Guidance vs. Transformation

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Cor. 3:18

Most people realize they need guidance.

Christians, adherents of other religions, even outright atheists, all recognize the importance of guidance. The modern generic "higher power" is an indication that we need direction at times. Most people readily admit they don't have all the answers.

Where Christianity is different, though, lies in the recognition that what we really need is transformation. We need to be what, in our natural state, we are not. It's one of the fundamental differences between Christianity and other world belief systems.

This morning our pastor outlined Romans 1:18-32. He pointed out that the clear message of that passage screams the need for the "good news" Paul has just bragged about in verses 16-17. It's easy to use this section of Romans to condemn groups of people. Paul instead uses it as one significant pillar in his argument that this "good news" is for all people. We all need transformation.

The sad thing is that as I read and studied yesterday about belief systems - many of which you work among -that deny our need for transformation and focus only on guidance, I thought about how easy it is for us to fall into the same trap. "Lord, show me what to do" is a lot easier to pray than "Lord, I'm a mess, fix me." If He's guiding me, then I'm still doing something! If I have to rely on His transforming power, then I'm reminded that it really is not about me, after all.

The more I study God's word, the more I realize that the nature of this transformation is God creating a worshiper ... someone who loves Him more than sin, who loves Him more than self, who even loves Him more than what He does! Ultimately, that is far superior to guidance. When He awakens my heart to see His beauty, and I respond in worship, the temptations of this world - of sin - fade into insignificance. Like Peter, James, and John on the mountaintop, I open my eyes and see nothing but Christ alone. No effort to build a tabernacle ... just pure worship.

Amazingly, when we see Him alone, we can better be transformed in His image "from glory to glory" as Paul says. For beholding leads to becoming. We can pursue Christlikeness all we want, and see His guidance for how to live, but until we are transformed into people who long to behold Him, we won't truly become like Him.

The lyrics of this song capture that idea perfectly. As you read, please know that among my many prayers for you in your service on the field, where you desperately need God's guidance daily, is that He will not only give you direction, but transform you daily into His image - a passionate worshiper of Him!

Here I am to Worship
Light of the world
You stepped down into darknes
Opened my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you

And here I am to worship,
here I am to bow down,
here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely,altogether worthy,
altogether wonderful to me.

King of all days, oh, so highly exalted.
Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly you cameto the earth you created
All for love's sake became poor.

And here I am to worship,
here I am to bow down,
here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely,altogether worthy,
altogether wonderful to me.

I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross

Trust or Manipulate?

I had an "oh, me" prayer time this morning.

I love the "Oh, my" times with God ... those times when I sense His Spirit, hear His voice, receive from His Word, and bask in His presence. But sometimes, He throws me a curveball! He'll speak something so clear and unexpected about an area of my life that I can do nothing but beg for His assistance.

Today was one of those days. He called something by a name I wasn't expecting. You see, I am in the middle of making a significant decision about whether to pursue something that might lead to a change in ministry emphasis and time commitments. I've really wrestled with the situation, and was calling my struggle by all sorts of spiritual-sounding names.

This morning, God called it something I wasn't expecting: manipulation.

Not manipulation of people - praise God He freed me from that ages ago and by His grace I walk free of that area. But manipulation of circumstances - ah, that's a different story. I hope I'm not the only one who has faced this battle ... it's so easy for me to "make something happen" especially when I know people, when I know "the system", when I know what needs to happen - or think I do. It's one of the easiest ways for me to get ahead of God. Let Him tell me to go from A to E and I'll start working the situations to be favorable for B, C, and D!

Don't get me wrong - I know that God uses people and circumstances. However, when I intentionally try to make something happen -- or, like this case, stay in a situation I can "control" rather than step out into the unknown -- I enter the realm of manipulation. I become like Sarah with Hagar, rather than walking in the truth of God's faithfulness.

Ouch.

So, the choice is clearer today. I still don't know God's answer to the opportunity before me ... but I do know I don't have as big a role to play in the decision as I had thought. I really have two paths to select from: Believe God or Manipulate Life. No choice there.

By grace alone, I'm believing God! I pray tonight for you to also have increased faith to believe Him!

God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ.
God's Word is alive and active in me.
(from Believing God study by Beth Moore)

Rumors

Sometimes it's funny to live in a major college town. Especially in our state, a southern state with no professional sports team, the flagship state university team becomes a focal point. In fact, here they call it the "Razorback Nation".

In case you missed it - after all, you have much better things to be doing - our football coach resigned this week. His final year was filled with controversy, and after the last two seasons rumors flew that he was gone. This time, those rumors were true. For lack of something better to do, the rumor mill then turned to his successor. Those rumors are running high tonight.

Why do I waste my time on this topic? Simply this: the world is full of gossip, rumor, innuendo, games, double-talk. Sometimes we let it make us cynical and we start treating God's promises as, well, rumors. As "I'll believe it when I see it." We forget that biblical hope is not worldly hope. Worldly hope is glorified wishful thinking. Biblical hope, however, is a certainty based on fact. It is the unseen outcome of God's promises.

When I see the craziness surrounding a mere football program, I run even more to the stable, sure word of God. Tonight I encourage you, when you see the craziness surrounding whatever world system you're in the middle of, to run to God's promises. Don't let the world cause you to see them as rumors. Grab on to the examples of faithful believers, and enjoy the ride!

You'll never find anything more rock-solid!

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Rom 4:16-25)

Feet to our Prayers

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Rom. 10:14-15

I have a dear friend flying over the Atlantic tonight. She's off to minister to some just like you, who live your lives over there, in a world we sometimes idealize and other times fear.

As I've watched God assemble her team, I've been reminded that no one goes alone. Paul reminds us in this passage that the feet of those who preach the good news are beautiful, but I've often read this and completely skipped past the previous sentence: "How are they to preach unless they are sent?"

One denominational missions agency sent a letter stating that hundreds of missionaries were ready to go but had to be turned away because of a lack of funding. I personally know a couple whose heart burns for Spain but they await the many details and financial support to get there. The statistics about the numbers of you who return from the field due to discouragement and despair are astonishing. You often feel forgotten. The obstacles are many, and can never be overcome alone.

That's why my friend's adventure has been so encouraging. From those who gave, to those who signed up for her prayer team, to the friend who provided her a warm down coat to wear in the cold climate to which she is going, to the one who's picking up her mail and depositing her checks while she's gone -- I've seen the body of Christ at work. I've seen hands and hearts and fingers and spleens (to paraphrase Paul's depiction of the body of Christ). As I've said - we're all going, she just happens to be the feet.

And it has reminded me that the same is true for each of you. All of you have a team behind you - I hope a strong prayer team, certainly a financial team, a stateside necessities team -- and if you are blessed a team of encouragers for those inevitable horrid days, people to remind you that you are the ones to be envied even when you don't feel like anything special, and to remind you that what you're missing here isn't really that much after all, especially when you are gaining Christ! Your entire team is on the mission field - you are just the feet.

But never forget how beautiful God thinks your feet are! And I, for one, thoroughly agree!

Walk in Him, dear ones, and those feet will become even more glorious!

Unity in Diversity

Tonight, I want to thank you for a message you carry that the church here desperately needs.

Many of you have related stories to me of how, when you get on the field, you work together across denominations, ages, races - as one body ... the way Jesus intended when He prayed in John 17 that we would be one. I've heard tales of how your very different structures and backgrounds becomes the most significant elements - how God uses it all and it really doesn't matter who or how, because it's about Him and not you.

I want to thank you for that, and ask you to please bring that message and those stories back when you come home for furloughs. When you share in churches and small groups, let them hear about those weekly worship services that cross boundaries. Let them see the unity in diversity that God designed - how you don't conform and change anything about who you or your agencies are, but there is a transcendent unity that makes the diversity even more meaningful.

I can't tell you how much we need that message. The world has co-opted the message of diversity, and the church here is afraid of the word. Unity is spoken of but rarely practiced, as denominational battles make churches retreat to their own corners. Few pastors pray together across denominational lines, and even fewer visit other denominations churches. Interdenominational efforts are limited to once a year and rarely for anything significant.

