In my experience of our great and mighty Lord, He has always been gentle and kind in the way He teaches me. Even in the midst of great discipline (because as a Father, he disciplines those He loves), He has never made me feel condemnation or shame for my behaviour (or lack of understanding). God is a gentleman, and will never leave your side while you're learning to restructure your thinking, or learn new behavior patterns, or even give up bad habits. He is FULL of grace, even when you screw up time and time again.
In saying that, I know that our beautiful God would be much more gracious in His words and actions than what I am about to say, but I am not Him. I needed someone to say it to me recently, so I am going to say it to you: IF you call yourself a "Christian" or one who follows Jesus, THEN YOU MUST LEARN TO TRUST GOD!
Do you believe in God?
Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died for our sins?
Do you believe that God is "all powerful" and that He can do anything?
Do you believe that He cares about you?
Do you believe that He cares about what your future looks like, and how you fit into it?
Do you believe that you MATTER to Him?
If you answered yes to these questions (even only "most" of them)..........then what gives you and I the audacity to WORRY about things????
When I say "worry, " I'm not talking about asking for prayer about a sick relative or a financial situation gone wrong, or a broken relationship. God loves it when we come to Him in prayer and ask Him to show off His muscles and help us. I'm talking about when we get so consumed with these issues that it turns into actual WORRY and we can hardly concentrate on the beautiful things because we are being tormented by thoughts of the things that concern us.
There's the famous passage in Matthew chapter 6 that I can read over and over again about worry. God's words don't return void, so that would definitely help. BUT, what I've come to realize is that many believers use Matt.6 as a "band aid" to help for the time being, but in reality they don't actually BELIEVE God.
So I'm SHOUTING IT OUT today (for my own benefit, and yours), that GOD CAN BE TRUSTED. He's faithful, isn't he? Jesus said that the devil was the "father of lies," not God (John 8:44)....so if God is TRUTH, LOVE, KINDNESS, FAITHFUL....If he always keeps His promises because HE CANNOT DO ANYTHING ELSE...then why don't we believe Him?
The Bible also says that God is not a liar...that He cannot change...that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So if this is true as well, then it's simple: He has to keep His promises. It is not in His nature or capacity to do otherwise. God must remain faithful.
So if God promises to "not harm you," then you will not be harmed unless you allow harm to come upon yourself (again, because of His free will to you). See some of His promises below:
Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future."
And again, Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
What about Psalm 89:33, "..but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness."
And Psalm 91:9,10, "If you make the Most High your dwelling--even the Lord, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent."
Isaiah 45: 2, 3, "I will go before you and will level the mountains, I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name."
Finally, Jesus Himself proclaims in John 10:10, "The thief [satan] comes only to kill, steal, and destroy. But I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full!"
So if God cannot lie.....if God MUST keep His promises to us.....then why do we worry? WHY WORRY?????
I know this isn't my usual writing style but I am really fired up about this today. I have spent almost 30 years of my life being WORRIED about things that ALWAYS have worked out better than I could have imagined. And I watch my friends and family get sucked into the same lies that I have....being tormented by worry that God sees as a little speck of nothingness He can easily wipe away.
Trust God. And if you can't......maybe you need to get to know Him again (or for the first time). Our trust in Him is one of the keys that separates us as Christians from the rest of the world.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Wide Awake
When I realized a few years ago that being called to “full time ministry” may not look like what I imagined, I thought the best way to “build the Kingdom” was simply to pour my life and spare time into volunteering. I thought that working part time in a café and spending all extra time serving at Church would not only fulfil me, but would also be the deciding factor of whether or not I was living a “full life” (and maybe even get me onto a Church staff). My greatest desire the past 4 years has been to live extraordinarily and not to settle for ordinary living. Somehow though, I allowed myself to believe that “extraordinary” could only be attained by diligently serving a Church structure (in a Christian bubble) until one day the desires of my heart would “magically” come true. This works for some because God does honour our faithfulness. But for me, getting out of the bubble and turning my heart toward GOD instead of ministry has been the key.
Slowly but surely, God has taken me on a journey of finding out why He created me and how He wants to use for His glory the things that I’ve always enjoyed doing. Somewhere along that path I realized that although I love the Church and believe that she (as the body and bride of Jesus) is the hope for humanity, I personally am created to do something outside of the walls and structure of the Church. I will serve the Church, believe in the Church, and support the Church with my finances. But I fully understood today, for the first time in years, that I am an ARTIST, created to colour my world with brighter colours than those with veiled eyes have ever seen! This is the desire of my heart, and I am finally wide awake enough to see that this is what “full time ministry” looks like for me.
