Coffee Talk 2.0- This is me. Good, bad and ugly.

Here I am again at Barnes and Noble, sipping some java and watching the world go on around me. I've been reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover this past week and I must say it is one of the most profoundly simple pieces of literature I have ever read. Just FYI, this post is going to hit on some issues very close to home for me. Those of you who know me probably won't be surprised. Those of you who do not, it is my prayer that you will be encouraged by the following paragraphs.

Believe me when I tell you this, no matter what your situation, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Be it financial, relational, physical, emotional or spiritual there is an advocate who is constantly without fail or rest working on our behalf to make us more that what this world says we are. That advocate is Jesus Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus the Christ sits at the right hand of The Almighty Creator of the Universe and pleads on your behalf that our Father in heaven spare us from ourselves and through His grace and mercy lead us into a better place. A place where we begin to see God for who He truly is.... a loving Father who longs for His children to know Him more.

Now, on to the hard stuff. Hard for me, hopefully not as much for you. But, either way, here it goes.

I'm not perfect.....BAM! THERE IT IS! THE BIG SURPRISE!

Seriously though, I'm not perfect. As a matter of fact, I'm so far from it, I'm beginning to believe I must have at least another 50 or 60 years left in this world. Because let me tell you, not a day goes by I don't drop the ball in some shape form or fashion. But anyways, I'm not here to tell you how short I fall and make you feel better about yourself. No offense but no one is any better or any worse than me. My solace, my peace, my strength and my hope come from something greater than myself.....

August 31, 2004
I got drunk. No biggie. Same thing I did every day, right? Been doing it for a good decade now. Honestly it was something I was actually pretty good at. Gotta be good at something right? (note the sarcasm, please)

Today was different though. Today was the day that God Almighty had already set aside to save me from a life of pain and anguish. (now would be a good time to grab a cup of joe, take a potty break and maybe some popcorn because there is no condensed version of this story. You have been warned)

Now when I say God saved me from a life of pain and anguish, I do not mean my life has been all sunshine and butterflies since then. Far from it. The thing about finding God and living for Christ is there is sacrifice. For me, a lot of sacrifice, carnally speaking that is. I was a fairly materialistic individual you see. I loved to drink, I enjoyed my smokes, I always had a girlfriend in some shape form or fashion and I LOVED MONEY. I mean loved. Even when I didn't have it, I lived as if I did. I liked to rub elbows and make an entrance anywhere I went. ME, ME, ME, and ME TOO.

I'm not saying I'm the greatest salvation case in the world by any means. I'm only saying that it was and sometimes still is very, very tough to deny the flesh and rely on the spirit. and for every person who has, is or will find themselves in that place of complete emptiness, crying out to God for answers, the road is not an easy one......but......The journey and the destination are infinitely greater than anything you will ever get from this world. No drink, no drug, no man or woman, no amount of money or power can even begin to compare with the power of someone who walks in the Spirit. Seriously, I've seen some crazy stuff in my day. It all pales in comparison to the things God has shown me.

So, anyways, I got drunk. Went to work that morning. My boss and eye were having a bit of trouble seeing eye to eye so I decided he didn't deserve my managerial expertise. I winged my keys at his desk and told him good luck running the place.(See, i was a bit self centered. Not cool.)

I'm free! Cool, i just got the rest of the day or week for that matter off work. Might as well have a drink to celebrate. So, for the next 10 hours or so that's what I did. Then, in my smugness, i decided i would return to my most recent employers bar and have a couple more just for spite and good measure.(seeing a pattern here yet?)

Closed her down. It was good times, really. Midnight rolled around and it was time to make the 1 1/2 mile drive home. No problem. I did it daily for months if not years. So drive I did. Decided not only would I drive but I would drag race a buddy back to my townhouse so we could fire up the grill and have a few more drinks. (I won by the way) As we pulled into the parking lot safe and sound, my beautiful girlfriend stepped out the front door. Yup, this night was going pretty good. Except, those flashy blue lights behind my friends truck were annoying. Neighbors, sheesh. Wait, that looks suspiciously like a State Police Car.(I'm thinking, hmmmmm.....maybe he wants to come in and have a drink.) As the Trooper pulls my buddy from his truck I'm thinking, just get to the door. he's got his hands full with my pal. Just get inside. Smug as always. Little did I know, he had a passenger. And as I put my left foot on the ground I hear, "drop the keys and get up against the car." Well, I must say I didn't see that coming. This guys wearing jeans and a tshirt. Does he know who I am? He cant arrest me. He does have a gun though. That concerns me a bit. Plans change.......




