Living life and serving God
What is your approach to spiritual formation and discipleship?
I once knew a man who lived by the focus "to know Him and make Him known."
Others choose "loving others," "a heart of service," "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength."
So how are you living life and serving God?
Who gets to present their understanding, their way with certain finality as ‘the approach?’ Rather than the discovery of another set of useful tools to place into their toolbox?
If you're honest, your journey with God throughout your life will take twists and turns. Different circumstances, seasons of your life will bring new revelations of God, new ways to follow Him, new qualities of His character for you to know better, new aspects of your life to cultivate. A part of our responsibility is to invite those who journey with us to see and consider these insights. We cultivate new disciplines, at times immerse in them, reflect on them or focus and at times to discard them moving on to whatever new thing God is doing in our lives or around us, at other times simply rest in a God who loves us.
Yet we point those who journey with us to pursue the course God has set before them as a part of the body of Christ. The body of Christ is extraordinarily diverse and there are unique merits in each of the many ways of following Jesus as we are pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Who would have the arrogance to say “my quest in following Jesus has found the quick fix, one-size-fits-all, controllable technique for the journey of faith in this spiritual, abundant life?”
- May we be encouraged to continue to stretch our thinking, yet realize God has made each of us in a unique way.
- Let us become aware of a wider array of spiritual formation options for our journey of faith and passionately find what we need for this season.
- Never stumbling into the mistake that any part is the whole, with an open and teachable spirit gaining fresh insights from the Word of God, the people we meet and the things God gives us to digest.
- Be lifted from any spiritual ruts to embrace fully a greater passion for Christ and a greater desire to participate in His loving purpose for our life and His kingdom.
- Be reminded to appreciate the manifold legacy that has been bequeathed to us by those who have gone before.
- Walking faithfully into our expanded horizons and moving beyond our comfort zones, apathy and myopic vision through faith and obedience.
- Discovering the greatness of the adventure of being conformed to the image of His Son, as we respond to God’s gracious initiatives to trust the person and work of Jesus Christ.
The Heart of Art
Mim, the Dragon
A detailed handcrafted sculpture, craved from clay with added attributes of scales and slip.
Mythical Vase
Created through the coil method with coil details remaining in the dragon handles as well as the stem of the vase.
Urvile, the badger
Created and named in honor of my ceramic teacher who wanted my animals to have more "expression"... U R Vile being the exact pronunciation of this piece's name.
I was reading in Brennan Manning's book "The Signature of Jesus" and he asks this question "Are you called to radical discipleship?"
That is a good question. In my class over the next few weeks we'll be looking at the answer to that question as well as various definitions for "radical discipleship."
Lessons from Captain Jack Sparrow and My Pastor
Today I was challenged with these words by my pastor:
1) Where are you in your life right now spiritually?
2) Where do you want to go?
My pastor went on to speak this question “If you were to arrive at the destination of the direction you are headed where will you be?”
As if to say it’s not about where you want to be but where you will in fact be if you keep heading in the direction which you're going, doing the things you are doing.
I think if I could answer this question "What is it you need from God at this point of your journey?" I might be able to find myself again, find myself in the maze I seem to have wandered into in my mind.
He gave us several things to consider we might need. Maybe to make a recommitment, to ask God for strength, take a season of rest, ask God to help you through a season of doubting, to increase your faith, for direction at a particular crossroads, for God to speak into some situation or into the storm of your life or to reawaken your passion to be a Christ Follower.
In one of the Pirate movies Captain Jack Sparrow explains to Elizabeth that the compass he has is broken, in that it doesn’t point north. But it does point towards what you most desire. What would Jack’s compass direct you to? What do you most desire?
It was similar. The theme was similar even though the challenging word came from different sources. And I wondered – if I held such a compass in my hands what would the arrow point towards???
Would you obey God if it cost you everything?
It sounds like an easy question. The answer should be obvious to any follower of Jesus.
Would you obey God if it cost you everything?
Everything, everyone... would you obey knowing it will cost you everything? Would you obey and continue to obey when it gets harder not just on you but on the people you care about, those around you, when you are obedient to God? In the Exodus we have a picture Israel's labor increased because of the obedience of Moses and Aaron to what God had directed them to do.
5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.' " 2 But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go." 3 Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work ? Get back to your labors !" 5 Again Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!" 6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying, 7 "You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 "But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' 9 "Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words." 10 So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I am not going to give you any straw. 11 'You go and get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but none of your labor will be reduced.' " 12 So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The taskmasters pressed them, saying, "Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw." 14 Moreover, the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not completed your required amount either yesterday or today in making brick as previously?" 15 Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal this way with your servants? 16 "There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, 'Make bricks!' And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people." 17 But he said, "You are lazy, very lazy; therefore you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.' 18 "So go now and work; for you will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the quota of bricks." 19 The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble because they were told, "You must not reduce your daily amount of bricks." 20 When they left Pharaoh's presence, they met Moses and Aaron as they were waiting for them. 21 They said to them, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh's sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us." 22 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? 23 "Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all."
