Put On That Swimsuit

I think this little article has a great deal of wisdom and kindness concerning what false impressions do to us.  While it's true for both men and women, I think the "fairer set" will really get it.  Have a look.

http://www.themomcreative.com/2014/06/put-on-that-swimsuit.html

Sermons Available!

I had the pleasure of speaking at Convention 220 (themed by Galatians 2:20) in late March, and am happy to announce that the audio recordings are now available.  You can access them through Amazon (individual sessions or album) and iTunes (album).  The first link is to Andrew Farley’s sessions (and they are fantastic), and the second is to the rest of us speakers.  To get my session only ($.99), go to the Other Speakers Amazon link below and add my title to your cart, “Workshop 10: Love from the Inside Out.”  Don’t bother to click on my name because it will suggest that you add “Hickey Head” to your cart, and that’s certainly not me!  I have never been a Hickey Head, and I never will be.  Just to be clear. 

Andrew Farley:  http://amzn.com/B00KHUA972

Other Speakers:  http://amzn.com/B00KF3XMUC

Andrew Farley:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/convention-220-vol.-1/id881080694

Other Speakers:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/convention-220-vol.-2/id879258083

Freedom In Knowing Him

“Holy Spirit, will you free us from the addiction to the shallow, the tyranny of the surface, by showing us the truth of the unseen and eternal? Would you draw us, would you awaken and secure our happy-made hearts by what’s truly true, and which reveals our fit with you and our place in this world? We would find our kingdom and know our freedom from the one that exhausts us, and, knowing the riches of your love and grace to us in Christ, we would assist others to the same. We couldn’t help ourselves, and that would be wonderful. Right? Amen.”

The Look That Works

There are many common ways by which we are measured and by which to measure ourselves, right?  What pressure!  What a lot of work it all is.  Have you noticed?   If we attempt to manage ourselves by those measurements and we interpret our success in that light, we darken and do not receive grace.

If, however, our “measurement” is God’s gift of never-ending righteousness in Christ, His gift of “It is well, and you are too,” then we will enjoy the fact that we have been taken from the kingdom of darkness and put into the kingdom of the Son.  That’s where we are.  Only by believing (and sometimes newly believing again and again!) that we are where God says we are, and that we are how God says we are can we accurately measure ourselves.  In other words, that’s the only way we can live with the person we think we are!  It’s the only way—the only true way.  And that’s when the pressure eases, because we’re enjoying the riches of our inheritance—the gift—given to us in Christ. 

The GOOD NEWS, the big deal, is that we had nothing to do with achieving or earning the gift; we are happy receivers only and always!  And by looking at it, by enjoying the gift, we are built up and encouraged in Him.  That’s how this all works—that’s how WE work—by looking at the gift!  God set it up for us.

I know it doesn’t fit with the pressures and measurements of this world, and, really, you can keep immersing yourself and swimming in the crazy currents of this world’s identity measurements if you like.  But the truth is, they don’t work!  And you don’t fit.  Jesus took care of all that by taking care of you.

Now watch this—pay attention to how you feel as you read the following, which was written for you: 

“. . . joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has qualified you (in other words, He has made you right! It is well, and you are too.) to share in the inheritance (the gifted inheritance) of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  (Colossians 1:12-14, italics mine.)

Already and all done!  You’re in and you’ve got it all.  No worries.  Remember?

(This is a transcript of an August 2013 video, “The Look That Works,” and is intended for those who might rather read than watch.  To see the video and/or to subscribe, click http://youtu.be/x3WzwNfcG5k.)

Repenting of Ace Ventura

Have you ever wanted to beat someone up?  You know, for their own good?  Give ‘em a good whop! across the kisser to wake them up to something great?  I have.

Maybe you’ve shown someone a painting or poem you loved, played for them a song that deeply moved you, or told someone of an enchanting discovery only to have them respond with a disinterested, “Um, that’s nice.”  How did you feel in that moment?  Were you bothered?  Did you think, “Hmm . . . Maybe a good whop! right about now would be just the thing because you should be more interested in this than you are.”

