Today the focus for some reason for me has been on Healing—Wholeness--Restoration. I was reading in John 5:1-18 and was struck by the paralytic’s inability to make it to the healing waters for 38 years. 38 years of believing a part of him can’t be healed. Yet, deep in him there was a speck of belief that healing was possible. I often wonder if we realize after many layers of scars and wounds and the passing of considerable time, if we have resigned ourselves that there is not healing available for a portion of our souls. Healing physically is one thing, yet another is spiritual and emotional soul healing.
Last week I was cleaning up some boxes of stuff I had in my uncles basement and came across a “personal and confidential” torn, battered box. These were letters and notes from my parents, siblings, friends, and relationships I hadn’t looked at in 20 years. A lot of emotions flooded in me I didn’t know was still there. In there was a lot of joy, but a lot of it was pain from my past that hadn’t been brought out in many years. I think God for some reason took me supernaturally into some of those journal entries, letters, and notes for a reason. A part of me had to go into the pain to be healed from the pain, and find deeper wholeness and restoration in God. A part of me had to repent for some things and turn to God for even deeper trust and healing. A part of me knew to find the healing waters I had to let Jesus enter my heart and soul even deeper.
God knows the deeper needs of our hearts. That is why Jesus asks an even deeper, startling question “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6) Are you willing to take a deeper look underneath the trunk and let God seep into the crevices of your soul where healing needs to happen? When you let those healing waters of grace and peace into those deep crevices, it is no wonder we leap for joy and take up our mat and walk and tell the world of God’s amazing and saving love.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Oh Joy...
Hi all,
As I began my day, I found myself thinking "oh joy, another day of deprivation" referring the the fasting component of this experience. This thought then got me to thinking about God's will and our will. How somehow, surrendering one's own will feels like depriving oneself. I need to remind myself that less is not always less.... less can be more. I need to focus on the gifts of God and those of the Holy Spirit rather than trying to compartmentalize God according to my world and my will.
Char
As I began my day, I found myself thinking "oh joy, another day of deprivation" referring the the fasting component of this experience. This thought then got me to thinking about God's will and our will. How somehow, surrendering one's own will feels like depriving oneself. I need to remind myself that less is not always less.... less can be more. I need to focus on the gifts of God and those of the Holy Spirit rather than trying to compartmentalize God according to my world and my will.
Char
Reflection
I recently read Max Lucado's Facing Your Giants: A David and Goliath Story for Everyday People. As I read, I couldn't help but be in awe of David's faith. Things didn't often go right for David, but he never lost faith. I aspire to be like that. As I read Psalm 16 tonight, I kept coming back to verse 9. "Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." Oh, if it could only be that easy for me. I'm a chronic worrier, one of the many things I inherited from my mother; I get shaken very easily. For example, today I read that suspected cases of salmonella are being linked to raw tomatoes, and I knew we were having tacos for dinner. Guess who didn't want to have tomatoes on her taco? Yes, extreme I know, but that's me. Now most of my worries are related to what I feel are the bigger things in life. After all, we each have our own personal Goliaths (and don't worry, I didn't actually consider the tomatoes a Goliath) to face, but I took comfort in these words that Lucado kept repeating in his book: "Focus on giants - I stumble. Focus on God: My giants tumble." It's become a mantra for me, along with the following phrase from one of Joel Osteen's books: "Stop talking to God about how big your mountains are, and start talking to your mountains about how big your God is." I know that God is bigger than any Goliath I could ever face on this earth, but sometimes I feel so weak. I take comfort in the strength and the peace that this Pentecost experience is providing me.
Distractions and Focus...
I came home last night, rather frustrated. Here's what worked it's way into my journal.
