A culture of beggars

A few years back, there was a small movement in christian circles that had people wearing bracelets that said "WWJD" for "What would Jesus do?" It was geared toward works of service for others, ways to treat others, etc. As I draw closer to Jesus, I find myself not asking Him WHAT He would do; I KNOW what He would do (He would love unconditionally. Period.)  Instead, more and more I ask Him HOW He would do something - and I look to scripture whenever I can to give me guidance on things ... things (and especially religious traditions) that for years I just accepted as the way things were done.

Recently, I have noticed that the way we pray for people is not the way He prayed for them, and the way we deal with the sick is most definitely not the way He did.  In case I was mistaken and the idea came up that "Well, that was Jesus. Of course! He had the authority to do that as God the Son!" ... I looked at what He authorized us (as His disciples) to do on His behalf. What I saw shocked me.

Before I share that with you, let me share what I see happening in the church when someone gets sick ... especially very sick.  People start to pray. But they don't pray the way the disciples did.  Here's what I hear typically when Western christians pray for someone who has any kind of need (minus all the "oh Jesus"es, and the endlessly repeated words like "God" and "Father" - He knows Who He is...):

"Would You just touch his body and heal it?"
"Just wrap Your arms around that family (that person) and bless them..."
"Have Your will in their lives, just hold them close..."
"Just pulverize that sickness."
"Just be with the doctors as they operate, just guide their hands..."

Did you catch the word "just"?  Do you know what that is?  It is a beggar's word.  "If you could give me a quarter. Just a quarter. It's not much, it's all I'm asking for."  It conveys the message that the person you are asking is not generous, not compassionate, that you have to work hard to wring even that much from them.

Really.  

Now let's look at what Jesus did and HOW He did it.  We know that He healed people.  But HOW?  

Jesus didn't pray to the Father for people to be healed.  He did it Himself, and in a very specific way.  He spoke - not to the person, but - to the sickness. The sickness was invading that person's body (or spirit) and He told it to get out.  Plain and simple.  And it left. No ifs, ands or buts.

Now before you raise your objections, (because I had the same ones!) let me remind you that Jesus divested Himself of His divine powers when He became human.  He only operated in His ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit, and in doing so, He demonstrated that any other human being on the planet can do it too.  And then (get this) He explicitly authorized His disciples to do the same.  Look at Matthew 10:8, which is near the beginning of Jesus' instructions to the disciples to go out and preach the good news to the towns and villages surrounding them.  "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you have received, freely give."  

Photo "Boy Patient In Hospital"
courtesy of Sura Nualpradid at
www.freedigitalphotos.net

He didn't say, "Pray for the sick to be healed, pray for the dead to be raised..." and so forth.  He said, "Do it."  He implied that they had the authority to do it (in His name.) And so they did.  They had every authority over sickness, leprosy, demon-possession and death that Jesus had as a human being filled with the Spirit.  He gave the same authority to the seventy whom He sent out two by two.  And on the day of Pentecost, He ensured that the same dynamite power - the Holy Spirit - who was in Him, now could inhabit and control us the same way He did for Jesus ... with the same results! 

What the western church tells us is that we are so unworthy, such worms, that we don't have the right to raise our eyes to Heaven.  We need to smash that idol of self-hatred and unworthiness that we have fashioned in the name of spirituality and humility. It is NEITHER.  And we christians have forgotten our heritage as sons and daughters of the most high God.  We aren't to use that heritage to selfishly amass fortunes for ourselves, but rather to stand - loved, freed, and holy in His sight - to stand on behalf of those who are laid aside through sickness, oppression, and yes, even death. We are authorized to speak to that problem - directly TO it - and know that it will go because He has authorized us to be His voice, to be His hands extended. 

Look through the gospels. Look in the book of Acts.  It is there, over and over again.  Speak to the problem.  Command the sickness to go.  

And before you cite the case of the demoniac child whose father cried, "I believe! help my unbelief!" where Jesus said, "This kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting..."  Think.... had Jesus just been fasting?  Did He pray to God right there for a half-hour or two hours and ask for God to cast out the demon?  NO.  It's clear that by this He meant a lifestyle of prayer (that is, communion with God in intimacy) highlighted by fasting - which is meant to focus the person on pressing in to God, not to get something out of Him but to feel closer TO Him.  

It is time for us as believers to put the big C back into the word Christian. To remember that "as He is, so are we in this world." (1 Jn. 4:17).  We need to realize just how deeply, just how intensely and unconditionally He loves us, to shed our dragon-skin of religious self-demeaning ritual, and that beggar's mentality that dares not ask for more than scraps. We need to rid ourselves of the "oh please please please please please" - endless repetitions that essentially say that we don't believe that God is good.  Or that He loves us unconditionally. Let's rise up to our heritage and to our calling as believers.  Let's go about doing good.  Let's change our culture for the better ... not only for our own good but for the good of the people who so desperately need GOOD news.

Until Morning

This week has been a sad one. 

Two wonderful ladies I've known for a very long time both passed away this week.