Yet there are lights in the darkness. The campus ministers in our town have found a unity that transcends diversity, but appreciate each others' diversity. A small town in the area also has a unity so profound that pastors of different denominations preach in each others' churches.

We don't have to be afraid - truth will always prevail. You know more about what is major and what is minor than we do ... and tonight I am especially grateful. This isn't as much about you as it is about us - but I hope you are encouraged to know that we realize how much we need you.

May you be blessed as you hang in there together!

New Post on WCF Blog

I've got a new post up tonight on the WCF blog ... about James and trials. A needed topic in a world filled with prosperity teachings. I continue to find James highly relevant! Check it out at http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com.

The Filters of Change

For the past 2 1/2 years I've studied history from a Godward perspective, and each lesson brings me more in awe of God's sovereignty.

When you look at the history of the world from a broad viewpoint, it becomes obvious that at certain points, change just happens. Everything seems to come together at once - imagine a cone-shaped filter that collects economic, religious, political, societal, even climactic factors. Beneath this filter is a tube through which everything passes, then comes out in a different, but still recognizable and traceable, form. What's even more amazing is that often these changes are similar across the world - not uniformly, but enough to be startling.

I've just studied this phenomenon in Europe during the years 800-1200. I came away with the understanding that nothing man could do would control all the factors involved. They could have limited one or maybe two, but no way could humans control everything. Yet what emerged was not random ... it was evidence of a semblance of order in what appeared a chaotic mess.

God is in control in our changing world as well. We are all in the midst of change of some sort. Whether it is a technological revolution, the challenges of a new democracy, or complete societal upheaval, change is happening. We can't stop it or control it. As individuals, we simply must respond in loving service to whomever happens to be in the filter with us. As members of society we must seek to influence what that change looks like. And as Christians, we must pray and trust the God who, behind the scenes, is bringing history to its ultimate - the summing up of all things in Christ.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Eph. 1:7-10

Lessons from the Past

I found my old journals today.

When we moved 8 months ago, 10 years' worth of journals - 10 years of my recorded relationship with God - disappeared. I'd started to assume they were thrown out accidentally with the garbage. God had to teach me that my relationship with Him is not limited to those journals - but I still grieved their loss.

But today, while digging out our Christmas tree and decorations, I found a box labeled "Pictures". It was unopened - and I thought I'd opened every box digging for those journals this summer. I peeled back the tape hopefully, and amazingly, there they were. My old friends. Memories of a journey like no other.

I thought I'd just mislabeled the box, but I have decided I didn't. For those journals truly are snapsnots - pictures of a relationship. Behind each entry lies a memory that the words stir within me. I'd forgotten how desparately I sought Him - and need to relearn some of the lessons. For example, my entry of June 17, 2003, lays out some parenting concerns about my then-teenage stepdaughter:

"Sometimes parenting creates unique questions such as the ones I have today. How can I build her self-image without aiding her pride, and conversely how can I give her a correct perspective of the sin nature without causing despair? I am reminded of one of my purposes in her life - to teach her to be a worshiper. As we worship we see God more accurately which causes us to see ourselves more accurately. I can't do it all. I can just sow seeds. Lord, give me that opportunity! Forgive me for asking the wrong question. What I should really ask is, how can I hold God up in such a manner that she is drawn to Him and sees Him (and herself) and He (and she) really is? Help me Lord!"

The circumstances of my life today are different - but I still ask the question. How can I hold God up in my life - at work, at home, at church - in a way that people are drawn to Him? That's all He really asks me to do.

And you too! As you struggle to balance ministry and family responsibilities, to work and study and learn a language and a culture, the bottom line is that He wants you to lift Him up. Seek Him to know how. Today you are writing a new entry, making a new picture of your relationship with Him. Seek Him hard - so that when you look back years from now, you'll have a snapshot to remember!

Loving Outcasts

God has been speaking to me this week - dramatically - about loving the "least" among us ... the sick, the wounded, the needy, the outcasts. On the very same day my Bible reading included these convicting verses:

From Prov. 31 (4b, 5, 8-9): it is not for kings to drink wine,or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. ...Open your mouth for the mute,for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously,defend the rights of the poor and needy.

James 1:27: Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

As if that weren't enough, I came across this extended commentary at the end of How the Irish Shaped Civilization. After explaining the fall of Rome as it relates to Celtic Christianity, and the influx of barbarians that affected both societies, Thomas Cahill explains:

Rome's demise instructs us in what inevitably happens when impoverished and rapidly expanding populations, whose ways and values are only dimly understood, press up against a rich and ordered society. More than a billion people in our world today survive on less than $370 a year, while Americans, who constitute five percent of the world's population, purchase fifty percent of its cocaine....

...

What will be lost, and what saved, of our civilization probably lies beyond our powers to decide. No human group has ever figured out how to design its future. That future may be germinating today not in a boardroom in London or an office in Washington or a bank in Tokyo, but in some antic outpost or other - a kindly British orphanage in the grim foothills of Peru, a house for the dying in a back street of Calcutta run by a fiercely single-minded Albanian nun, an easygoing French medical team at the starving edge of the Sahel, a mission to Somalia by Irish social workers who remember their own Great Hunger, a nursery program to assist convict-mothers at a New York prison - in some unheralded corner where a great-hearted human being is committed to loving outcasts in an extraordinary way.(Cahill, p. 217, emphasis mine)

Loving outcasts in an extraordinary way. Wow, what a calling - what a testimony. I know you are all out there, doing the thing daily. It's not just theoretical to you. I know that your emphasis is on the example of Christ, as it should be - but just look at what Cahill says. The very thing you are doing might be the future of our civilization. It has been so before.

Love extraordinarily today - and pray for me to do the same!

Blog note: I will be on Thanksgiving break for 3 days. I hope to resume posting on Friday. Have a great week and if the Lord brings us to mind, please pray for our safe travel - bad weather is forecast for Thursday, and we'll be returning home very late (after our normal bedtime).

Unhindered

The last Greek word in the book of Acts is best translated into English as "unhindered".

Much of the latter part of the book of Acts is concerned with getting Paul to Rome. We know he's going - God promised him in Acts 23:11. So when we see Paul sitting in house arrest in Rome after a perilous journey and a side trip to Malta, we see much more than a man who achieved a goal. We see God's hand at work. We see His promise fulfilled. We see one more advance for the kingdom.

The Net Bible project includes this comment: "The word of God is proclaimed triumphantly and boldly in Rome. Acts ends with this note: Despite all the attempts to stop it, the message goes forth."

That's the heart of "unhindered", and that's the bottom line message we're left with in Acts. It begins with a commission - be God's witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth - and walks us through how that looked for the early church. We see Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, and we see God fulfilling a God-sized promise through the stuff of life. Through conversations overheard, favorable circumstances, ships with Greek deities ... God gets Paul to Rome. Paul is chained to a soldier - but the Gospel is unhindered.

Be encouraged tonight. Whatever you feel is holding you back from a dream or vision, whatever you think is a chain around you - be assured that the Gospel is unhindered. Like Paul, who converted some of his guards and wrote 4 books while chained, your very chains can become links to God's kingdom purposes.

New Post on The Big Picture

I've got a new post on my other blog, http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com. If you're new here, this new blog is centered on material gleaned from my studies in the World Christian Foundations study program, the curriculum for my Master of Arts in Global Civilization coursework with William Carey International University. The new post is an exposition of James 1:5-8, from the perspective of wisdom in trials.

Opportunity

Sometimes we miss an opportunity because it looks too different than what we expected.

We pray for an open door to share God's love with a co-worker, then find ourselves stuck in an elevator while we're running late to a meeting -- and our thoughts stuck in the flesh rather than the Spirit. We ask God to change our nation and the leader chosen at the next election is everything we thought we were trying to eliminate. We seek transformation for a people group and then hear of a tragic natural disaster.

