Click below!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Weeding
As I sat, knelt, squatted, stood, and leaned over in my garden yesterday pulling weeds galore, many thoughts and truths were running through my head and heart.
There are some really TOUGH weeds, with long, steadfast roots that can only be removed with much digging and perseverance!
Sometimes weeds and plants look very much alike...I now understand more thoroughly the biblical story of allowing the wheat and tares to grow up together; however, to the untrained gardening eye, (mine), I still can't tell the difference sometimes. Alas, I knew I'd made a mistake or two when the unmistakable smell of fresh basil was all over my gloves.
It was HOT yesterday...I was tired...my body was hurting toward the end of my weeding adventure, and there was still more to do, but I was just plumb worn out. Thankfully, God NEVER gets tired; He patiently perseveres in the garden of our hearts and souls, if we allow Him, tugging at the weeds which are so deeply rooted and which NEED to be removed if we are to move forward in His love for Him and for others. I so wanted to quit early...and while there is still more to do, I pushed through and got another hours worth of weeding in before stopping.
God never quits. Never. For the heart that is ready and willing for Him to come in and change us, He is ready to stay on the job til the garden is weed-free and lavishly producing good fruit.
The stark contrast between me and the Lord is the biggest truth that shone forth yesterday...my weak, fallen humaness pales in comparison to His persistent, perfect work and love.
There are some really TOUGH weeds, with long, steadfast roots that can only be removed with much digging and perseverance!
Sometimes weeds and plants look very much alike...I now understand more thoroughly the biblical story of allowing the wheat and tares to grow up together; however, to the untrained gardening eye, (mine), I still can't tell the difference sometimes. Alas, I knew I'd made a mistake or two when the unmistakable smell of fresh basil was all over my gloves.
It was HOT yesterday...I was tired...my body was hurting toward the end of my weeding adventure, and there was still more to do, but I was just plumb worn out. Thankfully, God NEVER gets tired; He patiently perseveres in the garden of our hearts and souls, if we allow Him, tugging at the weeds which are so deeply rooted and which NEED to be removed if we are to move forward in His love for Him and for others. I so wanted to quit early...and while there is still more to do, I pushed through and got another hours worth of weeding in before stopping.
God never quits. Never. For the heart that is ready and willing for Him to come in and change us, He is ready to stay on the job til the garden is weed-free and lavishly producing good fruit.
The stark contrast between me and the Lord is the biggest truth that shone forth yesterday...my weak, fallen humaness pales in comparison to His persistent, perfect work and love.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
FIDO
The river of God flows "forward"...if you focus on something that happened up river, or stay in that place of obstruction, then you get caught in a cesspool; meanwhile, the river keeps on flowing without you!
Over the past 2 1/2 years, I have walked through the pain and disappointment of former friend's choices. The most recent has been very challenging: what do you do with a person who outright refuses any loving gestures or acts of kindness toward them? How do you continue persevering when a person is pretty much cold-hearted?
The answer: FIDO.
Yes, FIDO...
I repeat, FIDO....
Thanks Ed, for teaching me: Flush It and Drive On!
You may say, "but where is the love in that?" Return to the first lines of this blog. Have you ever seen an eddy in a river? Or a cesspool? I was nearly caught in an eddy on a raging river...people DIE in eddys! People drown! People can get diseases in cesspools because that's where all the bacteria and disease lurks and multiplies. These are places where the water refuses to leave, where the junk collects, where those who refuse to deal with their "stuff" get stuck, and sometimes they just want to stay there, mind you, for a number of reasons. Mostly, it is fear. And there is only one cure for fear: God's love. His perfect love will cast out all fear.
So, for now, I FIDO!
However, because these precious ones mentioned above are children of my heavenly Father, I am called to love; and I do. I forgive, bless, and love them. However, I am moving forward in this wonderfully raging, exciting river of God, which brings lots of laughter, excitement, joy, freedom, new scenery, and most importantly, LIFE!
The Lord has sooooooo much for each one of us! May we never again get caught in the eddys of life or find ourselves in a cesspool...STAY IN THE RIVER, and do not fear, for the Father is the river guide!
Over the past 2 1/2 years, I have walked through the pain and disappointment of former friend's choices. The most recent has been very challenging: what do you do with a person who outright refuses any loving gestures or acts of kindness toward them? How do you continue persevering when a person is pretty much cold-hearted?
The answer: FIDO.
Yes, FIDO...
I repeat, FIDO....
Thanks Ed, for teaching me: Flush It and Drive On!
You may say, "but where is the love in that?" Return to the first lines of this blog. Have you ever seen an eddy in a river? Or a cesspool? I was nearly caught in an eddy on a raging river...people DIE in eddys! People drown! People can get diseases in cesspools because that's where all the bacteria and disease lurks and multiplies. These are places where the water refuses to leave, where the junk collects, where those who refuse to deal with their "stuff" get stuck, and sometimes they just want to stay there, mind you, for a number of reasons. Mostly, it is fear. And there is only one cure for fear: God's love. His perfect love will cast out all fear.
So, for now, I FIDO!
However, because these precious ones mentioned above are children of my heavenly Father, I am called to love; and I do. I forgive, bless, and love them. However, I am moving forward in this wonderfully raging, exciting river of God, which brings lots of laughter, excitement, joy, freedom, new scenery, and most importantly, LIFE!
