Lets be real and put down our masks

For some reason I feel led to write this. So I guess I will go through with it.  Maybe it is for someone that is dealing with a heavy amount of guilt. Either way, I believe each and everyone of us can take something from this. 


About a month ago, I had a good friend recommend a book to me called The Ragamuffin Gospel. I downloaded it on to my iPad and it has been a great read so far. I am only about 6-7 chapters through it but the author, Brennan Manning, hits some extremely important notes about God's grace.


In the book, Manning emphasizes on the point of truly accepting oneself for who they really are - a ragamuffin. A ragamuffin, for those who aren't familiar with that term, is a ragged, broken, disreputable person.  Whether you believe it or not, we are all broken on some kind of level.  Personally I have had points in my life where I felt like the most broken individual on this planet - and all that is thanks to some of the poor decisions I have made in my life. I am sure I am not the only one who has felt this at some point in their life. 


But don't let the fact that you aren't perfect drag your spirit down!!! You are forgiven and made clean every single millisecond because of Christ's sacrifice!  Praise God and His everlasting grace!  Brennan describes it perfectly here:


"Jesus comes for sinners, for those as outcasts as tax collectors and for those caught up in squalid choices and failed dreams. He comes for corporate executives, street people, superstars, farmers, hookers, addicts, IRS agents, AIDS victims, and even used car salesmen. Jesus not only talks with these people but dines with them - fully aware that His table fellowship with sinners will raise eyebrows of religious bureaucrats who hold up the robes and insignia of their authority to justify their condemnation of the truth and their rejection of the gospel of grace"- Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel.


Bottom line, all of us are those broken people Jesus chooses to dine with. Don't be ashamed because Jesus wants us to embrace that. The people who can't accept the fact they aren't perfect (and act like they are indeed that way) are frowned upon by Jesus. There is no shame in admitting that we don't have it all together, so why should we act like we do? Too prideful maybe?  By accepting who we are, people with flaws and struggles, we can fully accept God's grace. 


I guess what I am trying to say is that we need to be real.  We need to stop thinking we need to hide our flaws and failures.  We need to stop feeling embarrassed about failing. Instead, we must be real with ourselves and be open about our crap to others. God knows it anyways. And when we accept that, people begin to truly see just how wide God's grace and love for us really is.  Christ died for the broken, not the perfect - so why put up a wall and be reluctant to admit failure?


So to the person who feels too guilty to even talk to God or to go to church: You are a beloved child of God. Don't let Satan and his demons convince you otherwise. You are not the only one that has felt that way, don't be tricked into thinking you are. Jesus came to love the broken, so don't feel as if you cannot go to Him. 


To the person who doesn't want to admit they are broken on some level: Mark 2:17 says "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Don't be afraid to admit where we have failed. Be real with people: Your friends, your family, people who need comfort, etc. Here's a question to ask yourself: What keeps you from doing that? For me, it is a pride issue. I still struggle with it today. But trust me, the more real we are with ourselves and others, the more God is seen and experienced. Amen!


Sorry if this seemed like I was all over the place. I am just voicing my thoughts.  Lets be real with one another, put down the masks. In doing so God will use that to help expand His kingdom! :)


May God's grace and love overflow our souls!


A broken ragamuffin redeemed through God's grace,


Cowboy Dave

Howdy Y'all!!

Hello everyone! This is David Neill blogging from his dorm at 1:38 AM on a lovely Tuesday morning.  After settling down in Abilene, Texas, and after from some encouragement from one of my best friends, Tim Rendall (whom I love very much), I have decided to start a blog.

Many might be wondering why I am blogging. It is not to share my odd and awkward experiences being a northerner misplaced in West Texas - although I might share some every now and then.  This blog has a different focus: To share my spiritual journey with those who might be curious of how God is shaping me into the man He has intended me to be. Through this blog, I hope God's grace and compassion will be glorified, not my own personal accomplishments. This is about Him and what He is doing, not me.

So stay tuned friends and family.  I hope this blog provides encouragement for each and every one of us.  Feel free to comment and discuss. I look forward to seeing God work through this.

May God's grace overflow your soul with love and compassion.

Nothing but a southern ragamuffin,

Cowboy Dave