Thomas Edison said, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." In the work of the kingdom, we could paraphrase that by saying "Opportunity is missed by most Christians because it comes dressed in hardship and looks like suffering."

For whatever reason, God doesn't package His opportunities in silver boxes with red bows. Instead, the doors He opens for us often are rough-hewn, with splinters attached. And so we balk, and miss the opportunity.

I praise God for His sovereignty. He makes sure His work gets done, in spite of us! He places the same opportunity before us in different ways until we "get it"; or He puts the need on someone else's heart; however He does it, His work gets done. But I want to be a vessel for Him, with all opportunities fully realized, don't you?

We'll only get there by His grace. As we fall more in love with Him, trust Him and walk in the Spirit more and more, we'll find that our hand reaches for the rough door faster than it used to. We see the tarnish on the silver paper and the fraying on the red bows. And we realize that behind the door, for all the apparent suffering, lies "joy unspeakable and full of glory."

And the half has never yet been told.

Salted with Fire

Everyone will be salted with fire. (Mark 9:49)

Sometimes the rabbit chases of Bible study provide the meatiest dinners.

I was trying to chase down the meaning of Col. 4:6 - "Let your speech be gracious, seasoned with salt". Researching the other usages of "salt", especially in the New Testament, proved instructive and helpful. But when I came across this one, I stopped in my tracks.

Salted with fire. Whatever could that mean? I love the translation of The Message: "Everyone's going through a refining fire sooner or later." From my study, I think that's a pretty good translation. It certainly fits the context of the remainder of the passage:

"Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." (Mark 9:49-50)

Salt is developed within us - "in yourselves", Jesus said. It is associated with being at peace with each other. And we are salted with fire.

I picture it like this: As the refining fire "burns off" the impurities in us, it "salts" us, leaving behind the salt that preserves. Salt, for the ancients, was more than a flavorful addition to avoid if they had high blood pressure. It was so essential that it was even used to symbolize sealing a covenant - it was critical. It protected food from putrefaction in a hot climate without refrigeration. It was used to fertilize land, and to preserve food from change. The "salt" left behind by a refining fire authenticates us, "preserves" the changes God is working in us, protects us.

So how does that relate to my original question? If our speech is gracious, seasoned with salt, we are going to be speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), and it will have an air of authenticity about it - because we live it out, we have learned it in the fire. Bottom line: Going through the fire is necessary if I want to be the kind of person Scripture commands me to be!

What fire are you facing today? What health struggles, spiritual battles, personal obstacles, political events, are burning around you? Stay close to God - let this be a refining fire. Ask Him to use this to deposit salt within you, so that you can speak and act "seasoned with salt" - the authentic Christian life that only comes after the fire.

Remember me??

"Remember me". Those words appear next to a checkbox on many of the sites I regularly log into ... including Blogger! It's a handy way to give permission for the site to communicate with my computer and save me entering all my login information on the next trip. But when I go to a new computer, or sometimes even go to the site again on my laptop after an extended time period from the previous visit, I'm prompted once again to let the website know whether to remember me.

I've decided that these websites are like mankind - fickle. They forget me so easily! They remind me of how we are so often with God - forgetful of His benefits, of His sacrifice, of the grace in which we stand. All the while, crying out to Him as if He has forgotten us. "Remember me Lord??" we cry... but we really have the question backwards.

God promises to remember us. He told Israel in Isa. 49:14-16:

"Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me, the sovereign master has forgotten me.’ Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? Even if mothers were to forget, I could never forget you! Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms; your walls are constantly before me."

Lest we think this doesn't apply to us, recall that God said what was written before was written for us - it's an example and a revelation of God! Jesus reassured the thief on the cross that He would "remember" him when He came into His kingdom - that very day in Paradise! He consistently speaks with a longing and love that leave no doubt that He is fully and completely actively remembering us!

And yet knowing our humanity, He knows that we have weaknesses in this area. Research tells us that if we don't actively remember something, we forget - it's our brains' default! (Probably post-Fall, but that's a whole other subject.) No wonder He tells us to renew our minds. And He even gives us guidance as to how. We are told that through taking the bread and drinking the cup, we remember His death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:23-26). Communion, Eucharist, Lord's Supper -whatever you call it - is the "active remembering" of His death.

It is this need for "active remembering" that the church reflects in its traditions of Lent and Advent. Both seasons intentionally focus on significant events in redemptive history, drawing us back to the foundations of our faith. They are designed to counteract our fallen forgetfulness.

What do you need to actively remember about God today? What aspect of His character have you forgotten in the daily struggles of life? Seek His Word and His character ... remember Him!

A Shoulder to Cry On

Sometimes when you pour out for someone else, you reach what feels like a breaking point. You have nothing left to give (you think), and you wish someone would turn the tables and minister to you.

And if you're like most of us, you feel guilty when that happens. The short message of today's blog is: Don't!

It's not selfish to refuel ... in fact, it's essential for effective ministry. The Apostle Paul - whom no one would accuse of being self-focused - endured struggles in his ministry.

There were times he was afraid, and God spoke to him not to fear. Without condemnation, the Lord reminded Paul of His promises:

Acts 18:9-11 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the Word of God among them.

Acts 27:23-24 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’

There were times Paul was abandoned by his companions and needed comfort from God. Near his death, he even explicitly asked for assistance from his friends.

2 Tim. 4:16-17 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.

2 Tim. 4:11-13 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.

So what's the point? Simply that God doesn't expect you to do what you do, year in and year out, pouring yourself out for others, without ever filling the vessel. Sure, prayer and worship is a great way to do that - but so is crying out to God about your emptiness, about your need. He may stand beside you, as He did with Paul at times, or He may send a Luke to stay with you, or a Timothy who can bring you what you need. The important thing to see is that if your heart is to have an effective ministry, there are times you are going to need encouragement. I know I've begged God to encourage me ... and He has.

As I close I list the words to this song by Dennis Jernigan. If you're not familiar with him, I urge you to check out some of his music (www.dennisjernigan.com, also check www.godtube.com). He has a gift of ministry that has encouraged me more than once. I came across this particular song at a time in my life when I was pouring out for someone who did not want what I had to offer. I felt rejected and unable to give any more. I spent about an hour at home alone one Saturday afternoon putting up groceries while listening to this song on a CD player set to "Repeat". By the end of the hour, I had cried out to God, just bawled in His arms really, and felt the ability to give, just a little more. After that this song became His tool to strengthen me on more than one occasion. May it bless you today.

A Shoulder to Cry On

Lord, sometimes I give all I have left to give
Sometimes I run dry so that others might live
Sometimes I think You have left me alone
Sometimes I wish You would just call me home.
At times I grow tired, yet I want to obey
Sometimes I can't hear all you're trying to say.
But I'll go where You lead, do what You say to do
And when I run dry I will cry out to You.

Chorus:
O Lord, I need a shoulder to cry on
A heart to share the pain.
A hand to hold, a friend to rely on
A cool refreshing rain.
My God to bear the cross that I die on;
To cleanse what can't remain
A Father's precious shoulder to cry on
A love that can sustain an endless rain.
An endless rain.

I would have given up quite a long time ago
If not for the grace and the love You have shown.
Yesterday's gone, tomorrow I cannot know,
So I'll live for today in the light that You show.
Lord sing Your song,
In the night lead me through
And morning will come, bringing joy like the dew
Your voice like the dawn, is a warm welcome view
Making life worth the darkness for it drives me to You.

Oh I will press on toward the goal for the prize
Of my life's highest calling - my Lord Jesus Christ!
I will fix my eyes on You, stay close to Your side,
For in the desert You're water, and in the darkness You're light!

Chorus:
O Lord, I need a shoulder to cry on
A heart to share the pain.
A hand to hold, a friend to rely on
A cool refreshing rain.
My God to bear the cross that I die on;
To cleanse what can't remain
A Father's precious shoulder to cry on
A love that can sustain an endless rain.
An endless rain.

Consider it joy

I have a new post on my study blog (http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com). It's a study of James 1:1-4. However, the basic message is something I had to share here as well.