The Lord has sooooooo much for each one of us! May we never again get caught in the eddys of life or find ourselves in a cesspool...STAY IN THE RIVER, and do not fear, for the Father is the river guide!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Today
I got to hear from two major movie directors and producers today. In fact, I got to talk with one of them one-on-one for about 3 minutes. Tonight I started reading the book that the movie they are producing is based upon. It's REALLY good!
So, this evening, I got to thinking how easy it is for us to get excited to "be in the same room with famous people." There's a rush that hits us, an excitement, an adrenaline that flows when "that person that lots of people know" is right there in the same room in flesh and blood standing in front of you.
And of course then my thoughts went to this: How excited do I get to stand in the same room with the God of the universe, the King of Glory, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Savior of the world? Because, in reality, not only is He in my room every day, He is ever-present with me, and yet my excitement over Him often pales in comparison to my excitement about being in the room with or meeting a movie director or any other "famous" person.
I am a fallen creature.....
So, this evening, I got to thinking how easy it is for us to get excited to "be in the same room with famous people." There's a rush that hits us, an excitement, an adrenaline that flows when "that person that lots of people know" is right there in the same room in flesh and blood standing in front of you.
And of course then my thoughts went to this: How excited do I get to stand in the same room with the God of the universe, the King of Glory, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Savior of the world? Because, in reality, not only is He in my room every day, He is ever-present with me, and yet my excitement over Him often pales in comparison to my excitement about being in the room with or meeting a movie director or any other "famous" person.
I am a fallen creature.....
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Bermuda grass and clover
In my life with God, which IS my life, I want to be like Bermuda grass and clover at the same time.
Today, as I began to do the serious work of weeding my garden, I realized the strength of Bermuda grass and the widespread covering of clover. Now Bermuda grass has deep roots and thick stems; in addition, it eventually grows long tentacles which "seed" the area around it. A friend told me that it is nearly impossible to kill Bermuda grass!
Clover, on the other hand, boasts long, thin stems which break easily, but are flexible too. In addition, as I discovered in my garden, clover spreads quickly and widely, and stands tall!
This is my first year to attempt growing a vegetable garden. I've not had time to do much weeding in the past two weeks, and because plants are just now starting to grow, I wanted to wait until the "real" plants grew before yanking out weeds because it's challenging, at times, to tell the difference. However, now I have a BIG problem. The Bermuda grass has sunk deep roots and is starting to grow tentacles; and the clover is spreading rapidly. I have a LOT of work on my hands to get my garden weed-free...or at least get the weeds under control a bit.
As I spent about an hour today weeding...and only reaching about 1/4 of the garden, I began to ponder how wonderful it would be if my life in Yeshua was as strong and widespread as both the Bermuda grass and clover are in my garden! How fabulous it would be for the love to God to, quite literally, take over an area and spread!
I want to be "unkillable" in the Spirit; I want to be flexible, but growing tall and spreading the love of Jesus widely!
Today, as I began to do the serious work of weeding my garden, I realized the strength of Bermuda grass and the widespread covering of clover. Now Bermuda grass has deep roots and thick stems; in addition, it eventually grows long tentacles which "seed" the area around it. A friend told me that it is nearly impossible to kill Bermuda grass!
Clover, on the other hand, boasts long, thin stems which break easily, but are flexible too. In addition, as I discovered in my garden, clover spreads quickly and widely, and stands tall!
This is my first year to attempt growing a vegetable garden. I've not had time to do much weeding in the past two weeks, and because plants are just now starting to grow, I wanted to wait until the "real" plants grew before yanking out weeds because it's challenging, at times, to tell the difference. However, now I have a BIG problem. The Bermuda grass has sunk deep roots and is starting to grow tentacles; and the clover is spreading rapidly. I have a LOT of work on my hands to get my garden weed-free...or at least get the weeds under control a bit.
As I spent about an hour today weeding...and only reaching about 1/4 of the garden, I began to ponder how wonderful it would be if my life in Yeshua was as strong and widespread as both the Bermuda grass and clover are in my garden! How fabulous it would be for the love to God to, quite literally, take over an area and spread!
I want to be "unkillable" in the Spirit; I want to be flexible, but growing tall and spreading the love of Jesus widely!
True Friends
True friends stick with you, by your side, through everything.
I'm so very thankful for the many true friends I have in my life.
I pray I too am a true friend to others.
As for those who don't do this...adios!
I'm so very thankful for the many true friends I have in my life.
I pray I too am a true friend to others.
As for those who don't do this...adios!
Missionaries
My foreign-field missionary tank has been refilled! I truly didn't realize how much I needed this visit from my dear friends who serve our Lord in other nations! Even more importantly, I was reminded that missionaries are some of the most generous people on the planet! I love you ladies and bless you in the mighty name of Yeshua!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Missionaries to the nations!
Arden (Hungary and Kansas City), Mary Jill (Hungary and many nations), Sherry (Hong Kong and Tulsa) and Tammy (Ukraine and other nations)!
I love these friends! We are all missionaries to the nations and have had a blast regathering here in Kansas City!
Israel Mandate Conference
My precious friend, Michelle McKirihan is part of a dance team here at IHOP that did an incredibly anointed dance during the conference!
At the very end of the conference, representatives from every nation at the conference came onto the platform to stand under the talit...in anticipation of the wedding feast to come!
Eitan Shishkoff.
At the very end of the conference, representatives from every nation at the conference came onto the platform to stand under the talit...in anticipation of the wedding feast to come!
Eitan Shishkoff.
