I had the privilege of sharing with the Middle school youth tonight at Mechanicsburg Brethren in Christ church. One of the greatest blessings of presenting truth to others is how it stirs one's own heart towards deeper intimacy and trust in God.
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I pronounced to the youth tonight that it was my task to make the seemingly impossible--always, continually, in all things--look very possible. With the significant help of some very committed and loving colleagues known as small group leaders, we engaged the students.
Here are some thoughts from my notes...
Be joyful always.
Looking at David's life, we see an example of thanksgiving and praise that begins with acknowledging the difficulties--the "yuck"--of life. The writer of at least 150 Psalms was not afraid to disclose his feelings, displeasure, fears, even anger to God regarding life's circumstances. But he didn't stop there. He remembered who God was. And Truth, then, transformed his immediate perspective. "Why so downcast, O my soul? Why so discouraged within me? Put your hope in God." And he did.
God's economy on difficulty is very different than what our culture suggests, than what our flesh cares to hear. But Christ-in-Us--the very Spirit of God--rejoices to hear that the testing of our faith develops perseverance, that God works for the good in all things for those that love Him. Joy stands resilient in the face of adversity. Joy deems a greater reality than the circumstances that surround us. "He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world." --1 John 4:4
Pray continually.
I was in Mexico City and stood at the very gate of the Basilica where thousands would end their pilgrimage on bloody hands and knees, crawling all the way to the cathedral doors across the rough stone and rocky paths outside. I do not think that this is the posture that Paul had in mind when he challenged us to continual prayer. I propose these thoughts:
1. Always be ready and willing to pray with and for those in need
2. Ask for help when in need
3. Develop the habit of keeping this question before you throughout the day: "What are you saying/doing today, God?"
This awareness and readiness to what God is doing in the midst of those around us keeps us listening and interceding as a lifestyle.
Give thanks in all circumstances.
Perhaps this comes full circle, looking a lot like "be joyful always". David shows us that thanksgiving and praise are the entrance to the place of intimacy with the Almighty, exclaiming, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving; His courts with praise" (Ps. 100:4).
What do we know of God's character that begs our gratitude? Who are the people He has used to touch our lives over the years? Reflecting on these and then proclaiming to God our thanksgiving as a regular practice, keeps our hearts full and our humility in tact. And joy will be the outflow when gratitude paves the way.
I leave us with this thought from Peter... "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." --1 Peter 1:8-9
Simply giving what we have to offer from this life God has given us, trusting that others will see how splendid He is as we tell our stories.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
He Will Do It
"May God himself...sanctify you... May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." --I Thess. 5:23-24
When I was new in my faith (and at times even now), I would read passages like this one and only see the words, "keep yourself blameless to the end" and know that I was totally incapable of this in my own strength. I would get discouraged. I would suck up my determination and try as hard as I could to walk blameless, and then fail in some way.
"He will do it"!
I was missing this key.
I would read Isaiah 30:15, "In repentance and striving will you be saved," when in actuality the text states, "In repentance and rest will you be saved."
My part is to turn. His part is to save, and that work is done. My part is to rest--trust, if you will--in that truth to where it becomes my reality in the inmost parts of my being.
"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." --Phil. 1:6
"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." --Phil. 2:13
He who started this work in me will complete it.
He who lives in me gives me both the desire and the ability to do what He desires.
He will keep me blameless.
In this truth I can rest, assured. In this truth I am free to live a life empowered by His very life in me.
When I was new in my faith (and at times even now), I would read passages like this one and only see the words, "keep yourself blameless to the end" and know that I was totally incapable of this in my own strength. I would get discouraged. I would suck up my determination and try as hard as I could to walk blameless, and then fail in some way.
"He will do it"!
I was missing this key.
I would read Isaiah 30:15, "In repentance and striving will you be saved," when in actuality the text states, "In repentance and rest will you be saved."
My part is to turn. His part is to save, and that work is done. My part is to rest--trust, if you will--in that truth to where it becomes my reality in the inmost parts of my being.
"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." --Phil. 1:6
"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." --Phil. 2:13
He who started this work in me will complete it.
He who lives in me gives me both the desire and the ability to do what He desires.
He will keep me blameless.
In this truth I can rest, assured. In this truth I am free to live a life empowered by His very life in me.
Friday, January 18, 2013
The Skies are Speaking
“The
heavens declare the glory of God...day after day they pour forth
speech...their words (go out) to the end of the world.” Psalm
19:1-4
“We're already
totally in the presence of God. What's absent is awareness. God is
maintaining us in existence with every breath we take. As we take
another, it means that God is choosing us now and now and now. We
have nothing to attain or even learn. We do, however, need to
unlearn some things.” --Richard Rohr
“For since the
creation of the world, God's invisible qualities—His eternal power
and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from
what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” --Romans 1:20
I recall one particular
day in Northwest Arkansas where I used to live. I was on a walk with
God when my gaze was drawn upward to a flock of geese in formation,
the tip of their flying arrow aimed at the South in anticipation of
the upcoming Winter months.
