Setting the Captives Free - October 29, 2017

Psalm 126:1-2 - When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

Many years ago I remember how tough it was lying in bed at night with my knees literally throbbing with pain. I loved running so much, yet seemed to continue to injure myself. The "clicking" of my knees scared me as I would bend down to pick something up. It was a noticeable sound if someone was standing next to me while I bent down. I didn't want to stop running, but the pain was getting severe. Should I have my knees scoped? The answer, for me, was not surgery but a radical new way to run called barefoot running. That was over four years ago and I haven't looked back.


I didn't really understand back then that I was a "stupid" runner. Even more than a stupid runner, I was clueless regarding what good running form should be -- the kind of form that promotes correct body movement, especially in my legs and feet. Most shod runners don't have problems. But then there were those few, like myself, who seemed to be able to get away with running "stupid" for a while, and they would eventually get injured and just take time off from running. That wasn't good enough for me, because I didn't want to give up my love of running even for one day! However, with any "addiction" there is a price to pay and I paid it with severe injuries that I thought would end my running career. However, a day came in October 2003 that would change my running forever. Inevitably, this knowledge of proper placement would enable me run effortlessly and injury-free. It was truly like setting a captive free once I received this personal truth.

Years before, I was enslaved to a different pain. It was the sickness of a body of death that manifested most demonstrably through alcoholism and addiction. I remember those nights of lying on my bed with sickening drunkenness possessing my body and mind. Even worse, I remember the mornings and the horror of knowing I was in chains to the demon alcohol and that I was doomed to continue doing its bidding. Then there was the "not knowing". What had I done the night before? Where had I been? The anguish of mind and soul as I dealt with the guilt of my own powerlessness through black out drinking. Who or what could set me free from this body of death?

Once I finally did put the plug in the jug in 1992 and recommit my life to the Lord, the terror ended. I once again started back on that road to freedom and to the "Zion" of total restoration of body, soul, and spirit. I was one of the fortunate ones. A lot of folks go through life never knowing that their "form" is all messed up because they don't have anything "demonstrably" wrong. They consider themselves to be pretty good people. They go to church and tithe and do some charity work occasionally. Yet, some who look good on the outside -- like they are doing all the right things are merely masking the loneliness and sense of loss within. Doing what looks right on the outside, they convince themselves that they are free yet they are captives to their own sense of self-righteousness.

The way back from any captivity is first acknowledging that one is a captive. Secondly, to know how to be set free and to take action toward that freedom. Third, is to walk in that liberty. It was not enough for me to know that I was a stupid runner, but I needed to change my form (for me, barefoot running was the key). As a sinner that was a demonstrative drunk, it was a matter of surrendering my life and will to the Lord Jesus to allow Him to set me free. Today, I thank God that my maladies, both physically and spiritually, were catalysts to propel me to their respective solutions. My prayer for others is that God would shake us all out of our "comfort", our mediocrity, our casual lives and propel us toward radical living. Jesus said to the church at Laodicea in Revelations the third chapter that He wishes that His church were either hot or cold -- but since they were but lukewarm He would spew them out of His mouth. Don't be as the Laodiceans. Be radical! Be on fire for God. Do you know that God has set you free? Are you on a joyous journey to your respective "Zion"? Or has God not dealt with you in a breaking way where you are "By the rivers of Babylon ... weeping, remembering the lushness of Zion?" I tell you my friend, you and I will never understand what true freedom from captivity is until we have wept over our sin. Only then will we truly know the joy of His salvation!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

Acting on God's Promises - October 22, 2017

I Kings 3:12-13 - Behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.

To the most part, I remember my parents being good for their word. When they promised something, they usually carried through. However, most parents learn not to promise unless they know they will be able to deliver. Phrases such as "we'll see" or "maybe" might often represent the wisdom of parents to know they may not be able to definitively to do as they say. While these may seem like "weasel words" to some, they can often keep us from speaking presumptuously and causing unnecessary disappointment. As a child, I remember one instance where my father promised me something and could not deliver due to circumstances beyond his control. When he made the promise, he very well thought he could keep it. I was hugely disappointed when he told me he could not keep his promise. At 12 years old I can still remember sobbing for an entire afternoon, blaming my father for telling me something and not being able to carry through.