From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings! My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

James' audience knew trials. They were poor, persecuted, scattered, and hungry. James outlines to his audience the broad command: "Consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials".

Obedience to James' admonition does not rely upon mere emotion or mindset. The word James uses for "consider" carries a connotation of judging, or making a determination, as a ruler would do. James is essentially teaching his scattered, persecuted, impoverished, hungry flock: "Weigh the evidence, and make a decision to view this as nothing but joy." James calls his readers to involve their will in the process.

The difference this makes is significant: Rather than following our feelings, or trying to convince ourselves and others that it's really going to be okay, we can look at all the evidence and choose the side of joy.Joy, of course, is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), so this decision will have to be a Spirit-empowered one.

Yet James does not leave us without a tangible motivation as well. The very trials we are choosing to count as joy, James tells us, are the things that lead to our endurance, our perserverance. Endurance, Strong's lexicon tells us, is "characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings."

Essentially, James is telling us that if we choose to consider THIS trial as joy, we will be strengthened and the next one will be less likely to sway us. Since the trials are presenting as coming "when" rather than "if", we can know that they will happen. We can be equipped for them by weighing our options and coming down on the side of joy.Furthermore, James observes, perserverance isn't the end of the road for believers. We don't merely muddle through trials. As we learn to perservere in them, we are "perfected" or made mature ... lacking nothing or as this translation states, "not deficient in anything." Not lacking, not deficient ... calls to mind the literal translation of Ps. 23:1: "The Lord is my Shepherd; I lack nothing." Mankind tends by nature to focus on what we don't have ... but by the Spirit-empowered decision to consider a trial as JOY we can instead grow in perserverance and eventually feel that we lack nothing.

What trial are you facing today? Weigh the evidence, and willfully choose joy! You'll grow in the process.

"Comfort Ye My People"

It's getting to be that time of the year ... in not too many weeks we'll be preparing for Christmas. Many of us will follow Advent traditions. One of the newer ones in my family is listening to Handel's Messiah - all of it, not just the "Hallelujah Chorus" -- while baking for the holiday.

One of the moving portions for me comes during the song, "Comfort ye my people." It's lifted directly from Isa. 40 - an encouraging chapter if there ever was one. So tonight, I want to allow God's Word to minister directly to you. Know that you are ever in my prayers.

Isaiah 40
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,and cry to herthat her warfare is ended,that her iniquity is pardoned,that she has received from the Lord's handdouble for all her sins.

A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up,and every mountain and hill be made low;the uneven ground shall become level,and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,and all flesh shall see it together,for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry!”And I said, “What shall I cry?”All flesh is grass,and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fadeswhen the breath of the Lord blows on it;surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades,but the word of our God will stand forever.

Get you up to a high mountain,O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength,O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not;say to the cities of Judah,“Behold your God!”Behold, the Lord God comes with might,and his arm rules for him;behold, his reward is with him,and his recompense before him.He will tend his flock like a shepherd;he will gather the lambs in his arms;he will carry them in his bosom,and gently lead those that are with young.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span,enclosed the dust of the earth in a measureand weighed the mountains in scalesand the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,or what man shows him his counsel?Whom did he consult,and who made him understand?Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge,and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,and are accounted as the dust on the scales;behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him,they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

To whom then will you liken God,or what likeness compare with him? An idol! A craftsman casts it,and a goldsmith overlays it with goldand casts for it silver chains. He who is too impoverished for an offeringchooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move.

Do you not know? Do you not hear?Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing,and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,when he blows on them, and they wither,and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

To whom then will you compare me,that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see:who created these?He who brings out their host by number,calling them all by name,by the greatness of his might,and because he is strong in powernot one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob,and speak, O Israel,“My way is hidden from the Lord,and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth.He does not faint or grow weary;his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint,and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary,and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;they shall mount up with wings like eagles;they shall run and not be weary;they shall walk and not faint.

New Post

Hi friends ... I have a new post over at http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com. It's the first in a series of periodic posts from my inductive study of James - so it's very different from the historical theology posts I've been putting up there.

And while you're at it - please pray for me in my studies. They are definitely picking up steam! I'm loving it, but could use some prayer support since I do have other commitments like family, work, and ministry!

As always - I'm praying for you!

Blessings,
Rosa

Making Fudge

Sometimes God has us do the strangest things. I was making fudge tonight, and recalled one of the stranger lessons I've had to learn.

When my stepdaughter came to live with us at age 15, I was in full "Mom" mode. I was ready to pour love into her and just knew we were going to stay up late talking and being close friends. Of course, that wasn't how it happened. Her perspective was quite different than mine, as you can imagine.

After many nights of crying myself to sleep, God began to teach me that this time was about unconditional love. He wanted me to love her like He loves us, without any expectation of return. My longing for her love gave me new insight into God's longing to have us return His perfect love.

But in the midst of that, He gave me a strange assignment: whenever I was struggling with love - when it was a choice rather than a feeling - I was to make fudge for her to take to school. I laugh as I recall that for her 3 years of high school I made an awful lot of fudge! But along the way the oddest thing happened ... as I stirred the butter and sugar and waited for it to boil, I prayed for her and felt that love choice become easier to make. By the next morning as I cut it into squares, I was able to truly be joyful - regardless of her reaction.

What I learned was that love is a decision, but it's a decision that is much easier to make when we put actions behind it. Even now, when I face someone at work that is tough to love, I ask God to help me know how to demonstrate love. Those individuals who I disagree with most are the ones I go the most out of my way to serve and show His love to. And somehow, in the process, my heart is softened and the love decision flows.

God didn't just love us from a distance - He demonstrated His love by sending Christ to die for us while we were still enemies. And as His child, seeking to love as He loves, I don't get to love from a distance either. He wants me to demonstrate that love even when there seems no hope of it being reciprocated.

Who are you struggling to love in your ministry context today? Ask God for creative ideas to demonstrate that love.

You never know the power of a simple act ... even one as simple as making fudge.

My prayer for you tonight

During our monthly extended evening worship at church (1 1/4 hour of straight worship - beautiful), we sang a song that was new to me. As we sang I thought of you and prayed for many of your countries. I share the words from my heart to yours. Peace to you this Lord's Day.

May our homes be filled with praises
May our streets be filled with joy
May injustice bow to Jesus
As the people turn and pray

From the mountain to the valley
Hear our praises rise to You
From the heavens to the nations
Hear our singing fill the air

May our light shine in the darkness
As we walk before the cross
May Your glory fill the whole earth
As the water o'er the seas

Hallelujah!

The Now of Jesus

Our relationship with Christ is about more than our eternal destiny. And I'm so glad!

Don't get me wrong. Redemption is definitely at the heart of the Good News. Without the atonement and the repairing of our broken relationship with God, we would be doomed in a way far worse than any earthly trial. But if that was all our faith-walk was about, we would quickly relegate God to a spiritual realm and find some other source to trust for our daily problems, because mankind is simply not wired to do anything else. We either trust and worship the God of the universe, or we trust and worship a god of our own creation, even if that god is another person or a world system.

But thankfully, gloriously, God is intimately concerned about our daily lives. He is about being at work around us, always doing something in and through us. He is with us, bottom line. I've started calling this the "now" of Jesus.

The past 10 days have challenged me like I cannot describe. More than once, I've desperately told Him that I trust Him for the long term, but I need to see Him working today! And in ways I never would have imagined, He has come through. He's peeled back my limited vision, my determination to trust Him that was laced with a preconceived outcome, and said to me, "Child, watch me at work when you don't understand what I'm doing." This is the NOW of Jesus...letting go of any and everything but Him, and looking to see what He is doing.

Mary and Martha learned this lesson when their brother Lazarus died. Amazingly, Jesus didn't quickly run to the side of his dear friend while he was ill. He intentionally delayed until Lazarus was dead. Then He showed up with a plan that would ultimately blow a mere healing out of the water: He raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus' illness was for the glory of God.