Erwin McManus says in his book “Wide Awake” something that really grabs my heart. He says, “Every time you refuse to leave the world in the condition it is in, you are re-creating. Every time you extend yourself to make someone else’s life better, you are part of the creative process. You are adding beauty to the most important of all canvases…Creativity isn’t the luxury of artists; it is the calling of humanity. Because the world is in decay, you must create…Creativity is the natural result of spirituality. When you are alive, you will create—and it will be breathtaking and life giving.” (page 176).
I’m beginning to see that my function in this body of Christ is more about helping those with veiled eyes to see their own lives in colour. I want to keep introducing new hues to them, speak purpose into them, and let the Holy Spirit use me to teach them. Due to the way God made me, I would suffocate by being confined to only building a large canvas or mixing paint or restoring old masterpieces. I long and ache to be the artist who goes into the dirtiest, darkest parts of humanity and begins to paint with the brightest colours known. I want to be the writer commissioned by the Church to go into the most dangerous parts of nations and change the story of the people. I want to write a new history….I yearn to paint over the dark shades with brilliant new tones. I will point them in the direction of the Church and bring them in to be restored and hang in the gallery of the saints. But my greatest desire is just to meet with them in their own dark gardens and help them see beauty; not to build a canvas for them or get them included in a museum.
So for me, “extraordinary” looks like re-creating the world by focusing my passions, energies, and talents on what is in my own heart. Extraordinary means stepping back from some of my volunteering at Church to do other things. One of these things is risking my greatest fear (rejection) in order to work on writing something that will change someone’s life. It means using my spare time to paint canvases that will raise money for AIDS orphans and HIV positive women in Africa. It means learning Spanish fluently so that my husband and I can some day minister to the people group that is most on my heart. It means letting go of a fear of what “leadership” thinks of me so that I can live out what I know the Lord thinks of me.
It’s funny how even the colours in my own garden look so much brighter when I’m living wide awake….
Slowly but surely, God has taken me on a journey of finding out why He created me and how He wants to use for His glory the things that I’ve always enjoyed doing. Somewhere along that path I realized that although I love the Church and believe that she (as the body and bride of Jesus) is the hope for humanity, I personally am created to do something outside of the walls and structure of the Church. I will serve the Church, believe in the Church, and support the Church with my finances. But I fully understood today, for the first time in years, that I am an ARTIST, created to colour my world with brighter colours than those with veiled eyes have ever seen! This is the desire of my heart, and I am finally wide awake enough to see that this is what “full time ministry” looks like for me.
Erwin McManus says in his book “Wide Awake” something that really grabs my heart. He says, “Every time you refuse to leave the world in the condition it is in, you are re-creating. Every time you extend yourself to make someone else’s life better, you are part of the creative process. You are adding beauty to the most important of all canvases…Creativity isn’t the luxury of artists; it is the calling of humanity. Because the world is in decay, you must create…Creativity is the natural result of spirituality. When you are alive, you will create—and it will be breathtaking and life giving.” (page 176).
I’m beginning to see that my function in this body of Christ is more about helping those with veiled eyes to see their own lives in colour. I want to keep introducing new hues to them, speak purpose into them, and let the Holy Spirit use me to teach them. Due to the way God made me, I would suffocate by being confined to only building a large canvas or mixing paint or restoring old masterpieces. I long and ache to be the artist who goes into the dirtiest, darkest parts of humanity and begins to paint with the brightest colours known. I want to be the writer commissioned by the Church to go into the most dangerous parts of nations and change the story of the people. I want to write a new history….I yearn to paint over the dark shades with brilliant new tones. I will point them in the direction of the Church and bring them in to be restored and hang in the gallery of the saints. But my greatest desire is just to meet with them in their own dark gardens and help them see beauty; not to build a canvas for them or get them included in a museum.
So for me, “extraordinary” looks like re-creating the world by focusing my passions, energies, and talents on what is in my own heart. Extraordinary means stepping back from some of my volunteering at Church to do other things. One of these things is risking my greatest fear (rejection) in order to work on writing something that will change someone’s life. It means using my spare time to paint canvases that will raise money for AIDS orphans and HIV positive women in Africa. It means learning Spanish fluently so that my husband and I can some day minister to the people group that is most on my heart. It means letting go of a fear of what “leadership” thinks of me so that I can live out what I know the Lord thinks of me.
