The Neighborhood

"The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood."

John 1:14, The Message

I saw this verse on another Blog and it made me consider:
Has Jesus moved into my neighborhood through me?

Brother Pain And Sister Soul

Enter life.

I’ve stumbled across pain in my life, we all have.

I know what a piece of sand in the eye feels like.

I understand banging your head hard enough to need stitches.

I have had a concussion and been in fights.

I’ve looked into the weeping eyes of people I’ve disappointed.

I’ve had torn flesh and had my heart ripped open with injustice.

People have accused me of untrue things and willingly lied.

I was told that my son had died.

I’ve tasted blood and sweat.

I’ve felt the burn of acid on my face and in my lungs.

I’ve had teeth knocked out in an accident.

I have taken part in screaming matches with those closest to me.

I have felt strong and weak on the same day,

as well as deep desperation and loneliness.

Yet, I am not better than anyone or very different either.

Enter God.

God dresses himself with flesh and blood.

God had baby soft skin and later rough calluses.

God felt the burn of the sun and the sting of winter’s cold.

He experienced thirst and disappointment.

Tasted injustice and temptation like know one else.

He had passionate friends and deliberate enemies.

He was overlooked and underestimated.

He was a pawn of some and scapegoat to all.

He sought guidance from his father during weakness.

Jesus was tortured without guilt, torn into pieces.

He knows pain, he understands difficulties, firsthand.

He knows your story, cried your tears and prayed for you today.

He is our brother in pain.

Enter Christmas.

The waiting is over.

God is here among us like no other time.

And this God understands, cares, acts on our behalf.

The Breaking Season

I was in jail yesterday. For two hours I visited a friend who has some issues of the legal variety that is costing him some time away from his family during this holiday season and maybe a few more seasons after that. He is sad. He is in many ways a broken man. During our time together were able to have a face to face meeting with no glass in-between us. We hugged, shook hands and even held hands while we prayed together. He is sorry for what he has done and most guilty about the people he has let down. I sat with another friend last week, another today, a single mom a few weeks ago. All of whom are in the breaking season. They all hate it and want it to go away, yet all of them somewhat understand that these ugly things in their lives are going to, somehow, at some future point, in some way, make them more like Jesus. It’s a mysterious painful beauty of unknown dimensions and length that is steering their lives at this moment. For them it’s the breaking season… Pray for compassion, compassion for you to pass on to those who are living in the middle of the excruciating pain of life. Pray that you and I will be the lovers of the breaking people that orbit our lives.

Suffocation

Wednesday night I jumped on an inner tube and said to some kids standing there to jump on. “Let’s get six of us on this thing!” I’m not sure how many jumped on the tube and my back, but it was at least that many. Just then we started moving over the side of the hill and gaining a little speed, however with all of the weight compressing my back and the snow being jammed in my face and mouth I, suddenly, couldn’t breathe.

The whole “remain calm, Craig,” in my brain, lasted about two tenths of a second and I panicked while the tube was still gaining a little speed. Instantly in an act of self preservation I reared back and rolled over sending several middle school bodies crashing off the tube, which began a chain reaction and we all fell off the “Craig face plant choke and die” tubing run.

Later, I realized that I hadn’t experienced that sudden grip of fear in a very long time and I must admit I didn’t like it, even though I was never really in any grave danger of dying.

I wonder how many people live in the clutches of real fear on a daily basis? I would hate to have fear have power over all of my thoughts and actions.
I’m afraid that I wouldn’t survive that very well either.
Still tubing ..... and breathing!

Picture Of Grace

So we had this big weekend with my niece Gwyn getting married on Saturday and we were all wiped out afterward. So I plugged in the digital camera in the computer to check out the shots my wifey got during the blessed event and I was really surprised and pleased at how many good shots she got. I think the one that activated the bladder behind my eyes almost the instant I saw it was this one of my three kids. I can’t believe it! They are all grown up in so many ways it almost wrecks me to think about all of the time that I wasted on frivolous things instead of with them.

I am a very proud dad, humbled that God would bless Connie and I so much through them. I read my daughter’s blog www.jdeglopper.blogspot.com and all the praise that she has for her family is awesome. Thanks Jesus for this undeserved grace in my life!

Elude

Afraid to love, silenced by tradition

encased in stagnation, I fail to move.

Clouded by life’s position and guilted into grace

I go through the motions.

Shallow, lifeless and lacking in devotion

the fear of my own hunger,

arouses the selfish desires.

I am numb to their pain,

but hey, I’m comfortable again.

Can I ever elude myself?

Drown the sorrow of my wealth,

and finally see through

this fascination I have with me?

_12-6-98

_{by Craig M. Coon}

Gut Busting

I really love working with students. I woke up this morning and my stomach hurt. Hurt like from doing too many sit-ups hurt. Not that i was doing situps it was from laughing way too much last night. At both our middle school and high school hour we paid homage to Dave (our Intern) and his fiance' Gwyn who are to be married on Saturday. We did all kinds of things to them as we celebrated "A Wedding Gone Wrong." I am still laughin at some of the things that the students had them do with various things found at a wedding. as soon as i get some of the pictures available i let you in on the secrets!

Peace!

LifeWorship

I have recently listened to a “talk” on cd given to me by my ministry partner Peter. It was awesome. I don’t know the name of the guy talking but he works with George Barna and was talking about a “Revolution” in the way people are looking at “Church.” (It is also the name of the latest Barna book)

One of the points that he made was people really are beginning to desire to expand the definition of worship in their lives from 30 minutes on Sunday into a 24-7 lifestyle. Worship is a great deal more than music, it is a life lived out in honor to God. Can we worship God with all of who we are rather than just voices or hands lifted in the air? I remember early on in my following Jesus adventure I was in a setting that people just didn’t lift their hands up during the singing of songs and hymns. I really wanted to many times but chose not to because of the culture, which is a whole other discussion. Now, looking back, lifting up or not lifting up my hands has little value if I’m not lifting up my life in sacrifice to God. Romans 12 says …”in view of Gods mercy to offer ourselves up as living sacrifices this is our spiritual act of worship.” Life lived out in worship in every moment is much more important than if we simply lift up hands when singing, which by the way, I still feel moved to do. But a Life lived out is way, way harder to do. Anyone can learn to lift up their hands, but will we offer our lives?