Before He raised Lazarus, though, He had a lesson for his sister. John 11:17-27 records the dialogue between the two:

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Martha gave a very spiritual answer to Jesus' question. She knew Jesus could heal, but her view of Him was limited. She had faith in what she knew of Him, and in the future eternal state. But Jesus wanted to teach her something new about the NOW of Jesus: He wanted her to see Him act in a glorious way that would prefigure the ultimate resurrection of the dead.

Glory was at stake. Jesus told His disciples when He didn't go immedately that Lazarus' illness was for the glory of God. Part of that glory was teaching a hurting sister that He was involved NOW, not just at the final trumpet. He didn't respond the way she expected (by healing Lazarus) ... He did something even more glorious. And He profoundly showed up in the NOW.

In Psalm 27:13, David cries, "Yet I am confident that I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living." David knew the "NOW" of God. Sure, He doesn't always act like we expect. But He is always at work around us. He is always in the "NOW". Are you facing a circumstance where you've given up hope and relegated the answer to the eternal spiritual realm? Look for ways God is revealing Himself gloriously in the NOW.

Quilt Pieces

I've been learning a lot about quilting lately.

Not that I'm a quilter - those who know me best realize that sewing of any sort is not my forte. But as part of an assignment, I've been spending time with a neighbor who quilts. One of the things she showed me is her "design wall". A simple piece of flannel tacked onto the wall allows her to position and reposition fabric to determine which design layout she wants to use.

Now, you may know more about this than I did but I assumed that if a quilt was a star pattern, the adept quilter sewed every star together, then pieced the star "squares" together to make a large quilt. Not so! Actually, each piece of a design - a star, an oval, a square, or some other figure - is a different element and can be laid out differently to create different patterns or variations of a design. In a way I never realized, a quilt truly is a reflection of its designer.

While my practical mind would think it easier to simply create the design and sew them together, quilters find joy in the process of deciding what the design will look like and how it will be uniquely put together. Each quilter has a unique signature that is included in all her quilts; no two quilt patterns will produced an identical quilt.

What a beautiful picture of God's work in our lives! We long for him to simply "make the design" in us, but He instead is focused on the process - laying each element out and putting the various pieces together to create a beautiful pattern, which is then lovingly woven together with His signature. The overall work - and each piece within it - is truly a reflection of the designer.

We are being made to look like Jesus. The church is being made into a pure bride. We must remember that He isn't making cookie cutter patterns. He's making unique creations - mini-quilts, if you will - that He will sew together into a beautiful mosaic quilt that will have an overall unity, because His signature in the center will be His Son on the cross.

Be encouraged today that God is at work in the process of your life! May this anonymous poem be a blessing to you, as it has so often with me:

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me
I do not choose the colors
He works so steadily.
Often He chooses sorrow
And I, in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper
And I, the underside.

Not 'til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God roll back the canvas
And unveil the reasons why
the dark threads are as needful
In the Master's skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

Emmanuel

"God with us." That's the meaning of the name of Jesus "Emmanuel". In light of last night's post, this is significant because He is not "up there" in a distant sense, but "down here" in the sense of being with us. Through the Holy Spirit, we experience what I've heard called the "withness" of God.

The stuff of life. That's where His "withness" is expressed and experienced most profoundly. We expect Him to show up at church (at least we should - a whole other story :) ). But have we quit expecting Him to show up in the stuff of life?

This is especially a challenge to those of us in a western setting, where naturalistic explanations and human solutions abound for almost every conceivable problem. But in your settings I know you too face this challenge, because it is a struggle that hits at the heart of faith itself - trusting God to be for us in the stuff of life.

Abraham Kuyper captured this idea with these unforgettable words: "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'"

My prayer for you today is simple: David said it long ago in Psalm 20, and it is incredibly practical. May you experience His "withness" today.

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!

May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!

May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!

May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!

Selah

May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans!

May we shout for joy over your salvation,

and in the name of our God set up our banners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!
Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;

He will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.

The God of Now

We know it's going to turn out all right in the end.

Walking by faith, we trust that God will, in the end, right all wrongs, make the world anew, enact perfect justice, and reveal things as they really are.

Even in our temporal view, we believe with all our hearts Romans 8:28 - that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him.

For most of us, it's not the long-term issues of faith that give us the greatest struggles. Instead, we are challenged to trust God not for the long-term, but for today. As John Piper says in Future Grace, we live between the verses of "Amazing Grace":

And grace has brought me safe thus far

And grace will lead me home.

We trust that God's grace saved us. We trust His grace for the end. But what about today?

What about the struggles with the insurance company? What about the surgery we are facing? What about the apathy of our church? What about the run-down neighborhood, where even the residents don't care to fix things up? What about the vote in Congress that could alter our life as we know it, because of the repercussions halfway around the world? What about our loved one who has walked away from God? What about today? Must we wait until we stand in eternity to see God work?

These are the hard questions of the Christ-centered life. These are the stumbling blocks that derail many souls. And yet it is here, in the muck and mud of life, that God chose to make His greatest statement:

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth". (John 1:14)

The Incarnation is God's great "now" statement. God could have saved us in some super-spiritual manner, that didn't involve getting down in the middle of it with us. But instead, He chose to take on flesh and walk with us - showing us that He, the Word made flesh, knew what it was like to walk in our shoes. Hebrews 2 tells us:

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

On this earth Jesus met people's physical as well as spiritual needs. He provided food out of compassion for the crowds; He raised a boy from the dead out of compassion for his grieving mother (without any sense of super-spirituality about the better home in heaven). He was completely evangelistic yet incredibly practical.

Does He care about your day today - the needs that you face, where you desperately need to see Him in the Now?? Absolutely. The incarnation proves He is the God of NOW.

New Post on "The Big Picture"

Hello all - I have a new post on my other blog (http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com). If you're new here - this other blog is where I post summaries from my studies in the World Christian Foundations program through William Carey International University. Blessings to you!

On the day of adversity

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? (Prov. 24:10-12)

Too often, American evangelicals focus only on the evangelistic interpretation of passages like these. We rightly parallel the need to rescue people from spiritual death and hold back those who are heading that way. But Scripture is filled with practical examples, and when you lay passages like these against Matt. 25 and the book of James, we see that Jesus doesn't give us a pass on the natural element.

On the "day of adversity", we are faced with a choice: faint, or help others. We are far more likely to faint when we focus on ourselves, so God really speaks wisdom here: as we help others in need, we can gain strength, and reflect His love and glory to a world in need. Like the Samaritan who stopped to help the wounded traveler, we can demonstrate love for our neighbor in significant practical ways.

My husband is a former police officer and he tells me that in police academy they were taught "In stress, revert to training". Consistently helping others is "training" for that day of adversity. My prayer is that I will become so attuned to the needs of others than helping them will be a habit to me that will carry over when I'm in adversity myself. So many of you live in regions where adversity is a daily reality, or the threat of it hovers constantly. But you're already doing what this Scripture exhorts: you are helping others in need. Know that God will use that, both now and in any "day of adversity" you may face.

A Place to Call Home

It's been said that cross-cultural workers often feel most at home on the plane, flying from one beloved homeland to another.

Because of the changes you've experienced from being in another cultural, you don't view your land of origin quite like a native anymore. And because you have the background of being from another country, you see your land of service differently than the natives there. Sometimes, this cultural disconnect can leave you feeling like people without a home, much like the proverbial "man without a country" featured in the movie by that name. When coupled with feelings that the church back "home" doesn't understand your struggles and the people you serve sometimes seem to take more than they give, it's easy to feel homeless.

Beloved, never let those struggles cause you to lose sight of the truth that in Christ, we always have a place to call home. In John 14:2, Jesus tells us that He goes ahead to prepare a "place" for us. Interestingly, the Greek word is the same as that used later in verse 23: "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."

The parallel of these words is significant. Jesus is going to make an eternal home for us, but He tells us that when we obey Him in love, His home is with us - NOW. When Jesus walked this earth, Scripture tells us He had no place to lay His head ... yet He prepared a people whose hearts would be His dwelling place, and promises that He is making a home for us.

