thebernster.com

But Out

thebernster — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:15:47 +0000

Being a parent is tough. There are so many worries, stresses, and annoyances. I’m always wondering and hoping that I am doing a good job. Basically, I’m just praying that I don’t totally screw the kid up completely like my parents did with me. Ha ha. Hmm Hmm…anyway. I am a firm believer in the idea that the positives need to outweigh the negatives. If I am always vocalizing my disappointments with Raynae and rarely voicing my appreciations and encouragements for her, which one do you think she will grow up believing more. Which one will have more influence on her. So I TRY as much as possible to be always telling her she did good at something or telling her how beautiful she is. Today she got dressed and put on a typical outfit that she wears and I made a point of telling her I thought she looked good in it. I want her to be able to know that no matter where or who she is she will know that I love her and think she is beautiful. I want her to have that confidence and peace of mind so that when she is older she won’t go looking for those affirmations in the wrong places. She won’t need to because she KNOWS she is. She KNOWS because daddy told her. She won’t need some greasy 15 year old pimple faced pervert boy with wandering eyes and a bad attitude to tell her. That’s the plan anyway. Easier said than done. One thing I noticed today that I need to be careful of, is that sometimes when I tell her she did a good job at something or tell her thank you for doing that my but finds its way in to the conversation. For instance: if she did the dishes I would say to her “Thank you for doing the dishes. Good job Raynae, BUT can you wipe off the counters too”. Here is the problem with that. If I continue to do that every time I affirm her she will grow up believing that she is never quite good enough. “Oooh good job, but” “Thank you, but” “I forgive you, but” She’s gonna start thinking that she just doesn’t quite hit the mark. Almost, but not quite. Now here’s the thing, she did the dishes, but she was supposed to wipe the counters off. I could have yelled at her but instead I want to do it positively, but I want to do it without the but. So I think what we should say instead is “Thank you for doing the dishes. Good job. Can you please wipe off the counters too.” I affirm her “good job” period, then ask her to do the thing she forgot. No BUTS. BUTS can be destructive. They can be counter productive. They can reverse the effect or point you are trying to make. Never put conditions on your affirmations and encouragements. That’s what BUTS do. Now she knows she did a good job and that’s it. She knows I am completely satisfied with her performance and I that I also want something extra out of her with no negative connotations around it. And she is happier and more willing to wipe the counters. No ifs and or BUTS about it. The crazy thing is, it works. Try it and see.

Do Me a Favor

thebernster — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:08:39 +0000

The Bible says that Noah was a righteous man. That he was blameless among men, and he walked with God. That’s pretty much what I learned about him growing up. And its true, cause its written there in Genesis 6. So its easy to read the story and just take it at face value, thinking “God used Noah to save the world because he was perfect”. But it doesn’t say he was perfect. It doesn’t say that Noah was without sin. I mean, in a world where God looks down and says of men “all the inclinations of the thoughts of his heart are only evil all the time” Noah had to have some faults too. So why did God choose him. Was he truly the only ‘good guy’ in the world or was there something more.

If you read the story closely you come to a part that says “But Noah found FAVOR in the eyes of the Lord”. Really. Noah. This is the guy who, just two chapters later ends up naked and drunk in his tent for his family to see. How could God favor that guy? If you look up the Hebrew word for favor you will actually see that it means grace. Noah wasn’t saved because of how righteous and blameless he was, he was saved because of God’s grace. Remind you of anything? Ephesians 2:9 “For it is by GRACE you have been saved through faith, not of yourselves, it is a gift of God…”. So you see, its not Noah’s ability to ‘be good’ that got him saved. It was simply God’s grace. The same grace that has been handed to us through Jesus. Noah was saved by stepping, in faith, into the Ark. We are saved by stepping, in faith, into Christ. He is our Ark. He is our salvation. He is the grace afforded us. Through Him we are carried to safety. Through Christ we have found FAVOR in the eyes of God. Titus 3 says that God “saved us, not because of the righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy…”. God looks at us and does not see people who are perfect, but sees people who need his mercy and his grace. So he offers it to us freely, if we accept it. So don’t read the story of Noah and think that he was saved because he was so awesome, but read it and remember that you are saved by grace, through Christ, because HE is awesome.

