Why Me?

Posted by Jim Thornber on January 4, 2011
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Publishing, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

For four years I was an Assemblies of God minister and a monk with the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at the Little Portion Hermitage. This is an excerpt from my book Taking Off My Comfortable Clothes: Removing Religion to Find Relationship.

I must realize that my ability, even my desire, to commune with God starts with God. He speaks, I exist. He pursues, I respond. He dies, I live.  He desires me, I open to Him.

But I cannot help but wonder: Why me? What in me does He desire? What does He want? My talents? My charm? My abilities?

Yes and no. All and none. When He calls to me, He calls to ALL of me. He wants me before His gracious throne with my sins and my sacrifice; my talents and my inabilities; my joys and my misgivings; my love, hope, emotions, feelings, doubts, concerns, questions and understanding. When God died for us on the Cross, He died for the whole of us.

My desire to come before the throne of God comes from His desire to have me there. My love for Him springs from His love for me. So, all that I am and can do originates from Him, which leaves me only boasting in Him who is kind, righteous, just, and loving (Jer. 9:23-24).

It is a sad and humiliating thing to see yourself before God and realize you have nothing good to offer Him. It is a joyous and wonderful thing to see Him take your offering of yourself and turn it into a gift which praises Him. It is then that you truly learn that all things are possible with God.

Don’t Look Back!

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 24, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion, Scripture. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 8 Comments

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 3:13-14

I’m writing this with one blurry eye, an accident of my own doing, a pain inflicted upon me by another because I would not heed his advice. He told me not to turn around. He even stopped me earlier and warned me that turning around could get me hurt. Although I tried to listen to him, and even said out loud to myself, “DON’T TURN AROUND,” a bad force of habit kept me doing it and sure enough, up 12-5 and serving in the third game (with my wife watching), I turned around to see what was going on and got smacked clean in the left eye with the racquet ball from four feet away. End of game; can’t see the court.

As we’re driving home, my wife suggests we take a trip to the hospital.

“Naw,” I say, “I’ve been smacked before.”

“You know,” she says, “people our age need to be careful. You could easily get a detached retina.” Our age? I think to myself. What’s that supposed to mean? I let it slide.

“Okay,” I said. “If I my vision gets weird later on, I’ll go in. But just so you know; if my arm falls off or something, it’s totally unrelated.” She didn’t laugh.

Fast-forward to me in the shower (about twenty minutes ago). There is something about this incident that tells me there’s more to it than meets the eye (Sorry. Couldn’t help it). I’m thinking about how looking behind me got me hurt, and if I would have just faced forward I would probably have won the game. Then Paul’s statement to the Philippians comes to mind, and I know what it is that bothers me. I’ve never been hurt by those things coming from behind me, from my past, when I’ve given them to the Lord. Continue Reading

Quit Whining About Work!

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 21, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 9 Comments

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it”—Genesis 2:15.

Like many of you, I’ve been spending a bit of time on Facebook. Since most of the stuff that takes place there is pure fluff and an absolute waste of time, I don’t do much more than post links to my blog, shamelessly promote my book, comment on the pages of a few friends, and quickly see what people are doing.

While perusing the different posts by my Facebook friends, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. True, I may be the only one disturbed, but since I’ve read the Bible, I think I have a right to be concerned. What bothers me is the way my Christian friends, even some pastors, show a disdain for work. Here’s some of the things I’ve read.

“Hurray. Only two more days ‘till the weekend!”

“I’m so glad this is only a three-day work week.”

“Wednesday is almost over! Only two more days…..!”

One girl, referring to her job, simply said, “This is “********.”

Too many Christians seem to think work is a curse, even though Scripture clearly shows us that Adam had work to do while he was in the Garden of Eden. The need to work is not a result of the fall of Adam and Eve—it is a gift from God to His creation, enabling us to be like Him. God worked for six days and then rested, and He gave Adam a job to do while he was still in Paradise. In John 5:17, Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working” But it seems from what I am reading, too many people are singing along with Loverboy, “Everybody’s working for the weekend.”

Continue Reading

But Lord, I Want THAT Gift!

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 16, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion, Scripture. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

“It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have” – 1 Corinthians 12:11 (NLT)

For many people, the Christmas season is their favorite time of year. The time spent with family, the abundance of favorite foods, and of course the opening of gifts all make this holiday special.

