Bear Creek BLOG
Tip #326: “How About Them Yankees?”
I wonder if you’ve observed the same thing as I: Christians – as a species – are really thin-skinned. Perhaps it’s because we were so victimized by darkness in our previous incarnation and the wounds have never healed; or maybe it’s just because we’re trained to be reactionaries, always obliged to “defend the faith.”
Spiritual Welfare State
It often surprises me how needy we church people are. So, here is a rant for you to critique. Why is it the norm in the church structure that everyone must always be a subservient student sitting at the feet of the pastor-daddy or the teacher-mommy? When are we allowed to grow up and not have to sit through sermon after sermon, the substance of which we have heard a million times already?
The Secrets Behind Dysfunctional Families
God’s original plan for families is that parents would have a close relationship with Him so that they would naturally reflect God’s nature to their children. As children would see the nature of God in their parents, this would create a healthy, nurturing environment for all family members.
Paradigm Vertigo
In the pursuit of upside-down thinking – standing on my head trying to focus my spiritual sight enough to actually grasp Kingdom principles – I’m experiencing a sense of vertigo. Everything I know, based upon the fifty-some-odd years of right-side up thinking, is now suspect; it’s all so temporal and worldly that the effort to seize the real deal of Kingdom thinking becomes both terribly alien and disconcerting.
Kingdom Anger Management - Part 2
With emotional wounding what do we usually do?
Consistent with our human nature, we seek out what we perceive to be the source of our pain. It may be the person yelling to our face hurtful words or it can be the person ahead of us in traffic who is blissfully unaware that they are driving to slow for our liking. Either way, we perceive they are the threat to our greatest emotional need for unconditional love and acceptance.
But are they the actual threat?
Kingdom Anger Management - Part 1
Everyone struggles with anger, that hot under the collar feeling when someone cuts us off in traffic. But what is anger? What is anger for? How are we supposed to deal with our anger? What is righteous and unrighteous anger?
Fat Fantasies
Fat is relative. Spiritually speaking, it is the buildup of hurts, abuses, ignorance, and ridiculous doctrines making the Saints so sluggish and unhealthy that our lives are relegated to just making it through the next week until we can assuage our consciences in the confessionals of whatever religious system we choose.
Deliverance Is Messy
Deliverance creates chaos in the church. Why? In our 30 plus years of deliverance ministry we have seen pastors fear and avoid deliverance. Pastors spend much of their ministry focus and time on trying to keep the ship/church from rocking and keeping its course.
Love With My Whole Heart
February is usually the month that we think of decorating with hearts and sending Valentines to those we love. Have you ever said or thought, “I love you with my whole heart!”
With Christianity we are told, “In order to be saved, ask Jesus to come into your heart.” The problem with that statement is that it is not particularly biblical. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus mention coming into a person’s heart, nor is there any gospel presentation that uses the image of Jesus coming into a person’s heart.
To Do or To Be
Each year at this time, many folks consider making New Year's resolutions, making a decision to change something in their lives. Usually we pick something to do or not to do to make our lives better. It may be deciding to lose weight or to eat healthier or be about work or play. But usually it is about doing or not doing something.
Webinar: The Secret to Forgiveness
We've been taught all wrong about forgiveness. We learned "forgive and forget." How do I forgive those who continually hurt me? How do I forget the pain I am in? Am I really forgiving when I forget about it for a while?
We try and try to "perform" forgiveness but the pain of offense still resides in our hearts. What we really need is healing through the Holy Spirit. No one talks about what forgiveness has to do with healing...
Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, and Church
I remember the day that I found out he was a figment of some adult’s warped mind. We had gone shopping in the family station wagon and the groceries were piled high in the back. When I was a kid, there was no such requirement as wearing a seat belt, so we were free to frolic around the car uninhibited. In my travels, I came upon a grocery bag bulging with candy.
My brain exploded.
The Pit of Despair
I’ve always suffered with depression. It would come over me like a shroud and I’d sink into the pit of despair (random movie reference) without means of escape. It was forever part of my life, so, knowing it would come again, I made adjustments for its effects.
Until we moved to Georgia.
Raising the Dead
Here is a vision:
As I looked, I could see the backs of a crowd of people to my left. They were intently looking in the same direction away from me. It was obvious they were engaged in worship--some with hands raised, some with bowed heads, most were singing. I watched myself disappear into the crowd and reappear dragging a dead person by the collar. I dragged the person across the street and laid him on his back with his head against the curb…
The Mirror That Changed the Ugly Duckling
Remember the Hans Christian Anderson story of the Ugly Duckling? This poor little fellow was so downhearted as others teased him for being different. He felt unwanted, rejected, not loved, not accepted and not enough because he was not like the other ducklings. Then one day, he looked into the pond and saw his reflection. He had a revelation that he was not a duck at all but a beautiful swan.