As I watched and
considered in simple amazement, the God-ordained system and
organization with which those simple creatures instinctively knew,
not only when but exactly how to migrate—and where—elated me.
“What a God!” This simple act of nature resonated so strongly
with my own spirit that day, in that one little moment in time. “How
could someone witness this and not believe in You as Creator?”
“The heavens declare
the glory of God...His invisible qualities are clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made.”
Look around you. See
all that God has created, and listen to the proclamation of who this
Creator is. What do you hear?
Monday, January 14, 2013
The Chicken or the Egg Run?
I had just dropped my family off at Agape Home School Co-op for the start of a new semester of weekly morning classes. I had the morning to myself, with only two things on the docket: follow up a work interview at Chick-fil-A from last week, and pick up eggs from a local Amish farm.
If timing is everything, then the sequence of these two tasks and the events that ensued, speak as much into this story as the happenings themselves...
Arrangements had been made on Friday for me to make a follow up call to the owner of the local "inventor of the chicken sandwich". What would be the status concerning my employment with our family's favorite food chain?
My planner would have told me this, but I had it in my head that this call was to take place at 9:30 and not a half hour earlier. That would explain why I heard, "I'm sorry, but (he) is not in yet this morning. Can I give him a message?" Hmm. Okay, "I'll call back a little later. Thanks!" Next stop: egg run.
As I made my way through the open countryside, along the farm-strewn, two-lane roads, I could feel my inner space expanding. Fields. Trees. Livestock. Winding roads and creeks. Bridges and barns and farm houses. For the farm-raised kid in me, just being in this environment is a real treat. As a city dweller and on my own, this was also a retreat.
No sooner had I began my egg collecting journey than my mind began to be filled with the reflections of my morning time of listening in the Word. "Deep calls to deep...in the roar of Your waterfalls...Your waves and breakers wash over me...Christ loved the Church...washing her with the Word as with water..." I was being drawn in. My spirit was being washed--flooded even--with the Spirit's presence. His words continued...
I was burdened for a family member who was struggling that morning. "My soul is downcast, therefore I will remember You." I remembered that one of the Spirit's roles is to "remind" us (John 14:26). I began to ask the Holy Spirit to remind this loved one of what they knew to be true, that they would remember God and His goodness in the midst of all that was weighing on them. (A later report would reveal that prayer was answered, if not in that hour, in those two hours that followed. Thank you Jesus!)
Arriving at the little depot, my pick-up location for the eggs, my heart was so full! I entered the tiny one room market singing. It was self-help day, so I was again, alone. I found so much joy in simply being honest with what I was taking, recording it in the ledger, and placing the correct payment in the cash box.
I collected my six dozen eggs. As I walked out to my grand Caravan (mini-van that is, not camels), I stopped to breath in the fresh country air and take in the scenery around me. Then I heard it, the babbling of the creek that wound around the bottom of the hill just below the drive. There were the words again, "caring for her with the washing of water by the Word". Christ loving the Church, washing us with the water of His Word. I knew it in that moment. I could almost taste the sweet water of the Rocky Mountain spring-fed creeks I once knew as a kid. God was near. No, God was within, stirring His truth to wash and refresh my own spirit, quickening me to intercede for others in their places of thirst.
I go to such lengths in my word pictures to illustrate that my heart was already full and content prior to getting back to the other task at hand for the day--the phone call.
I have been nervous many times, anticipating phone conversations such as this one. Not this time. Did I need the job? Yes. But in light of my egg run retreat, the answer from a potential employer was in total perspective: if not this, He had something else for us.
So when I heard the words, "I am definitely interested in hiring you...can you begin next week?", my excitement was tempered--dimmed--by the joy of hearing the Living Word in those moments and miles leading up to this point.
The significance of all of this for me, and thus the significance of the timing of it all, is that I did not need the job in order to be fulfilled today. As one author states, "Jesus is the gift we seek. Nothing else." And another, "It is not the pursuit of God, but His pursuit of us that saves and sustains us. Whether I pursue Him or not, He pursues me constantly. Because He is for me--for you--He will be found by us..."
I rejoice in the Lord, the Living Word--Christ in me the Hope of Glory. I thank Him for His provision via an opportunity to serve others and lead in the environment that is Chick-fil-A. I am grateful for the flexibility that this job brings, and the space to move up as I develop rapport with the existing leadership team. And I look forward to the other opportunities He will afford me by allowing us to stay in this area.