It’s funny how even the colours in my own garden look so much brighter when I’m living wide awake….
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Just Simply Sing--The Venezuelan Cow Story
I’m not sure if anyone has ever asked you what I’m about to ask you. In fact, I can almost 100% guarantee that no one has asked you this question before me! Here it is: Have you ever sang to a cow in the Andes Mountains of South America while at the front of a 3 car pile-up? Random, I know. But perhaps the funniest part about the question is that I can answer “yes” to it. Well, I can kind of answer yes to it. I wasn’t the person who actually sang to the cow, but I did witness this fortuitous display of vocal charm while doing a short term mission trip to Venezuela in 2001. And may I add that this is a day I will never forget!
Imagine in your mind’s eye a long, winding road going upward into the tropical mountains that you would see in a “National Geographic” magazine. Almost entirely rock and steep tropical jungle brush to one side, but on the other side…let’s just say if you hate heights you don’t want to look down! There is no railing on the “drop off” side, and the road is just barely wide enough for only the smallest of vehicles to pass. Now imagine yourself on an old bus that holds about 20 people. It’s dank, it’s humid and sticky, and the driver is a short, elderly Spanish man with a large belly and missing teeth. Rather like being in a movie, isn’t it?
I don’t really remember our destination that day, but images of that dim-witted cow are forever burned into my memory. You see, we were going up on this winding road in our old bus, and there were two small cars behind us. There aren’t really road rules in Venezuela (or should I say, road rules aren’t completely followed there), so we were actually racing up the mountain road. There were eleven of us, all a bit enthralled by the country side but likewise quite nervous at the speed the bus driver was taking. We were just coming up to a tropical area when we felt a jerk and the back of the bus (where I was sitting) swerved off the road, over the cliffs to one side, and then back onto the road again! You see, a cow had come from the jungle and made it’s way down onto the road in front of us, and would not move for anything. We stopped sharply, as did the two cars behind us, and our journey was put on hold while we tried to get the cow to go back up into the mountains so that we could continue. My heart still races even thinking about it all! But it was definitely a great personal lesson to me.
This is what I’m dealing with currently that I’m sure everyone can identify with: How can I get by when things are piling up around me and I feel like I can’t make it over the mountain? Proverbs 15:24 says “The path of life leads upward for the wise…”, but what happens when your journey “up” comes to a screeching halt because of a road block? How do you continue the journey to your destination when something suddenly blocks your path?
“ ‘Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,’ says the Lord. ” –Isaiah 54:1
In Isaiah, the Hebrew word for “barren” means incapable of producing life; sterile. There will always be times in life when we feel “lifeless” and “sterile.” But the scripture says here that the person who is barren should SING, should burst into song and shout for joy. Even when we don’t know how to continue, “singing” will always work to get us through.
When a person sings praises to God, they are less likely to give up because their focus is not on their circumstances, but on the beauty of the Lord. Singing isn’t necessarily being on “Idol” level, either. Just opening your mouth and declaring the good things in your life…the goodness of God…is enough to make the road blocks disappear. Every human also has a small amount of influence in someone’s life. So when we allow these roadblocks to hold us back, we also hold back the people who are following us.
Now quickly back to the cow story. You see, the greatest part of this story is that we finally got the cow to move…but only after our bus driver SANG to it! I know it sounds absurd, but our beautiful little Spanish bus driver realized that the cow wasn’t going to move by force, so he simply sang an old Spanish love song to the animal. Literally within seconds, the cow hustled off into the mountain again, and we were able to continue on our journey with the two little cars also following behind us.
Based on what I learned that day, here are three things that I’m learning to do to “sing” my way over that mountain:
1. Make a choice.
--Deut.30:20 says “therefore, choose life…” It’s simply a choice.
-- Isa.54:1 begins with a lack of life (barren), but after singing, it ends with abundant life (more are the children of the desolate woman..)!
Imagine what you’d miss if you DIDN’T choose to sing….
2. Open your mouth.
--Rom.12:11 “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
WORD of their testimony…” If you are a Christian, then this promise is
for you! What is your “testimony?” How has Jesus changed your life?
What are all the good things that God has done for you? After you make a
choice, all you have to do is verbalize it to God (and to your enemy).
3. Don’t give up.
--In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestles with God and doesn’t give up. He’s hurt, he’s tired, he’s wrestling with GOD, but he doesn’t give up all night! You cannot give up…just keep singing.