The first was one of the first women to take me under her wing when I first started exploring the world of the Spirit-filled life, about 32 years ago. Jean was ... unique. There was such an inner thrill in her - and it didn't take long to figure out why. Her joy when she sensed God moving in someone's life just bubbled out of her like large bubbles coming up to the surface from deep inside. Her passion for people to be free, her perseverance and power in prayer, and her willingness to do whatever God said, when He said, for however long He said, was phenomenal. 

The thing I'll miss most about her, though, is the way she would give what I came to call her "holy hugs."  She'd wrap her arms around me and start to pray in the Spirit ... then she'd sense God's presence and she'd start to chuckle, a low, deep sound that reminded me of toffee cooking on the stove. She'd squeeze tighter as her joy just overflowed; I couldn't help but be touched. 

The same thing would happen when she hugged others as well. Her joy was contagious; people couldn't help but be affected. 

When I heard that she had passed away this past week, I felt sad - not for her but for me. She is happier, freer than she's ever been. But down here won't quite be the same without her.

Photo "Lighthouse At Sunset" by
Serge Bertasius Phtography at
www.freedigitalphotos.net

Then, this morning, I learned that the second lady had passed away last Friday. I've known this woman for even longer than I knew Jean. 

Elma and her late husband were what I think of when I use the term "salt of the earth." Generous, giving, and accepting, she was in the running to become my mother-in-law at one point (yes, I dated her son for a while) and although nothing ever came of it, I always felt privileged to have met her and her husband, and held a special place in my heart for their whole family. 

She and her husband were so kind to me when I was pregnant with Arielle - and so sick I could barely drag myself out of bed, much less care for a toddler. When I was at my lowest ebb (hours away from being hospitalized for severe dehydration) they came over here and looked after our oldest, did housework and never expected any payment at all.... while I sat on the sofa and cried with mixed helplessness and gratitude. It was just what they did. They did what they could to bless people. And it worked. We were blessed ... beyond belief.

Our girls considered them their honorary grandparents. There was just something about Elma - sweet and humble and gentle, soft-spoken but yet respected (out of love) by her children. 

I will miss her.

Whenever someone passes away who is a believer, especially if that someone is special to me or to my loved ones, I have a habit of drawing something on that date on my calendar - the outline of a setting sun on the horizon. It reminds me of the old gospel song, "Sunset" - the chorus of which goes, "God paints the clouds in the evening sky to show me the way to the palace on high, and stars mark the pathway lest my feet should roam; it's Sunset, and I'm going Home." 

The promise of Heaven is not a hope-so-maybe kind of hope. It's a "know-so" kind of hope - a calm assurance that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I know that Jean and Elma are there - enjoying the bliss of being face-to-face with Jesus. They are in that Never-ending Day - where there is no darkness, no pain, no sorrow, no separation. 

Good night dear ladies. Rest well - enjoy - and I'll see you in the Morning.

Changing Lanes

As 2014 closes, I join millions of people in reflecting on the past year, evaluating my choices over the past year, and making new ones where appropriate.

It's been quite the journey for me, and I've talked about it in previous posts. As I thought about the year, the image of driving a vehicle, especially navigating in unfamiliar territory (perhaps in a strange city) came to my mind - and since I had recently finished watching Season 10 of "Canada's Worst Driver" ... I fixated on lane changes - something that still makes me nervous - as a comparison to the Christian life. 

Like driving, life involves making one choice after another; each one will affect the direction or the speed. I believe that there are a few lessons about driving a vehicle that apply to the choices each of us makes in life, lessons that determine where we go, how fast we get there, and whether we will arrive in one piece. 

On a trip, often there are very few places where we can stop and just turn around. Frequently, we have to make a series of adjustments that involve a very specific skill: changing lanes. This is a very versatile skill. It helps us safely navigate off-ramps, merges, and turning lanes. 

So with that metaphor in mind, here are a few thoughts about changing lanes, which is the first step toward getting where we want to go:

Know where we've been, where we are and where we want to go. Sometimes when we've been travelling in one direction for quite some time, it's hard to be objective about what's been working ... and if our stated destination is really where we want to go. For example, if we've been of the opinion that we need to be at the church building every time the doors are open, attending every meeting, being involved in every ministry, we may not see the fact that we've been spreading ourselves too thinly and we are headed for burnout. We need to discover exactly what God has called us to do, and then do that. This might mean we'll have to give up some things we committed to doing because we thought we "should" ... or someone else thought we'd be good at ... or it was expected because of our job or our family connections. 

That will take some honest questions. It might take us some time; it might just require tuning into our spirits and asking for His guidance. However, it's worth the time it takes to refocus. The joy we may have been missing may be because we've been investing our time into areas to which we are not called. That can sap our energy and lead to a lot of frustration and even resentment.