This weekend having visitors from other nations and attending a conference focusing on Israel has been AMAZING, to say the least!
Speakers like Eitan Shishkoff and Robert Stearns challenged us tremendously!
My friend, Michelle, danced with a dance team as well!
FUN TIMES WITH FRIENDS!
Peter Vander Steur and Mary Jill Callery meeting again and sharing a laugh!
Sherry, Linda Valen, Marcie Adams, Michelle McKirihan and Joshua VanderSteur.
Mary Jill (Hungary), Sherry (Hong Kong), Tammy (Ukraine), and Linda (many nations!)
Tammy and Sherry! Both served in Hungary and Ukraine!
Sherry, Linda Valen, Marcie Adams, Michelle McKirihan and Joshua VanderSteur.
Mary Jill (Hungary), Sherry (Hong Kong), Tammy (Ukraine), and Linda (many nations!)
Tammy and Sherry! Both served in Hungary and Ukraine!
I am SOOOOOOOOOOO blessed to have such wonderful friends here in Kansas City! AND, to top it off, I have friends visiting who are missionaries....ah, my heart is reignited for the nations outside of the U.S.!
Some of my good friends came over for a cookout on Saturday and we had a blast hanging out and having my overseas friends meet my Kansas City friends!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
My new living room!
My newly rearranged living room!
When we got home Friday night from the conference, we decided to rearrange the furniture in my living room! I LOVE IT!
Israel Mandate Conference
Oooops, blurry picture of Robert Stearns. :-)
Mike Bickle and ? praying for Dan JusterThis weekend at IHOP, we are attending some of the Israel Mandate conference. Great to hear the various speakers and engage in worship with believers from around the world. You can tune in or watch the archives! http://www.ihop.org/
The Loux family tribe
My missionary friend Tammy Swailes (serving in Ukraine) and I had the privilege of visiting Renee Loux and her tribe! As most of you know, Renee's husband, Derek, was killed in an auto accident on December 23, 2009. Renee and Derek have 3 "home-grown" children (one of whom went home to be with Jesus) and 8 adopted children, 5 from the Marshall Islands and 3 boys from Ukraine!
Renee is an amazing woman, as are the kids! As you can see in this picture, the 3 boys from Ukraine are doing incredibly well with Silas, in Renee's arms, growing 18 inches in the past year and at age 6, is FULL of life! I love God's tapestrial designs...I met Derek and Renee in Kansas City on a visit when I was still living in Hungary, heard they were going to Ukraine to adopt 3 special needs boys, told them about my friend Tammy who lives there and the possibility that she might be able to help them, and now, we meet again in Kansas City!
Pray for this family as they continue to grieve the tragic loss of Derek and move forward into all that God is calling them to be!
Visitors!
Rhon and Kit Duke from Alaska!
Breakfast of champions! Kit, Rhon, and MJ!
MJ, Kit and Rhon at an awakening service at IHOP in KC!
I realized this week how much I love people! Well, I know I love people, but having people visit and stay with me brings me such joy!
I've had a house full...a pastor and his wife from Alaska who travel to the nations and serve, a missionary in Ukraine, a missionary in Hungary, and today, a missionary in Hong Kong arrives!
My heart for the foreign mission field has been reignited...not because of anything we've talked about, but just because of the "air" missionaries to foreign lands carry and the amazing flexibility they demonstrate!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
New Bible
A friend of mine gave me a sweet gift certificate for my birthday for a Christian bookstore here in town. I finally visited this store, where I could have spent many more hours than I did, and settled on buying a new Bible!
It's called the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible for Women and while there are many things I love about it, one of them is the various thoughts and letters written by godly women, which are interspersed throughout the Bible itself. These letters are reflections on the particular passages next to which they are placed.
Today as I read 1 John, I read the letter (parts of which are excerpted below) by Lisa Bevere, a noted author and speaker, who has a son named Arden! :-) I am facing two challenging personal situations in my life right now and these words really struck my heart as they are reflections on 1 John 4:18 which says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."
Oh, don't we all long to be made perfect in love?!
Here are Lisa's thoughts in part:
"The love of God drives or casts out fear. This description confirms that fear is a spiritual force that must be dealt with spiritually. We are to cast out spirits and deny our flesh. Fear is conquered when we resist the base human tendency to preserve ourselves.
"The spirit of fear wants to prevent this from happening, so it tries to trick us into believing we must protect our selves. But the very nature of love opposes the nature of fear. Love lays down its life while fear tries to preserve it. I have learned that I am incapable of protecting myself. I have tried and failed. But love never fails.
"Fear and love both operate from belief in the unseen. Love challenges us to doubt what we see and believe what we cannot. Fear urges us to believe what is seen while doubting the unseen. Fear displaces love, and love casts out fear. Fear is the spiritual force that is in direct opposition to God's love and protection in our lives."
Good food for thought!
It's called the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible for Women and while there are many things I love about it, one of them is the various thoughts and letters written by godly women, which are interspersed throughout the Bible itself. These letters are reflections on the particular passages next to which they are placed.
Today as I read 1 John, I read the letter (parts of which are excerpted below) by Lisa Bevere, a noted author and speaker, who has a son named Arden! :-) I am facing two challenging personal situations in my life right now and these words really struck my heart as they are reflections on 1 John 4:18 which says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."
Oh, don't we all long to be made perfect in love?!
Here are Lisa's thoughts in part:
"The love of God drives or casts out fear. This description confirms that fear is a spiritual force that must be dealt with spiritually. We are to cast out spirits and deny our flesh. Fear is conquered when we resist the base human tendency to preserve ourselves.