When I was a kid, I was so keen on getting gifts I would often peel back the wrapping paper to get a peak at what was underneath (and I’ll bet you did, too). After all the gifts were unwrapped, I would head outside to gather with my friends and compare gifts which, in Southern California, inevitably included a few new bikes, a skateboard or two and usually one remote-controlled car. However, it seemed to me that no matter how cool my gifts were, there was always some other gift my friends had that I envied. I guess they felt the same, because we usually ended up playing with the other person’s gifts more than our own.

What bothers me is how often I have this same attitude towards the gifts the Holy Spirit has wisely given to me. Instead of enjoying and showing gratitude for the gifts God graciously gave me, I find myself desiring “other” gifts – gifts I see in people that I, with self-proclaimed omniscience abounding, deem more successful than I am. I figure if I had their gifts then I, too, could have what they have: house, car, job, successfully published book, prestige. You know, all those items that are destined to perish. Continue Reading

How You Treat People Is How You Treat God

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 15, 2010
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For four years I was an Assemblies of God minister and a monk with the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at the Little Portion Hermitage. This is an excerpt from my book Taking Off My Comfortable Clothes: Removing Religion to Find Relationship.

Even though I spent many hours alone with God, it was only when I encountered my fellow community members that the true fruit of my prayerful labors showed its worth.

If you ask me, I’m a pretty great guy when it’s just me and God in the room. I find it easy to count not only my blessings, but also the many ways I’ve blessed others. However, when I stepped outside my hermitage (or prayer closet, if you need to get religious about it) and saw someone I didn’t like, it was then that the true fruit of my prayer life would show itself. Continue Reading

Mary Simply says “Yes”

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 10, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion, Scripture. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

“I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” – Luke 1:38

Harry Tanner, The Annunciation

After reading the story about Mary, the mother Jesus, it bothers me that I don’t think I would have been as brave as Mary. But let’s look at what was taking place.

This is the scene: Some time after the betrothal of Joseph and Mary, but before they consummated the marriage, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that God chose her to give birth to the long-awaited Messiah.

This is the question: “How this is possible, since I’m a virgin?”

This is the answer: “The power of the Most High will overshadow you, so the baby to be born will be called the Son of God.”

This is the consequence: According to the Law in Deut. 22:23-24, death by stoning for adultery. According to Gabriel, the birth of God-with-Us.

This is the response: “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”

As I said, I don’t know if I would have been as brave as Mary.

Some of you may remember the stigma that once surrounded a girl who was pregnant out of wedlock. Although now in the United States, where more than a million teenage girls get pregnant out of wedlock, Mary’s predicament loses some of its force. However, imagine that the penalty for this infraction is death by stoning, while the girl is claiming to be a virgin and that the Father is the Lord God Almighty. Imagine how Planned Parenthood, the religious right and the ACLU would fight over that scenario!

I also find it interesting that after hearing such a magnificent announcement about bearing the Savior of the world, Mary has something simpler on her mind:  “How this is possible, since I’m a virgin?” It seems that no matter how hard we try, we always filter our faith through the facts. And the fact is this: Mary’s simple acquiescence to the Lord’s request would forever change the life of a poor teenage girl from a backwater town in Israel. It would also change the world.

However, a work of God is a two-edged sword, coming with both great joy and great pain. After considering the repercussions, Mary simply says “Yes” to God. This is one of the things that I really like about Mary: She was the first person to accept Jesus on His own terms, regardless of the personal cost. Mary said, “Be it done according to what you’ve said.” She weighed the knowledge of being an outcast in her home, and chose obedience and submission to God over comfort and acceptability. That should be a challenge to all of us.

Mary also responds with a song that we have come to call The Magnificat. A song like Mary’s comes from a heart that practices praising God – from a life that is faithful to worship God in the good times as well as in the bad times. And this was definitely one of those good times/bad times events. Being the bearer of the Son of God was going to be a mixed blessing, for with this honor came deep pain and a tremendous responsibility. At the circumcision and consecration of Jesus, Simeon said, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel” (Luke 2:34). Remember, nothing significant is accomplished for the Kingdom of God without great sacrifice.

But as Mary sacrificed her will and her body to carry Jesus within her, we now have the same privilege. God has handpicked each one of us to live with the same purpose as Mary – to bring Jesus alive into the world.

God created our bodies to be a home for His Spirit, a sacred vessel through which He makes Himself known to our families, friends, and co-workers, in our homes, in our schools, at our jobs and at the supermarket. Everywhere we go, we take Jesus with us, and so everyday is Christmas in the lives of Christians, giving us the opportunity to bring the world’s greatest gift to whomever we meet, no matter what time of year it is.