Check back later tonight for more. I hope as you see what God has done in my life and those around me, you find joy, peace, hope and power in the One who has come to save us all. This world will suck you dry. It gives nothing in return. There truly is One Love, One Way, One God and it is my prayer that today you will begin to know Him in all His majesty and see what unimaginable things He wants to do in your life. Don't forget to check back for the second part of Coffee Talk 2.0

Mad Love for all of you Children of God,
J. Gabriel Brangers
Barbarian Disciple

Drinking coffee, watching the world.

Sitting at Barnes and Noble, drinking some house blend and watching the world go on around me. Does it ever stop? When did life become this looming entity that we feel we have to race with every waking moment. As if we could get anywhere before God wills it. Like there's some destination that, somehow, we can get to sooner than anticipated.

So many moments lost. So much time wasted, just doing instead of being. If we took one day, 24 hours, 1440 minutes, 86,400 seconds and just cleared the schedule. Would life not go on with out us? Do we really have and chance of beating life? Would life around us cease if our itenerary was not accomplished. I know my day to day doesn't have that much bearing on the world.

So, what does this mean. Are our lives pointless collections of sporadic pinnacles and meaningless schedules? Or have we just lost focus on what it is our lives were meant to be? Did we ever know to begin with?

I don't know. I have no answer to that question. I can look only to Jesus and see what His words tell me my life should look like and then attempt in my feeble strength to try to reflect that in my life as I remove those things that may look important but have no eternal value. No Kingdom worth.

Not to sound legalistic but this verse is profound to me.

John 14:15 "If you love me, obey my commandments."

There it is. Jesus sums it up right there. The culmination of Jesus' life. Faith, works, good deeds, love prayer, gentleness....etc, etc. I know I'm not perfect. I will slip, I will fall. I can't be 100% right all the time, but I believe this commandment speaks just as much if not more to the condition of a man's heart. When I fall, am I willing to get up and admit that I have made a mistake? Is my heart bent towards God's will in my life and the life of those around me? Hear what I'm saying! Good intentions will not get you into the Kingdom. The willingness to act on your intentions and convictions, that's what God desires from us. From me.

I'm trying. I get it wrong a lot..... A LOT! But I desire to be the man He created me to be. Then and only then will I begin to truly affect the world around me. It is my prayer that every day my heart and eyes would look to Him to guide my steps. Be encouraged and know that if your desire becomes His desire, He will catch you when you fall. "Never have I seen the righteous forsaken."

Take that one to the bank folks. It's as real as it gets.

I love you all and most importantly, whether you know it or believe it, God loves you......


Peace be with you,

J. Gabriel
Barbarian Disciple

Food. Continued.

Ok. Back to the subject of food. And what a wonderful subject it is. Just so we are all on the same page, scroll down and read the post entitled, What about Joseph. Intermission. When you're finished shimmy back up here so we can continue diving into this wonderful aspect of life, faith and family.

Alright, let's start with the facts. The word food can be found 349 times in the Holy Bible(NLT).
Bread-258 times. Drink-346 times. Meat-83 times. Cheeseburger-Zero times(I did extensive research on this one folks.) Anyways, all jokes aside, I think it's plain to see that there is a little more to food than just providing nutrition for the body. Although nutrition in itself is an amazing concept. The complexities of this human body we are given are unimaginable. The intricate and beautiful design of life are beyond anything we can begin to fathom. God created man and gave us food to sustain ourselves while we are in this fragile yet amazing physical existence. Food is a gift from God Himself. A means to sustain ourselves while we are here to do His will. Therefore, how can we possibly take food for granted? The Hebrews knew this. They were fed with manna directly from heaven. They prepared each and every meal in accordance to the laws given to them from the Creator. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the restaurant industry. Heck, it's been my financial inlet for many years. But oh how we have bastardized the importance of food in this present day society.

Tonight was one of those nights when it was very clear to me that sharing a meal means so much more than just getting our bellies full. When was the last time you sat down with friends or family or both and had a nice meal and just shared eachothers company. I did tonight. And although my stomach was more than content, my spirit was satisfied. Tiffany, Theresa, Megan and Mike, thank you.