Photo "Winding Road" by
pixbox77 at
www.freedigitalphotos.net

There is a common misunderstanding in the body of Christ, and that is that if a person is "good at" something, then that is his or her "gift."  And therefore, that is the niche he or she should hold in the church. The problem with that is that God rarely if ever uses someone in the area he or she is best at. His strength is made perfect in weakness. He does this to make it more likely that the person will rely on Him. My point in saying this is that we need to be careful to NOT make assumptions, and to listen carefully to what God is saying. If we ask Him honestly, He will find a way to show us what He wants.


Look for an opening. When we ask God to direct us into what He wants us to do, He will show us by pointing out a spot or a space for us.  If we are already in the place where He wants us, He will find a way to confirm that to us. However, it may be that He wants us to focus our energies on something else. If He does, He'll show us and we need to be expecting Him to do that. If it requires a "lane change", there are certain steps we need to take to ensure that nobody gets hurt (including ourselves):

• Use our mirrors to check the flow of traffic. We need to watch what the others are doing - not to challenge, criticize or copy them, but so as not to impede their progress in their own path. That way, there will be no collision, and the transition - if any - can take place smoothly.
  
• Check our own blind spot. This is where we can most easily get broadsided. It's our vulnerable place, where our wills and those of others can collide, so it's important to make sure that we know for sure that we don't jump the gun and change lanes too quickly, even if it means that we have to let someone else pass us. Even if we need to take a lower place, it's better to do that, and have God move us up, than to take a place of prominence and find ourselves unprepared.
  
• Slip into the spot God has opened up for us (easily, naturally, because if it's Him it will be!) and go with the flow... of the Spirit. Trying to do anything in our own strength is a sure recipe for disaster. And honestly, why would we even try? We have His grace and power to rely on, and He will work everything together for good - the greatest good ever: making us more and more like Jesus!! (see Romans 8:28, 29) 

Keep checking. It is easy to settle into a routine after we have been doing something for / with God for a while. We are tempted to coast: "Hey God, I think I got this, it's okay." The thing is, He IS the road. He IS the map. He IS everything! We need to keep reminding ourselves that He is our source at all times. And He hates being pegged; He never does the same thing the same way twice. So ... let's buckle up because He might decide to just switch things up and take us on an adventure we never expected!! 

Or, He just might ask us to pull over and take a rest from time to time.

We just never know. But that's okay. Because He does.

Organisms and Organization

One of the more popular ways to "do" church (oh I could write a whole blog on that one!) is to have small groups. 

Small groups are more intimate. People get to know one another. They can pray for each other. In principle, that is. 

The early church thrived and spread on the back of small groups.

However, I really don't think that they had people sign up for them based on interest, or age, or socioeconomic status, or education level, or whatever other kind of pigeon-hole one might slot people into. 

No, their small groups grew. They were organisms. They were alive.

There was no "structure." People got together - as often as they could - because they wanted to share how wonderful Jesus was in their lives. They were bubbling up inside with His love and they loved talking about it with people who understood! They were full of stories about how God used them since the last time they met (usually the previous day or the day before that) to spread the Good News, and they were eager to share what God was teaching them about how wonderful He was and how much He loved them. Songs would spring up spontaneously. There was no "order of service," no "topic." They'd share a meal together - nothing fancy - not trying to outdo each other (like I've seen happen in some places.) The point wasn't the food; the point was Jesus!

The groups didn't get "established" or "assigned." There was one group, and if the group got too big and risked attracting attention by the religious authorities (there's another blog post... but not now...) God already had it set up because there was usually a group within the group that just gravitated toward each other (something like a baby growing inside the mother's womb). It would split off (naturally, not by argument!) and another small group was born. Each one was called a church. Paul often closed his letters by sending his greetings to this or that one, "and the church that is in his house." 

What happened? Where did these alive, vibrant organisms go? 

Photo "Center Of Church" courtesy
of Keerati at
www.freedigitalphotos.net

Around 300 AD, the emperor Constantine "converted" to Christianity. Suddenly this new sect of Judaism was 'in vogue' and had the backing of the money and power of Rome. 

Abraham Lincoln said something like, "Nearly every man can stand adversity, but if you want to test his character, give him power." THAT - in my opinion - is what happened to these beautiful, tender, alive communities. Groups now could get bigger. The intimacy was lost. People started thinking in the mind-set of the world: "we have to get organized." "Someone should look after the children." "Someone should lead the singing." "We should set a time to take up a collection." "We should get Mr. X to speak - I wonder what he'll talk on this time?" The Holy Spirit - instead of being the orchestrator of the gatherings, quietly said, "I guess you feel you don't need My anointing anymore. So I'll just go somewhere that does." 

Without the anointing of the Spirit, without the connection with other people and the excitement of sharing how good God was with each other, the church just became another compartment of people's lives, and it changed from being an organism and became an organization.

That's the thing about organizing an organism. When you start cutting off parts and reorganizing them so they'll "fit" ... the organism bleeds to death.

And on and on it has gone for centuries. 

And the church has slowly gotten the idea - just in the last little while - that small groups are the way to go. But it's so stuck in the organization mentality that it feels it has to legislate love, regiment relationship, and elicit edification. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. Small groups exist and they have for quite a while; we just don't call them churches or small groups. I've had such wonderful times of true Christian fellowship with one or two other believers over coffee at a doughnut shop or even in chats over Facebook that I (and my companions) have felt built up and energized spiritually: wonderfully so! 

