I wanna be like my Jesus. Do we know what that means?

We certainly do live in a culture and society where we talk the talk of being like Jesus, don't we? I mean we say it over and over....."To be the heart, hands, feet, and mouth of Jesus......To do what He did, to love like He loves" But how can we truly talk like that and state that we want to be like Jesus when we are so lukewarm in our spiritual journey? How can we really be committed to Christ and skip church for any and all reasons, slander and gossip and act so selfish and childish, and walk through this life acting like this is all there is? I believe the spiritual formation of the American church is in dire need of repair. We walk into the church and are fed so well. We receive instructions for life and eternity and walk out of the door an hour later as if we had earplugs in our ears. I can't imagine how Jesus must have felt to have to speak the words we read in Revelation 3:15,16. "I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!(NLT). May this video start a fire in your bones that cannot be put out. May all who read this and watch this video become so aware of Christ's love for us and our indebtedness to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Broken Plate

Good morning! My heart has been touched quite regularly lately on the issue of tough love and feeling the need to stop enabling wrong behaviors. I have been praying and seeking God in this matter. I have asked, "God, I can't do this on my own. It seems so huge of a decision. What if I make a mistake? What if I'm being too harsh? What if I'm not being harsh enough and actually contributing to the problem? What if......." Yeah, you get the idea. I have been a mess lately with these thoughts. Then this morning I read a few lines from a book. It is entitled, "On the Anvil" by Max Lucado. Here are the lines that spoke to me:

The Day My Plate Was Broken......It was past midnight in Dalton, Georgia, as I stood in a dimly lit phone booth making a call to my folks. My first summer job away from home wasn't planning out as it was supposed to.

The work was hard. My two best friends had quit and gone back to Texas, and I was bunking in the Salvation Army until I could find an apartment. For a big, tough nineteen-year old, I sure felt small.. The voices of my mom and dad had never sounded so sweet. And although I tried to hide it, my loneliness was obvious. I had promised my parents that if they'd let me go, I'd stick it out for the whole summer. But now those three months looked like eternity.

As I explained my plight, I could tell my mom wanted me to come home. But just as she said, "Why don't you come.......," my dad, who was on the extension, interrupted her. "We'd love for you to come back, but we've already broken your plate." (That was west Texas talk for "We love you, Max, but it's time to grow up.")

It takes a wise father to know when to push his son out of the nest. It's painful, but it has to be done. I'll always be thankful that my dad gave me wings and then made me use them.........