the TURKEY WRAP

so, thanksgiving came and went. this year the family made a trip down to lakeland, fl. the good ole retirement village of sandpiper. me, my two brothers and my parents fit snuggly into a ford taurus. snug is an understatement. we stopped like every two hours for a stretch. the stay with the grandparents was eventful as usual. to help paint the picture, i must inform you of the bansbach way... it is a mix of poor communication, poor hearing and a clash of smart a**es. between grandma yellin at papa, and uncle ed pestering dad it was a gathering that drove me to solitude. no really, for some reason i just got stressed out. i love my family but geeze. praise the Lord for His peace. i may have caused a scene if it wasnt for the Holy Spirit. anyways, my answer to the popular question this week, how was your thanksgiving? is "eh, ok."
i did however get to read a WHOLE book. 16hrs of driving and solitude in florida made for lots of reading. the book- The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus. amazing. once again, the Lord amazes me at His timing. this book just linked up perfectly with my heart right now and my frustrations. my frustration is the usual one. AHHH the Church-- i just want to go to a stinkin church that feeds you. i want to know what to DO, how i can be used to revolutionize the civilized church of today. i read the Word and i get frustrated, i go to church committees and i get frustrated, i go to sunday services and i get frustrated. i would be mad all the time if Jesus did not calm my heart and tell me that He is moving. i just cant understand-- its so perfectly displayed in HIs Word, in His life. pretty much, its because we all turned into panzies. so, back to the book, the main idea is that Jesus followers look like barbarians, in that barbarians love to live and live to love. they are driven by a passion for others to live in intimate communion with Him who died for us. its about love expressed through sacrifice and servanthood. its risky, its dangerous. Jesus sent us "out like sheep among wolves."
"Christianity has moved from a tribe of renegades to a religion of conformists."

"Just to keep people in line, we build our own Christian civilization and then demand that everyone who believes in Jesus become a good citizens."

Man, amen to that. but, this situation must encourage our hearts. the enemy wants nothing more than for us to be overwhelmed and just give in. do not give in to the civilized way. you are free from that, know that your heart is good, "if Jesus has won your heart, then to follow your heart will always lead you to follow the heart of God." together, we take to the battlefield. you, Church, encourage my heart and i have no doubt a revolution is in our midst. BE ready!!

and that was my turkey wrap up