What am I saying? Not that this way or that way is right or wrong - just that perhaps ... PERHAPS we are trying too hard. Perhaps we just need to let it happen naturally, let it live and breathe; don't smother it with trappings and structure and "should" statements. Let it flow naturally from our relationship with God, out of His love and care for us.

This week, perhaps it might be worth your while, my while, to look for opportunities to connect with people in a meaningful way and share what God is talking to us about, not theoretical or esoteric things but rubber-meets-the-road stuff, useful, thoughtful and caring things that speak to the heart and build each other up. 

Who knows? Church just might happen where you least expect it.

An open door

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; 
but often we look so long at the closed door that we
do not see the one which has been opened for us."
                                    ~ ~ Helen Keller

The last few years in my walk with God, I have felt Him leading in a certain direction and I've been looking for opportunities to step into what I believe He wants me to do (at least in part.) I naturally assumed that He would have me do these things in my own local church, but whenever I mentioned it to someone with the power or clout to make something happen in that area, it always fell through.

Numerous times this happened, and I began to get really frustrated because I KNEW I could step into this area and meet a need that I saw. Alas, it was not to be. And then frustration turned to anger when my perception of events and decisions made by those people started to feel ... personal. I even went to the extreme of attributing motives to the people who were involved. 

That's a dangerous occupation. I don't think that this is what is meant by the "gift of discernment." 

Anyway, about six or seven months ago, I again asked the powers that be about this thing i wanted to do, and I got 'no' for an answer. Again. Finally, I just got fed up and said that this was the last time I would ask about it. However, both their decision and my reaction to it didn't sit well with me. I worried over it, gnawed on it like a dog with a bone. And finally, maybe about a month ago, maybe less, I finally made peace with my inner turmoil and let go of what I had thought was God's specific will.

I know people don't name their guitars, but I do.
This is Penelope, named after my 6th grade teacher
whose enthusiasm inspired me.

I (in essence) took the restraints off God's hands. "Okay," I told Him. "I'll give it to You. If You want me to do this, then it'll have to be You that sets it up. I'm done trying to make it happen, thinking that it's Your will. It might still be, but this is ridiculous.  So ... YOU do it." 

And nothing happened. Things stayed the same. Except ... except that I changed. I found myself letting go more and more.

That was right about the time that I was just minding my own business and trying to read some scripture off by myself while the worship team was practicing in the sanctuary one Sunday evening, and in popped the pastor to the office where I was sitting. We struck up a conversation as he was getting more bulletins printed off and folded (I lent a hand). He was organizing a women's conference at the church and he wanted to know if I'd be interested in doing a breakout session at it. 

I told him I'd pray about it .... which I did .... and when no indication came from God to NOT do it, I agreed. It wasn't an area of ministry I'd even considered before. Hence, here was an open door I would not have been able to see if I hadn't given up obsessing on the old one being closed at that time.

And (okay, God's got a sense of humour) today, someone approached me after the Good Friday morning service, and asked me to do the very thing that I had felt God leading me to do for so very long ... in a different church. As a guest. 

Huh. Go figure. 

God speaks

Today my husband and I had a rare treat - to be able to sit under the ministry of someone else with no expectation of us being "in ministry." It's a pleasure we have had to carve out for ourselves and which, truth be told, we plan to do again.

The worship was real, not hyped up - and the music that was the vehicle to worship was provided by just three people and their instruments and voices ... and the willingness and passion to be worshipers in spite of what everyone else did or said. 

And then came the time for the guy at the front to talk. His simple, easy manner made him relate-able ... and love oozed from every fiber of his being; it was irresistible. He spoke on God's desire to speak to us about us, about our families, about things in our experience, and sometimes even about other people. He outlined that it doesn't have to be more complicated or super-spiritual than just asking God to talk to us about what we need to hear. He stressed that the purpose of the kind of messages that God gives us through the Spirit is building up or encouragement, helping us draw nearer to God, and comforting us in our trials. Nothing negative or judgmental in that kind of message.

He gave us a small exercise to do at the end ... a exercise designed to practice what he had been talking about. He asked us to pray to God and request that God show us an object in the room and talk to us about ourselves through that object. And then to open our spiritual ears and listen to what He had to say.

It was one of the most powerful experiences I've had spiritually in a long time. 

"Mandolin" photo courtesy of
lamnee at
www.freedigitalphotos.net

As I looked around the room, expecting God to speak to me through some thing or things, my eyes were drawn to a couple of the instruments that had been used in worship earlier, sitting side by side - a mandolin and a violin. Each was on its stand, waiting for someone to pick it up and use it ... or put it away. I dwelt on the construction of the instrument, what the various parts did, and how the instrument as a whole produced sound.

And God started to speak to me.