"The spirit of fear wants to prevent this from happening, so it tries to trick us into believing we must protect our selves. But the very nature of love opposes the nature of fear. Love lays down its life while fear tries to preserve it. I have learned that I am incapable of protecting myself. I have tried and failed. But love never fails.
"Fear and love both operate from belief in the unseen. Love challenges us to doubt what we see and believe what we cannot. Fear urges us to believe what is seen while doubting the unseen. Fear displaces love, and love casts out fear. Fear is the spiritual force that is in direct opposition to God's love and protection in our lives."
Good food for thought!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Spoken to my spirit on May 4, 2010
"How you treat your friend who has mistreated you is a direct reflection of how you treat Me. Think on this."
Awaken the Dawn
Heidi Baker.
Typical Heidi Baker, preaching from her knees!
Bob Jones and his wife.
Typical Heidi Baker, preaching from her knees!
Bob Jones and his wife.
One of my favorite missionaries is Heidi Baker! She walks in a realm with the Lord that is infectious. Everyone who has had any interaction with her knows her line: "Love the one who is right in front of you!" Heidi lives this out. If you have never heard of her or read any of her books, check her out!
Heidi was at the conference I attended in Fredericksburg, VA this past week and true to God's heart, she brought a message that pricked the hearts of many for the poorest of the poor in the world. She also pierced our hearts here in the U.S. with a gentle reminder of who the American Church is to be.
We were also blessed to hear from Bob Jones, who delivered an excellent word, again, with a gentle, instructive admonishment centering on the theme of forgiving and releasing people because resentment will "ground you", rather than let you soar with the Lord!
Lou Engle also gave a fiery message and word of admonishment to all there. We have got to intercede for our nation which will impact the world!
Such a blessed week!
Quick trip to VA
This is me and my dear, dear friend, Maria! This is the kind of friend everyone needs...we were best friends, then hit the roughest patch which pretty much tore us apart for a season, and then God's grace, mercy and forgiveness brought lasting healing to our hearts and we are heart-friends for life!
Maria has five boys, three of whom are pictured here! She's one of the most amazing moms I've ever met!
This is my precious friend, Chris...once again, an amazing mom of three, and incredible friend through the years! I'm so blessed!
Maria has five boys, three of whom are pictured here! She's one of the most amazing moms I've ever met!
This is my precious friend, Chris...once again, an amazing mom of three, and incredible friend through the years! I'm so blessed!
This time last week, I was getting ready to fly out to Virginia to attend a conference in Fredericksburg called Awaken the Dawn. What a precious 5 days the Lord gave me at the conference, but even more importantly with dear, dear friends! Mind you, I love my new life and my new friends in Kansas City, and I miss all my precious friends in Hungary, but these friends in VA have been friends of mine for decades. They are priceless, especially when you can pick up with them right where you left off, even after having not spoken with them in years! Sadly, I was so caught up in talking with my Charlottesville friends that I have no pictures with them, but I love you BA, CW, KP, LA, GA, TF, BD, and all the rest I was sooooooo blessed to give hugs to at my home church, Trinity, and at Christ Community! This is a heart-felt THANK YOU to everyone who so richly blessed me and filled my love-tank....remember my 2nd commandment musings below???....with the Love of the Father manifested through each one of you!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
God's GPS lessons
I'm in VA for a few days, mostly attending a conference in Fredericksburg called Awaken the Dawn. But this post isn't about that...rather, it's about the adventure I had last night trying to get from the conference location to a friend's house I'd never been to before. Ah, what fun...and what precious lessons I've gleaned through my midnight explorations of the back roads of VA!
My friend moved out here from CO to join a ministry called Wings of Hope. We talked a lot about her moving to Montpelier, VA. I told her that I used to live about 15 minutes from Montpelier and would drive by it every day on my way to work in Orange, VA.
So, last night, as I'm leaving Taco Bell after the conference, I hop on Rt. 3 heading toward Orange and then Montpelier. I plug in my friend's address to my ever-so-reliable GPS and immediately, the friendly woman't voice says, "Calculating route...make your first legal U-turn." I think, "What?" and look at the GPS and see that it wants me to go back to I-95 South. I'm thinking, "That's nuts! Montpelier is just outside of Orange, which is the direction I'm heading. My GPS must be off because of course I know where I am going!"
I go ahead and make the U-turn, but my past instincts tell me to keep going the way I was going; so I make another u-turn and head in my original direction, the way I "know" I need to go, because, of course, I know much better where Montpelier is than this silly GPS machine. All the while I'm thinking, "Technology...it's probably messing up because of the storm....whatever, I know where I'm going."
Needless to say, when I made the U-Turn back to MY way, my GPS declared, "Make the next legal U-turn!" I ignored the mechanical voice and drove on. Again, "Make the next legal U-turn!" Finally, after about 5 of these directions, the GPS beeps at me and the message reads: "Do you want your GPS to continue?" In other words:
My friend moved out here from CO to join a ministry called Wings of Hope. We talked a lot about her moving to Montpelier, VA. I told her that I used to live about 15 minutes from Montpelier and would drive by it every day on my way to work in Orange, VA.
