Where's my Cookie??

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Life is replete with irony. One of the biggest ironies connected to personal health and safety is that the best time to develop personal accountability is when we don’t particularly need it. Unfortunately, when the need for accountability strikes, most people don’t have any significant relationships on which to lean. We haven’t invested consistently in deep friendships and our isolation often increases in times of trouble.

The Christian men’s movement has raised awareness for the need of accountability, but it remains difficult to develop – especially for men. Various accountability programs are available, but nothing takes the place of intimacy between two or more transparent people who really care about each other.

Our most basic need in life is relationship with God and others. Within these relationships, we can safely discover our blind spots and receive new input and teaching. Sadly, however, it’s in our human nature to hide ourselves if we sense disapproval from others.

Another factor is that Christians seek moral perfection. We focus more on our performance and base our standards on good behavior. Messing up is one thing, but admitting our imperfections is quite another. Many of us have seen what happens when a person within the Christian ranks stumbles. We tend to shoot the wounded rather than grapple with the ongoing reality of sin in the camp.

|sam| 4:01 AM|

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-* Fellowship of the Unshamed- I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. design by noids