John 15 continues the theme: Abiding in Christ simply means dwelling in Him. If we are "at home" in Him, and His Word is "at home" in us, we have fullness of joy, answered prayers, and incredible intimacy with God and others.

Bottom line: you are His home, and He is yours. No child of God is ever homeless! Let the longings of your heart remind you of the precious truth of abiding in Christ and having His Spirit dwell in you!

Trusting God with the Little Things

Sometimes we find it easier to trust God with the big stuff than with the little stuff.

When something is completely beyond our reach - when it's obviously God-sized - then we trust Him because He is our only hope. Natural disasters, surprise physical illnesses, overwhelming financial struggles due to an economic downturn, societal change -- all are things that are largely out of our hands. We can control our response, but realize that pretty much everything else is up to God.

But what about the little things? If you're like me, you struggle with those things you can do something about. The refund you're owed for a damaged package that could be hastened by a bit of insistent pressure applied in the right place. The computer that could easily be fixed by plopping down a credit card. The job you can get by calling the right people who know the right people. And so on.

God wants us to trust Him in ALL things. Colossians says He is "all in all" and that our very lives are hid with Christ in Him. When we only trust Him for the big things, and handle the small things ourselves, we've inadvertently created a "gap" and minimized who He truly is. Yes, He's big enough for cancer - but He's also big enough for a parking spot at Wal-Mart on a rainy night.

Trust Him with all your frustrations today. Nothing is outside His realm of authority - and when your focus is His glory, He will delight to show you just how involved He can be in the details of your life!

Through the Fire

1 But now thus says the Lord,he who created you, O Jacob,he who formed you, O Israel:“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;I have called you by name, you are mine.2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,and the flame shall not consume you.3 For I am the Lord your God,the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.I give Egypt as your ransom,Cush and Seba in exchange for you.4 Because you are precious in my eyes,and honored, and I love you,I give men in return for you,peoples in exchange for your life.5 Fear not, for I am with you;I will bring your offspring from the east,and from the west I will gather you.6 I will say to the north, Give up,and to the south, Do not withhold;bring my sons from afarand my daughters from the end of the earth,7 everyone who is called by my name,whom I created for my glory,whom I formed and made.” (Isa. 42:1-7)

Southern California is on fire this morning.

Over a million people have been evacuated - the largest mandatory evacuation in the US since the Civil War, according to CNN. 12,000 have taken refuge in QualComm Stadium. The firefighters and government officials openly acknowledge that the fire is 0% contained, won't stop until it hits the ocean, and that there is nothing they can do. No one even knows how many homes have been destroyed.

At a time like this, it's easy to focus on personal safety, even at the expense of others. Yet it is in such settings that Christians have a chance to really shine. When the barbarians invaded the Roman Empire, and all the other religious systems went into an "every man for himself" mindset, the Christians were set apart by their care and concern for others. That's what we can pray for our brothers and sisters in Southern California today.

Isa. 42:1-7 is also valid for you facing your own fires. As believers in a fallen world we face the reality of danger - whether it be natural disasters, violence in the workplace, or terrorist attacks. There are untold reasons to fear. But God's promise is sure: He will be with us in the fire. It's that assurance that can keep us in the fire, serving others, rather than joining the world in an "every man for himself" mindset. Even when we flee, we can do so with an attitude of service rather than selfishness ... because God Himself is with us.

Pray for Southern California today - that God will show Himself through believers. And I pray as you are on the field doing what you do today, that He will show Himself through you!

What are you seeking?

Before I can find something, I have to clearly know what I'm looking for - what I'm seeking. It's a simple principle, and one we apply without thinking in our natural lives. When my glasses are missing, I might mention that I need to find them so that my husband can help. When I've misplaced my favorite plate or can't find the brownie spatula, I clearly define what I'm seeking. I'm willing to bet that you're the same way. You probably never say, "I need help finding something" and then not describe it, or give a list of 20 things you're looking for. If you did, you might find a topsy-turvy mess on your hands as people turned out drawers and cabinets because something has to be in there somewhere!

So why do we miss this principle in our spiritual lives? So many of us are incredibly spiritually busy - we are seeking holiness, purity, righteousness, love, truth, discipline, unity in the body of Christ, a kingdom mindset, the salvation of a certain people group, a growing ministry - it gets tiring just thinking about all we're looking for ... about all we're doing to create a topsy-turvy mess for ourselves.

Jesus taught Mary & Martha that out of all the busy-ness, only one thing was needed - sitting at His feet. Without condemning Martha's busy-ness, He challenged her to FOCUS ... to define what she needed to seek. The answer was HIM.

I'm convinced that one reason that Jesus was so insistent on the needfulness of just being with Him is a principle found in 2 Cor. 3: 18-19: "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." Beholding leads to becoming. As we behold Him ... as we sit at His feet ... we will be transformed into His image. If we desire Christlikeness - purity, holiness, righteousness, a heart for the kingdom of God, love for His people - the absolute most important thing we can do is be with Him and behold Him.

On the field you face many of the same challenges I do here, but you also face the distraction of expectations. So many think you have "arrived" at a goal of "being a field worker" ... when the fact is, you are still seeking like the rest of us. In the busy-ness of your work, with the expectations of the church and your supporters, it's easy to find yourself turning things topsy-turvy to look for the wrong thing.

What are you looking for that is distracting you from seeking Him? Behold Him ... behold Him in the Gospel portraits. Behold Him in His Word. Behold Him in His heart reflected through others. Fix your gaze on Him, and watch how you develop a heart and become the very thing you are looking for!

Goal or process?

At Bible study this week, and again at my monthly women's group, we discussed God's plan for our lives as a goal vs. a process. As a typical American, I am of course goal-oriented. Like Santa Claus, I make my list and check it twice - and love to cross things off.

But God isn't like that. Sure, He does have ultimate goals. Scripture tells us that history has a sure conclusion: The summing up of all things in Christ, things on earth and things in heaven (Eph. 1:8-10). His church - made up of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation - will be presented to God without spot or blemish (Eph. 5:27). But goals in the sense that we think of them - a 5 year plan, a 10 year plan, specific numbers of converts - are not consistent with God's character.

Instead, He seems to be process-oriented. By that, I mean He is interested in our pursuit of Him and what He is making of us in the process. He is terribly concerned with what we are becoming (Christlike). One of the most fundamental New Testament terms for believers is "walk" and it indicates an ongoing action, not a one-time event.

One of my favorite examples is my daily quiet time. God doesn't want me to be so focused on the goal - finishing my quiet time, checking off all those boxes for prayer categories and Bible studies - as what He is showing me in that time. We've all had those times of irritation when our quiet time is interrupted (at least, I hope it's not just me). When I see God as process-oriented, I realize that He may actually be more concerned with my reaction to the interruption than whether or not I finish my Bible study.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not against structure, and sometimes we can be too easily distracted. All I'm saying is that when it looks like our plans are going awry, perhaps God has a different plan! Perhaps the process is the priority. A story I heard this week of a missionary who died his first night in the Andes underscores the truth that God works in ways very different than we do. If something Biblical, God-centered, and kingdom-oriented "interrupts" your plans - consider that God might be rearranging your goals to better fit His process!

Bottom line, God's work gets done, in spite of us! As Kenneth Latourette writes of the "decline" of Christianity during the Dark Ages, "If its future depended upon the kind of power embodied in the earthly city and its affiliated cultures, the outlook for Christianity was grim". But God was still at work in the process ... and the revival that later came was tremendous!

What "failed" goal are you grieving over tonight? Consider what God is doing in the process. Trust Him that He is steering you toward His ultimate goal ... and enjoy the scenery on the way!

Keeping it Real

I think one of the best things about women's small group studies - when they're done right - is the opportunity to be real with each other. In the small group study I attend on Thursday nights, I'm blessed to be around a group of women committed to keeping it real.