Have you ever wanted to beat someone up for Jesus?   I have.  That might be related, don’t you think?  And it might be a problem.

There have been times when I have presented the incredible truth of the gospel to someone and have them look as dull when I was done as they did when I began.  I don’t mean only the get-‘em-in-the-door, turn-or-burn gospel, I mean the stunning good news about what God has done for us in Christ gospel, the great and real life He gives us gospel, and the how well related to God we are in Christ gospel.  That one.  And when I arrive at a good place to stop, either they look like it’s naptime or like it’s all unimportant.  “Well, I’m glad that works for you,” they say.

And what fills my imagination is from one of those silly Pet Detective movies.  Remember those?  There were a couple of them.  Suddenly, I am Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey), and with an exaggerated nod and toothy grin, I hear myself say, “Really.  R-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-a-l-l-y . . .”

And in my imagination – Whop!  They had it coming, right?  And then I do that silly, jerky, walk-away thing that Ace Ventura did, grinning big as ever. “Turn me down?  Ha!  Loo-hoo-hoo-ser!”

It’s about then that I come to my senses and repent of Ace Ventura. 

Sometimes my flesh gets way too involved in the mystery of closing the gospel deal, or of changing someone else.  I know that I didn’t convince myself about the gospel, nor am I particularly skilled at changing myself, so when I begin practicing upon others (Dr. Ralph), you would think that I would be quickly alarmed.  Sadly, no.  Sometimes it takes a while.

What’s happened is that I have lost the thrill and confidence of God-in-charge, God-at-work, and God-never-failing.  Awe of Him has been over-run by frustration with this world, and sometimes that happens all too easily.  I watch a big batch of bad news, read the opinion section of the newspaper, or scan a blog, and fleshly angst becomes my chief navigator.  Joy in God’s ability has been hijacked by a fleshly desire to make life work, mine and yours – Reeeally – and the soon-coming end of that is disappointment and exhaustion.  It must be.  Either I get all worked up—We’ve got to DO something!—or I get all depressed and give up.  It’s one or the other.

Right around then, the Holy Spirit reminds me that I am an ambassador of God, not a general in the army.  I’m a vessel and messenger for God, not a detective bent on exposing the bad things of this world so I can change them.  He reminds me because He is looking to revive and refresh me so I can live and work in the power of God, not in the faux power of the flesh.  It doesn’t work for me, nor does it for you.  And that’s a good thing to know, although it probably won’t feel that way until we arrive at rest:  “What have I been trying to do that God is not?”  That’s a good arrival. 

Maybe you need to repent of Ace Ventura, too.  Besides, I can’t imagine him leading anyone to Jesus anyway.  Can you?

(This is a transcript of yesterday’s video, “Repenting of Ace Ventura,” and is for those who might rather read than watch.  To see the video, click http://youtu.be/Q_cja0fg5X4, or simply scroll down this page.)

Repenting Of Ace Ventura

Have you ever wanted to beat someone up for Jesus?  I have.  Find out what Ace Ventura has to do with it in this fun yet pointed 6-minute video.

I will speaking at 9:00am (or so, MST) tomorrow morning (Wednesday), and you may watch LIVE online by going to: http://www.fathershousefc.com/. Click the WATCH LIVE link that’s found in the top left corner of the page.

Grace Conference

There’s still time to register for the Word of Grace Conference, which begins tomorrow, June 2. It begins at 6:00pm, and I will be speaking at 6:30 (MST). You may watch LIVE online by going to: http://www.fathershousefc.com/ 

Click the WATCH LIVE link that’s found in the top left corner of the page.

The Encouragement Tour

In case you were wondering, my summer is all about “The Encouragement Tour.” I will be on the west coast and east coast of the US and all parts between, from now through September. If you’re interested in having me speak and encourage your group or church, just ask. I’ll do my best to make it happen.