I was acutely aware that each instrument was a masterpiece and that each part was designed to enhance the particular sound of the instrument. The neck of the mandolin, for example, was straight and true, and was held in its right place by a steel rod that - though invisible - ensured that the strings did not easily go out of tune. Though small, the whole instrument produced a high, pleasing sound that complimented the lower, more bass sounds in the guitar and the worship leader's voice. It played its part - and when it was not being used, it waited, still in tune in case its owner picked it up. It - in and of itself - was powerless to produce those sounds. Yet it was made to be held, to be cradled close to the heart, and to sing its own song in its own voice when in the Master's hands. That trueness - that in-tune readiness, that powerlessness, was the lesson of the mandolin for me, as well as was the deep luster of several layers of lacquer over the stained wood - all contributing to the richness of the instrument. 

Thanks to kongsky at
www.freedigitalphotos.net
for his photo, "Beautiful Violin"

When I considered the violin sitting next to it on its stand, those lessons repeated themselves ... along with one other. 

I love wood. I love how the richness of the grain comes out when it is stained and how it can be burnished bright to make it shine. Nowhere is this more true than in the craftsmanship in the violin. Intricate carving, expert modeling inside and out, and the beautiful wood's character - personified in the full, aching voice - all make the violin one of my favorite voices in the orchestra. 

This time though, my eyes were drawn to the slits in the wood - to what are known as the f-holes. They are sliced into the thinly planed and shaped body of the violin at strategic points, visible to all, and if this cutting is not done exactly right, it could shatter it.  The violin (if it had feelings) could view such an experience as wounding, marring, even mutilation. There is nothing that can fill those holes; once there, there is no going back. 

And yet, if not for the holes, the sound that came forth (if it came forth at all) would be muffled, muted, even stifled. It is the vibration of the strings against the bow, resonating through the holes into the depths of the instrument and back out again, that gives it its remarkably sweet, expressive, full voice. In a very real way, it is the wounding that enriches the message that the violin speaks. This truth reached down into that wounded place in me and made me understand that it is the "holes" in me that make me God's special instrument to tell His message in ways that I can only begin to imagine and could barely believe. 

Thank You, God.  I needed to hear that.

Goat-herds and shepherds

There is one major difference between a goat-herd and a shepherd, other than the fact that one herds goats and the other herds sheep. (For the purpose of NOT making this post difficult to read by putting a lot of references in to "his or her" - I'll just say "his" - you can assume I also mean "her" if that's what floats your boat.)

It's the manner in which each gets his charges to go where they need to be.  

A young goat-herd motivates his charges to move.

The goat-herd positions himself somewhere to the rear of the group and uses his stick to whack the goats on the side or the backside to drive them in the direction he wants them to go. His means of motivating his goats is external. Basically, he tells them with his stick, "You're not where you should be. Go there. Do that. Stop doing this." 

The shepherd, on the other hand, goes ahead of his flock. He calls to them and moves forward. The sheep trust him and follow willingly. He carries a stick, but it has a crook in the top to rescue the sheep who's caught in a thorn-bush, to hook around its neck or under a leg to pull it to safety. The other end - the rod end - is to ward off enemies; its use is for punishment. Rarely if ever does the shepherd use the rod on his sheep. His way of making the sheep go where he wants is by going there himself first, and they will want to follow; he doesn't have to whack them. They learn to trust the staff as an extension of his loving care for them, and be grateful that the shepherd is there to protect them from the predators with his rod.

In the church, a problem arises when shepherds, entrusted with the care of their flock, act like goat-herds. A sheep treated like a goat will end up acting like a goat: rebellious, inattentive, mistrusting, and stubborn. 

It is indeed frustrating to see people floundering around in their own free will and heading into danger zones. It is frustrating to see empty prayer rooms and altars full of bless-me Christians, overworked people in ministries with nobody to give them any respite, folks with seemingly nothing better to do than criticize those who ARE working their tails off, and interpersonal conflicts that nobody seems to want to resolve, each thinking that it's the other's responsibility to make the first move. The natural tendency is to want to yell at them, shake them, do something to make them behave themselves so that the desired result is produced. The problem is that for the most part, that kind of approach is met with even more of the same. People will become more stubborn, more needy, more selfish. It's the push-push-back reaction. 

It takes something of the divine to launch out in front instead, and show the way, to trust the results to God. For, as if I had to spell it out, it is not the shepherd's job to "make" his flock do anything. Effecting change in someone is not anyone's job but One - the One who is even now interceding on our behalf and who groans within each of us to transform us into better people from the inside out. Leading is a labor of love. And it's also an exercise in trust - trusting God and also trusting the people who are being led. Intimidation, sarcasm, and shame are weapons ... and not ever to be used on the flock. 

Lean on the staff

May I go a step further here and say a personal word about the notion that many leaders have regarding leadership? I am not merely speaking to pastors here. I am also talking to anyone in a position of leadership, from a church ministry to a parent to a coach.