I sometimes wonder if I have what it takes to bring Jesus alive into my world. But those God chooses He enables, and with God’s grace I know I can. God offers all of us an invitation to bring the good news of our Savior into the world. How will we respond? A simple “Yes” will do.

First posted Dec. ’08

Anna: She Kept On Not Leaving

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 7, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Publishing, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I’ve been preparing for a series of Christmas sermons, and one of those will be on Anna, the prophetess who saw the child Jesus at His dedication in the Temple. Luke says this about her. “A prophetess, Anna. . .was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day” (Luke 2:36-37). All day this one particular phrase has bothered me: “she never left the temple.”

In the Greek language this literally means, “She kept on not leaving.” It wasn’t that she was too lazy to head for the door. Instead, she intentionally and actively engaged in not leaving the presence of God. Continue Reading

Pride and Holiness

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 2, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Pride, Publishing. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

An excerpt from my book Taking Off My Comfortable Clothes

Holiness is not being an expert at everything you put your mind to; it is being truthful and transparent with who you are while not trying to be something you are not. Furthermore, I’m discovering that transparency and holiness is a gift of getting older, because pride and the need to prove myself successful isn’t the precious commodity it once was.

Here are a few more thoughts on Holiness.

* Be real with who you are. Accept and embrace your gifts and talents as well as your sins and limitations.

* Beware of succumbing to someone’s personal (or organizational) standards for holiness, especially if they have no Scriptural basis. Continue Reading

More Than A Guest

Posted by Jim Thornber on November 24, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion, Scripture. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly—Col. 3:16

A few weeks ago, we had some family come and stay with us for a few days. They live about three and a half hours away, so when they come for a visit it is always a special event. We clean the house, over-stock up on food, make the bed in the guest room (which probably wasn’t cleaned since the last guest), clear a path from the laundry room to the kitchen (Admit it; you do the same thing), take out pillows and blankets and pull the mattress off the futon so the kids can sleep on the floor, and generally put the house in order. And it stays that way for about, oh, the six minutes it takes the grandkids to drop their stuff, get out the toys, and make themselves at home.

Naturally, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Our family is always welcome to visit us and stay as long as they want, which usually isn’t long enough.

After they leave, we pick up the house, put the guest room back in order, fold the blankets, replace the mattress, start a new load of laundry and then sit in silence. We miss the crowded living room and the noise, but it’s nice to have the house back in order again. We made room for our guests, but now that they’re gone, we quickly put the house back the way we like it.

This scenario reminds me of the difference between a guest in a house and the one who owns and dwells in a house. A guest is not a permanent resident; a dweller is. A guest comes and goes according to what is convenient for him and the host. A dweller remains regardless of the circumstances. A guest does not have the right to paint the walls and move the couch near the window. Only the resident of the house has those privileges.

In Colossians 3:16, Paul tells us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. As I studied this passage, I began to see the differences between a guest and a resident. Continue Reading

Worship as Service

Posted by Jim Thornber on November 22, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Publishing, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

For four years I was an Assemblies of God minister and a monk with the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at the Little Portion Hermitage. This is an excerpt from my book Taking Off My Comfortable Clothes: Removing Religion to Find Relationship.

We had just entered the chapel for the noontime prayer called the Angelus when John Michael said, “Jim, go ring the Angelus bell.” Great, I thought, another chance to be obedient in a tradition I disagreed with. But John Michael asked me to do it, and when you’ve taken a three-year vow of obedience, it is a little difficult to say “No.”

The Angelus is a short devotion at noon honoring the Incarnation. It involves three repetitions of the Hail Mary and is prayed in conjunction with the ringing of a bell. So, even though I was sure I was that didn’t want to do it, but at the same time not quite sure how to get out of it, I walked out of the chapel and down the little path that led to the bell.

Having arrived at the bell, the full impact of the quandary I was in began to take hold. The Angelus is a prayer followed by one bell, followed by another prayer and another bell, a third prayer and a final bell. Now, since I couldn’t hear the prayer in the chapel, I had to recite the prayer with the community in order to ring the bell at the proper time. After the first ringing of the bell, the prayer goes like this:

“The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.”

BONG!

“Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. Hail Mary….”

BONG!

“And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. Hail Mary. . . .”

BONG!

Now, the tricky part was saying the prayer along with the community so that I didn’t ring the bell while they were still reciting the prayer, nor wait too long so that they sat in silence waiting for me to ring the bell before they started the next phrase. Having sat through many an Angelus, I knew this was a tricky thing to do. Although I had theological issues with the prayer, I still didn’t want to mess it up. Continue Reading