At the moment in my life, things have the appearance of being rather difficult at times. My wonderful husband and I are on a journey with a destination in mind, but it seems that we keep being given these roadblocks that hold us back. I guess more than anything, I just want to learn to sing consistently, whether in good times or bad. I have to choose, to actually take action, and not give up. I refuse to live an ORDINARY life.
Honestly now, singing to a cow in the Andes Mountains is hardly ordinary :)
Imagine in your mind’s eye a long, winding road going upward into the tropical mountains that you would see in a “National Geographic” magazine. Almost entirely rock and steep tropical jungle brush to one side, but on the other side…let’s just say if you hate heights you don’t want to look down! There is no railing on the “drop off” side, and the road is just barely wide enough for only the smallest of vehicles to pass. Now imagine yourself on an old bus that holds about 20 people. It’s dank, it’s humid and sticky, and the driver is a short, elderly Spanish man with a large belly and missing teeth. Rather like being in a movie, isn’t it?
I don’t really remember our destination that day, but images of that dim-witted cow are forever burned into my memory. You see, we were going up on this winding road in our old bus, and there were two small cars behind us. There aren’t really road rules in Venezuela (or should I say, road rules aren’t completely followed there), so we were actually racing up the mountain road. There were eleven of us, all a bit enthralled by the country side but likewise quite nervous at the speed the bus driver was taking. We were just coming up to a tropical area when we felt a jerk and the back of the bus (where I was sitting) swerved off the road, over the cliffs to one side, and then back onto the road again! You see, a cow had come from the jungle and made it’s way down onto the road in front of us, and would not move for anything. We stopped sharply, as did the two cars behind us, and our journey was put on hold while we tried to get the cow to go back up into the mountains so that we could continue. My heart still races even thinking about it all! But it was definitely a great personal lesson to me.
This is what I’m dealing with currently that I’m sure everyone can identify with: How can I get by when things are piling up around me and I feel like I can’t make it over the mountain? Proverbs 15:24 says “The path of life leads upward for the wise…”, but what happens when your journey “up” comes to a screeching halt because of a road block? How do you continue the journey to your destination when something suddenly blocks your path?
“ ‘Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,’ says the Lord. ” –Isaiah 54:1
In Isaiah, the Hebrew word for “barren” means incapable of producing life; sterile. There will always be times in life when we feel “lifeless” and “sterile.” But the scripture says here that the person who is barren should SING, should burst into song and shout for joy. Even when we don’t know how to continue, “singing” will always work to get us through.
When a person sings praises to God, they are less likely to give up because their focus is not on their circumstances, but on the beauty of the Lord. Singing isn’t necessarily being on “Idol” level, either. Just opening your mouth and declaring the good things in your life…the goodness of God…is enough to make the road blocks disappear. Every human also has a small amount of influence in someone’s life. So when we allow these roadblocks to hold us back, we also hold back the people who are following us.
Now quickly back to the cow story. You see, the greatest part of this story is that we finally got the cow to move…but only after our bus driver SANG to it! I know it sounds absurd, but our beautiful little Spanish bus driver realized that the cow wasn’t going to move by force, so he simply sang an old Spanish love song to the animal. Literally within seconds, the cow hustled off into the mountain again, and we were able to continue on our journey with the two little cars also following behind us.
Based on what I learned that day, here are three things that I’m learning to do to “sing” my way over that mountain:
1. Make a choice.
--Deut.30:20 says “therefore, choose life…” It’s simply a choice.
-- Isa.54:1 begins with a lack of life (barren), but after singing, it ends with abundant life (more are the children of the desolate woman..)!
Imagine what you’d miss if you DIDN’T choose to sing….
2. Open your mouth.
--Rom.12:11 “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
WORD of their testimony…” If you are a Christian, then this promise is
for you! What is your “testimony?” How has Jesus changed your life?
What are all the good things that God has done for you? After you make a
choice, all you have to do is verbalize it to God (and to your enemy).
3. Don’t give up.
--In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestles with God and doesn’t give up. He’s hurt, he’s tired, he’s wrestling with GOD, but he doesn’t give up all night! You cannot give up…just keep singing.
At the moment in my life, things have the appearance of being rather difficult at times. My wonderful husband and I are on a journey with a destination in mind, but it seems that we keep being given these roadblocks that hold us back. I guess more than anything, I just want to learn to sing consistently, whether in good times or bad. I have to choose, to actually take action, and not give up. I refuse to live an ORDINARY life.