One of the most powerful statements I ever heard from a pastor was this, "Don't be afraid to lead with a limp." He talked about Jacob - the time when he wrestled with someone a lot stronger than he was (who turned out to be what most Bible scholars call a "pre-incarnation manifestation of Jesus") and would not let go until He blessed him. This powerful being touched him in his hip (and blessed him when he would not let go even then, changing his name to Israël), and ever afterward, Jacob walked with a limp. It was a reminder to him that once God touches your life, you are never the same again. But it is also a reminder to us that vulnerability doesn't make you a weaker person; it makes you a stronger one because people see your desire to follow the Master even when it is hard, even when you can't do it as well as someone else might. 

That vulnerability keeps you humble, keeps you depending on God instead of relying on your own strength.  It prevents you from being arrogant and judgmental. 

Paul knew about this too ... most intimately!! He called his "thorn in the flesh" a "messenger of Satan to buffet me." Yet we learn from the book of Job that nothing happens without God's okay. So, when Paul asked that this hindrance be removed, God said NO. It was a sure bet that Paul's thorn in the flesh (whatever it was) hampered his efforts, limited his ability to do what he thought he "should" be doing. (See my series on "shoulds and oughtas" for an in-depth discussion of that whole topic, search for it on Get Unwrapped!) But God wasn't interested in how MUCH Paul did FOR Him but in how much HE could do in PAUL. Bingo. Here is the crux of the matter. God is only interested in conforming us into the image of His Son Jesus (Romans 8:29) and if the truth were told, THAT is the "good" that He causes all things to work together for (vs. 28). 

It's okay if the sheep see you limping, leaning on the staff once in a while. It helps them identify with you. Gone are the days when ministers, parents, and leaders needed to project the image of invulnerability, of "having it all together." That kind of image smacks of authoritarianism ... and makes the rest of us feel as though there's something wrong with us when we get tired, or bored, or frustrated with ourselves, when in fact, those feelings are perfectly normal and human. Or it might make us feel resentful that you seem to expect us to be carbon copies of you, when that's not necessarily what God has called us to be. Perhaps.

I would venture to say that the limp, the vulnerability, the weakness of which you are so ashamed, makes you a better leader. It gives you compassion. It helps you remember that the process of self-improvement ... or sanctification if you want to call it that ... is just that - a process. It isn't a destination and it is no human's responsibility to produce that in anyone else's life. It is an outflow of a relationship with God that bursts out of its little box and takes over more and more of an individual's life. It spills out over all other relationships: with self, with others. It is not your responsibility to make that happen. Quite frankly, it is God's.  He's been doing it for a very long time. He's probably qualified. ;)

So perhaps it's better to follow the Good Shepherd, pay attention to your own spiritual growth, and just live your life. He'll take care of the rest. And along the way, some people might see you following Him, and they might do the same, in a way that is unique to them. 

So much the better.

Spiritual Superstars

I have what I call spidey-senses.  I don't know if anyone else does - probably so, although they'd call it something different - but when my mind tells me that I'm in danger, I feel a tingling, a prickling inside, something that tells me things are not right, that there's something to be avoided or stopped, that I need to watch it or I'll get hurt.  Or that something is just plain wrong with the whole situation. 

I get it when I feel like I'm being watched.  Or when I walk into a crowd of people (I have demophobia) - or when I hear some dude on the TV talking about the end of the world and starting to set specific dates and knowing that people are going to actually believe that nonsense and send the guy money!! 

My spidey-senses also tingle when I hear people talk about this or that spiritual leader as if there is some sort of special, one-of-a-kind gift this person has.  The statement, "We need to have this person come here or we need to go where he or she is, in order for God to work in our lives (or in our church)," makes my skin crawl.  It implies that the person talking thinks that this 'gifted' person has some kind of corner on God's presence, that ordinary people like us can't get in touch with Him.  

I remember our pastor warning us about this mentality a couple of years back - this "clergy vs laity" idea that is insidious in our religion (and by religion I mean man-made rules)-based church culture.  This is the idea that the clergy (or those 'gifted' people) have the call and the anointing of God on their lives and that the laity (or the rest of us) don't.  The outflow of such a belief is that the laity sits back and lets the clergy do the work of preaching, visiting the sick, and so forth (thus leading to high levels of burnout in the ministry) - all the while thinking only the clergy is qualified to do what God wants done. It also tends to arrogance in the clergy and in laziness (starting to believe the accolades of men), and to subservience and the "herd mentality" in the laity - which inevitably leads to disillusionment when the leader or the "gifted one" inevitably falls into scandal.

Got this picture HERE

I've been speculating about the source of this mentality.  I believe it's a basic insecurity about some folks' ability to have a vital relationship with God that is what's behind this tendency they have to think that this or that person has a "revival anointing" or "prophetic ministry" or "healing ministry."  Or whatever.  

Perhaps it's "Old Testament" thinking - where God's presence seemed to rest on one particular person for a specific period of time for a certain task.  

But when the New Testament came along - that is, when Jesus brought in the New Way and the Holy Spirit became accessible to all believers... every believer not only has the potential but actually IS a priest.  IS a saint.  IS a child of God - not just in the generic sense but in the adoptive sense (the adoption papers signed in blood at Calvary and sealed at the bodily resurrection of Jesus!) 