So, last night, as I'm leaving Taco Bell after the conference, I hop on Rt. 3 heading toward Orange and then Montpelier. I plug in my friend's address to my ever-so-reliable GPS and immediately, the friendly woman't voice says, "Calculating route...make your first legal U-turn." I think, "What?" and look at the GPS and see that it wants me to go back to I-95 South. I'm thinking, "That's nuts! Montpelier is just outside of Orange, which is the direction I'm heading. My GPS must be off because of course I know where I am going!"
I go ahead and make the U-turn, but my past instincts tell me to keep going the way I was going; so I make another u-turn and head in my original direction, the way I "know" I need to go, because, of course, I know much better where Montpelier is than this silly GPS machine. All the while I'm thinking, "Technology...it's probably messing up because of the storm....whatever, I know where I'm going."
Needless to say, when I made the U-Turn back to MY way, my GPS declared, "Make the next legal U-turn!" I ignored the mechanical voice and drove on. Again, "Make the next legal U-turn!" Finally, after about 5 of these directions, the GPS beeps at me and the message reads: "Do you want your GPS to continue?" In other words:
Arden, do you want ME to continue leading, or are you going to continue on in your stubborn ways, thinking that you know where you are going because of course you know better than I, the God of the universe knows...so, what's your call?
Well, silly me, I decide my GPS isn't working properly, and I will just shut it off and turn it on when I got closer to Montpelier...which I did. Once again, I was confused by where it was telling me to turn...miles before Orange, VA. Finally, at 11:30 at night, I'm thinking, "hm, maybe there's something to this...I'm kinda close to the Montpelier I know, so maybe she lives in the vicinity. Well, the GPS sends me 18 miles down this road, then turn left and another 15 miles, then right and another 10 miles, then left and another 14 miles....etc.....you get the picture!
By this time, I am tired, frustrated, out in the middle of NO WHERE LAND VA, completely lost, not recognizing ANYTHING, it's pitch black with no moon, no gas stations, nothing...except, my faithful GPS spouting off every turn and leading me through the back roads of VA to my destination.
I finally pull over on the side of the road, call my friend and ask her what major city she is closest to. Richmond. WHAT? I think to myself. So, I restart my GPS and sure enough, after another 10 miles, I am pulling in to my friend's driveway, a place I'd never been before and a town, called Montpelier, which is near Ashland, VA, right off of...yep, you guessed it....I-95, and just 45 minutes from where I was attending this conference! Two and a half hours after leaving the conference, I finally find my way "home" to my friend's house.
Oh, the reality of God's lessons, in severely tangible ways.
Just a week ago, the Lord spoke to me about some things and asked, "So, are you going to continue trying to do things your way and the ways you have always done them? Or are you going to trust Me and let Me lead you and open the doors that need to be opened for Me to get you where I want you to be?"
One week later, I am shutting off my GPS....my God Positioning System....and learning in the natural the lesson He was speaking to me last week.
Oh, He will speak! "Make the next legal U-turn! You are heading in the WRONG direction! Make the next legal U-turn! You think you are going the right way, but you aren't! Will you trust My voice or your own 'instincts'? Make the next legal U-turn! Ok, do you even WANT me to continue as your GPS? Cuz I simply cannot do it if you keep going this direction. I will let you go, and I will fall silent because you are going THE WRONG WAY!"
Of course, when I turn my GPS on again, when I cry out to God again, He is right there, not yelling at me or even disappointed; just like my literal GPS, the Lord picks right up, gives me clear directions, every turn, every 1/10 of a mile measured, street names...even those funky ones in the backwoods of VA....and then the best declaration of all: "Your destination is on your left! You have arrived at your destination!" No rebuke. Gentle, kind, accurate, loving, strong guidance.
His leadership is perfect. What an amazing reminder of my own stubborn self and how patient He is with me...persistent..."make the next legal U-turn!"....yet, He will never over-ride my will. Quite honestly, I wish He would sometimes over-ride my will.
What could have been a 45 min. trip turned into 2.5 hours! If we would simply submit to our loving, perfect Heavenly Father, our journeys would be so much more direct, less exhausting, frustrating, and costly. Thank you for the lesson, Lord!
Monday, May 10, 2010
More musings....
Musings on the Second Commandment
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” (Matthew 22:36-40)
“The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:14)
There is a great deal of discussion taking place in the greater Body of Christ about the coming together of the prayer movement with the missions movement. Missions groups world-wide are recognizing the necessity of 24/7 intercessory prayer to fuel the missions movement; likewise, prayer movements are recognizing the power that flows forth in evangelism to reach the nations through missions, from the place of prayer. It’s almost like the “aha” moment when one finally finds that missing pair to the glove and the set is complete, ready to be used for the purposes they were created, working together, not separately.
In my recent weeks of musings, I have been grappling with the challenges I have been having and witness others around me facing of living out the second commandment in an atmosphere of 24/7 prayer and worship, where the first commandment is obeyed quite well. The pin finally dropped for me when I pondered the paragraph above about the prayer movement marrying the missions movement! Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul taught and lived out the first two commandments, thus modeling for us today what these should look like.
Every wedding has a bride and a groom. If the groom shows up, but the bride doesn’t, or visa versa, not only will there be no wedding, but also a great deal of pain and confusion will unfold. There’s a reason Jesus “wed” the first and second commandments; one without the other makes the entire Gospel message of Jesus as the bridegroom and the church as the bride incomplete.