Honestly now, singing to a cow in the Andes Mountains is hardly ordinary :)
A Poem for my Husband
Here I stand at your feet
So beautiful on the mountains because of the news they bring
I would wash these feet as if they were my own
Care for them and encourage them to soldier on in battle
What an honor that they ran in pursuit of me...
Here I am at the corner of your eyes
Waiting for my favorite glance
Deep eyes alive with fire and authority
Learning to see the world as the Father sees.
May He guard this pair, and may I never make them stumble.
Here I am at the corner of your mouth.
Sweet lips that resound the only Name above all
And a smile that causes me to thirst that Name
I overflow when that chosen tongue speaks gently to me
Just as Hosea says our Lover spoke to His precious in the desert
Here I stand at the corner of your heart
That beautiful secret place where Life abides
I want to sink in the depths of that heart
So similar to mine as it beats the rhythm of our Creator
Loudly, our hearts cry out in unison to His song.
Here I am at the corners of your hands
Longing to feel them holding mine
I've watched as these hands built up the body
Watched, as you desired to bring healing and hope into the hearts of the people
Oh, that I would be the encourager of these God blessed hands!
Here I am, at the corner of you.
Encouraged by your eyes that see like Him
Desiring to touch the Bride with the same gentleness and truth of your words
Every corner of you that I come around leads me to thirst for More
And every part of me is glad for this friendship.
Here I am again in the embrace of the Father
Secure in my being and alive in His hope
Rejoicing in the passion set aflame in me by your life
Together we shall capture His glance, hold His hand, have His heart.
And may you know that I will always wash your feet.
So beautiful on the mountains because of the news they bring
I would wash these feet as if they were my own
Care for them and encourage them to soldier on in battle
What an honor that they ran in pursuit of me...
Here I am at the corner of your eyes
Waiting for my favorite glance
Deep eyes alive with fire and authority
Learning to see the world as the Father sees.
May He guard this pair, and may I never make them stumble.
Here I am at the corner of your mouth.
Sweet lips that resound the only Name above all
And a smile that causes me to thirst that Name
I overflow when that chosen tongue speaks gently to me
Just as Hosea says our Lover spoke to His precious in the desert
Here I stand at the corner of your heart
That beautiful secret place where Life abides
I want to sink in the depths of that heart
So similar to mine as it beats the rhythm of our Creator
Loudly, our hearts cry out in unison to His song.
Here I am at the corners of your hands
Longing to feel them holding mine
I've watched as these hands built up the body
Watched, as you desired to bring healing and hope into the hearts of the people
Oh, that I would be the encourager of these God blessed hands!
Here I am, at the corner of you.
Encouraged by your eyes that see like Him
Desiring to touch the Bride with the same gentleness and truth of your words
Every corner of you that I come around leads me to thirst for More
And every part of me is glad for this friendship.
Here I am again in the embrace of the Father
Secure in my being and alive in His hope
Rejoicing in the passion set aflame in me by your life
Together we shall capture His glance, hold His hand, have His heart.
And may you know that I will always wash your feet.
Potter's Wheel (Poetry)
I thought about you just now and I smiled.
What a precious union are we two;
Both moist pieces of clay, lost in the eyes of the Potter
placed near one other on the same wheel called Life.
Used by Him to sculpt each other,
we can powerfully inspire those around us.
Much more than we could ever imagine;
this is what the Potter wants to do with us!
Only He knows what shape we will finish at.
And until the day that we dance with destiny,
may we only cling to the Potter's fingers
and do nothing more but draw one another
to the form of His hands.
So today as I turn again to the eyes of the Potter
You, next to me on this wheel
I give myself completely to His shaping
and I give Him Praise for this gift of Us.
May the Potter form this precious union
to create life around it and within each other.
This is what makes me smile...
What a precious union are we two;
Both moist pieces of clay, lost in the eyes of the Potter
placed near one other on the same wheel called Life.
Used by Him to sculpt each other,
we can powerfully inspire those around us.
Much more than we could ever imagine;
this is what the Potter wants to do with us!
Only He knows what shape we will finish at.
And until the day that we dance with destiny,
may we only cling to the Potter's fingers
and do nothing more but draw one another
to the form of His hands.
So today as I turn again to the eyes of the Potter
You, next to me on this wheel
I give myself completely to His shaping
and I give Him Praise for this gift of Us.
May the Potter form this precious union
to create life around it and within each other.
This is what makes me smile...
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