Its all in the Past

thebernster — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:26:39 +0000

Being a Christ follower is not easy, but then, it was never supposed to be. So many times Jesus tells us of the troubles that will follow us when we turn our lives over to him. But I think, the hardest part for me, and I’m being totally transparent here, is the daily struggle of a life of change. Changing to become more like Jesus. Its so hard. And I’m not talking about helping little old ladies across the street and giving to the poor or trying not to swear when someone cuts you off in traffic. I’m talking about a life of repentance. I know I’ve hit this subject before but I just can’t let it go.

Jesus told a parable of a Pharisee who stood before God and prayed with pride and arrogance, thanking God that he was not like ’sinners’. But the tax collector in Jesus’ story is the one that hits me right between the eyes. Jesus tells us that the tax collector would not even look up when he prayed but instead he “beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me a sinner’”. I ask you, where has that attitude gone in us. Are we so ‘good’ that we think we don’t still need God’s mercy. I know I am saved through faith. I know I am forgiven by the blood of Christ. But none of that changes the underlying fact that I don’t deserve anything God gives me.

My past has made me who I am. Does that mean I am proud of my past, no. Would I go back and change anything, no, because if I did, I wouldn’t be who I am, or where I am now. John tells us in Revelation 2:5 “Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first…”. Let us never forget who we were when we met Jesus. Let us never forget what Jesus gave so we could live. Let us not forget the blood, the sweat, the tears, the pain, the bruises, the loneliness, and the shame that was placed on him. Let us not forget that it was placed on him instead of us. And dear God let us never live as if we deserve Gods mercy, but live with Godly sorrow that drives us forward in humility. “Godly sorrow brings repentance which leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2Cor 7:10

Jesus have mercy on me a sinner. I am sorry for the things I did. God, may I not forget each scar that erased something in my past. Each nail that brought me closer to you. Each stroke of the whip that wiped my slate clean. Each insult that broke your heart, but healed my soul. God I do not deserve it, but somehow I have been found by you. Thank you.

The Loneliest Number – Part 2

thebernster — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:42:05 +0000

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Phillipians 4:13 That is the verse I quoted to my wife in the middle of yet another argument about my struggles with porn. There I was smack dab in the middle of an all out war for my soul, Charlene crying and telling me I need to get help and go to a group for guys like me struggling with addictions to porn and sex and the like, and me defending my ability to do it all by myself. There is much truth in that verse. But I somehow never read or saw the very next verse; “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles” v14. It was not long after this argument, and many more like it that my wife shook my world by telling me she was going to leave me if I didn’t get help. I couldn’t believe it. I never even saw it coming, believe it or not. That slap in the face shocked me into a reality that I am forever grateful for; I can’t do this alone. Whats even more, is, I wasn’t made to, and neither were you.

Yes I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, but where does that strength come from. Yes, I know, it comes straight from the source. But is that the only way Christ empowers us. No. You’ve heard the saying ‘there is strength in numbers’ well believe it or not that’s a biblical principal. It doesn’t say it in those words exactly, mind you, but its there. Right from the moment Adam was made and started walking around the garden, God knew he need someone else to help him. In God’s own words “It is not good for man to be alone”. Now I’m not just talking about getting married. I’m talking about the main idea here, that we are created in God’s image. And God himself, lives in community. There is God the father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all living in community. And right out the gate God shows Adam that he can’t do it alone, he needs to be in community. And that is the idea here. Community. The bible is littered with verses and stories that show us we need each other to push, stir, move, motivate, sharpen, and slap each other forward.

Gen 1:18 “It is not good for man to be alone…”

Proverbs 27:9 “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.”

Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 15:22 “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Proverbs 15:31-32 “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.”

Proverbs 20:18 “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.”

Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

1 Corinthians 12:12,25-26 “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”

Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Romans 1:11-12 “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”

Ephesians 4:1-2 “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”

James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

And that is literally just the tip of the iceberg of verses that tell us we are supposed to help each other through life. We were not created to do any of this alone. We were created to help and be help by each other. All the “greats” in the bible knew this. Moses had Joshua and Jethro. David had Jonathan and Nathan. Elijah had Elisha. Paul had Barnabas and Silas. Peter had Barnabas and James and John. Even Jesus had Peter, James and John. The in your face evidence is seen in prisons. Solitary Confinement is saved for the worst of offenders and in most cases is used as a form of punishment in prisons. There are many studies done on this, saying that this form of punishment causes prisoners to become irritable, panicked, afraid, and causes their brain wave frequency to steadily decrease, and go crazy. Look, bottom line, you can’t live this life alone. Neither can I. I found that out the hard way. We need each other. We need to hold each other accountable. We need to lift each other in prayer. We need to encourage each other. We need to push each other forward. Please don’t make the same mistake I did and try to do it alone. Find someone who will move you in the direction of the cross, and be the same for them. “It is not good for man to be alone”.

Do you hear what I hear?

thebernster — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:08:05 +0000

So today I had one of the most interesting, scary, and wonderful conversations I have ever had with my 8 year old daughter. A girl in her class recently lost her father. Actually, he died just last week. Today when I picked Raynae up from school she told me that she finally found out what happened to her friends dad. Apparently, he has been sick for quite some time and has been in and out of the hospital, until he killed himself. When Raynae told me that I was immediately saddened. Now, I have heard God speak to me before. To my everlasting shame, I have not always listened or obeyed. I have had many conversations with Raynae in the past where I have felt the gentle prodding of the Holy Spirit, telling me to say something to my daughter in that moment. And a few times I chose to ignore that voice when I should have listened and said what God told me to say. So I have come to the conclusion that I should start saying the things that God tells me to say to her because He knows how she should be raised, since she belongs to Him. And I figure, if I listen to Him and do what he says, then maybe, just maybe, she won’t grow up all messed in the head like I did. Maybe. So, in that moment, when I learned of that little girl’s dad, I felt God tell me to open up to Raynae about my own struggles. So I did. I began to tell Raynae that I had once, a long time ago, tried to kill myself. The look on her face said it all, she was heart broken and almost started crying immediately. She asked “Why”. So I began to tell her about how I used to be really sad and depressed and thought the only was out was to end my life. I used the opportunity to share with her how Jesus intervened in my life and “made me better”. It was an awesome way to share with her the power of Jesus in my life and why I believe in Him. Not just because my parents told me to, but because He is real. He stepped down out of heaven and saved me. I just completely laid it all out on the table before her. It sounds crazy but it connected the two of us together in a way we have never connected before today. I told her that I was very glad that I did not kill myself because if I did, I would have missed one of the best things that ever happened to me in my whole life…her. I can tell you one thing, I will not ignore God’s voice in my child’s life again. The results of listening are just too valuable to ignore.