You see, sharing a meal with someone without the distractions of this modern world we live in allows us to share in eachothers life. This is how we grow as a family. We learn, laugh and live. Sitting down for a quiet meal with the ones we love or a total stranger just might bring you closer to God than you know. The need and desire to eat is something that we all share. Therefore it will always be a common thread that binds each of us. To eachother and our Father. Jesus shared a meal with His disciples on the eve of the most important and most trying day of His life as a man.

More in a bit. Take a few and think about how much food and sharing has influenced your life. There is so much more to be said. In due time.

In the mean time, I pray that you are blessed, encouraged and engaged by what you have read. I hope that this will push you to look deeper into the significance of what the world may see as routine. Nothing is trivial. God has a will for each and every moment of your life. Seek it with all that you are.

Be Blessed,
J. Gabriel
Barbarian Disciple

Check back in the morning for more on this post and the first of many posts on becoming more UNDIGNIFIED FOR HIM!

What about Joseph? Pt. 2

Continuing on....



Let's see, where were we? Oh yes! In walks the Angel of the Lord.



Now to most of us living here in the 21st century this sounds like a scene from a Hunter S. Thompson novel. Angelic apparitions in the middle of the night? Really? But, let's not forget this all took place in a time and culture when religion, faith and every day life itself was based on 4000 years of God visiting the Hebrew people on a regular basis in many forms including many accounts of angels coming as messengers, judges and executioners. Not to say that Joseph probably wasn't shaking in his tallit(prayer shawl, there's your Hebrew lesson for the day). And after 400 years of God being silent to His people, the nation of Israel was surely desperate to hear from their Sovereign Lord. So, even though a visit from an angel was frightening and wonderful, the news Joseph received was that his wife Mary would give to birth to Jesus. The Savior the Hebrews had been promised for generations was now going to be given to Joseph and Mary to care for and raise according to the Jewish tradition.

So, here it is. My question to you.

What would you have done if you were Joseph?

Leave you comments at the end of this post or email me gabe@crossroadscom.org

Make sure to check back frequently to see new comments and feel free to retort. I would like for this page to become and outsource for your opinions, beliefs, doubts, fears, prayers and anything else on your heart. Somewhere out there someone may be feeling the same way you do right now. Know that you are not alone and through the faith and lives of others I pray that each of us can grow in an Undignified Faith.

God bless,
J. Gabriel
Barbarian Disciple

p.s. Check back tomorrow when I finish the post about food. Good stuff for you to chew on there.(Pun intended) Also, I will begin diving into what it means to truly become Undignified for the Lord. 2 Samuel 6:21-22

What about Joseph? Pt. 1

So, let's put the fun stuff aside for a few, shall we? This Sunday we are doing a skit at church that includes me playing Joseph, Jesus' earthly father figure. After much contemplation and prayer I've decided it is humanly impossible, at least for me, to even begin to fathom what this man must have endured. I mean let's think about this for a minute. For starters consider the culture that Joseph was a part of. The Bible states, "Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man". -Mat 1:19a NIV It also says, "She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David." Luk 1:27b NLT. It's easy to derive from this that Joseph was a Jew. A Hebrew directly descended King David himself. This speaks greatly to the characteristics that Joseph would have embodied. Being called righteous was not something that would have been done flippantly. The Jewish faith is one steeped in ritual and discipline meaning Joseph must have been a deeply spiritual and faithful follower of our Creator.


Now, you have a man, disciplined follower of the Jewish faith, who is engaged, betrothed and married to Mary. She then comes to him, in whatever manner it happened, and tells him that she has conceived a child through the power of the Holy Spirit. Then he is faced with the decision of what to do next. By the law he has every right to allow her fate to be decided by the elders and members of the surrounding community. According to Jewish law that would mean nothing less than a stoning....to death.

Instead, feeling compassion for Mary, resolves to divorce her quietly. Saving her from certain death and saving he and his family from a disgrace that would certainly ruin a family of his culture and time.

No one knows why Joseph chose to save Mary from the impending doom that would fall upon a Jewish woman who became pregnant by someone other than her husband. I like to think that deep down God was already preparing him for the Good News he was about to receive.

In walks....the Angel of the Lord!

"But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."- Matt 1:20-21 KJV

Now I don't know about you but that right there would seal any deal for me. I don't care what my family said or the elders or the high priest. Shoot, Caesar himself could of showed up and told me to divorce Mary and I would have intently laughed in his face. I mean come on. The Jewish people have been visited by Angels and even God Himself throughout their rich heritage. Do you really think Joseph is just gonna walk away. Especially since this child, this miracle was the Savior God had promised the Hebrews for generations. I think not.

To be continued.....