Do you remember the story of Pinocchio? The Adventures of Pinocchio,
was originally a published series in an early Italian weekly magazine for
children in 1881. The storyline that is familiar to us comes from Disney’s
1940 animated film, Pinocchio. Geppetto a woodcarver creates a wooden
puppet with the wish that he could have a son. The Blue Fairy fulfills
Geppetto’s wish by bringing the puppet to life, yet Pinocchio must prove
himself to be brave, truthful and unselfish in order to fulfill his dream of
becoming a real boy. I don’t remember much about the story except for the
interesting aspect that when Pinocchio tells a lie his nose grows.
Imagine if Pinocchio’s curse was instilled on all of us; I think it would
impact the way we share information with others. The truth is rarely shared
today, a distorted version of the truth is much more common. The truth
about our lives, if shared, doesn’t paint the picture we want others to see
about us, so we embellish the truth to make us appear better than we really
are. The electronic age of social media allows us to project a distorted
image of ourselves so others may see us through the lens that we have
created. The truth is so rarely told today that we question if anything we
see or hear is actually true, it is hard to decipher what is real from what is
being projected as reality.
Unfortunately, the distorted truth has infiltrated the Gospel narrative of
Jesus presented today. The truth regarding the Eternal Son, named Jesus,
has been manipulated to create a socially acceptable 21st century version.
Jesus’ teachings have been distorted out of context to justify actions that
are definitely opposed to His intended truth. Regrettably, the modern
church and today’s “Christians” have depicted a false narrative of Christ
through their words and actions.
May you today as you consider pausing at noon to Bend-A-Knee in
prayer ask God to help you live your life in such a way that others may see
the truth of Jesus in you; it may be necessary to return to Scripture to
access the truth about the Eternal Son. Being a disciple of Christ means
that His truth is depicted in you, it matters! God is counting on you to allow
the world to see the authentic Christ in you. May you take your charge
seriously and allow the Holy Spirit to guide your life so that honor & glory
may be given to the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus the Christ.

Stay connected to God & to others
God’s Peace
Pastor Mike