

Jackson Baer

“Father Forgive Them” – Jesus Christ

Posted on February 8, 2012 by admin

They nailed Him to a Cross, between two criminals, like a common criminal. Stripped of all dignity, decency, or humanity, Jesus responds in a way that none of us could.

Luke 23:34- Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.

Forgive them.

They beat Him and they mocked Him. They spit on Him and flogged Him with a lead tipped whip. They crucified the Savior of the world and as He was close to His last breaths all He could think about was them.

No revenge. No judgment.

No warnings. No condemnation.

The words Jesus spoke are so moving I can’t imagine what it was like to hear Him speak the tangible kindness that He expressed while nailed to that Cross. Jesus was thinking about those people because they didn’t truly know what they were doing. They didn’t really understand that they were killing the Savior of the world. Jesus had compassion and asked His Father to have compassion as well.

We are to forgive because our Heavenly Father has forgiven us. We are to love because our Father loves. We are to be kind because He is kind. We are simply alive thanks to only the grace of God and nothing else. He chose to create us. He chose to breathe life into us and He did so for a reason.

God loves every single person and we are His creation, made in His image. After God made us, He said it was good. We are His prized creation, His masterpiece. We should pray for those who don’t trust Christ as the Savior like Jesus prayed for them.

Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.

Will God hear our prayer? Did God hear Jesus’ prayer?

Family, Memories, and Indie Music

Posted on January 31, 2012 by admin

Here are six songs I wrote and had recorded at a sound studio in Nashville, Or (the other Nashville) a few years back.

I’m singing, playing guitar and bass, and a friend is playing the drums. I added a bunch of photos of my family over the years to show some highlights from my life. I hope you enjoy my beautiful family and some Indie music Click on the clip below…

Excuse me Mark Driscoll but God doesn’t hate anyone

Posted on January 25, 2012 by admin

Recently I watched a video where a Christian pastor claimed that God hates certain people. I actually like Driscoll even though we differ on a few major theological stances. That’s not important to me, what’s important is the Good News and if he’s sharing the Good News, I’m all for him and the ministry he leads. The Good News is being hijacked, however, and being replaced with legalism, works, and guilt.

My problem is not with Driscoll but with what he said. I’ve included the video (at the bottom) so you can see for yourself what he said (around the 4:35 mark is where he clearly starts to say this) and so I don’t twist his words.

Romans 8:38-39- And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God does not hate anyone.

I believe that God hates sin and Jesus came, died, and rose from the dead to take away death- which is the consequence for sin. Why would God hate anyone? He created that person. He made them. He decided to breathe life into them.

Are you really suggesting that God hates His own prized creation?

Some will say, “God hated Esau.” Did He really hate Esau? Let’s see what the literal translation of the writing is. Romans 9:13- According as it hath been written, `Jacob I did love, and Esau I did hate.’

Did He really hate Esau? When you read the story of Jacob and Esau, you find that God didn’t love Jacob and hate Esau becuase He was showing favoritism. The hate in this context is in contrast to the love He showed to Jacob. His love for Jacob was so strong that His love for Esau could not compare.

That still does not seem right and to be fair, this is the only mention I could find in the Scriptures where it says God hated a person. The original story is found in Genesis and the book of Genesis was most likely an allegorical book. Before the Protestant Reformation in 1517, the Bible was not usually taken literally and many (if not most) Christians took it as allegorical and metaphorical.

God is love and He doesn’t hate His creation. He is just, righteous, kind, and perfect. A perfect Being would not be able to hate their own creation.

Psalm 103:8-10- The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.