Of course I forgave him. That is what we do as human beings as we look to ourselves and see how we can often make promises and likewise not follow through. However, as a child, I believe there is an innate longing and desire for promise keepers in our lives that will never let us down. When we find out our parents and others are as fallible as we are, it can often cause us to become cynical and jaded toward others when they continue to fail us. That is why it is paramount to understand the ideal of a Promise Keeper, and that is God Himself. As we see in our lead verse, God's conversation in Solomon's dream did not contain any "we'll see's" or "maybes." Instead, we see a God who states He had "given" the king a "wise and discerning heart" and also "riches and honor."

It would be superfluous to believe the moment Solomon woke up that he was the wisest man in the world, just as it would be foolish to believe that God had caused massive wealth and great honor to likewise manifest. This is the stuff of fairy tales where genies "poof" things into existence! Instead, God had surely given these things to Solomon as his inheritance. Now, it was time for the king to begin acting upon the truths of these promises and start obtaining them. Surely, those closest to him the day after his dream did not say, "Why Solomon, you seem so wise today! What happened to you?" Rather, God gives us a glimpse into Solomon acting upon the promise of God in his judgment between the two harlots and their quarrel over who was the rightful mother of a disputed child (see I Kings 3:16:28). Solomon's wisdom astounded all those who heard regarding how he settled the feud. The Scriptures explain it in the following: "When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice" (I Kings 3:28). Until Solomon acted upon God's promise for wisdom, no one probably could tell any difference in the king. Likewise, not until Solomon began gathering wealth and respect from other nations did he start to manifest God's promise of "riches and honor."

When God gives us a promise, it is always in the Definitive or Simple Past tense. He regards it as a completed action, just as we should also. However, degrees of manifestation are often characteristic of how we believe and ultimately act on these respective promises. If Solomon had thought to himself, "Well, that was an interesting dream," and then did nothing about it, we probably would not equate Solomon to the wisest and richest king of the Kingdom Age of Israel. However, just as he acted upon his dream, we must do likewise when God whispers to our souls. We may never have a dream like Solomon but we all have a vision (or visions) which God has entrusted to us regarding his gifts and callings for our lives. If He has spoken a word, it is without revocation (Romans 11:29). God has graciously given each and every one of us promises. It is now our responsibility to act on them and ensure they become a reality.

Heavenly Father, allow us to resurrect every promise You have ever spoken to us and to act upon them until they come to fruition. Grant us the wisdom to act upon Your spoken word to our hearts, knowing that You see these gifts and callings as ours already, even if they are not flowing through our lives today. We ask for Your grace and mercy to see as You see and then to move with faith to make Your dreams and Your vision a reality. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

A Proper Education - October 15, 2017

Galatians 3:24 - Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.

Elementary school years were, for the most part, good years for me. I got along well with my teachers and fellow students and generally brought home good grades. My fifth grade teacher is the one who stands out as the one who had the most influence over my early education. This educator was a kind soul, yet had a firm hand. She loved teaching, it was clear. When I was in her class she was in the twilight of her life and had taught many years. There was a special affection that grew between Mrs. Spearman and I throughout that year. She knew that I loved her grandmotherly ways, and she returned my respect with special care of her own. I remember once I had written a poem about winter and sledding and she read it to the class with great emphasis and a smile that was evident when she read each line. She asked the class who they thought wrote the poem. Some said this one or that one. At the time, I was very shy and had not given any indication of my desire to write. They never guessed it was me until she told them so with affection in her voice. I was so proud of that moment, that this kind teacher would honor me in such a small way. Nearly fifty years later, I still remember that day and will always remember her with great love and admiration for taking the time and effort to validate me amongst my peers.

