A TEMPLE IN A COMCAST STORE

The Inner Life....

Dear Reader,

Thank you for joining The Three Taverns.

Taverns, like life, are noisy, busy, bustling, full of energy and distractions.

But somehow we can cut through it all by connecting with others, having discussions, talking about life and struggle.

Somehow this year I have been more in the Christmas Spirit than in past years. I don’t know why. I surprised Emily by wanting to decorate, listen to more Christmas music, talk about Christmas, etc.

Usually I am annoyed by it all! But somehow this year it feels like there is more openness to talk about the things of God than ever before. My friend Michael Farren uses a term “thin place” to describe when you are in a place or an atmosphere where it seems like God is so near and accessible. Somehow this year feels like a “thin place.”

The Wall Street Journal reported recently that by the month of October in comparison to one year ago, Bible sales are up 22%. And those reporting these numbers indicated they are first-time purchasers and young people who are making the numbers rise. These are signs of a “thin place,” that God is moving in the hearts and minds of people, softening them to receive His goodness and mercy.

Let’s never get so caught up in the drama of our own lives that we forget this is really HIS DRAMA and that we are just playing a part in HIS STORY! Let’s connect with others on a heart level and allow the Spirit to do what only He can do.

This is one example of how that can happen….

A TEMPLE IN THE COMCAST STORE....INNER LIFE

We need to develop our inner life if we are going to be good for people in our outer life. That takes time and silence.

Sharing Truth means knowing the UNLIMITED Person that we are introducing to others.

It is not a series of steps or verses from the Bible. It is not a scheme or strategy. It is a relationship that we are sharing with others. That takes time. That takes silence.

About two years ago Emily and I were at a Comcast store getting some updated service. As we sat at the desk with the Comcast employee I had made some simple comment about God in our life during the course of conversation with him. He was built like a football lineman, this soft-spoken young black man.

I suppose my reference to God prompted his question, something he had obviously been thinking about. His question involved the riddle of God knowing everything about his life from before he was born and yet his own free will as a person that he was responsible for on the day of judgment.

Not exactly a softball question!

I said, "This is a difficult question, one which hasn't been solved in 2,000 years and has been debated over and over again through the centuries by much smarter and more educated people than me. But let me share an image that has been helpful to me as I've thought about the same question."

I asked him to imagine the gates of the City of God. At the end of his life as he approaches this gate, on the top of the gate as you draw closer, it's written "Whosoever will may enter". As you come through the gate and look back on the top of the gate, it says "Only those who are chosen have entered".

He had asked me a very difficult question... that if God already knows what kind of life we're going to live, then how can free will have any part of it? I told him this picture that while it seems contradictory, it actually seems to balance out what Scripture teaches.

I said, "The main question for you, for me, for all of us, is which car do you want to be inside of NOW. The devil's car which may seem to go wherever it wants for the time being but eventually will go to destruction over a cliff? Or do you want to be in the vehicle of Christ which will empower you in this life and will be the only vehicle allowed to drive through those gates with you in it. The rest are questions we probably will never answer in this side of eternity and because we are talking about the UNLIMITED then we get to embrace the mysteries of some things we can't properly explain. The real decision is about who you attach yourself to now."

I told him if he didn't care and just wanted to live his own way- “to hell with having a relationship with Jesus”- then that would be a very dangerous sign. But since he very obviously did care, enough to ask me a huge question like that, then it was a good sign that he was attaching to the right person. I looked him in the eyes and said, "So whether you are a 'whosoever will' or an ‘only those who are chosen' person, keep pursuing Jesus who is the ONLY one who can take you through that gate, even with the unanswered questions."

I don't know if others overheard us but in that moment it was like a temple in that very busy Comcast store, extremely quiet and still. We very definitely felt the Presence of the Spirit of God in that moment. I had actually gotten into such a zone talking to this man that I had forgotten all about where we were or even that Emily was sitting beside me. She confessed later that she got very tense when he proposed his question because she was afraid it was going to become an argument.

He sat quietly for a few seconds, looking away and in obvious deep thought. He actually had tears in his eyes, and I looked beside me then at Emily who had tears in her eyes. After a few seconds of this silence he looked back at me and said, "That is really helpful. Thank you very much."

Folks, there is no more important call than to develop the inner life. Life is so full of noise, movement, activity, static, pleasures and pains, obligations, bills to pay, jobs to do, careers to build, and even church is full of noise and endless activity that we often never take the time to "Be still and know that I am God."

"In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. "

(2 Peter 1:5-9, NLT)

Again I say, we need to develop our inner life if we are going to be good for people in our outer life. That takes time and silence.

TAVERN TALKS TUESDAYS

The guys in our group voted to meet on Christmas Eve morning and New Year's Eve morning, so we will hope to see everyone this Tuesday at Tavern Talks at The Mission Cigar & Social at 7am.

Tavern Talks started in April 2024 as a way to get guys together to talk about walking with Jesus in today’s crazy world. We tell stories, laugh, talk scripture, cry, challenge each other and pray.

This group of men meeting at The Mission Cigar & Social on Tuesday mornings at 7am has turned out to be incredibly encouraging. Open, honest, unedited is our policy.

"God and man, no religion" to quote David Bowie's song.

Real faith for real men facing the world's challenges.

FORWARD THIS INVITATION ALONG TO SOMEONE ELSE AND INVITE THEM TO JOIN YOU THERE!

One of the things we do regularly is invite one of the guys to tell their story, the struggles they have overcome, how they have encountered God along the way. Sometimes tears, sometimes laughter, but always a deepening conviction, enlightenment, understanding and further commitment to Jesus and each other.

Bring your coffee, your Bible, Febreze if you go to the office after, an open mind and open heart. You can purchase a cigar as well to enjoy your first cigar of the day.

We are really grateful to Mark, Monte and Willie for opening up The Mission early each Tuesday and participating in Tavern Talks!

Looking Up! (Luke 21:28)

Tod Bell

Chief Tavern Host

P.S. Happy to help with great ideas!