Run The Race

The landing gear was stuck as my friend was flying from Fargo, ND to Dallas.  Preparations were being made by the flight crew and the pilots for a potential crash landing.  The Dallas runway was cleared and emergency crews filled the area.  Then the call came from the flight crew to the passengers, "Assume the crash position." Scary. I'm thankful that I have never had to assume the crash position on a flight, but there have been many times in my life in which I had to produce "survival" positions in order to protect myself from whatever situation I was in.  These positions come from instinct - I believe that often times they are God-given protective skills.  But what happens when we continually use the protective skill even when crisis is over? Consider my very unhealthy relationship as a young teen.  This young man was controlling, manipulative, and abusive.  To eventually remove myself from the situation I got into survival position - I mentall...

Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell a story in which Jesus was approached by a demon possessed man.  This man was frightful, and the townspeople could not contain him with chains of any sorts.  He was loud and destructive.  Jesus commanded the demons to leave the man's body and enter into some nearby pigs - possibly thousands.  When the demons entered the pigs, they ran off a steep embankment and into the sea where they perished. Seems probable that the people would have been happy to not have to deal with this demon possessed man any longer (Matthew's text stated that nobody could pass by him any longer) or that they would have at least been caring enough to be happy for this man to be freed.  Though the freed man himself was extremely grateful, the townspeople actually implored Jesus to leave.  The text does mention that they were frightened, but it is believed that they asked him to leave because they were not happy about the financial loss of the pigs. ...