The Loneliest Number – Part 1

thebernster — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:29:15 +0000

There was once a great and noble King whose land was terrorized by a crafty dragon. Like a massive bird of prey the scaly beast delighted in ravaging villages with his fiery breath. Hapless victims ran from their burning homes only to be snatched into the dragon’s jaws or talons. Those devoured instantly were deemed more fortunate than those carried back to the creature’s lair to be devoured at the dragon’s leisure.
The King led his sons and knights in many valiant battles against the serpent. Each time they wounded the dragon and he retreated to his hidden lair deep in the mountains. While he healed, the kingdom would be at peace for a time. “Take courage,” the King told his people. “One day the dragon will be slain.” Riding alone in the forest during a period of calm, one of the King’s sons heard his name purred low and soft. In the shadows of the ferns and trees, curled among the boulders, lay the dragon. The creature’s heavy lidded eyes fastened on the prince, and the reptilian mouth stretched into a friendly smile.
“Don’t be alarmed,” said the dragon as gray wisps of smoke rose lazily from his nostrils. “I am not what your father thinks.”
“What are you, then?” asked the prince, warily drawing his sword as he kept his fearful horse from bolting by pulling in the reins.
“I am pleasure,” said the dragon. “Ride on my back and you will experience more than you ever imagined. Come now. I have no harmful intentions. I seek a friend, someone to share flights with me. Have you never dreamed of flying? Never longed to soar in the clouds?” The sunlight glistened with an iridescent sheen on the dragon’s metallic green scales. “Bring your sword for security if you wish, but I give my word no harm will come to you.”
Visions of soaring high above the forested hills drew the prince hesitantly from his horse. The dragon unfurled one great webbed wing to serve as a ramp to his ridged back. Between the spiny projections the prince found a secure seat. Then the creature’s powerful wings snapped twice and launched them into the sky. Once aloft the dragon wafted effortlessly on the wind streams. The prince’s apprehension melted into awe and exhilaration.
From then on, he met the dragon often, but secretly, for how could he tell his father, brothers, or the knights that he had befriended the enemy? The prince felt
separate from them all. Their concerns were no longer his concerns. Even when he wasn’t with the dragon he spent less time with those he loved and more time alone.
The skin on the prince’s legs became calloused from gripping the ridged back of the dragon, and his hands grew rough and hardened. He began wearing gloves to hide the malady. After many nights of riding, he discovered scales growing on the backs of his hands as well. With dread he realized his fate were he to continue, and so he resolved to return no more to the dragon.
But, after a fortnight, he again sought out the dragon, having been tortured with desire. And so it transpired many times over. No matter what his determination, the prince eventually found himself pulled back, as if by the cords of an invisible web. Silently, patiently, the dragon always waited.
One cold, moonless night their excursion became a foray against a sleeping village. Torching the thatched roofs with fiery blasts from his nostrils, the dragon roared with delight when terrified victims fled from their burning homes. Swooping in, the serpent belched again and flames engulfed a cluster of screaming villagers. The prince closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to shut out the carnage, but the agonized cries and smell of burning flesh assailed him. The dragon’s long neck snaked and spasmed as he crunched bone and devoured his roasted prey. The prince retched and clung miserably to his spiny perch.
In the predawn hours, when the prince crept back from his dragon trysts, the road outside his father’s castle usually remained empty. But, not tonight. Terrified refugees streamed into the protective walls of the castle. The prince walked among bedraggled women carrying wailing children with gashes from the dragon’s talons. Some victims, too badly wounded or burned to walk, were brought in carts or dragged on makeshift pallets. The prince’s heart was torn. Their pain brought tears to his eyes and shame to his soul. “What have I become?” he asked himself. At that moment, he wanted even more desperately to be free of the dragon. Perhaps his father, in all his wisdom, could help. But the prince feared that the truth would make him abhorrent in his father’s sight. Surely he would be disowned, exiled, or perhaps even condemned to death.
The castle bustled with frantic activity to care for the refugees thronged in the courtyard. The prince attempted to slip through the crowd to close himself in his chambers, but some of the survivors stared and pointed toward him.
“He was there,” one woman cried out, “I saw him on the back of the dragon.” Others nodded their heads in angry agreement. Horrified, the prince saw that his father, the King, was in the courtyard holding a bleeding child in his arms. The King’s face mirrored the agony of his people as his eyes found the prince’s. The son fled, hoping to escape into the night, but the guards apprehended him as if he were a
common thief. They brought him to the great hall where his father sat solemnly on the throne. The people on every side railed against the prince.
“Banish him!” he heard one of his own brothers angrily cry out. “Flay him!” “Burn him alive!” other voices shouted.
As the King rose from his throne, bloodstains from the wounded shone darkly on his royal robes. The crowd fell silent in expectation of his decree. The prince, who could not bear to look into his father’s face, stared at the flagstones of the floor.
“Take off your gloves and your tunic,” the King commanded. The prince obeyed slowly, dreading to have his metamorphosis uncovered before the kingdom. Was his shame not already great enough? He had hoped for a quick death without further humiliation. Sounds of revulsion rippled through the crowd at the sight of the prince’s thick, scaled skin and the ridge growing along his spine.
The King strode toward his son and the prince steeled himself, fully expecting a back-handed blow even though he had never been struck so by his father.
Instead, his father embraced him and wept as he held him tightly. In shocked disbelief, the prince buried his face against his father’s shoulder.
“Do you wish to be freed of the dragon, my son?”
The prince answered in despair, “I have wished it many times, but there is no hope for me.”
“Not alone,” said the King. “You cannot win against the serpent alone.”
“Father, I am no longer your son. I am half beast,” sobbed the prince.
But his father replied, “My blood runs in your veins. My nobility has always been stamped deep within your soul. Nothing can take that from you.”
With his face still hidden tearfully in his father’s embrace, the prince heard the King instruct the crowd, “The dragon is crafty. Some fall victim to his wiles and some to his violence. There will be mercy for all who wish to be freed. Who else among you has ridden the dragon?”
The prince lifted his head to see someone emerge from the crowd. To his amazement, he recognized an older brother, one who had been lauded throughout the kingdom for his onslaughts against the dragon in battle and for his many good
deeds. Others came, some weeping, others hanging their heads in shame. The sister who was known for her beautiful singing came, tearfully removing her slippers to reveal spiked scales on her feet.
The King embraced them all.
“This is our most powerful weapon against the dragon,” he announced. “Truth. No more hiddenness. Alone you cannot resist him. Together you will prevail, for you draw strength from one another.