We may have someone in our past who made all the difference shaping our young lives. It may have been a teacher, a relative, or a close friend. Regardless, we are all tutored and shaped by those things around us. That is, what we allow to shape us. Whether we realize it or not, our upbringings, traditions, mores, and a myriad of other influences are why we are the person we have become today, at this very moment in time. For most of us, our parents and what they dictated became the major catalyst in building the character we possess. These were likely more than suggestions but they were the law for most of us. They were "you darn well better do it if you know what's good for you" commandments that, if we transgressed, meant some type of punishment that usually was not pleasant. I tried to avoid my parents displeasure along these lines as much as possible in my formative years. However, as previously implied, my educational disciplines fell off in conjunction with my rebellious attitudes at home. In my early teens, no longer did I care about listening to teachers, parents, or any type of authority. For many years after, I would suffer the consequences of this foolish behavior. However, even as our lead verse states, "the Law" was having its desired effect on me. The commandments of society, my parents, and most importantly God, were leading me to an end of myself and my eventual surrender to Christ. For without the Law showing me how far I had spiraled downward out of control, I would have never seen my great need for Jesus Christ. He is our benchmark regarding how far as lost sinners we have all fallen from grace.

Initial surrender to Jesus Christ is imperative to once again be restored to that grace that only He can give. However, surrender is not a one time event. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 15:31 that he surrendered to Christ daily, insisting on dying daily for His Lord. In this regard, I would pose this question: How teachable are we? Do we allow God's law to bring us to a place of understanding and surrender regarding our inability to save ourselves? The law will produce various responses. Three relevant to our lead verse are as follows:

(1) We are doing pretty good compared to most people
(2) We just need to try harder and do better, and
(3) There is no way I can fulfill what God wants ... Lord, help me!

Of course, the most sensible response is number three. To the point where pride is alive in our old sin nature is the degree where we will deny we need God's help. As the Lord stated through Jeremiah, "they have turned their backs to me instead of their faces" (Jeremiah 32:33).

Education should be a life-long endeavor. I thank God for memories such as my fifth grade teacher and the loving tutor she will always be in my life. Through her kindness and love, I was able to see how learning is something to be embraced, not shunned. We all have earthly teachers that instruct us throughout our lives regarding life's lessons. However, there are some teachings that cannot be ignored, and these are God's commandments through His word. The psalmist tells us how the Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul (Psalm 19:7). We can either run from this great instructor, or embrace it and allow it to transfigure our lives. Beloved of the Lord, the only way we can receive proper education from God is to allow His "tutor" to instruct us. The gaze of the soul toward God's Law will only happen when we turn our face towards His and surrender to His direction.

Fairest Lord Jesus, thank you for sending Your great Law to tutor us. Thank you for showing us our great need regarding how far we have fallen from You. Allow us to embrace and love Your Law, for it truly does restore our souls and causes us to delight in the transformation of our beings into Your likeness. In Your precious Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Prodigal Son - October 8, 2017

The following is part of a sermon I delivered at the Kansas City Rescue Mission on May 8, 2008. To listen to the entire message, click the following link or the one at the end of the sermon text.