To be clear(er), I don’t often post my schedule because many of the meetings I have are small affairs, private and personal.  It’s not just about the big meeting, but the small, across-the-table conversations.  While I sometimes speak with a large-sized group when I’m on a trip, I have more meetings in people’s homes, over a meal at a restaurant, for an hour at a local brewpub, or wherever and however I can best join people in their day-to-day lives.  I enjoy speaking at large meetings (I’ll be doing that this coming week), but I love the value I find in face-to-face small gatherings—even just two of us.  It’s indispensable and unforgettable.

So for those in Maine, Arizona, Oregon, Kansas, Arkansas, etc., who are wondering where I’m going to be speaking, maybe it’s just with you.  What I need are invitations, and I’ll work to get enough in a particular area to make my coming possible.  I’ll do the best I can to get to you.  It’s what I love.  It’s what I do.

Love & Hate In A Facsimile World

I know there are many people who are anti military, and they are not without reasons.  Perhaps last weekend in the United States was difficult for you, when the majority of people were honoring soldiers who gave their lives in sacrifice for our country’s freedom and strength and pro-liberty effort around the world.  Maybe even now you’re bothered by what I’m writing.

The thing is, all of us are put into a difficult situation when we’re compelled to thank (or condemn) an entity in which people are actively giving themselves.  Frankly, I’m not thankful for what a bunch of liberal organizations have done and are doing in this country.  I’m not thankful for MoveOn, Occupy, Planned Parenthood, or SEIU, to name a few.  However, there are those who could offer a similar list of conservative leaning organizations for which they are not thankful either.  They might list Cato, Heritage, Military, Tea, and the great Satan, Fox News, which I would counter with CNN.

The problem we’re having is that we’ve been induced to bypass or forego the people of those organizations and to, instead, have a relationship with a media representation, a facsimile, a fake, and that’s easy to support or to get mad at, depending upon our beliefs and desires.  That’s not always wrong, but it is always wrong to stuff all of the people of those organizations into a facsimile because we remove them from our heart, where Jesus lives and does His best work.  That’s going to hurt us and keep us from the pleasure of His life and evidence found there—Christ in us.

Frankly, I sometimes feel more like Satan than Jesus when it comes to people I don’t like or agree with, and I don’t even know them!

Let me put it this way.  I do not know George Soros, Al Sharpton, Harry Reid, or Edward Snowden, but each of them draws a response from my flesh—sometimes a powerful one.  I do not know them, but I think I do—that is a facsimile relationship.  I have too many facsimile relationships that are sometimes more powerful than the ones right in front of me, or the ones I have in my own home.  And I want those!  I can get used to living from the power of a facsimile relationship, confusing it as most authentic to my heart.  After all, it lights me up!  Maybe anger becomes a more common feeling, a more common motivator than love.  When that happens, love becomes the put on, a fake, and anger becomes the genuine.  That’s the proof that I’m living more from facsimile relationships than from the real deal. 

To see if you’ve fallen to facsimile relationships and the power found in the fake, let me ask you:  Do you know Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney, George Bush, or either of the Koch brothers?  Or how about a soldier?

Look, I am thankful that my country’s military is the strongest and best in the world because I believe that what’s behind it and what motivates it offers a better hope for liberty and prosperity than any other military.  I shudder to think what would happen if our country’s influence and military support in the world were to fall from the top.  Does anyone believe that the void created would be better filled by Russia or China?

There’s my conservative viewpoint.  Did you miss it?  Probably not.  That aside, I know more than a few soldiers who got caught up in less than beautifully motivated efforts in foreign lands.  It is what it is.  And that’s why not everyone easily thanks organizations or the military.  I know.