Jesus tells a powerful story in Luke 10 of the parable of the good Samaritan. I won’t repeat it here, but rather focus on one aspect I believe the Lord has highlighted for me. Living out the second commandment is costly: it costs time, energy, and money. It is sometimes inconvenient, it may take you “out of the way you were heading”, it demands sacrifice, and it could mean laying down your life. In fact, Jesus boldly declares in John 15:12-13, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Having served as a missionary overseas for eleven years, I got really focused on the second commandment. Now I live in an atmosphere where the first commandment appears to be primary, and I am left grappling with the experience from one place colliding with the experience of another place. I am also working through having lived in a culture where people and relationships are deeply valued and time spent together, whether relaxing, enjoying a meal, or worshiping and serving the Lord together is part of the ebb and flow; now I am living in a culture where, even in a Christian setting, days are packed, lives are busy and people run at such fast paces that a completely different level and understanding of relationships and loving one’s neighbor has hit me head-on.
Where has all of this pushed me? Into the arms and the heart of Jesus! It’s a glorious place to be, to dwell, to discover my true identity, to pour out my complaints, to rest, to grapple, and to grow, knowing that He is patient and kind and desires to see His two greatest commandments lived out in me and in His people. As this happens, the greatest thing of all, love, will pour forth.
Kevin Prosch is a singer and worshiper and on his album “Palanquin”, he has a song where the following line resides and rocks my world every time I listen to it:
“The mercy you don’t give, is the mercy you don’t get.”
Ouch. Sometimes the truth hurts. I’ve been walking through a season the past couple of years where mercy has not been extended by a few people; this reality brings nothing but pain, and echoes the lesson Jesus taught in Luke 10. The late Derek Loux in one of his teachings biblically defined mercy as:
To remove the consequences of somebody’s stupidity.
I believe living out the second commandment is more about mercy than we realize. Of course I want people to show me mercy, but if I am loving my neighbor as myself, then I have to extend that same mercy to my neighbor. The measure by which each of us is able to receive God’s mercy is the degree to which we will be able to love.
I recently attended a seminar in which the speaker, Tina Burch, spoke on the topic of forgiveness. At the end, she shared a personal testimony:
“I had a season when I was trying to be so consecrated to God that I would see someone who was battling something and I would distance myself from them because I thought, ‘I don’t want them to “infect” me and keep me from God.’ I saw this was completely backwards---we are called to enter in to God’s work in other people’s lives. We don’t need to ‘fear’ that they will somehow pull us away from our consecration to God.”
At a Sunday morning service at Forerunner Christian Fellowship, Steve Venable challenged us with this thought:
“What would it look like for Jesus to be supreme and exalted in EVERYTHING?”
What would it look like for Jesus to be supreme and exalted in the Body of Christ living out the second commandment? We get one glimpse in John 17:20-26, and especially in verse 23 where Jesus says in His prayer to the Father:
“I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” Again, in John 13:34-35 we read the words of Jesus:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Loving one’s neighbor includes loving one another, and Jesus is clear that the world will know we are His disciples by the way we love one another. It’s not surprising to me today, given the challenges of this command, to see that people are not flocking to Jesus, because we do not always love our brothers and sisters in Christ the way Jesus wants us to love.
I find it interesting that Jesus says this is a new command, given the fact that the second commandment was already in place. My opinion is that He was, as He loved to do, elevating the command to love our neighbor to a level that we could not do without Him literally living in us and loving through us. Love is easy when it is not costly or when it meets our needs or desires. True love cost Jesus everything; even His very life.
I write all of this with great godly fear and trepidation because I know that words have power and that God typically tests me to see if I really live what I say I believe. In the end, I agree with this:
Love is to be the defining quality of the church.
Finally, Stephen Roach in his album Closer to the Burning captures the essence of this wedding of the two greatest commandments:
“We’re gonna reach into Your heart oh God, we’re gonna reach out to the streets of men.”
Clearly, the first and second commandments go together; clearly, the Kingdom of God is going to advance with power as the prayer and missions movements are wed. We cannot do one while neglecting the other; we cannot love God and neglect loving our neighbor, and the Scriptures give us a very clear road map as to what these look like. Jesus, help us to lay down our lives for our neighbor, whether a brother or sister in Christ, or the neighbor who still needs to be introduced to You, just the way You laid down your life for each of us. Let Your cry in the Garden of Gethsemane be our cry when it comes to living out the second commandment: Not my will, but Your will be done.
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” (Matthew 22:36-40)
“The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:14)
There is a great deal of discussion taking place in the greater Body of Christ about the coming together of the prayer movement with the missions movement. Missions groups world-wide are recognizing the necessity of 24/7 intercessory prayer to fuel the missions movement; likewise, prayer movements are recognizing the power that flows forth in evangelism to reach the nations through missions, from the place of prayer. It’s almost like the “aha” moment when one finally finds that missing pair to the glove and the set is complete, ready to be used for the purposes they were created, working together, not separately.
In my recent weeks of musings, I have been grappling with the challenges I have been having and witness others around me facing of living out the second commandment in an atmosphere of 24/7 prayer and worship, where the first commandment is obeyed quite well. The pin finally dropped for me when I pondered the paragraph above about the prayer movement marrying the missions movement! Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul taught and lived out the first two commandments, thus modeling for us today what these should look like.
Every wedding has a bride and a groom. If the groom shows up, but the bride doesn’t, or visa versa, not only will there be no wedding, but also a great deal of pain and confusion will unfold. There’s a reason Jesus “wed” the first and second commandments; one without the other makes the entire Gospel message of Jesus as the bridegroom and the church as the bride incomplete.