The Prodigal Son - May 8, 2008

I believe many of us in this room this evening can identify with the words of Jesus' parable. Let's face it – we're not high rollers if we ended up here tonight. I will wager that not one of us said, "I think I'll leave the comfort of my luxurious home and family to come down and spend a night at the mission. I need to come down and eat and sleep with 50 other guys because I am just getting quite sick of all this comfort and love that I’ve been accustomed to." The truth of the matter is this: Those of us who have spent night after night in missions are there out of necessity and not out of choice. For some of us, this is the “last house on the block”, because all have given up on us. We can relate to the prodigal as he hires himself out to the farmer at the time of famine because he has no other place to go. He is very much like some of you in this room tonight that have exhausted all of your resources. Some of you get monthly checks where you live "high on the hog" for the first few days of the month and then are like the prodigal and are forced to humiliate yourself by relying on missions for a meal and a covering over your head. Others have alienated every friend that you have in regular society because you have used them up like you have “used” throughout your lives with alcohol and drugs. And so, for whatever reason, here you sit once again because you don't have any other option but to rely on the mercy of Christian brothers and sisters that will reach out a hand. Of course there is another option. Every one here has the option of "coming to your senses" like the prodigal did. As I have a finger pointed out at you in the audience tonight, I have three fingers pointed back at myself. I too have sat where you sit. I have heard the appeal of God through someone who has stood where I am standing tonight. The only difference between you and me is that I made a choice to do things differently. This evening, we are going to see how to “do things differently” through the example of the prodigal.

You see, the prodigal was much like many of you when you were younger. Many of you were once part of society before giving yourselves over to alcohol and drugs and then finally to the streets. Back then, you could still give yourself to others and be part of your community because you weren't a total "taker and User". However, drugs and alcohol kept taking from you every bit of selfless living that you once possessed. Addiction is a cruel taskmaster. It bleeds us of every bit of selfless living and makes us demand of ourselves and others to do what is best for "self". It made you a person where all you could think about was your next drink or drug. In so doing, you began using up those people around you where you ended up totally isolated. The "inheritance" of good morals and thinking of others, other than yourself, that your parents or others taught you had gone by the wayside. No longer did you care for anyone but yourself. The time had come where all your inheritance or all that you once had as a self-respecting person of the community had been spent up and now you had hired your self out to your own self destructive behavior. You are no longer your own master, but Satan and your own fleshly alcoholic and addictive nature now rules you. You have given yourself up to the streets just as the prodigal gave himself up to feed swine.

All of us have different “tops” before we hit our respective “bottoms. Some of us had everything at one time – families, good jobs, beautiful homes, fine cars. Others had some of this or maybe none of this. It doesn’t matter. We all had a “high point” in our respective lives before we started the plummet into selfishness, addiction, and sin. Sin is patient and waits for us and grabs hold of our lives at our most vulnerable point, dragging us down to a place of hopelessness. That’s where I was 16 years ago. Years before, I had experienced the streets and was probably closer to going back on the streets than I had been in a long time. Through years of binge drinking and living off of others, I had hit bottom. I had fallen from my own “high point” in life and had wasted the years of love and care that my family instilled in me. It was the beginning of my end.

We have all wandered away from God and man. Your case is just more evident than most, as it was in my case. Other than a brief encounter with God in 1976, my life was a continual running away to that “distant land” as it talks about in the reading. Sure, I had times when I could put together some sobriety, but there were more painful times when I had less than what I see many of you possess. There were times when everything I had was stolen because I was living on the streets and the clothes I wore were filthy. For me, the best thing to do was to keep moving from town to town and city to city, sleeping wherever I was offered a place to sleep. I stayed in several missions and Salvation Army locations throughout those years. Many times I huddled in a covered area in a vacant lot or any other place where I could be out of sight and out of the weather.

So what does it take to come to one's senses like the prodigal? As many of you know, it is not something you can automatically turn on just when you want it. It is not like saying, "Well, that was a pretty horrible experience living on the streets so now I think I will go back to what I had before and become a respectable person once again." If it was as easy as that, many of you would have gone back to respectability long ago. But what you have found is that you are trapped and do not have the will power or the understanding of how to return. I am going to challenge you tonight that very possible the prodigal did not know how to return either, but he made a crucial decision and started on that journey. The scripture states that "he came to his senses". This implies to me that he had not yet come to a place of total repentance, but yet he knew that he must start toward a different live. His senses were convincing him that he had made wrong decisions and now he must remedy his decisions. First of all, he was probably appalled that his clothes were rags. (As I look out in the audience tonight I see that most are dressed quite nice. I am always amazed about this country’s so called "poor". Our street people and poor dress nicer than most of the rest of the world.) Next, he felt the hunger in his stomach knowing that his father's servants were fed much better than what he was presently experiencing. And, lastly but probably even more important, he felt the utter loneliness of being isolated -- isolated from all his former life of family and friends. He was all alone because of the choices he had made and he began to understand this. It wasn't anything anyone did to him. He had a good upbringing as many of you did. Even those of you who did not, it doesn't matter. It was still your choice and the sooner you recognize that you are responsible for the choices you made in life the better. I don't care if your mother and father beat you with barbed wire every Sunday and rammed your heads into the refrigerator on Mondays, it was still you who made the choices that have brought you here tonight. Sure, you may be disadvantaged more than others, but that doesn't mean that God's hand was not there to pull you up if you but have asked and insisted that He do so.