Last week we discussed Christology - the deep doctrines of the person of Christ, what it means that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him, bodily. Such a deep, spiritual group, right? Well, tonight we discussed cleaning under the refrigerator - or rather, our lack of doing so.

The context was Paul's admonition to the Colossians that they are already complete in Christ (Col. 2:10). We talked about the struggles we have as women to be all, do all. We discussed the challenges that working outside the home places on us - and the reality that we don't automatically feel nurturing. And we talked about the dirt under the refrigerator! We were trying to keep it real.

And it makes me think of you ... out there, trying to keep it real. Trying sometimes to hold it together, not sure how to say that you really, really need a break before you break something. Trying to be spiritual, not just look spiritual. Trying to give us a glimpse of your world, but wondering if you even see it anymore.

Theology one week, housecleaning advice the next...both part of the tough work of the Christ-centered life for me. For you, endless administrative meetings and lingering conversations over tea might be the two extremes where you seek to live out your faith. For our theology must always meet our reality somewhere down the line if we are going to keep it real.

I pray that God will guide you to believers where you feel the freedom to lay out those struggles ... to people who will be in the trenches with you, battling for the victory of God's kingdom advance. And I pray that you will find that you truly are complete in Him, even if (like me) you never clean under the refrigerator :)

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled [made complete] in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. (Col. 2:9-10)

The radical, "out-there" life

Tonight I just want to thank you for being so radical!

You are living the kingdom-oriented life "out there" where it makes a difference daily. I'm reminded just how radical you are when I see our commercials and interviews on daily shows - when I hear of people saying that Americans "deserve to be pampered". You, of all people, know that is a lie.

I'm sorry for the people and churches here that believe that lie. I sincerely apologize to you for all the times you've been let down by building programs and fancy luncheons, instead of kingdom giving. I believe - at least I hope sincerely - that you have experienced more appreciation and support than a lack of it ... but I know that the times you're let down have been tough.

But faults and all, we're all in this together, and the body of Christ needs you out there, "doing the thing", to remind us that no, we don't deserve to be pampered. That we are blessed to be a blessing ... that the 1 billion people who live in nations that are developing backward (undeveloping?) or the 4 billion in the semi-developed world have needs ... that a child with a distended belly doesn't consider 3 meals a day being pampered ... that there are people who hide their faith behind a veil ... that a day when no one is killed by a land mine is a very good day indeed.

Keep reminding us. Please, make us very, very uncomfortable. Teach us what a radical lifestyle really means. Help us get "out there" with you.

And know that some of us are in the trenches with you, fighting in prayer for the battles you face daily.

On a Roll

We couldn't get our car window rolled up tonight. The rains were coming, and our power window was being quite stubborn.

We tried all the usual fixes - rolling it down again, trying to give it a jump start with our hands. It inched up a tad, then froze. Finally, we gave up and came inside for supper. Bob tried again right after supper - it inched up a tad more, then froze. He came in for dessert and then went out again to try once more before dark. We committed the matter to prayer but were getting tempted to just cover it up with cardboard.

When he came in a few minutes later, he reported that the window was up - and that he had put duct tape over the control so we don't get in that fix again :). The window had inched up a little more, and he was able to coax it the rest of the way.

So, what's the point?

Sometimes the trials that you are facing may not respond to the usual fixes. You may revisit a problem repeatedly. Perhaps you are even feeling tempted to take a temporary fix that will barely keep the rain out. Let me encourage you to keep bringing it before the Lord! Try once more ... and once more ... even if the progress only seems to be "inching" along. You never know when He might bring the solution on that "one last try".

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1)

Don't buy the lies!

Rev. 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God."

Don't buy Satan's lies. Never forget that he is the accuser of the brethren (and, I might add, the sistren :) ).

Sometimes I watch something that drives home a spiritual truth so strongly that I can hardly focus on the show itself. Tonight, that happened with an episode, of all things, of Little House on the Prairie (season 3, "The Music Box", if you are a follower). In the episode, Nellie (the villain) is being her usual evil self. But this time, she has something on Laura - the theft of a music box. She convinces Laura that she will "tell" if Laura doesn't meet her demands - which includes being cruel to a friend who stutters. Nellie holds this threat over Laura's head and even tells her brother. Laura's nightmares and fears were far too familiar to me, as one who has allowed satan to hold things over my head! It soon becomes apparent that Nellie is going to hold this over Laura's head and even turn against her if Laura does everything Nellie demands. Ultimately, Laura confesses to her parents and, freed from the guilt, enjoys peace in her relationship with the friend she had betrayed.

As I watched I couldn't help think of Corrie ten Boom's illustration of this Scripture. She stated that she always wanted to walk in such closeness with God that she would beat the accuser to the throne room. She wanted to confess her sin, then have satan 5 minutes later go to God with his accusations - upon which time Jesus would say, "Oh, that? Corrie has already been here, and it's forgiven." That is my desire too - one I've learned saves me a lot of negotiations with the enemy, and a lot of heartache of being in his traps. In the show, Laura tells her Pa, "I wanted to try to fix it on my own." Boy, do I know that mistake. The problem is - we can't. Only Jesus can.

This doctrine is so relevant to you on the field. If satan can hold something over your heads, you become more focused on the sin you are accused of than the ministry you are called to. Like Laura, you forget the wounded people whom satan wants to turn you against. Live close to the throne room. Whatever you are trying to cover or hide, or fix it on your own, the enemy is winning. When you run to God, and confess to others, his true colors are shown -- and the Gospel shines through in vivid color!

A Prayer for you Tonight

Sometimes, it just takes a simple reminder of truth to encourage us.

When circumstances are overwhelming ... when we know we don't have the answers we're expected to have ... when we know that we are beyond the end of our rope ... then it is so refreshing to know that there are truths that are unchanging, truths that are simple and yet profound. Truths that have to be spiritually discerned.

That was Paul's prayer for the Colossians. He wrote to them:

Col. 1:9-14 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Colossians were in a confusing environment. Gnostic teachers claimed that people needed a "special revelation" to be truly spiritual - and that this was only available to a few. Legalists expected obedience to special days and feasts and seasons. The city, a trade center, was filled with pagan worship. And individuals faced their own personal struggles, as they do in every generation and place. Yet Paul laid out just some basics:

God's will - discerned spiritually and resulting in a pleasing walk. Strength, endurance, patience, thankfulness. And oh, the precious truth that we have been transferred from a kingdom of darkness to one of light.

Those are key thoughts for us all tonight - for you personally, I hope. Set aside the confusion and look at the simplicity of the message again. Are you trying to make a decision in line with God's will? Hear the reminder that it comes through spiritual knowledge and understanding - not natural! Do you struggle with whether your walk is pleasing to Him? Trust the promise that when you discern His will, He will lead you in a walk pleasing to Him. Take up His guarantee of strength, endurance, patience, and thankfulness. And remember tonight the basic gospel: He transferred you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light! Can anything be more difficult than that miraculous transaction?

He is for you. Hear that tonight in Paul's reminders to the Colossians. He doesn't make it hard, He makes it simple. He is for you.

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A Prayer Request Close to your Hearts

I received the most awesome phone call tonight.

I know that older women are supposed to teach the younger, according to Titus 2, but tonight I was definitely the student. I pass the story along because I know this prayer request will hit close to your hearts.

A college student who is very dear called me tonight. She is called to long-term field service like you are doing, and is in a ministry program at a denominational university to prepare. She called tonight to request prayer from me and others about a summer opportunity working with an orphanage in Kenya. Sarah is considering serving there for most of the summer. She has been assured that this is a true "working" opportunity - her role would be to serve wherever needed in the orphanage. She is really praying about this as a possibility. Sarah has a clear call for the kingdom and has a passion for orphans, but isn't sure if this is God's plan for her summer or not. Please join me in praying for Sarah to have very clear guidance about God's plan for how she spends her summer.

I know you will rejoice as I did when I tell you that Sarah told me her summer isn't her time, it's God's time. She also has been convicted that God doesn't want her to spend her Christmas break "vegging" but instead to offer herself in service to her church.