It is part of human nature to want to fixate on something we can see, on someone we can see, rather than to have a relationship with Someone we can't see.  That's why the human race, in the journey of faith, has always had its superstars: Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, Elijah, the apostles, and so forth - but these people would have been the first to admit that it had nothing to do with their abilities or their "giftedness" that they were instruments in God's hand to accomplish His work.  No, they'd more likely say that it was God's choice, and God's initiative, not theirs.  That they were just ordinary people and the real extraordinary Person was God Himself.  That anyone could have that relationship with God - and be just as much an instrument in His hand, and that it doesn't take greatness to do that. 

It takes a realization of HIS greatness.  An understanding that HE is the only True Superstar.  That people are merely people, and as such, fallible.  I can respect the office someone holds, yes.  I can recognize that ministers or church leaders have a responsibility before God to watch over me and to give account of their own actions concerning me.  But it doesn't mean that I put them up on pedestals and assume that they have "the goods" and I don't.  Or that I can only fly with the assistance of their spiritual superstar cape. 

From the very beginning of human history, God has invited humans into relationship with Him - even in the time of Moses, that was His original plan.  But the people didn't want that.  They wanted God to speak to Moses and MOSES to speak to them.  They were afraid of that kind of all-pervasive intimacy.  

Am I?  Am I afraid that if I were to embrace God the way He so desires, that I would be consumed? Do I believe it's safer to ride someone else's coattails into His presence?  

Am I willing to worship and to serve only the True Superstar?

Assembling together

"Forsaking not the assembling of yourselves together,
 and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching." 
       - Hebrews 10:25 KJV

I've heard the above verse all my life used - usually - as a weapon to keep people coming to church, and I never questioned that application of it, until recently.  Before I start discussing it, I want to make absolutely clear that I am not advocating the abandonment of church attendance, just a more broad application of the meaning of the verse.

Of late, I've been more and more convinced that Hebrews 10:25 is not just about going to church every time the doors are open.

Here's why.  In the early days of Christendom, there weren't any church buildings ... and as I have searched the New Testament, I can find NO reference to people worshiping together or having set church gatherings on a Sunday or even a Saturday.  Especially with a prescribed "order of service" like we have today.  No, the church was being persecuted heavily and couldn't afford the luxury of gathering in large groups.  People met in each other's homes or in secluded spots, in twos and threes usually, so as to avoid detection by the authorities.  Once in a while, (and I doubt that it would be once a week or even once a month!) people would gather in groups larger than that, and it would be the Spirit who would tell them what was going to happen and when. 

The only reference that I can see to the "once a week" idea is this: Paul mentioned one time to believers in one of the churches he wrote to, instructions to set aside some money on the first day of the week in order to be able to meet the needs of those in their circle or perhaps missionaries who needed support and financial aid.  He said nothing about gathering together at that time, just of setting money aside.  

Great photo.  Found HERE

I'll be brutally honest here.  While God has used this and that person or this and that sermon or song done in a church service in order to do His work in me, the vast majority of my spiritual growth is done OUTSIDE the walls - sometimes alone, sometimes in connection and fellowship with one or two close friends as we share together the good things God is teaching us.  I've experienced more "church" (in the original sense of the word) over coffee or a meal, or even in a non-church setting such as a 12-step group, than I would have had in a church building with all the bells and whistles of today's accepted format in the company of a hundred or so people with whom I have nothing in common except ummmm, Hebrews 10:25 and the collective guilt over NOT going and "doing the right thing."  You know the format I'm talking about; first there's singing, then offering and announcements, then sermon, then singing again, with an emphasis on following the directions of the person who has the microphone - instead of the One who gave it all for us, and calls us to intimacy with Him. 

Of course you understand that I'm making generalizations here.  (Please see my first paragraph).

I rather think that we've also forgotten the "so much the more" part - if gathering together in twos and threes, sometimes as many as five or six people, is what the early church did - I can see how it would be possible and even edifying to meet more frequently, not to posture or to trot our our spirituality, but to show each other the love of Christ.  How it would be beneficial to build relationships (not to just face front with dozens of others and listen to one or two people talk), get to know each other, share things with each other that are happening in our lives, be there for each other, pray for (and with) each other, and laugh and cry with each other. 



That kind of love-in-action would be worth assembling together "so much the more."

Whose voice is that?

Sometimes I hear about people wanting to do outlandish things in the name of God.  Not just going across the street and talking to their neighbor (many of them wouldn't even consider THAT!!) No, I'm talking about leaving home and family, going to a very dangerous place and risking orphan-hood for one's children, seemingly just to prove a point and get outside one's comfort zone in a big way.  

God's in the habit of getting people outside their comfort zone, that's for sure.  Lots of people in history have stepped into some pretty uncomfortable places to do things that they were sure God had told them to do. The thing with that though, is that when God took the initiative and contacted them, they wanted to be SURE that it was God.  Gideon is a prime example. 