But in this saga, however grateful I may be for the chicken, I rejoice today in the One I found on a simple egg run.
If timing is everything, then the sequence of these two tasks and the events that ensued, speak as much into this story as the happenings themselves...
Arrangements had been made on Friday for me to make a follow up call to the owner of the local "inventor of the chicken sandwich". What would be the status concerning my employment with our family's favorite food chain?
My planner would have told me this, but I had it in my head that this call was to take place at 9:30 and not a half hour earlier. That would explain why I heard, "I'm sorry, but (he) is not in yet this morning. Can I give him a message?" Hmm. Okay, "I'll call back a little later. Thanks!" Next stop: egg run.
As I made my way through the open countryside, along the farm-strewn, two-lane roads, I could feel my inner space expanding. Fields. Trees. Livestock. Winding roads and creeks. Bridges and barns and farm houses. For the farm-raised kid in me, just being in this environment is a real treat. As a city dweller and on my own, this was also a retreat.
No sooner had I began my egg collecting journey than my mind began to be filled with the reflections of my morning time of listening in the Word. "Deep calls to deep...in the roar of Your waterfalls...Your waves and breakers wash over me...Christ loved the Church...washing her with the Word as with water..." I was being drawn in. My spirit was being washed--flooded even--with the Spirit's presence. His words continued...
I was burdened for a family member who was struggling that morning. "My soul is downcast, therefore I will remember You." I remembered that one of the Spirit's roles is to "remind" us (John 14:26). I began to ask the Holy Spirit to remind this loved one of what they knew to be true, that they would remember God and His goodness in the midst of all that was weighing on them. (A later report would reveal that prayer was answered, if not in that hour, in those two hours that followed. Thank you Jesus!)
Arriving at the little depot, my pick-up location for the eggs, my heart was so full! I entered the tiny one room market singing. It was self-help day, so I was again, alone. I found so much joy in simply being honest with what I was taking, recording it in the ledger, and placing the correct payment in the cash box.
I collected my six dozen eggs. As I walked out to my grand Caravan (mini-van that is, not camels), I stopped to breath in the fresh country air and take in the scenery around me. Then I heard it, the babbling of the creek that wound around the bottom of the hill just below the drive. There were the words again, "caring for her with the washing of water by the Word". Christ loving the Church, washing us with the water of His Word. I knew it in that moment. I could almost taste the sweet water of the Rocky Mountain spring-fed creeks I once knew as a kid. God was near. No, God was within, stirring His truth to wash and refresh my own spirit, quickening me to intercede for others in their places of thirst.
I go to such lengths in my word pictures to illustrate that my heart was already full and content prior to getting back to the other task at hand for the day--the phone call.
I have been nervous many times, anticipating phone conversations such as this one. Not this time. Did I need the job? Yes. But in light of my egg run retreat, the answer from a potential employer was in total perspective: if not this, He had something else for us.
So when I heard the words, "I am definitely interested in hiring you...can you begin next week?", my excitement was tempered--dimmed--by the joy of hearing the Living Word in those moments and miles leading up to this point.
The significance of all of this for me, and thus the significance of the timing of it all, is that I did not need the job in order to be fulfilled today. As one author states, "Jesus is the gift we seek. Nothing else." And another, "It is not the pursuit of God, but His pursuit of us that saves and sustains us. Whether I pursue Him or not, He pursues me constantly. Because He is for me--for you--He will be found by us..."
I rejoice in the Lord, the Living Word--Christ in me the Hope of Glory. I thank Him for His provision via an opportunity to serve others and lead in the environment that is Chick-fil-A. I am grateful for the flexibility that this job brings, and the space to move up as I develop rapport with the existing leadership team. And I look forward to the other opportunities He will afford me by allowing us to stay in this area.
But in this saga, however grateful I may be for the chicken, I rejoice today in the One I found on a simple egg run.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Abby for Africa: Art for AIDS
Abby came up with an idea around Christmas to sell her artwork to raise money for orphans in Africa. Inspired in part by our family's involvement in Annie and our recent celebration of the kids' adoptions, Art for AIDS is directly assisting Forgotten Voices, an organization committed to helping AIDS orphans in Africa, especially Zambia.
Here is a collection of pieces that are currently up for a recommended donation of 25 cents. All proceeds go to Forgotten Voices.
Here is a collection of pieces that are currently up for a recommended donation of 25 cents. All proceeds go to Forgotten Voices.
 |
| Woven Rug |
 |
| Apple Tree |
 |
| Rocket |
 |
| Flower with Streamers |
 |
| Multi Splat |
 |
| Primary Squared |
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)