Some of you here tonight would love to get free. You just don't think you know how. The key is to start on the journey back to the Father. Even as the prodigal did not necessarily have all that he wanted when he came to his senses, he knew that in order to get back a portion of what he had lost that he must start the journey back. The scripture says when the prodigal left that he went to a distant country to squander his wealth. The journey back to his father was undoubtedly tough. He had no food, no shelter, and it probably took weeks or months. However, he kept on going knowing that he had no other choice. Was it tough? Of course it was but the alternative was intolerable in the mind of the prodigal. Has the alternative of the streets become intolerable in your minds tonight? It had in mine that is why I can stand before you tonight as a recovering alcoholic of 16 years. When I put the plug in the jug it was just the beginning of my journey back. There are some here tonight that will always scoff at “returning to God”. There are some here who laugh behind the backs of those who have made a decision to enter the Christian Development Program here at KCRM and start the journey back. These are those who have not come to the end of themselves. Possibly, they never will. They will succumb to hopelessness and give themselves to the “swine” of their own circumstances because they don’t have the sense to do otherwise. However, some of you here tonight are on the brink of a decision. You feel yourself on the precipice of hopelessness and you don’t want to fall in, but you desperately want to start to a repentant life with the Lord. How do I start back? Well, like the prodigal you start by starting. You come to your senses and you first tell God that you are ready to start back. Then, you tell everyone in this room that you’re ready to start the journey back. Will it be easy? I guarantee it won’t. Will there be those that will help you? Undeniably! Paul stated in the book of Romans, “Where sin abounds, grace does abound all that much more!!” He is waiting for you tonight to first come to your senses. Understand that you have done a horrible job of steering your life up to this point and that you are ready to begin to have God steer your life back to a life centered on Jesus rather than self.

Lord Jesus, help those that are wanting a changed life to come to their senses tonight and make a decision for you. Let them know that You will be with them every step of the way as they start their journey back to the Father of Mercy. In Jesus name, amen.

The Prodigal Son - May 8, 2008

Your Barefoot Servant,

Barefoot Rick

God's Name - October 1, 2017

Psalm 75:1 - We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks, for Your Name is near; Men declare Your wondrous works.

Years ago, a young lady who attended our church wore a button from time to time out in public which caused quite a stir. I guess you could say it was a campaign button of sorts. In large block letters it read: CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, GOD'S LAST NAME IS NOT DAMN! She was on a crusade to make people realize how flippant the vast majority of folks are with God's Name. Of all people, she understood the power of the Name. In the mid-1970s, her husband was within days of succumbing to cancer. All of his hair was gone from chemotherapy and radiation treatments and he was emaciated from the long struggle. Simply, he was a mere shell of a man after cancer had its way with him. A group of believers, led by a faith-filled preacher, stood around his bed and prayed for his healing. Miraculously, he was healed instantly. Within days, his strength had returned and his hair began to grow back. That is about the time I met this beautiful couple. We were all new Christians and were energized by this move of God upon this young man's life. (This healing was documented by The 700 Club and confirmed by his doctors in 1977.) Through this ordeal and subsequent healing, I believe the Lord gave his wife a revelation of the Name of Jesus. That blessed, wonderful Name healed her husband of the cancer that almost destroyed him. Her "campaign button" was merely her tongue-in-cheek way of telling others that God's Name means so much more than a glib expression uttered in anger or exclaim.

