There was a song by Dr. John released in 1973 titled Right Place Wrong Time that has a ton of confusing lyrics in it but certainly has a catchy beat and delivery. To those of us in recovery it actually makes sense because our lives mirrored the chaos in those lyrics.
In these days of ultra sensitivity the words "I'd have said the right thing, but must have used the wrong line" have personally been lived by me so I must think way before I speak because the right words and timing of the delivery is essential when dealing with folks. In truth we are not always right in our delivery and must be humble enough to admit we may be wrong. In the life of Jesus you can see that he too seemed offensive to those who did not understand his message of hope, but to those who did he was a breath of fresh air. We are obviously not him, nor do we possess the divine skills he had but we can take heart in knowing he made a way for our constant shortcomings. You see at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly......But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Parts of Romans 5:6-8 We may be wrong in the world's eyes but in God's world he always makes us right. If you look at the constant struggles of the Israelites to accept, reject, disregard, regard and totally worship other gods, despite what great things the real God had done for them, you always see God give them a chance to get it right. They were always given the right place to be by him, but seemed to have the wrong response to his generosity. Habakkuk even had the audacity to think God had no idea what he was doing allowing the good but tolerating such evil. But God set him straight as he does with us in these challenging words: Though it linger, wait for it, it will certainly come and not delay! Habakkuk 2 We can take that many ways, divide it up in conversation, but it is certainly telling us God's timing is way above what we understand. We are a constant work in progress, we are impatient, sometimes too quick to judge and while we give up on folks God never does. Here's something we know for certain: It is always just the right time to stop doing the wrong thing, but it will linger if we follow the wrong God!
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Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Step Twelve A.A.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28: 19-20 Not exactly the same but the concept is similar. Come to believe, then pass it on to others, showing them how to live a life of success. Why is this so important? We say you can't keep what you have unless you give it away. While that seems to make no sense whatsoever from a worldly perspective it makes total sense from a spiritual point of view. How about this: Greater love has no one but this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 The ultimate example of this was what Jesus did for us, and then in everyday life, when a soldier jumps on a grenade to save his buddies, when a mother puts her life on the line to give birth, you understand this if you have seen or believe this. The object in this life we have is not just about us, it's about the impact we have on others after we have learned how to live and what is most important. We pass this on to our children, grandchildren, friends, co-workers, other recovering people and people searching for the meaning of life. As always Jesus said it best: Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Missionaries, soldiers, mothers, volunteers, they all understand this. This is our service to mankind - giving back when it sometimes makes no sense to do so. Think about that! Perchance have I finally figured it out, love is not always a great big shout
It comes in all sizes, all colors and forms, love has so few regular norms God taught us it's big and its bold, real love never gets old We see it in a child, so fragile that it makes us act wild Protective, nurturing always kind, stop, then do a rewind Read 1 Corinthians 13, it will blow your mind Not just a feeling today, it's action for every day It makes us act crazy, empowers us to serve When it comes to us feels like more than we deserve Love lights up the sky like a million stars Love was never what we found in those dim, dark bars What is love? It is God's array of a beautiful creation It's in the electricity of His Spirits sensation It propels us compels us dispels division Creating the promise of a good decision It's in the air, it's everywhere, do you feel it passing It's Him to me, me to you, you to them, it's everlasting Love never ends but this blog will right about now Go grab you some seeds, and start to plow Love will start to spread like new grown cotton All because he gave us his one and only begotten! Thank you God! Glenn This is for the marginalized, the dis-enfranchised, the odd-balls and anyone else who feels like they don't fit in!
I heard a sermon this past Sunday by Steven Furtick titled "Concealed But Not Cancelled". You can pull it up on YouTube it's part of what I am basing this blog on which was also the topic in two groups led by me this week. One of his text points came from Judges 3:12-30, and I have added a bunch of commentary to it. Less than 15% of the world's population is left-handed and there are mixed opinions on what being that way means but here's a sample: There's a right-handed bias in the design of tools, left-handed people are subject to deliberate discrimination and discouragement and in some societies are considered unlucky, or even malicious by the right-handed majority. Other languages convey awkwardness, dishonesty, stupidity or other undesirable qualities about them. That could describe many of us who feel less than. In the story of yet another deliverance for the Israelites, God chooses a left hander to free them from oppression. His name is Ehud from the tribe of Benjamin, that name meaning "son of my right hand' in Hebrew, and those Benjamites were considered a right-handed tribe. Ehud made a sword 18" long and concealed it the quiver on his right leg which is of course the opposite of where folks would get patted down who were right-handed. Smart! Another characteristic of a left-hander is that they are creative and crafty. Long story made short, Ehud tricks everyone into leaving him and the king alone, kills him, walks out, blows his horn of triumph, then leads the Israelites in battle to defeat 10,000, and be set free for 80 years of peace. Great story, and if you think about it God uses the looked over, left out and less than as he did in multiple situations in the Bible to accomplish his will. That's why alcoholics, addicts, felons, all the oddballs can have their weakness turned into a weapon by the Lord. The Israelites were in captivity for 18 years so Ehud made a sword with an inch for every year of oppression. When you think about it it's about 18 inches from our head to our heart, and for those of us considered honorary "left-handers" that's the distance needing convincing that we are more than conquerors when he leads us. My take on this extended to todays circumstances: God can take a felon who has fallen and turn them into a hero who is ballin'. Believe it, Ehud certainly did! I remember so clearly their voices. On any long road trip we would take my kids would ask "Are we there yet?" It is a memory I will always cherish because we laughed so hard at how irritating it was to hear that over and over again.
Like little children we have a ton of questions about life. Where are we going? Who am I? How long will I live? What's the meaning of life? And on and on we are constantly asking Questions. How about this one: How can I overcome the obstacles of life? The Pharisee Nicodemus asked Jesus what he meant by the words You must be born again. In a nutshell his answer was you must have a complete faith makeover. Get rid of the human elements of faith you have learned and change your mindset to what is the will of God not the will of the people. Then you will know how to have the courage and strength to overcome even the most difficult of life's challenges. His words from the NLT: Humans can only reproduce human life. That's right, issues like addiction, relationship troubles, behavioral problems, etc. can not always be overcome by human knowledge, they require spiritual guidance. And where do we get that guidance - from that Spirit we receive from being born again, renewed in our mind, body and spirit. Lots of questions. The Pharisees asked Jesus another one: What is the most important commandment? His answer Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. Think about it. How do we know how to love God - by being born of his Spirit to receive his Spirit. How do we know how to love our neighbor - by loving ourselves the way God loves us. And how do we know how how to overcome life's most difficult obstacles: For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 We are "there yet" when we come to him. Does that answer your questions? |
Glenn YankowskiGlenn is an ex-Marine Viet Nam vet who is also a recovering alcoholic, clean and sober for 30 years. He has been involved in start up and ongoing recovery ministry at North Atlanta Church and Campus for the last two decades. He has a passion for outreach and to spread the message that the answer to lasting and fulfilling recovery from addiction is in a relationship with Jesus Christ. He and the ATB team are available to assist in your questions or needs on an individual basis and will do so maintaining complete confidentiality. You may e-mail him at sgtski@bellsouth.net. Archives
March 2024
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