When I was a young teenager my uncle came out and told us he was gay. I remember some shock from family, but I don’t remember too much overall. There were no mass hysterics(at least not visibly amongst us kids) and he certainly wasn’t ostracized. In essence, nothing really changed inside the family dynamic. The foundation of love still existed. Years later at 19 years old I took a job as an intern at Bayer Diagnostics working with my dad. Not long before that my uncle had been diagnosed with lung cancer after smoking most of his life. He lived fairly close, and having worked there himself at one point, would come down often to visit former friends and co-workers. I spent quite a few lunch breaks walking to the local pizza shop with him and my dad, hanging out and just chatting. That summer means a lot to me. … [Read More]
Posts Tagged ‘enemy’
Hidden Idols
January 12th, 2011 
Dana Fisher While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. ~Acts 17:16 In our Monday study we breached the subject of idols this week. As we talked about what some idols are the basics came up, television, wealth, success, sex, etc.. but the conversation took a deeper turn. What are hidden idols? What are idols that Christians sometimes use and justify? One girl posed a great question. “I wonder if we can sometimes project our lives into our beliefs and make them(Christian beliefs skewed by our life choices) idols?” Tim Keller in his book Counterfeit Gods uses Jonah as an example. Knowing that the Ninevites were an enemy of Israel, if God was willing to grant them grace it could potentially mean bad things for Israel. Jonah’s willingness to protect Israel went against God’s will. I heard a leader… [Read More]
killing with integrity
June 5th, 2010 dave i saw this sign on a church yesterday: “do you remember them? do you remember jesus?” at first, since i’m a little dense, i had no idea what the sign was saying. then, my lovely and brilliant wife explained to me that it must have something to do with memorial day. the sign reminded me of a question that i was recently asked by a fellow peace-seeking friend of mine from school. he asked me if killing another human being could ever be done with integrity. what do you presume i said??? probably not what you think. i said, “sure it can. adhering to a sense of morality doesn’t necessarily mean it’s christian morality.” he was thinking the same thing. i believe it is most certainly honorable to fight and die for something you believe in with all of your heart. many people who have given their lives in the… [Read More]
our f word
March 2nd, 2010 dave luke 23:34 – and Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” here, while Jesus is dying on the cross, he asks his father to forgive his killers for the ignorance of their actions. haven’t we always been taught that we have to ask for forgiveness from God before we can receive it? why then does Jesus ask his father to forgive his killers, despite the fact that they crucified him with no remorse? through Christ, i’ve come to find that the most shocking and earth-shattering thing you can do to another person is what Jesus did. forgive them. whether they deserve it or not. forgiveness is central to the life of a follower of Christ. it leads us to love neighbor and enemy alike, since we know that we are nowhere near being worthy of the forgiveness we continually receive. imagine, if you will, that… [Read More]
Posted in Mercy 
Tags: Christ, Christianity, cross, discipleship, enemy, forgiveness, God, Jesus, life, love, Luke, power, revenge, sin 
No Comments »if Jesus is not who he says he was
July 16th, 2009 dave i will stand up for my own rights i will fight for what i deserve happiness and self-fulfillment will be my main pursuits i will despise neighbor and enemy alike if they infringe upon my ability to seek happiness i will destroy my brother for personal gain i will die for the material i will love and honor myself above all else if Jesus is not who he says he was… i will seek wealth i will seek power i will seek strength i will repay evil for evil. -dave- Related Posts:Jesus CreedLausanne Movement – Worshipreligion and evil: a random rantold and newour f word
Defiant
February 11th, 2008 Dana Fisher “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion” – 1 Peter 5:8 Have you ever heard the saying “everything comes in 3′s.”? It’s a common theme, you get a new car cheap, and find a $5 bill on the floor of the local stop and shop and one of your friends mentions “hey what’s next? Good things come in 3′s.”, and vice versa for bad things. Let me walk you through the last month of my life: I got severally sick for 2 weeks(bed ridden for days at a time), my heat broke, I ran out of heating oil, I hurt my back to where I thought I had just had back surgery again, I was down to my last dollar, a girl at work is trying to make my job hard and for some reason doesn’t like me, and as soon as I fixed my heat, it… [Read More]
Facebook kicked me in the teeth
November 30th, 2007 Dana Fisher But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you – Matthew 5:44 I’m sure you have a friend, acquaintance, co-worker, etc… who rubs you the wrong way. Maybe all the time, maybe only once in a while. God knows I do. Normally I just get frustrated and angry. Maybe I vent to other friends about it. WRONG. The challenge I’ve been presented is to love them, to understand them, to befriend them. What? Yup, be their friend. Love covers a multitude of sins – 1 Peter 4:8. In love my attitude will change. I’ll begin to get along, I may actually even[shudder] ENJOY their company! Oh no! How is this possible? How can I love who I hate? Because if I pray continually without ceasing(1 Thessalonians 5:17) God will change my heart. He’ll break down the walls. Stop repaying wrong for wrong(1 Thessalonians 5:15). I… [Read More]