It never ceases to amaze me how easily distracted I can get. I’m supposed to be working at focusing my daily, sometimes vacant thought and emotion on Christ, right? Ok… I can do that. Oh really? Let’s try. Just today, I started a new job. My commute to Chicagoland immediately got the better half of me. The lengthy, but reasonable drive in the morning was supposed to be my outlet, my charging place, my time to let God help me start the day. A driver cut me off, the toll road quickly turned into a trap, it became every frustration that I let it. Curses, moans, glares and scowls were soon all I could hear above my blaring music. Christ… my savior… God… my father… right… umm, not right now, I can’t think in this traffic jam. Maybe if everything around me weren’t so noisy, I could just let him into my life like I once did so dearly. After an arduous day of policies, paperwork and professionalism, I drove home in shame. Could I have been any more deliberate in turning my back to God? As I rolled along, I remembered the words of Paul, teaching me to “be in this world, but not of it.” How can I glorify him if I’m of my surroundings? My loud music, cursing at stopped cars and outright ignorance make it impossible. I’ve been thinking about the great commission quite a bit recently. What would happen if I took his helping hand and “went forth making disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey?” This is how I can focus on him, I know it is. If I just opened my heart to those irritating little things all around me, how much more could my vacant thought and emotions grow towards God? Tearing myself away from this daily recharging opportunity in the morning is merely a detriment. God loves me, and there is no way I can work at understanding that when I’m building my frustrations on the material road around me. Let go, I need to tell myself. Listen… charge. Tomorrow morning, I’ll try this all over again. I need to build my day upon my rock, not the worldly emotions that have sometimes carried me away. Lord, I pray that you will give me the strength and patience to just listen… to your words, and to you working in people’s hearts. I took a sour step this morning, but with confidence, I can put the right foot ahead tomorrow morning. In your name…
Joy Continued...
Ok, then I was reading this leadership blog and today they were talking about praying for your pastors. I will admit I like that and could have prayer bathed over me more often. Regardless, here is a quote, I kid you not about leadership and Joy:
"Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you... " Hebrews 13: 17
Most of the time ministry is a sheer JOY, but there are times that burdens become extremely strong and overwhelming...
JOY-JOY-JOY!
"Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you... " Hebrews 13: 17
Most of the time ministry is a sheer JOY, but there are times that burdens become extremely strong and overwhelming...
JOY-JOY-JOY!
JOY-JOY-JOY!
Hi Friends in Christ,
Man, this experience has been awesome for me! Today, God brought to me needing to be filled with more JOY. Not, that I don’t have a lot of JOY, but the JOY that comes from God’s presence. Here are a few of my journal entries and the scripture verses I used for today:
Psalm 16. (vs. 11 especially) “In thy presence there is fullness of JOY.” God help me find even deeper JOY in my heart. In my tiredness, my seriousness, my working so hard to please, I realize that sometimes the JOY that is in front of me is zapped. The JOY of a baby boy’s curiousity, the JOY of the beautiful flowers spring up everywhere, the JOY of my wife’s companionship and beauty, the JOY of a home cooked meal, the JOY of a walk on our property…JOY, JOY, JOY.
Psalm 91. (the familiar Eagle’s Wings psalm) It is so awesome to know that God bears us up all as an Eagle on His wings. In Psalm 91, it says “He will give his angels charge of you—to guard you in all his ways.” I love that knowing that God is our refuge and fortress and that we need not fear as we go forward in our lives.
Matthew 11: “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “My yoke is easy, my burden is light.” Maybe JOY is seeing our yokes being lightened and giving our burdens to God. I came up with these questions to ponder:
What has a stronghold—YOKE—over me right now?
What burdens can I ease to find even deeper JOY?
What is the JOY from God I can fill deeper in my heart?
JOY-JOY-JOY!
Brian
Man, this experience has been awesome for me! Today, God brought to me needing to be filled with more JOY. Not, that I don’t have a lot of JOY, but the JOY that comes from God’s presence. Here are a few of my journal entries and the scripture verses I used for today:
Psalm 16. (vs. 11 especially) “In thy presence there is fullness of JOY.” God help me find even deeper JOY in my heart. In my tiredness, my seriousness, my working so hard to please, I realize that sometimes the JOY that is in front of me is zapped. The JOY of a baby boy’s curiousity, the JOY of the beautiful flowers spring up everywhere, the JOY of my wife’s companionship and beauty, the JOY of a home cooked meal, the JOY of a walk on our property…JOY, JOY, JOY.
Psalm 91. (the familiar Eagle’s Wings psalm) It is so awesome to know that God bears us up all as an Eagle on His wings. In Psalm 91, it says “He will give his angels charge of you—to guard you in all his ways.” I love that knowing that God is our refuge and fortress and that we need not fear as we go forward in our lives.