A Modern Day Parable by Dr. Melinda Reinicke

Can They See Him?

thebernster — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:16:58 +0000

We just finished a series entitled “Can You See Him?”. It brings something to mind for me; Can I? I claim that I do. I say it all the time. I talk about Jesus when ever I step up to the microphone. I talk about how he has changed my life and made me a different person. Every single time I lead worship I open up just a little bit more and let people in to my messed up existence. I rip open the door that conceals who I used to be. I use the time that God has given me on Sunday mornings to tell (those who are listening) about Jesus’ wonderful grace and mercy and how it affected me and made me new. But is it all true.

Perhaps the name of the series we just had should have been called Can THEY See Him? Here is the guts of the matter; my talk means crap if I don’t back it up with actions. I’d use stronger language than crap if I could but I’m sure it would offend. I use that language only to show you just how meaningless it all is (just hot air) if I don’t LIVE it. Every thing I say really is all rubbish and garbage if I don’t prove it with my actions. I could stand there in front of the mic on Sunday and say the most beautiful things you have ever heard and move you to tears with it, and that would be great if I could. But if I turn around, walk out the doors of the theater, and live something else, I AM A LIAR. Not only that, but I make God out to be one as well. Who am I kidding? Who do I think I am fooling if I act that way? Certainly not God. Certainly not those around me. People aren’t stupid. They see what we do. They know what we believe. They hear what we say and then watch what we do afterward.

My question to you is this; Can THEY See Him? Look I’m not going to mince words with you here, there are people in our church, yes our church, who do not live what they say. Ooooo I’m stepping on toes here. Well its too late cause I’ve said it. I’ll say it again. There are people in our church who do not live what they say. Its happening. Its been happening. It needs to stop. Jesus put us here for one thing and one thing only, “To re-connect people to Jesus”. That is our mission. That is our calling. That is our purpose. When we do not live as Jesus asks us to live, we destroy that mission one piece at a time. Stop fooling around with God. Either serve him, or don’t. Its time to make a choice. Its time to stop straddling the fence. Every time you live contrary to what you say you destroy the image of Jesus in the eyes of those watching and you make it harder for the mission of TXC to succeed. If you are reading this and you are getting mad at me, then perhaps its because you are guilty. Perhaps its the Holy Spirit convicting you of sin that needs to be dealt with. Its time to stop looking at porn, its time to stop sleeping around, its time to stop gossiping, its time to stop the drunkenness, its time to stop deceiving. Its time to stop being decisive. Its time to stop being negative. Its time to stop tearing others down. Its time to stop. If you aren’t willing to, than stop claiming to follow Jesus.

