"i didn't know"

Hello family,

It has been a while since we have talked. Going through some withdrawals here. How have you been? Yea, the weather is crazy, hello middle Tennessee weather, the ol adage holds true if you don't like the weather stick around for 24 hours and it will change. That is until we hit July, August when there are varying degrees of extreme heat, where the only change is the humidity from a kazillion percent to a bazillion percent humidity. Yes bazillion is larger than kazillion thank you very much.

Ok enough of the surface chit chat. Let's dive in. The other day, which means in my world I can't quite remember the day so it could have been a week, a month or just a few minutes ago, I recalled a conversation with an individual several years ago

The year was 2001 I'm still in corporate America, but for those that remember in January of 2001 my Damascus road event, the real eye opener occured in Knoxville TN with blue lights flashing. My road to healing began and will continue until we see Jesus face to face. So at this time it is in the fall and i have months of sobriety under my belt, God has started to place men in my life that will help me understand what transparency, vulnerability, humility, openeness really mean. i actually started reading the BOOK, yep the Bible (hey go get yours right quick we are about to open it up) and seeing that God through Jesus Christ absolutely loves me and YOU too...yea yea...My role at the time was in National Account sales, so local sales guys through the state would line up folks for us to go chit chat with. This particular Monday the sales team from Memphis is calling to set up the week and they had stuff planned on Wednesday. I can't remember what the classes were, but i was carving out time to be at the worship barn on Wednesday nights. When i asked them to push everything back to get it done on Monday and Tuesday so i could be back in the boro' for church. (which is a whole other story, letting guys that i used to party like crazy with know i was going to church). The voice on the other end said "i didn't know you were a Christian"

.....silence on my end as the truth of his words penetrated my being...how would he know? since our brains are like supersonic computers that can process bakazillion (that's a whole lot if your wondering) thoughts in a nanosecond. My brain is retracing the events of 13 years of living a life of fake. Oh i was a nice guy, fun to hang out with, played the game, but never a glimpse of anything spiritual, heck probably made snide remarks if the subject came up. So fast forward to today 10 years of sobriety later, that's not the coolest. The coolest is that through Christ the war that wages in our minds daily is won. (Romans 7:15-25) Go read the verses, doesn't matter the translation. Just read it man! I'll wait......you back?

What about that? Can we relate? Absolutely, but look, don't close that Book yet....look at verse 25 again. v25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.....wait wait wait...go on down or over to chapter 8 and you'll see a "i didn't know" moment for me back in 2001. v1 So now there is NO condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus (emphasis on the no is mine) v2 For the power of the life giving Spirit has FREED (emphasis mine) you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.

THAT' S RIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT....my brain goes into ultrasonic processing mode to remember that yes Jesus did state that IT IS FINISHED and that He did state that our belief, faith in Him gives us eternal life, but also gives us the Helper, the Holy Spirit, the Might Counselor that gives us the strength to live daily; to take our thoughts captive, to live a life of freedom through Jesus....the processor is going and going. The world will know that we are Jesus lovers by the way we love each other (John 13:35) and that by seeing, feeling, tasting, experiencing who we are in Christ, the "i didn't know's " from others start to disappear!

Guys, thanks for journeying with Debby and I over the years. This week we will celebrate 22 years of marriage. It is an amazing ride, one that is filled with awe and wonder of who Jesus Christ is in our lives. The awe and wonder of how living without masks on with each other absolutely sets us free daily, and that we don't take that for granted. We love you, thanks for loving us!

love em up!

mike and debby
www.loveemupministries.com

P.S.

Will you do us a favor and if you are led, will you share this with someone out there in circle of influence. We have a safe place for folks to come back to if they have unplugged from a local body of folks that love Jesus. It's also a place for folks that desire to find out where they are in their faith, it's a place to learn how to rid themselves of the " i didn't know" when they desire.....It's called the Refuge, we meet 5:30 pm at Siegel High School in the choir room. You can keep up with the upcoming series on facebook (no deb and i haven't waivered on our stance on facebook hahah) and or twitter @theRefugeMboro.