More Tales from the Bookstore

People say the darnedest things. It seems that time at the store is never short of the odd comments requests and statements. Below are some of my favorites to date. Not all were said to me but some were said to Hans over the years and are too good to keep to myself.

We have had requests for the "Homes and Christian Translation" should be "Holman Christian" as well as the "New International King James Version" which I guess is some confused hybrid.

A few years back a lady came in and said, "I need to get a bible and start reading it." When asked why she responded, "I have just been voted in as an elder in my church."

And our all time favorite...a person came in looking for the Vines Expository Dictionary but instead asked for the "Vines Suppository Dictionary"....ouch!

Bookstore life

so yea, the past week I have been covering for my buddy Hans, who owns the local christian bookstore. This is like the only christian bookstore between Daytona and Altamonte which is prolly 40 miles I guess.

It has been fun, I get to influence people in what to read..or at least try too. I am amazed at the number of bibles that get purchased. I reckon that to be a good thing. Have had some good conversations with people dealing with real issues, like the lady who just left that has a 10 year old daughter that's struggling with life. Didn't sell her anything but did encourage her a bit I think. I like that.

so I'm in it...Christian retail...wow, how bizarre. I'm like selling almost everything that is wrong in christianity today. Did you know they have scripture toilet paper? Yep toilet paper with scripture verses written on it. Now I'm not against reading the bible while on the john...just kind of weird to like, well, you know...Sometimes I expect Jesus to come rushin in, whip in hand, tossing the bumper-sticker rack.

I'm not throwin down on my buddy, he struggles with it waaayyy more than I do. He does lots of ministry here though and like I said you can gently encourage people in what to read and listen too.

The most bizarre conversation to date was a guy who was looking for a book to read so I recommended "The Shack". He said he has heard of it but hasn't read it because he doesn't agree with the theology. So I said "That's pretty close-minded don't ya think?" No I really didn't say that cuz I imagine he's just following what someone told him he should believe. Poor guy is probably afraid his eyes might fall out of his skull if he reads the wrong thing. Better safe than sorry I guess. So I just smiled and took his money for some books on the "approved reading" list.

It's raining outside and about time to close up for the night.

Abba's Embrace

Who are you in this picture?

I love This

Once God is known as Father all methods to attain security, prosperity and assurance in the world are exposed as useless enslavement. If one knows God as Father then there is security about everything. --David Boan & John Yates

New Found Friends

We were incredibly blessed this past week to have Wayne Jacobsen spend a few days here with us. We scheduled a couple of small gatherings and one larger speaking engagement which were all fruitful in numerous ways but in between all of it he and I got plenty of time to talk about the reality of living loved. Simply put, there are many things that have been stirring in my heart for a long time...years really, and they got formed up and started to make sense. But not only that I also saw it lived out in front of my eyes...at least for the few days we were together. The time was encouraging and freeing and I am sure this is only the beginning of a deeper walk of trust in Father that I don't begin to understand.

I can't begin to express my deep appreciation for Wayne's writings and the time we spent together.

As it happens, or as Father planned it, we also met Shirley. She just happened to be in Florida on holiday(she lives in the Netherlands) and heard Wayne was going to be in the area so she contacted us. She met Wayne just a few weeks ago in Germany. Anyway, she came to visit and we (especially Kim) felt an instant connection with her and she ended up coming to stay in our home for the rest of the week.

Maybe possibly there is a trip to the Netherlands in the Rea family's future? That would be good.

New Family

Meet the new family.

Mike and Virginia were married about two weeks ago on the beach.

There's lots of girls in Mike's life now!

Revival

Revival....I have lots of conversations with many different people about it over the past couple of months.

Listen to the last two podcasts, "Revival Fever" and "Gracious in Conflict" for what I believe to be really healthy, mature conversations about revival. Gracious in Conflict is a response to some of the email they received from Revival Fever.

These are both on podcast called "The God Journey" hosted by Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings. Lots of good rich teaching to be found here. Personally love the light conversational approach they take to it. I have added the link permanently over on the right.

