“Today is the day,’ said a little boy to his Mom who was smiling as she packed a lunch for the little guy. Jesus was traveling across the Sea of Galilee to visit their town, and today was the day the boy was hoping to see Him.
Today, I want to explore with you the transformative power of a gratitude attitude, a quality that the Bible encourages us to cultivate. The apostle Paul, in his letters, sets a fine example of expressing gratitude, thanking God unceasingly for the way the believers were receiving the message (Colossians 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). The lasting happiness that Paul speaks of doesn’t come merely from occasional expressions of gratitude, but from having a grateful character that is heart-based and not necessarily centered in the mind.
How does one become grateful after sleeping under a blanket of stars for a number of years? One member of the Catch will tell you. She is a benefactor of your gracious contributions to the Catch Ministry. She is filled with gratitude for the first front door key in a very long time to a safe place that offers a roof over her head. While wanting to give back to you, she has come to understand she can multiply your gift by giving to those around her who need what she has. And what does she have?
How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in
Jesus was born into straw poverty on a silent night because that’s the way He continues to come into the world. He quietly steals His way into the straw poverty of our hearts — no fanfare — only angels notice and sing. (The Bible says the angels make a pretty big deal of it when even one sinner comes to Christ, but, of course, we don’t hear that celebration.)
by John Shirk
I wasn’t the first person to learn that you can’t follow Jesus and follow the plan. In the gospels Jesus told twelve me to “Follow me.” I’m sure they had plans as well. Some were successful fishermen. They probably planned to continue plying their trade on the Sea of Galilee and making a comfortable living for their families.
Whatever their plans, they left them behind to follow a homeless man with nowhere to lay His head. Continue reading
by John Shirk
When I was young I chose to follow Jesus, and began making plans.
And my plans were good.
by Wayne Bridegroom
You are all aware that John and Marti are at an intensive 6 day seminar so John Shirk and I (Wayne) are filling in. Please keep them in your daily prayers: that our Lord would give them greater and greater insight into how the Catch community can become “Jesus with skin on” in a world fraught with ugly clashes. In last Friday’s Catch John shared some really relevant insight into this issue by calling us to be counter cultural:
One of the greatest injustices we do to our young people is to ask them to be conservative. Christianity is not conservative, but revolutionary. – Francis Schaeffer
You have been strategically placed right where you are for one reason: to bring the kingdom of God to your corner of the world. It matters not where that is; it matters that you are there and you are intentional about being a carrier of Christ and a spreader of the gospel of welcome — grace turned outward — to everyone, everywhere. And if you’re not sure what that is, stick with us; we’re learning together.
Jesus was a Capricorn
He ate organic food
He believed in love and peace
And never wore no shoes
Long hair, beard and sandals
And a funky bunch of friends
Reckon we’d just nail him up
If he came down again
‘Cause everybody’s gotta have somebody to look down on
Prove they can be better than at any time they choose
Someone doin’ somethin’ dirty decent folks can frown on
If you can’t find nobody else, then help yourself to me
Eggheads fussin’ rednecks cussin’
Hippies for their hair
Others laugh at straights who laugh at
Freaks who laugh at squares
Some folks hate the Whites
Who hate the Blacks who hate the Klan
Most of us hate anything that
We don’t understand
– Kris Kristofferson
Counterculture: A subculture whose values and norms of behavior deviate from those of mainstream society.
Jesus was countercultural. And because He lives today through the lives of those who follow Him, you could therefore say that Jesus is countercultural. His message was, is, and always will be counter to the prevailing mainstream society. This is largely because what He represents and asks of us goes counter to human nature. This is not true just for certain people; it’s true for all of us with maybe one exception. The poorest of the poor may get it right away, after all they are the ones Jesus says are blessed.
Those who are indwelled by and dependent upon the Spirit of Jesus are humble and self-effacing. They are deeply touched by the weakness and suffering of others. They are gentle and kind. They long for goodness in themselves and in others. They are merciful to those that struggle and fail. They are single-minded in their love for Jesus. They are peaceful and leave behind a legacy of peace. They are kind to those that ill-use them, returning good for evil. – David Roper
This description of a Christian based on the teaching of Jesus from the opening of the Sermon on the Mount starting in Matthew 5, should be a common, well-known description of a Christian by now — a couple of centuries after it was delivered. We should have this down pat. People should see someone like this and immediately recognize a Christian. The fact that this is clearly not true is an indication that other factors contribute to modern Christianity and the attitudes of Christians besides the scriptures, and more importantly, the words and example of Jesus.
John Fischer The Catch 