Now Gideon gets a bad rep for putting out that fleece. You know what? I think he was really smart.  I think that he had to be SURE that it was God talking because this was a big step he was going to take, delivering Israel from the occupying Midianites (who were some really nasty-and-not-nice folks, burning people's crops and killing their children, stealing their livestock, things like that.) God hadn't actually spoken to anyone through an angel since Joshua - several generations past - so Gideon was pretty insistent that he be sure it was God talking or he wasn't going to budge. That's a wise move, because he knew that things were going to get tough!! No way was he going to risk his life for someone other than God. And God NEVER condemned him for his fleeces, for they were set out with a burning desire to know the truth! 

Once convinced, though - nothing, no setback, no obstacle was enough to make Gideon doubt his calling.  He lived up to what the angel called him on the first day (ironically, while he was threshing wheat in a pit, at night, for fear of being discovered by the Midianites): "Mighty man of valor."  God came through for him, that time and every time.

But sometimes - these days when we are so steeped in tradition and complacency, when there seems to be no direction (or we just don't wait on God long enough to hear it) - some people just get fed up with the status quo and decide to take matters into their own hands.  They get this idea in their heads of doing great exploits, of making their mark, of challenging their limits, and nothing or no one can dissuade them that it is not God's will.  So they plow ahead and ask Him to bless their well-laid plans.     

This is insanity, pure and simple.  I wonder sometimes if these people are really only carrying out their grandiose schemes for shock value, to make a splash, rather than to really seek to do God's will.  The Scriptures make it clear: if God wants something done, He will provide the way; we won't have to chase after people and beg them to help us, fund us, or whatever.  We won't have to design a website, take out a full-page ad, go on the campaign trail, and/or do a telethon and play on people's sense of guilt and shame. God will open doors and HE will be better at it than we could ever be.  

If I hear a voice or get an impression telling me to do something completely radical that will affect not only my life but my husband's and/or my kids', I'd like to think that I would be more inclined to ask God for confirmation, like Gideon did, and more than just once!  It's not wrong to ask, "Is this really You? Show me in a way that I will know for sure!"  And, "If this is not You - show me that too, because unless You lead the way, I don't want to go any further."  

If the voice I hear isn't God's but my own imagination of what I think He wants (or someone else's idea, could be another believer's and it could even be the enemy's!) - and I go ahead like gangbusters - I am guaranteed that I will fall flat on my face.  It's a sure thing.  That's why I would want to be absolutely sure of His leading.  And if it is Him... I would want Him to lead the rest of the way too, instead of me going off half-cocked and lousing up what He started.  And I have.  Way too often. 

It's so much better to be able to know and recognize His voice when He speaks.  The more we recognize it, the faster we can get to the letting-Him-lead part.  

And that's the exciting stuff. 

Belittled

I attended a church service this morning where God was present. I know He's present everywhere, yes.  But in that service, His presence was tangible.  Nobody could deny that His touch was on it and on those who were ministering, working through them to carry the message of His love, His grace, His power to those in attendance and beyond.  

The participants truly were worshiping, connecting with God, and operated in unity and power in a way that is impossible without the unifying and powerful presence of God.  

And guess what else!!  Ninety percent of those who ministered ... were children.  

Remember those cutesy Christmas pageants with carefully rehearsed recitations and prizes given for perfect attendance and so forth?  This was nothing like that.  These kids were LEADING in worship.  They were setting the example.  They were showing the Way.  

Source (via Google Images of course):
http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html

Somewhere along the way we got the idea that because children are small and inexperienced with the hard knocks of life, that they are incapable of experiencing God.  I've heard people talk about them as having "little feelings" or as they get older, a "little job."  Even the idea that we have to clap for these kids when they do something in church (like for example, sing a solo or recite a scripture) seems based on that "Aww, isn't that cute" mentality.  

But today was different.  Today I got a glimpse of the potential, the possibilities.  I really got to see how backward we've gotten it for such a long time. After all, Jesus said we adults had to become like little children, yet for decades they've been populating the back seats of our assemblies, bored out of their skulls, or relegated to kids' programs that more resemble glorified babysitting than any kind of training for ministry.  It's almost as though they've been on the outside looking in, not "getting" what we were there for, and now ... these kids are excited, passionate, dedicated, and devoted to God.  Watching them operate in the Spirit was absolutely phenomenal. I was in tears half the time because I sensed the same Presence coming through their ministry as I have sensed in other gatherings when God has shown up. 

Dismissing someone, not taking someone seriously because he or she is not talented enough, beautiful enough, old enough, rich enough, or anything enough - belittles not only the person but the God we say we worship.  I've had the privilege of being in ministry right alongside some of these kids.  I Love It.  They have such a spirit of acceptance and willingness to them.  They've taught me more than they'll ever know.  God has mightily used them - and continues to do so - to break past those pre-conceived barriers I and so many other Christian adults have put up.  

The children are stepping up to the plate while some of us have never even gotten to the batting cage.  Rather than feel guilty or jealous, it just spurs me on, inspires me to press in deeper with God and know Him.  And to let Him know me - but that is another post for another time.