But what we’re left with are the men and women who were involved in those efforts.  Frankly, we need them and they need us.  We need them to become bigger in our hearts than the media-fed facsimile offered to us instead.  Double frankly, I need MoveOn and Occupy loonies and they need me.  I know a few, and I’m focused upon their hearts, which can take effort because I’ve got to climb through the stuff I don’t like to what I do like.  So I’m focused upon their hearts because that’s where authenticity is, that’s where reality is—for me and for them—that is where Christ is looking, and that is what is normal and healthy for me, too.  It’s genuine.  It’s my view and it’s your view, and that’s how life works for us, and how we avoid the fake-out of facsimile love and hate.

(This is a transcript of yesterday’s video, “Love & Hate In A Facsimile World,” and is for those who might rather read than watch.  To see the video, click http://youtu.be/V7Yz4Vu_FRI, or simply scroll down on my blog.)

Love & Hate In A Facsimile World

Have you got 6 minutes to find out why you sometimes feel more like Satan than Jesus?  And why relationships you’d like to cherish suffer nevertheless?  See if this little video doesn’t help clear some things up.



Oops. I got my holidays mixed up. On the last Monday of May, my country (USA) honors those who gave their lives via our military. That’s Memorial Day. Veterans Day honors the service of all U.S. military veterans, and is marked each year on November 11.

Build It, & They Will come

And somewhere in the wilds of Wyoming, a genius spoke and an idea germinated: "Put them together, and they will come." Slogan: "Home of the washed and sloshed."

(I'm traveling with some of my family toward Salt Lake, Utah, where I will officiate at a wedding.  We came across this in Wyoming.)

How To Get God To Be Quiet

My short message today is:  “How To Get God To Be Quiet.”  It’s based upon Hebrews 10:16-18 NAS:

This is the covenant that I will make with them.
  After those days (the first covenant days, which came to an end at Jesus’ death), says the Lord:
 I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them, He then says, 17 And their sins and their lawless deeds 
I will remember no more. 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.  (Italics mine.)

That’s staggering.  That’s amazing. 

No more sacrificing animals for the Jews, and no need for the believing Gentiles (everybody else) to plead or to speak of their sins.  They’re gone.

So here’s how to get God to be quiet:  Try having a chat about your sins with Him who remembers them no more.

Crickets.  Silence.

If you’ve been throwing a lot of words at God but not hearing anything in return, watch your language.  Is your attempt at conversation based upon what you’ve done, or is it based upon what He has done?

(This is a transcript of June 2013 video, “How To Get God To Be Quiet,” and is for those who might rather read than watch.  To see and/or to subscribe to these videos, click http://youtu.be/siO-EZuSmMw.)

Hand Waving For Jesus

Are you a hand-waver? Here's how to become one if not. (Because you know you want to.)

Pogo Stick Jesus

It’s impossible to rest securely as a Christian if God retracts His blessing and grace like an earned benefit.  Does He motivate people in the same way one might motivate a donkey pulling a wagon—with an occasional carrot?  Read on to find out how you are part of God’s scandalous parade of those who enjoy unreasonable and outrageous grace.

One of the most hurtful deceptions plaguing us is, “The Pogo Stick Jesus Syndrome.”

Are you familiar with the recreational toy?  As a boy I’d set my feet on the pedals and grab hold of the handle bars, thinking that maybe I could even spring over my dad’s car if only I could get enough bounce on my pogo.  I had a lot of fun, except when I got a little sideways and ended up in the thick (and painful) hedge along our driveway.

“Ralph, why is your shirt torn?” my mother asked.  “Ah, my pogo threw me in the hedge,” I answered.  With a nod of her wise head, my mother concluded, “Maybe you should take it easy on that thing.”  That was good advice.

In the years since, I have often found that many people think they have a sort of pogo stick relationship with God.  Make the right move, do the right thing, and God is in their life along with all of His benefits.  Do the wrong thing—pop out a swear word, raise your voice in anger, give in to lust or greed or envy—and He’s out.  Pogo stick Jesus.  However, you could get Him to pogo back in response to a proper sin confession or a heartfelt re-commitment, and, tah-dah!  God and favor restored all over again.  He had pogoed back.