Today, OMG is touted by many as one of the most used abbreviations in text messaging. Every generation, including this one, seems to find new ways to marginalize God's Name. Using the Lord's Name in a curse word, or to glibly say " Oh My God!" or "Jesus Christ!" is definitely taking the Lord's Name in vain. However, these often just scratch the proverbial surface. There are much more serious instances of breaking the third commandment (Exodus 20:7). The Lord God Almighty gave Moses this instruction on Mount Sinai over 1400 years before the birth of Christ. But, even then, it was in the heart of the Father for His Son to present a similar commandment on a different mount early in His Son's ministry. When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, he taught his disciples to pray in the sixth chapter of Matthew. The Lord began His instruction by first acknowledging the greatness of His Father's eminence by His location in the eternal heavens -- Our Father who is in heaven. Of great importance is His next statement: Hallowed (or holy) be Your Name! (Matthew 6:9). Jesus not only declared His Father's omnipotence by His preeminence, ruling over heaven and earth, but He also instructed humankind to regard the Name as holy. We might read or hear this and the significance might not really sink into our understanding. However, the holiness of the Name implies that it is set apart for everything beholden to the nature of the Most High.

The Name not only characterizes God, but it explains His attributes or His way He interacts with His creation. Even as Yeshua's (Jesus') Name means "Jehovah is Salvation", the Son of God understood the significance of both His Name and that of His Father's. Their Names were inextricably linked through their relationship of the Godhead, thus allowing the Name to have the same power on earth, as it did in heaven. So, if God the Father's nature meant love, salvation, mercy, healing, wisdom, and many more, than the Name would also be synonymous with His nature. That's why Jesus proclaimed the importance in John 16:23 of us asking in His Name, because then the Father would release the answers to our prayers. However, there is one provision. We must "hallow" His Name, regarding the Name as holy and not trivialized by vain requests. A religious mind-set devoid of any true relationship with God may often be guilty of taking the Lord's Name in vain in ways we may not have considered. If we don't regard Him truly as "Father" by faith, then we seek Him through our own works. When we approach God in this manner, we hold to a form of godliness, although we have denied its power (II Timothy 3:5).

Taking the Lord's Name in vain is a travesty. If we call ourselves Christians and we don't cringe when we hear someone damn something by the Beautiful Name, then we should question our faith and whom we've believed. If we don't consider Yahweh or His Son Yeshua's Name as holy, we won't hold it with reverence concerning how we invoke His Name in our supposed relationship with Him. As Psalm 75:1 states, when the Name of God (whether Jehovah, Yahweh, or Yeshua [Jesus]) is near to us, we will declare the goodness of that Name with all its "wondrous works". Our thanksgiving for God revealing His glorious Name to us will fill us with awe and reverence. Never more will we regard the Name to be used in a vain way, whether through flippant text-messaging or through a life that vainly seeks God in such a way denying the very power of the Name which wrought salvation for all. Much like my friend from years ago, we will recoil from those who would objectify the Name as a vanity upon the lips of mankind, where it means nothing but a curse. For those spiritually in tune with the Spirit of the Lord, we will further understand when we or others are living vain lives that purport God but which deny Him and the power of His Name. The rapturous beauty of the revealed Son within our lives will provoke relationship rather than a vain pursuit that leads to emptiness. May we all seek the Lord until He would reveal Himself to each of us, showing us the holy power that transforms us all through the revelation of the Name.

Heavenly Father, Great Jehovah, we humbly bow before Your throne of grace, asking You to reveal Your Name and the power thereof. We ask to understand, by Your great wisdom, all You desire for us to experience in this relationship with You and Your Son. May we never take Your Name in vain, either by word or by deed. Help us to hallow Your Name everyday, in everyway. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick