Tag Archives: God

Stranger Things

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Stranger Things. If you like suspense, fear, and intrigue with a strong dose of fiction, then  the show, Stranger Things is for you.

My wife and I really enjoyed both seasons. Try it! You just might like it too!

stranger-things-titles

In the show, there was an alternate universe. Some of the characters called it ‘The Upside Down’. It was the same yet different. The buildings were there but there were very few people. Again, the Upside Down was the same but yet, strangely different.

I understand that I am being very vague and ambiguous with the description of the show. All I really want to communicate is that there was another world, a world different from the reality in which the people were living.

The Word – reality

The Worth – We live in this world. But I feel like we are not always living in reality.

Acts 17:16-31 is a passage of scripture that describes Paul while he was in Athens. The people are accusing Paul of speaking about ‘strange things’.

So Paul, as was his custom, began to preach. He was explaining how the people were worshipping many different idols and gods. They even had an idol to an unknown god. I assume they were covering all of their bases.

He then turns the conversation around to God. And in verse 28, Paul hits them with the truth. “For in him we live and move and have our being…” 

In the original language, the word being means simply, “to exist.”

Substitute the word reality for the word being. We exist, we live and breath, in fact, our very reality is in God! If God is removed, we cease to exist!

All of the idols and gods the people of Athens were worshipping are not reality!

In November of 2017, are we just like the people of Athens? Too many times the answer is…yes! We worship so many things and can be oblivious to the reality that is God!

The Work – What is your reality? Do you find that your life is filled with many things, that you are religious, that there are idols present?

If you answered yes then you might need a reality check.

reality check sign

Stop and take time to ask God what is reality. What is real?

Perception is truth. What you see you take as truth. Ask God to help you see, feel, touch, and perceive His reality. That is the truth we all need.

It might take a little getting used to but it will be worth it!

I conclude with Paul’s words, “For in him we live and move and have our reality!”

 

Two people, a bus, and a gift.

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Two people.

A couple of weeks ago, I had an exciting experience. As I have mentioned before, I am a licensed minister. Part of that calling for me is that I get to do lots of weddings. It has averaged out to roughly 35 weddings a year for the last 5 years. 2018 is starting to look promising as well!

i do

Sometimes people just do an internet search for a wedding officiant. They would be taken to my website, www.timsorbo.com

Or, I will get recommended by the venue, photographer, or even the DJ.

Almost always, I will get an email from the bride (grooms make the initial contact about 10% of the time). And so the process begins.

So, when I received an email from Christian Visholm (one of the 10% grooms),  I was not surprised. Until I read that he was from Denmark.

Denmark…as in Europe! Here is a link to catch the short news story about it.

Couple from Denmark flies thousands of miles to marry at Lambeau Field.

It was a truly great experience that will be a fun story to tell for many years!

A bus.

Last week, I was on the road that goes right by Lambeau Field. There was a city bus in the lane next to me. The entire side was a huge graphic with this short slogan;

Many Hearts. One Passion.

The graphic was something relating to the Green Bay Packers.

This town, Green Bay, really loves their Packers. To say that there are Packer things everywhere is not an exaggeration.

A gift.

The Word – passion

The Worth – There is a verse in the bible that could truly be the entire summation of God’s Word in just one sentence. John 3:16.

“For God so loved the world that He gave is one and only son and that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” My paraphrase. Underline is mine also.

Again, people in Green Bay, Denmark, or anywhere else on this earth, love their football team.

They are passionate about it.

packer fan

But God so loved the world. To me, that describes passion more than anything else.

He gave us the gift of His son.

Pause and meditate on that gift.

Dwell on that love for a moment.

Think about what He did for you. Wow!

The Work – As with most truth statements in the bible, there has to be action involved. It is one thing to hear it but another thing to act on it.

Your desire will drive your decision.

Your craving will create your choice.

Your pursuit will prove your passion.

My dad always told me that “there is always enough time to do what you want to do.”

What is my passion? What’s yours? And what is going to be done about it?

OMG!!!

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Food, fun, and worship with a bunch of smelly dudes! Yep, that was me and about 250 other men joining together for a men’s conference this past weekend.

salad?

There was plenty happening in a social setting but God was also moving spiritually. I have many things swirling in my brain that God needs to help me sort out. But I like learning so this was a great weekend for me.

I want to share one thing that God gave me.

The word I need to use for the letter O is obedient.

The Word – Obedient

The Worth – Philippians 2: 1-11 gives us an account of Jesus and also the attitude that he possessed. Verse 5 uses the term mindset. Jesus had his mind set a certain way. I feel like we should strive to have this same attitude or mindset.

Here is verse 8 “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” NIV

Many times in the Gospels, Jesus talks about His relationship with His Father. He only wanted to do what the Father told Him. He was obedient. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked to have “this cup taken from Him”. But then immediately following that statement, Jesus showed His Phil. 2 attitude. He told the Father that His will was secondary to the Father’s will.

It is amazing to me how Jesus was able to do what He did. With all the miracles and then raising from the dead? There was a connection with a great power source. He was always talking with His Father. The relationship was constant and frequent. That was how he was able to be completely obedient in the face of horrible circumstances!

The Work – If I am being honest here, the section has been the most difficult to write.

The Word and The Worth come more easily to me. I may be waiting tables or driving and a thought will come to me. It never seems to be in the The Work part of this blog though!

I think I know why. Because it involves work. I, personally, am not a big fan of work. It is more fun to have fun.

But God didn’t call me to have fun all the time. Yes, I am full of joy and there are many things in my life that bring fun, joy, smiles, etc.

I don’t think Jesus considered sweating drops of blood while praying in the garden something that would be fun. He was working. Hard work.

But his relationship with his daddy was inseparable. This is how he was obedient.

When my relationship with my daddy is strong, I am obedient as well.

So to end this post, I have one question:

How is your relationship with God your Father?

not my will

The letter N stands for…

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“Behind!”

This is something I hear and say every day at the Olive Garden. When I am carrying a tray of pasta, salad, and bread sticks, I need to let people know that I am walking through the dining room. They do the same for me as well. We all let each other know that we are literally, right behind when we shout out, “Behind!”

dropped food

Saying “Behind” serves a purpose. It lets the hearer know that they have someone directly behind them. We don’t have eyes on the back of our heads so this is a good thing. Now, I am aware of the presence of that person.

Trust me, it is no fun when a 15 or 20 pound tray of food crashes to the ground because someone was not watching what was happening around them!

dropping a tray

The Word – Near

The Worth – God is near. Near to me and near to you.

The Bible is filled with examples of how God has chosen to be near His people from the very beginning.

Genesis – He walked with Adam and Eve

Exodus – He gave Moses blueprints for a tabernacle to be built.

The Prophets in the Old Testament – They spoke the message that God desired relationship with His people.

The Gospels – Jesus being born as a baby. Immanuel means “God with us”.

Acts and the New Testament – The Holy Spirit is given to all who seek Him. The authors describe how we can have a relationship with God.

Revelation – God will take His children to be with Him.

All because He loves us. And He is near to us because of that love. All through time, God has proven His love because He keeps making arrangements to be near us. We can’t get away from Him! Even if we tried, there is nothing that can separate us from His love.

See Romans 8 for a deeper look on this idea.

How is it that we can be so distracted that we miss the fact the He is near?

The Work – As for the practical application of this blog…it really seems simple.

In a word, relationship. God wants a relationship with us and He has taken the first step to be near to us. God is doing this so we would be aware of His presence.

But what then, is our part?

Look for Him. Take the time out of your day and look, listen, search, and seek out this one who loves you so much. The bible says that if you seek, you will find.

After all, He is near you saying “Behind!”

 

The letter J is a tough one.

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God is Jealous! God is Just. God is Jolly? So there are not as many J words to choose from as there are for other letters. But even when I decided on this word, there was still a doubt in the back of my mind. Jealous and Just were both the leaders for a while. In fact, the word I am blogging about here almost did not even make the list. Why?

There was simply too much information about Jesus.

Yep. Jesus.

The Word – Jesus

The Worth – There have been thousands of books written about Jesus. In my life alone, I’ve heard hundreds or even thousands of sermons about him. Millions, perhaps billions of conversations have revolved around Jesus.

What am I going to add in two minutes? Not sure but here goes!

In John 8:58, Jesus says this confounding statement, “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” NIV, Underline is mine. 

Here is a link to the whole chapter for more context.  John 8

These are the thoughts about Jesus that I gather from that passage.

 

  • The Creating Jesus was at the beginning of the world. The Old Testament contains numerous verses about this Jesus.
  • The Crucified Jesus is illuminated in the New Testament specifically Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. He died and was then risen from the grave.
  • The Current Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for us right now. See John 14.
  • The Conquering Jesus is found in Revelation. When He returns, watch out bad guys! There will be a great battle but Jesus will be victorious!

God can be misunderstood. He can be unclear to us. We don’t always agree on what God is, does, or looks like.

So in order for us to have a better picture, God gave us Himself…

…in the form of Jesus. And He was born as a baby. That way we could completely identify and understand who Jesus is.

If we understand Jesus, then we can understand God.

God is Jesus. Jesus is God. I like how it is stated in Hebrews 1:3, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…”

The Work – Action must be taken now that we know God gave us His son. Jesus died for us. We must choose Him or deny Him. Access to our hearts can be granted or denied. Remaining neutral is not an option. If I am not choosing to grow and move forward in Jesus, then I am declining or going backwards.

When I started writing this, I was not sure how it was going to end. Apparently, I have brought a challenge to all who read this blog. I myself am included in said challenge.

Let the timeless Jesus whom I have briefly described overtake your heart and mind. Allow Him to soak into your dry soul. Give Him the key to every closet in your life.

You will never regret opening your heart to Him.

Thanks for two minutes of your time. See you soon for the letter K.