Although many failed to get the hang of the pogo stick Jesus game and gave up on Christianity (or what they thought was Christianity), some people learned to live a sin-focused life of confession.  I’m not kidding.  In essence their behavior and their ability to regulate it determined God’s level of comfort and happiness with them—and His presence and blessing.  If either went missing, one had only to figure out what offense had sent Him pogoing away.  This terrible pogo stick theology made them responsible for God (they had to be entirely vigilant upon themselves) and accountable to themselves.  “Did I blow it and lose His blessing?  Has God left me?  How have I upset my very sensitive God and frustrated His plan for my life?”

I don’t mean to imply that pogo stick Christians are foolish or stupid—they’re not.  I do want to save them from a deception which denies the grandeur of the gospel and the greatness of the new covenant, and which robs them of relaxing with Jesus and resting in Him. There is no rest for anyone trying to bring to pass or to accomplish what God already has.  Right?

To be clear, sin is no longer the defining aspect of our relationship with God—Christ is!  Grace is!  God did away with sin, yours and mine, by the sacrifice of His son.  We have been brought into union with Him and nothing, NOTHING can separate us from Him ever again.  He has already given us every good gift and perfect fullness in Christ.  What’s left out of every and fullness?  I can’t think of anything.  God has made His home in you and in me, and He will never, NEVER withdraw Himself or forsake us.  He has made us righteous royalty in His family—No kidding!—and even if our radiant robes should drag in the mud of this world, like the father of the prodigal, He will never lawyer-up and prosecute us for waywardness or distant country visitations. 

Has it occurred to you that the prodigal’s father never even asked a question of his returning pig crap encrusted son?  Not one!  There was no interrogation.  Nothing had changed about his father and what he knew to be true of his son.  He had the truth in his mind all the time.  The only thing different was that the son was home where dad could again lavish himself upon him.

While the son might have believed the lie that his terrible behavior and return home would change the way his father treated him, would throw the farm into shocked chaos and force his father to make a harsh and disciplined example of him (early pogo stick theology), his dad was unaffected—except for the party! In my view, the only protestor in the family of such unparalleled largesse was the elder brother religionist.  “He can have his hollow party.  I’m going to earn mine.”

The lie of religion (which is what that is) suggests that while God has already given us everything in Christ, we might have lost a little of the all we never earned—here’s how to get it back.  Slaves are made in the here’s how.  So evil and destructive is this suggestion that the apostle Paul made a wish for those who spread the lie (Galatians 5:12).

The lie says, “Well, yes, grace is great, but it doesn’t come with an unlimited warranty.  Here’s what you’ve got to do to keep up your end of the deal.”  Do you recognize it?  In two words, that’s pig crap.

Our Father tore up the records and every regulation!  No debt remains.  We cannot pay Him back, neither does He want it.  That would be insulting to Him and the staggering display of His love and grace, which He still likes displaying.  It’s His thing! Have you noticed?  It’s the new covenant.  (And our Father asks no questions.)  At the risk of adding to the story, the prodigal’s father threw a parade in front of the neighbors as if to say, “He’s MY son!  He is for me, and I’ll give him all that I want no matter how scandalous it seems to you!” 

“He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”  (Colossians 2:13-15, italics mine.)
That’s the parade!

Essentially, the good news is this:  He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification (Romans 4:25).  If you believe that by bringing your sins before God you’ll get Him to pay great attention to them, think again, pogo stick breath.  He already did.  And He’s pretty satisfied and happy with what He has done about sin.  If you believe that behaving perfectly will earn favor with God that would otherwise be threatened, think again.  You’ve got Jesus on a pogo stick.

He’s not there.  He’s settled and happily at home in a perfect and extravagant environment.  He’s at home in you.