Jesus tells a powerful story in Luke 10 of the parable of the good Samaritan. I won’t repeat it here, but rather focus on one aspect I believe the Lord has highlighted for me. Living out the second commandment is costly: it costs time, energy, and money. It is sometimes inconvenient, it may take you “out of the way you were heading”, it demands sacrifice, and it could mean laying down your life. In fact, Jesus boldly declares in John 15:12-13, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Having served as a missionary overseas for eleven years, I got really focused on the second commandment. Now I live in an atmosphere where the first commandment appears to be primary, and I am left grappling with the experience from one place colliding with the experience of another place. I am also working through having lived in a culture where people and relationships are deeply valued and time spent together, whether relaxing, enjoying a meal, or worshiping and serving the Lord together is part of the ebb and flow; now I am living in a culture where, even in a Christian setting, days are packed, lives are busy and people run at such fast paces that a completely different level and understanding of relationships and loving one’s neighbor has hit me head-on.
Where has all of this pushed me? Into the arms and the heart of Jesus! It’s a glorious place to be, to dwell, to discover my true identity, to pour out my complaints, to rest, to grapple, and to grow, knowing that He is patient and kind and desires to see His two greatest commandments lived out in me and in His people. As this happens, the greatest thing of all, love, will pour forth.
Kevin Prosch is a singer and worshiper and on his album “Palanquin”, he has a song where the following line resides and rocks my world every time I listen to it:
“The mercy you don’t give, is the mercy you don’t get.”
Ouch. Sometimes the truth hurts. I’ve been walking through a season the past couple of years where mercy has not been extended by a few people; this reality brings nothing but pain, and echoes the lesson Jesus taught in Luke 10. The late Derek Loux in one of his teachings biblically defined mercy as:
To remove the consequences of somebody’s stupidity.
I believe living out the second commandment is more about mercy than we realize. Of course I want people to show me mercy, but if I am loving my neighbor as myself, then I have to extend that same mercy to my neighbor. The measure by which each of us is able to receive God’s mercy is the degree to which we will be able to love.
I recently attended a seminar in which the speaker, Tina Burch, spoke on the topic of forgiveness. At the end, she shared a personal testimony:
“I had a season when I was trying to be so consecrated to God that I would see someone who was battling something and I would distance myself from them because I thought, ‘I don’t want them to “infect” me and keep me from God.’ I saw this was completely backwards---we are called to enter in to God’s work in other people’s lives. We don’t need to ‘fear’ that they will somehow pull us away from our consecration to God.”
At a Sunday morning service at Forerunner Christian Fellowship, Steve Venable challenged us with this thought:
“What would it look like for Jesus to be supreme and exalted in EVERYTHING?”
What would it look like for Jesus to be supreme and exalted in the Body of Christ living out the second commandment? We get one glimpse in John 17:20-26, and especially in verse 23 where Jesus says in His prayer to the Father:
“I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” Again, in John 13:34-35 we read the words of Jesus:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Loving one’s neighbor includes loving one another, and Jesus is clear that the world will know we are His disciples by the way we love one another. It’s not surprising to me today, given the challenges of this command, to see that people are not flocking to Jesus, because we do not always love our brothers and sisters in Christ the way Jesus wants us to love.
I find it interesting that Jesus says this is a new command, given the fact that the second commandment was already in place. My opinion is that He was, as He loved to do, elevating the command to love our neighbor to a level that we could not do without Him literally living in us and loving through us. Love is easy when it is not costly or when it meets our needs or desires. True love cost Jesus everything; even His very life.
I write all of this with great godly fear and trepidation because I know that words have power and that God typically tests me to see if I really live what I say I believe. In the end, I agree with this:
Love is to be the defining quality of the church.
Finally, Stephen Roach in his album Closer to the Burning captures the essence of this wedding of the two greatest commandments:
“We’re gonna reach into Your heart oh God, we’re gonna reach out to the streets of men.”
Clearly, the first and second commandments go together; clearly, the Kingdom of God is going to advance with power as the prayer and missions movements are wed. We cannot do one while neglecting the other; we cannot love God and neglect loving our neighbor, and the Scriptures give us a very clear road map as to what these look like. Jesus, help us to lay down our lives for our neighbor, whether a brother or sister in Christ, or the neighbor who still needs to be introduced to You, just the way You laid down your life for each of us. Let Your cry in the Garden of Gethsemane be our cry when it comes to living out the second commandment: Not my will, but Your will be done.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Hope to the Heart
This weekend, I was blessed to attend a conference called Hope to the Heart, put on by Deeper Waters ministries.
The adoration of God is to be the bed-rock of our interaction with Him. It was amazing to see how, in small groups, when we made adoring the Lord for who He is, and confessed what is true about Him and about Him in others, our hearts were set free in new ways.
One of the running comments during the weekend focused on how when we enter into our time with Him by adoring Him, we rise above the clouds and the greyness of our circumstances and He brings us up above the clouds into a clarity to see Him as He really is!
I thought I was just taking these pictures below because they were cool cloud pictures...but I think they depict the reality of what was communicated this weekend. There are storms under the clouds, where we live, but as we begin to adore the God of the universe, we can be lifted above and up into His glorious presence where the light and glory of who He is shines!
The adoration of God is to be the bed-rock of our interaction with Him. It was amazing to see how, in small groups, when we made adoring the Lord for who He is, and confessed what is true about Him and about Him in others, our hearts were set free in new ways.
One of the running comments during the weekend focused on how when we enter into our time with Him by adoring Him, we rise above the clouds and the greyness of our circumstances and He brings us up above the clouds into a clarity to see Him as He really is!
I thought I was just taking these pictures below because they were cool cloud pictures...but I think they depict the reality of what was communicated this weekend. There are storms under the clouds, where we live, but as we begin to adore the God of the universe, we can be lifted above and up into His glorious presence where the light and glory of who He is shines!
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Do you want to worship and pray anytime 24/7?
Many of you already know that the prayer room here at IHOP in Kansas City is now FREE! Click on the title of this blog to go there, or the link below.
http://www.ihop.org/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=1000058181
http://www.ihop.org/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=1000058181
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Who needs an alarm clock?
Gotta love my cat, Toby. Of course each morning, he comes into my bedroom, crying and meowing for his breakfast...way too early, mind you. So, this morning, even with my earplugs in, I heard his cries and completely ignored him. Then, the next thing I know, I am hearing what I think are things falling in the bathroom.
I pull out my earplugs and again, things tumbling...or so I thought. Nope, I know that sound....the sound of birds wings, frantically trying to escape!
Yep, Toby, my hunter boy, caught his first MO bird today and brought it in to my bedroom's bathroom...probably wanted to show mommy what a great hunter he is and at the same time, wake me up! I've been here before...bird in house, that is. So, I found a towel, and was able to capture the poor thing, in my shower stall as it cowered on the floor of the stall, and release it back to the wild.
Hadn't really planned on writing a spiritual application, but as I'm sitting here, I feel like the Lord is giving me one, so here you go:
Yes, Toby is acting out of instinct, but the picture is relevant. How often do we think we are doing a good thing, doing the right thing, but what we do is actually harmful and destructive? From our perspective, this is what "needs" to be done. It's only when we see the flying feathers and the bird poop on the walls, floor and shower stall, that we realize that the choices we've made have harmed someone or caused some sort of destruction. It could be a financial decision we've made that has landed us or someone else in a mess; or maybe it's a relationship choice we've made where our actions have brought hurt and harm to others, even though we thought it was the best choice for us.
Toby has an excuse: he's a cat. He's acting on instinct. We, on the other hand, have no excuses. Oh, we can blame our sinful nature, or better yet, the enemy of our souls, but in the end, God gave us a will and we exercise it daily. Am I willing to take a hard look at the "birds" I may have harmed in the process of doing what I thought was the right thing to do? More importantly, am I willing to do the hard work of clean up? Or will I just let the feathers and poop stay where they are and walk away?
Food for thought....
I pull out my earplugs and again, things tumbling...or so I thought. Nope, I know that sound....the sound of birds wings, frantically trying to escape!
Yep, Toby, my hunter boy, caught his first MO bird today and brought it in to my bedroom's bathroom...probably wanted to show mommy what a great hunter he is and at the same time, wake me up! I've been here before...bird in house, that is. So, I found a towel, and was able to capture the poor thing, in my shower stall as it cowered on the floor of the stall, and release it back to the wild.
Hadn't really planned on writing a spiritual application, but as I'm sitting here, I feel like the Lord is giving me one, so here you go:
Yes, Toby is acting out of instinct, but the picture is relevant. How often do we think we are doing a good thing, doing the right thing, but what we do is actually harmful and destructive? From our perspective, this is what "needs" to be done. It's only when we see the flying feathers and the bird poop on the walls, floor and shower stall, that we realize that the choices we've made have harmed someone or caused some sort of destruction. It could be a financial decision we've made that has landed us or someone else in a mess; or maybe it's a relationship choice we've made where our actions have brought hurt and harm to others, even though we thought it was the best choice for us.
Toby has an excuse: he's a cat. He's acting on instinct. We, on the other hand, have no excuses. Oh, we can blame our sinful nature, or better yet, the enemy of our souls, but in the end, God gave us a will and we exercise it daily. Am I willing to take a hard look at the "birds" I may have harmed in the process of doing what I thought was the right thing to do? More importantly, am I willing to do the hard work of clean up? Or will I just let the feathers and poop stay where they are and walk away?
Food for thought....
Monday, May 03, 2010
Thoughts from Sunday's service
Home-run hitter Stephen Venable brought truth to us again this Sunday from the pulpit. Here are a few thoughts which are worth pondering:
"The thought of a worship movement is so irrelevant to us because the infinite worth of Christ hardly shapes our reality."
"In order to understand night and day worship both now and at the end of the age, we must see that God's chief end in all things is His own glory."
"The fact that the concept of a global worship movement is often met with such indifference and skepticism reveals: 1) How deeply disconnected we are from God's ultimat purpose; 2) How deeply we misunderstand what man was created for; 3) How little zeal we have for His name."
"The thought of a worship movement is so irrelevant to us because the infinite worth of Christ hardly shapes our reality."
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Check out last night's Awakening service
Click on the title of this blog and you will get to enjoy part of April 30, 2010 Awakening service at IHOP! If it doesn't work, go to http://www.ihop.org/ and click on Awakening services and go to the archives for that date, 9:00 p.m. You can move forward on the long grey bar at the bottom of the picture to about 20 minutes into the service! What a great night of celebrating!
http://cmp.ihop.tv/gp.php?pid=4LeAnhJQTCKI0Gq86ns_RJSJ53pNThae
http://cmp.ihop.tv/gp.php?pid=4LeAnhJQTCKI0Gq86ns_RJSJ53pNThae
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)