When it gets hotter because of your stance of obedience... even if you don't expect deliverance and we have tons of examples in Hebrews 11 & 12 that there isn't always deliverance or rescue. DESPITE the fact that some of our favorite stories show extra-ordinary deliverance, it's not always going to be so. And even if we do get delivered sometimes we have to go through other people's rage and situations that are already hot getting hotter. That's exactly what happened to three young men in the book of Daniel who refused to dishonor God but disobeying him.
8 For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews. 9 They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: "O king, live forever! 10 "You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre , trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image. 11 "But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. 12 "There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up." 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 "Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre , trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?" 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 Then these men were tied up in their trousers , their coats , their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. 22 For this reason, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. 23 But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.
Have you ever felt that way? Where you would describe the sensation you're experiencing as: falling, while still tied up, into a blazing furnace.
How often we overlook the humanity of the situation. Because it's a story and we've peeked at the end of the story to know how it ends. We don't feel the pain, or the sensations or thoughts THEY must have been experienced and the fact that things got worse. What must they have thought? We overlook that they "fell"... or they were "extra oppressed."
It's easy when life is smooth or when you have a ton of obvious victories under your belt or when you're not standing before a rage-filled face with things heating up to 7 times the normal heat... and the normal heat was enough to kill in and of itself!
It's easy to say "I will obey even if it costs me everything." Of course... but let your children die or be sacrificed, let all you possess be stripped, let your relationships fall into rubble, let there even come where you doubt enough that you question... whether it's a slow drain off or like one strike after another after another after another. Then it's not about your experience, expertise, skill, knowledge, smarts, ability, ingenuity... then it's about none of that mattering... and it comes down to obedience. Why does it sound so simple and easy?
Of course it's in the easy times we make such comments to always obey God regardless of the cost. That's when we answer "YES, I will obey God if it costs me everything." And we pray for God to give us the courage to stay the course and see it through when the trials, testing and life circumstances strike us.
Praise God for his faithfulness!
Listening Prayer in Unreached Areas
They called it “listening prayer.” It sounded intimidating. That’s what I thought going into the mission trip this summer.
Mission trips have a plan. Lots of prayer goes into the decisions of where to go or who to work with and that occurs long before a volunteer team ever arrives. As a volunteer I show up and do what’s already laid out. This time was different as I was brought to a place that has deeply impacted my thinking and my life.
Over twenty years ago several missionary families joined together to teach their children to listen to God. They would take the lessons, scriptures, life experiences and look at them to see what God was saying. The children were instructed to journal with words and/or pictures what God was showing them. Then they learned to share those thoughts with others and to pray for each other as a starting point.
It reminds me of the young boy, Samuel. How sad, it had been so long since anyone had heard the voice of God, Eli didn’t immediately tell Samuel to simply listen. God himself brought “listening prayer” back into the life of Israel through Samuel. I felt young as I stood in Kankalabe, a remote region in Guinea, West Africa. It was as if I were Samuel being told by Eli “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.’ “
Three missionary families joined by five volunteers made up our team. Each missionary had several “ideas” about what we should do with our week in Kankalabe. These families had been in the region for over 2 years with no believers. They knew prayer as a major component of preparing the land and the work of God. It was their belief we should join them first in their weekly time of “listening prayer,” so the entire team could hear from God exactly what He desired us to do with those days.
Our morning started with a corporate time of confession, praise and worship, followed by the simple “listening prayer” instructions. Each person would go off alone with God taking their normal devotional materials, Bible, journal, etc. We would bring several questions before God. “What do You want us to do?” “Where do You want us to do it?” “What do You want to show us?” And “Other,” as occasionally God has no answers for our questions, because He has something else for us to learn or focus on. We would sit before God, read, study, ask our questions and then wait on God. We were to stay alone with God until we had a clear sense that He was finished speaking to us whatever He desired, whether that was 5 minutes or 5 hours. As each person finished they’d come back to the main room remaining in an attitude of prayer and listening until everyone returned. Once the group was re-gathered each person would share whatever God had impressed or revealed to them. Next, there was a time of interpretation. What did we think was the common thread woven into all we’d heard from God individually that He would use to guide us corporately?
Listening prayer is not a new concept. In fact, we could all give testimony to the times we’ve heard from God. Our week in Africa was a keen reminder to me in our fast paced world to find a still place to say ‘Speak Lord, for your servant is listening, Throughout that week I stood in awe of how God spoke, how His people listened, the way He worked and what He accomplished.
Pray for the work in Kankalabe where there are no Fulani believers.
Pray for God to break down the walls in lives around you as you worship Him.
Take time to be still before God and wait patiently to listen to Him.
Friendly Fire?
And when they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed. [23] For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir destroying them completely, and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir,
they helped to destroy one another. - 2 Chron. 20:22-23 (NASB)
Scripture points out how easily the enemy turns against one another. It is a natural thing. Let us learn a better way by the power of the Holy Spirit.For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. [14] For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." [15] But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. [17] For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. [19] Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, [21] envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. [24] Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
[25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [26] Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. - Galatians 5:13-26 (NASB)