Paul says this; “Neither circumcision, nor un-circumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.” What counts, what means most, what actually matters, is, when you meet Jesus, He changes you. Paul says that “If any one is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come.” Leave the old person behind. The one that existed before you met Jesus, leave him or her behind. Like Thomas Richardson said a some weeks ago you are “New in Him”. I used to be a addicted to porn. It ruled my life. In nearly destroyed my marriage. It nearly got me killed, literally. The whole time I was caught up in it, I claimed to follow Jesus. I claimed to love him and serve him. I was a liar. Hard to admit, but I was. Jesus was not God to me, porn was. Only when I was willing to stop pushing the line, did Jesus start to change me into who I am now. That is the true key of all of this. Am I saying that we at TXC need to be perfect. NO. I am not perfect. I’m not saying that. What I am saying is that if you are not willing to change or work on the things that are contrary to God’s word, than you are a liar. I know that’s harsh. But it needs to be. This is not a game. Part of what Paul is saying is that what counts is a repentant heart. That is what Jesus came to earth preaching. That is what John the Baptist was preaching. That is what the bible tells us over and over. If you don’t even see that what you are doing is wrong than I submit that maybe you never even met Jesus in the first place. Because when Jesus lives in you, he begins to change you from the inside out. The Holy Spirit comes and begins to reveal to you the things that need changing. The things that hold you back from him. Repentance is what Jesus is looking for in you. He doesn’t ask us to change before we come to him. But he does ask us to realize our sin, confess it to him and others, and turn from it. That is repentance. Is it easy, NO. Enter, Jesus; “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “What is impossible for man is possible for God.” “If you call to me I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know.” “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you can not be shaken.”

We are not alone in this struggle. We never were, and we will never be. I know this stuff is tough. No one said living for God was easy. Jesus even told us it was going to be hard. But he also said that he overcame it all so we could have his strength in us to do it.

So, no more. Let us meet at the cross. Where Jesus put all of this to rest. Let us lay down the things that hold us back from following him in full, and forge ahead towards the calling that Jesus has placed on this church. Let us truly live out what we say we believe, so that this statement may be found true;

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead. Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers I do not consider myself to have yet taken hold of it. But one thing I do; Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 3:7-14

Can THEY See Him?

The Tale of a Dave

thebernster — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:10:45 +0000

A Poem dedicated to all of My friends at The CrossCurrent.

There once was a man named Dave. Who laughed and worked and played.

And then one day this man named Dave, just suddenly threw it away.

He traded it in for devices so thin.

He traded it in for some chains.

His chains were his friend they treated him swell.

He liked how they looked, how they felt.

Yet slowly and surely they dragged him away

To a place that felt so much, just like hell.

“Never” he thought, “in millions of years,

Did I think I would end up this way.

Why did I ever think it was smart,

To replace what I had for a chain.”

So there the man sat. Down deep in that hole.

In that place where Despair was his friend.

He patiently waited, In darkness remained.

Expecting to meet his dark end.

He moaned and he wailed. He wept and he cried.

Believing His life was all through.

When out in the dark, a whisper he heard.

Someone else was there with him too.

“Who could it be” he wondered. He thought.

“Who else would reside in this place.”

The whispers grew louder, he could stand it no more

He lifted his eyes and his face.

There right before him stood an Old Rugged Cross.

Stained with blood, stained with tears, yet was empty.

There were nails and a hammer, and a crown made with thorns.

Yet a comfort he felt from this tree.

From behind in the darkness a presence he felt.

Familiar, and warm, just like home.

A hand on his shoulder. Words burned like fire.

“My child you were never alone.”

“All of this time you sat in the mud

You wallowed in all your self pity

You thought no one cared, that no one out there,

Could ever love someone so iffy”

“Always, you’ve lived, as if you were the worst”

You’ve treated yourself just like garbage.

But your wrong, you should know,

I Care for you, I created you free from this cage”

“I was there when you chose to give it away.

I was there when you picked up those chains.

Disappointed I was to see you give in.

But NEVER did I go away”

“There is something my child, that you must understand

I knew that this day would soon come.

I was not surprised when you cursed and you lied.

Did you think I was really that dumb.”

“You can not escape from the love that I Am.

You can not erase or replace it.

You can try to out run what I’m feeling for you.

But theres no distance so far I can’t reach it”

“You can build up a fortress so mighty and strong.

You can hide somewhere deep in the braces.

You can try to ignore who I made you to be.

But theres no wall that’s so strong I can’t break it.”

“You’ve spent your whole life running from me.

It is time that you stop now and face me.

I Am not the one who is angry with you,

I’m the one filled with much Love and with Mercy”

“That cross is a symbol of My heart for you.

To remind You of how much You mean.

I Love you, not because of what you can do

Because I have made you, You belong with me.”

“Get up right now. Leave this behind

Let it go and release it to me.

I am Jesus. Your Father, Your Author, Your friend.

You are mine now. Go and Be Free.”