Rooted in Love

Won't the awareness God loves us no matter what lead to spiritual laziness and moral laxity? Theoretically, this seems a reasonable fear, but in reality the opposite is true...The more rooted we are in the love of God, the more generously we will live our faith. --Brennan Manning in "Lion and Lamb"


My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. (Eph 3:14-19)

Jesus the self-help guru

So much of the christianity I see today is about making your "self" or life a little better.

Jesus can help you achieve all your plans and goals,
scriptural basics of success,
have faith and your next deal will go thru. the devil can't stop ya, etc.
Take a walk thru your local christian bookstore and you will see what I mean. Read the popular devotionals or listen to the latest sermons and so much of it is the same.(I know I am painting with a broad stroke here) It's self-centered christianity and it sucks life out of ya. It may help you feel good for a little while, kinda like a beer buzz, but it leaves you empty inside and devoid of true life.

The kingdom message Jesus preached wasn't about helping self but rather He said to deny yourself. He said if you want to enter into real life than give up your present life. He doesn't leave any option to hang on to your current life and also get new life. This life He is talking about isn't where you go when you die but rather eternal life now....this side of the grave.

The new life He offers is absolutely amazing really it's the best. He's the best. But you can't get there in your current state, the doorway is death.

The masks we wear

Jesus loves you more than you can possibly imagine. He loves you beyond the mask (the person people pretend to be but aren't...the impostor). He doesn't love the person the mask represents...He can't, that person doesn't really exist. It's the person behind the mask that He longs to have an intimate relationship with.

Something interesting I've learned about the masks people wear is that the person wearing the mask always thinks their mask looks more real than anyone else's. Actually I think the masks people put on look more like the face of a circus clown than a real person.

If you listen to a group of people all comfortable in their masks get together you tend to hear one of two conversations or maybe the conversations run together. 1st everyone is bragging about and admiring the masks...then they start talking about the mask wearer who didn't make it that day elevating themselves in the process. Both of these conversation keep a person a safe distance from the reality of who they are and make them feel pretty good about themselves or at least pretty good about their mask. Wear the mask long enough and often times you will begin to believe it's really who you are. That's a sad state.

Often times people get tired of wearing the mask but it's hard to take it off. The fear of "then what" is strong.

There's power in the mask...at least a perceived power. With the mask on we believe we have control of our life and what people think about us. The great fear is if we take the mask off people will know who we really are and we will lose control and people may hurt us.

Allow me to help you with this fear, you will lose control, people will hurt you. After all, when the mask comes off the smile on the face of those still wearing a mask tends to grow religious fangs and they get mad or rather envious.

But when the mask comes off and the impostor is put to rest you give up control to a good God and you learn to live in the love and grace of Abba. There is incredible freedom from performance and fear. You live loved and you love.

Intense church

My good brother Lew had an excellent post a few weeks back about an intense day of church. It got me thinking about church life here and the times it has been "intense".

It's typically good, rarely boring, sometimes, err, odd, but intense?

hmmm...

I remember the time we had a family blow up at one another during the wine and bread and we spent the next 30 minutes talking to the family, me outside with the kids, others inside with husband and wife...that was intense,

or, the time some visitors came and introduced false teaching in our midst, probably could call that intense,

or, the times when sacred cows are being turned into hamburger meat and Jesus is challenging us to step into more abundant life,

or, perhaps the multiple times a bro/sis gets offended by the comment of another bro/sis and they spend time "workin it thru" we are, after all, people sharing life and, well, stuff happens,

perhaps the most "intense" time ever was years ago the 1st time the GrubbyKuppers from natti came to stay with us and they had dropped their bags in the bathroom and the toilet flooded during worship. Oddly they felt right at home with us....

"Intense" yea that is a pretty good word to describe life here at times.

Church was amazing Sunday

A dear brother came home on Sunday. He had been gone for a while stuck in the thorns that choke the life out of ya.

It's always beautiful to me when I see the body function like the body.
encouragement
mercy
compassion
lots of shared tears
wisdom
prayer seeking Father's will
visions
prophecy
even some laughs in the midst of it all.

He's hurting but restored and not alone.

He's going thru some tuff stuff but he has his eyes fixed on Jesus and Father is holding him tightly.