Matthew 11: “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “My yoke is easy, my burden is light.” Maybe JOY is seeing our yokes being lightened and giving our burdens to God. I came up with these questions to ponder:
What has a stronghold—YOKE—over me right now?
What burdens can I ease to find even deeper JOY?
What is the JOY from God I can fill deeper in my heart?
JOY-JOY-JOY!
Brian
Monday, June 2, 2008
Scripture Suggestions
In my quiet time, I am intrigued by God teaching us to listen to him. I will admit in my busyness, it is so hard to quiet my soul down. So, during my quiet time, on the sofa in the corner of our family room looking out into the woods, I will focus my heart on listening to what God desires for my heart. Here are some scriptures to focus on that listening to God process in the next few days:
New Testament Gospel Verses
John 10: 1-18. The sheep know the voice of the shepherd. Do we? Are we walking in deeper intimacy with the voice of God? When the sheep follow the shepherd they find pasture.
John 15:1-17. Jesus as the vine. We are the branches of the vine to abide in Christ and the Father’s love for us. We are called to be so intimately connected to the vine that we will bear fruit. That fruit is known in love for God and one another. Life flows from the vine to the branches to bearing fruit in this world.
Psalms/Proverbs
Psalm 32: 1-11. This talks about in vs. 8 God instructing us and teaching us in the ways we should go. If we follow him, he will counsel us and watch over us.
Psalm 42: 1-11. I love this one taking the imagery of a deer longing for flowing streams as the way we should thirst for God. There is so much more in this psalm!
Psalm 16:1-11. “You have made known to me the path of life.” Life as sheep following a shepherd has privilege and joy in following him. He will show us the path to true life if we listen to him
Psalms 119:89-111. “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (vs. 105—this is a great one to memorize!) Let the word of God be a joy of our hearts (vs. 111)
Other verses:
I Kings 19:1-18. Elijah has almost given up, tired, exhausted serving his God. God feeds him and tells him to go up to a cave to listen to God. Note in vs. 11-12 how God makes himself known in a “still, small voice.” Some say “sheer silence.” God typically doesn’t come in a theophany like a thunderbolt, lightning, an earthquake or a windstorm, but in a gentle, reassuring voice that is quiet and loving. That voice is the gentle voice of a loving shepherd.
I think that the next verses will focus on healing and restoration of our souls—knowing the peace of God that surpasses all understanding as we keep our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. I pray for alignment of God’s spirit to your hearts spirit this week as you long for his flowing streams. On to some prayer time!
Pr. Brian
New Testament Gospel Verses
John 10: 1-18. The sheep know the voice of the shepherd. Do we? Are we walking in deeper intimacy with the voice of God? When the sheep follow the shepherd they find pasture.
John 15:1-17. Jesus as the vine. We are the branches of the vine to abide in Christ and the Father’s love for us. We are called to be so intimately connected to the vine that we will bear fruit. That fruit is known in love for God and one another. Life flows from the vine to the branches to bearing fruit in this world.
Psalms/Proverbs
Psalm 32: 1-11. This talks about in vs. 8 God instructing us and teaching us in the ways we should go. If we follow him, he will counsel us and watch over us.
Psalm 42: 1-11. I love this one taking the imagery of a deer longing for flowing streams as the way we should thirst for God. There is so much more in this psalm!
Psalm 16:1-11. “You have made known to me the path of life.” Life as sheep following a shepherd has privilege and joy in following him. He will show us the path to true life if we listen to him
Psalms 119:89-111. “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (vs. 105—this is a great one to memorize!) Let the word of God be a joy of our hearts (vs. 111)
Other verses:
I Kings 19:1-18. Elijah has almost given up, tired, exhausted serving his God. God feeds him and tells him to go up to a cave to listen to God. Note in vs. 11-12 how God makes himself known in a “still, small voice.” Some say “sheer silence.” God typically doesn’t come in a theophany like a thunderbolt, lightning, an earthquake or a windstorm, but in a gentle, reassuring voice that is quiet and loving. That voice is the gentle voice of a loving shepherd.
I think that the next verses will focus on healing and restoration of our souls—knowing the peace of God that surpasses all understanding as we keep our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. I pray for alignment of God’s spirit to your hearts spirit this week as you long for his flowing streams. On to some prayer time!
Pr. Brian
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