How?!!? – part 2 The Secret Revealed

thebernster — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:04:29 +0000

Well…are you ready to learn the secret?

Are you ready to learn how you can overcome?

Are you ready to learn how you can let it all go?

Okay, here it is. The secret to how you can overcome is…you can’t!!

Okay, so I know you were expecting a big formula, or some super awesome great pearl of wisdom that you would write down when you read it this wicked angelic musical chord would strike and the room would light up and suddenly all the mysteries of your life would make sense and you would be forever changed and never struggle with any kind of temptation or sin again because you finally knew “the secret”. Sorry. I didn’t mean to trick you. If you knew me at all you would know that I have no angelic chord striking pearls of wisdom. All I have is what the Apostle Peter gave to the lame man at temple gate, Jesus. If you wanted me to give you something that would instantly change you, somehow, into a person that didn’t struggle with temptation or someone who didn’t have to, everyday, fight to stay on the path that Christ set for us, than your on the wrong planet. It doesn’t exist. There is no magic formula.

All my life I waited. I waited for “the moment”. Every addict knows about “the moment”. Even if you’re not an addict, you still know about “the moment”. We’ve all waited for it. We all believe in it. We’ve all heard the stories of people who have come across it. We know people that its happened to. “The moment” is the part of your life when, all of a sudden, it all makes sense. Its that point when, it all changes forever and you never struggle with your affliction again. It could be a phrase someone says, or a song that comes on the radio or a pastor’s sermon that hits you just right, or a passage of scripture or even a big booming voice from heaven. And when it comes, you change, and never have to worry about that thing that held you down. You never have to struggle with it again. So we wait. We hope. We expect. And when it doesn’t happen, we anger. We rage. We depress. We suicide. We run. We cry. We quit. All because of “the moment”. Sadly, “the moment” doesn’t really exist. No formula, no angelic chords, no “moment”. I waited all my life and never found it. I’ve talked to people much older than me who are still waiting. They will still be waiting years from now.

So what is the real secret? What is the real answer? Its that same answer that everyone shouts out in every gathering at TXC when they don’t know the real answer. Its the answer every little girl or little boy learns in Sunday school. You guessed it. JESUS. He is the answer my friend. No where in the bible does it say that we will not have struggles. No where in the bible does it say that life is easy. No where in the bible does it say that we will not have to fight each and every day to live a life pleasing to God. If your bible says that than you’re reading a very poorly translated version. Jesus said “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, for I have overcome the world”. No where in the bible does it say that you will overcome. No where. If YOU could overcome your troubles there would be no need for Jesus. If YOU could win the day, than Jesus is worthless. If YOU could do it yourself than Jesus has no meaning. YOU can’t, HE CAN. YOU can’t, HE WILL. YOU can’t, HE HAS. YOU can’t, HE IS. 1 John 5: 5 says “Who is it that has overcome the world, only he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God”. 1 John 4:4 says “…greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world”.

Wanna know how you can overcome, stop trying to overcome and get to know the one who can…Jesus. The best advice I ever got on my journey to freedom form addiction was “stop trying”. Simple, yes. Stop trying. Maybe some of us are trying too hard to overcome our problems. That is one of the most brilliant plans the devil could ever put into action. To cause us to try too hard. See, if we’re trying really really hard, we start to take our eyes off of Jesus and end up in a mess that we will never get out of. The wisest man who ever lived said in Proverbs 4 “…let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you…” and Hebrew 12 say “let us fix our eyes on Jesus…”. Jesus is the answer. Jesus is the secret. Jesus is the cure. Jesus is the medicine. Jesus is the fix. Jesus is the bandage. Jesus is the ointment. Jesus is the missing piece. Jesus is the healing. Jesus is the joy. Jesus is. Forget your addiction, if even for one moment. Forget it. Let it go. I’m honestly in tears as I write this because my heart breaks for those of you who are still trapped by something that Jesus already set you free from. Paul tells us in Galatians 5;1 “It is for freedom that Christ HAS set us free”. He HAS set you free. Not will, or could, or might if you are good enough or try harder to overcome addiction, but HAS. Its already done. Let the world freeze for a moment, a moment long enough for you to see Jesus in his Word. A moment long enough to see that his Word says he doesn’t care what you’ve done in the past. A moment long enough to see that Jesus loves you simply because he made you. All throughout his Word he is telling you that you are beautiful and wonderfully made and that he loved you before you were born, he loved you after you were born, and he even loved you in those moments when you thought no one was watching you while you were doing horrible things. Yes, he even loved you then, and he still loves you now.

Jesus once spoke to me a message so clear I can still hear it. I asked him, in a moment of desperation, “how do I get past this, how do I let go of this, God how do I beat this?” He told me, “You can’t, I can” He said to me “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you…” I still hear it, “seek me first”. Forget the addiction. “Seek me first”. Forget pornography. “Seek me first”. First. Not after. Not second. Not later. First. Alpha. First. Now.

I do not look at pornography any more. I am free. I am a new creation in Christ. I do not say it to boast in myself but to boast in Jesus. I can only tell you that, when I finally took my eyes off of my problems long enough to see Him and how much he still loved me. It has not been easy. I have been tempted many times. I will still be tempted in the future. Satan hates me. And he hates that I have changed. But I love Jesus. I love that he loves me. I love that his Word tells me that in every page. I love that I didn’t have to try to win my freedom, but it was given to me as a gift from a loving God. Every day that I fix my gaze on him, and put him first, is a day where I will remain free. Not free from struggle, not free from temptation. Free from addiction, free from chains, and free from the hold Satan once had on me.

I am free.

Join me, won’t you?

How?!!? – part 1

thebernster — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:56:21 +0000

Its no secret by now, well at least it shouldn’t be, that I have done some pretty bad stuff in my life. For years I dealt with addiction to pornography. I’m not exactly silent about it. And I don’t plan on being silent about it. My past has made who I am today. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not proud of what I’ve done, but I do know that I wouldn’t be where I am today if I wasn’t where I was yesterday. Part of my journey has been struggling with the subject of repentance. I do mean struggling. One of the hardest things for me to come to terms with was the difficulty of letting go of something that, for years, had been my closest friend. Pornography wasn’t just an addiction to me, it wasn’t just a drug, it was a comfort. This is may be something that only other addicts and former addicts would understand. You see every time I had a good day, the addiction was my reward. Every time I had a bad day the addiction was my comfort. Stress, sickness, health, happiness, sadness, anger, depression, rage, loneliness, anything and everything I went through, pornography became my healer, my relief, my crutch, my leaning post, and my closest friend. As the professionals in the therapy racket would say I would “medicate” my self with pornography. It was the thing that made me feel better. It made me feel safe. It became the unchanging object in my life that never let me down. No matter what, through thick and thin, it was always there. Not just for a little while, but for years. It became a pattern, an addiction, a habit, a way of life. And that is something not easily broken. Something impossible to just put down and walk away from. It wasn’t just a friend it was a close friend. Not just any close friend. Like a close friend with an infectious disease, and every time you hang out with them you get more and more sick yourself. But its not just any disease. Its like a symbiotic relationship. Once it attaches itself to you, you can’t separate from it without endangering yourself. You become dependent upon it. And I was. I truly was. Without it I felt insecure. Without it I felt scared. Without it I felt in danger of disappearing and yet the more time I spent IN its company the more I got sick and depressed and angry. It was truly a love-hate relationship. I hated what it was doing to me, but I loved it. I loved it. When I gave in to the addiction, in those moments, I loved it. And yet after, when I would step back and see the damage I had done to myself and those I loved, I hated it. I hated me. But I could not stop. I could not let it go. Somehow, I didn’t want to. Even though it was slowly destroying me and taking me to a place where I was getting so depressed to the point of suicide.

The bible talks of repentance. It says to turn from these things that drag us away into the night far from God. It says you can’t serve two masters. It says we are supposed to put aside those things and set our minds on things above. But what if you are like I was? What if you try really hard and just can’t seem to let it go? What if every thing you try seems to work for a time but then you are right back in it again? What if there is just something about it that keeps you coming back for more and you can’t stop? What if there is a secret part of you that some how doesn’t want to let it go? How? How do you…LET GO ? How do you “overcome” like the Bible says? How? How? How?

I figured it out.

I know the secret.

I know How.

…to Be Continued…