What a powerful lesson! I think of what I hear on one of my praise and worship CDs ... a live version of "I wanna see Jesus lifted high" ... the worship leader says "This is not a youth movement ... this is the church." Folks, if Sarah represents the heart of the future of the church, then we have a lot to look forward to!

Be encouraged. Be renewed in your own passion for service. Know that there are young people out there getting it right from the beginning! And please, pray for Sarah.

Commended as God's Servant

4 ... as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (2 Cor. 6:4b-10)

I never cease to be amazed at the Apostle Paul's example. Here, he lays out for us a way to turn even those negative aspects of ministry into a testimony!

Look at the list he lays out here - afflictions, beatings riots ... appear right alongside sleepless nights and hunger. The fruit of the Spirit is laid out as a lifestyle, alongside spiritual warfare. The contrasts he describes are profound. The bottom line for Paul is that all of these things are part of ministry - all of the struggles and efforts to respond in a godly way, all of the ways of being misunderstood - are all part of their acts as servants of God.

Nothing is too big - or too small - to be a part of your service to God. Whether you're facing blatant warfare, or a struggle to be patient at work ... whether your challenge is to endure a great calamity or a sleepless night ... whether you need endurance or are going hungry ... whatever the situation, whatever the struggle, whatever the need - it is part of your service to God. In everything, put yourself out before Him as His servant!

The Power of Hope

"Ah, darling, it's Behrman's masterpiece - he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell."

closing line of "The Last Leaf" by O Henry

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick", wrote Solomon. But hope alive - can make a heart sing.

O Henry captures the power of hope beautifully in his short story, "The Last Leaf" (http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/1303/). An ill elderly lady, convinced she will die when the last leaf on the ivy falls to the ground, has abandoned hope and her dreams of painting the Bay of Naples. Another man in the home hears of her lack of will, and sacrifices his own health - and ultimately his own life - to paint on her window a leaf during an icy storm one night while she sleeps. She takes heart, recovers, and remembers her dream. The painter, Behrman, dies from the pneumonia he contracted while painting the leaf that gave her hope.

As I thought about this story, I considered each of you. So many of you are in spiritually dark places, with circumstances that contribute to feelings of hopelessness. When you look at the history and the "big picture", you see little reason to believe that things will change. Even in your little corner, you sometimes question whether you're making any difference at all.

I want to encourage you tonight with this thought: Jesus desires to bring worshippers from all people groups into God's throne room (as pictured in Rev. 7:9). He is the One working underneath the surface of history toward a kingdom goal, the summing up of all things in Him. He painted the leaf on the window, giving us hope in our efforts to reach some little corner of this world of ours -- and the ink he used was His own blood. As a result, as Abraham Kuyper noted, "There is not a square inchin the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'"

Friends, that is Hope defined ... the hope that even your challenging regions belong to Him.

Be blessed with truth tonight!

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Have a good day!

The Elusively Simple Solution

I spent almost a day and a half on a really simple problem at work this week.

My Excel charts didn't turn out right ... and I couldn't fix the problem. I blamed all the usual suspects: new Office 2007; Microsoft (of course); the lack of response from the campus Excel "expert". I turned elsewhere for solutions and managed to get a helpful soul at Computing Services who offered to devote her afternoon to trying to solve "my" problem.

In the end, the solution was almost elusively simple. Moving column B to column C solved every chart problem I had fought for the better part of 2 days. I praised God for rescuing me, called the friendly lady at Computing Services, and finished my charts.

Isn't that how we are with God sometimes? When we were separated from Him, we looked everywhere we could for the solution to our soul-problem. We blamed everyone and everything; we turned elsewhere for solutions; we failed miserably at finding a solution because it was elusively simple: look to the cross and trust Christ alone.

But even after salvation we can be stubbornly insistent on making things harder than they have to be. The fact is, God's Word contains everything God deemed important for us to know about this thing called the Christian life. We underestimate the power in us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Really, God calls us to get out of the way so that He can make it clear that He is at work instead of us! He calls it the crucified life - death to self, living to Him (Gal. 2:20).

The book of Colossians is an eloquent reminder of the simplicity of the Gospel, the simplicity of the Christ-life. Paul elevates Christ as pre-eminent over all things, and reminds us that our role is one of a faith-walk, not a frenzied pursuit of knowledge or fastidious keeping of rules and regulations. Simply put, Paul reminds us that it's all about Jesus.

Your life on the field is filled with challenging problems. Issues of contextualization, administrative details, theological questions I can only imagine, political dilemmas - all can press upon you to make it seem like the problems are overwhelming. Tonight, remember the simplicity of the answer: Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Col. 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Peace in the Storm

Our pets are scared of storms.

If left alone in a room during a storm, our 81-pound dog George will whimper, moan, even howl. He's been known to butt open a door with his head in order to get to us. More than once I've awakened during the night with his head under my hand, alerting me to a storm going on outside. Our bird, Petey, will screech and flap his wings frantically during a storm, especially if he's left near a window.

So we have developed the habit of bringing Petey's cage into our bedroom on potentially stormy nights. George already has gained the privilege of his 11 dog years to sleep in our room every night, so on stormy nights Bob and I lay in bed with George on the floor on my side and Petey at the end of the bed in his cage.

What's amazing is that no matter how bad the storm, if they are in our room they are calm, peaceful, and restful. Their sleep isn't affected by thunder and lightning even when, at times, mine is!

Last night as I lay in bed listening to the storm and thinking about the contrast between our peaceful pets and their reactions when they are not with us, I realized that this is the "peace in the storm" that God wants us to have.

Life is full of storms. Even if we enjoy a brief lull, usually the stormclouds rise, the lightning flashes, and something occurs to shake us. But Jesus tells us not to be anxious; the Apostle Paul elaborates with the command to be anxious for nothing.

The fact is, God wants us to be as much at peace with Him in the storms of life as our pets are with us. More so, actually. He wants us to make a willful choice to rest in Him, to allow His peace to pass all understanding.

What storms are keeping you awake at night? What thunder and lightning cause your peace to be rattled? Are you acting like George and Petey when we're not around - or are you surrendering to the peace of your Father's presence like they do when they're with us during a storm?

I pray that God will encourage you to see the reality of His presence in your storm tonight. May the words of this song minister to your spirit.

Sometimes He Calms the Storm
song lyrics written by Tony Wood and Kevin Stokes

All who sail the sea of faith
Find out before too long
How quickly blue skies can grow dark
And gentle winds grow strong

Suddenly fear is like white water
Pounding on the soul
Still we sail on knowing
That our Lord is in control

CHORUS
Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered "Peace be still"
He can settle any sea
But it doesn't mean He will

Sometimes He holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child

He has a reason for each trial
That we pass through in life
And though we're shaken
We cannot be pulled apart from Christ

No matter how the driving rain beats down
On those who hold to faith
A heart of trust will always
Be a quiet peaceful place

CHORUS

Underneath the Surface

So often we live life at surface level. We get caught up in the concerns, fears, and frustrations of daily life. Political races, tribal conflicts, the exchange rate, logistics of travel, even the fight for survival, can cause us to focus on what we see. Even as we look at 'the big picture' we often see the historical challenges that are still part of that surface level.

But if we look just a little deeper ... if we dig into the heart and soul of our people, often we see something underneath the surface that cries out "never give up". That speaks of hope and future.

Christopher Dawson, in Religion and the Rise of Western Culture, highlights for us how the Apostle Paul's experience in Europe and Asia effected such a subterranean change that the world hardly saw it coming:

When St. Paul...came to Philippi in Macedonia, he did more to change the course of history that the great battle that had decided the fate of the Roman Empire on the same spot nearly a century earlier, for he brought to Europe the seed of a new life which was ultimately destined to create a new world. All this took place underneath the surface of history, so that it was unrecognized by the leaders of contemporary culture....a new principle had been introduced into the static civilization of the Roman world that contained infinite possibilities of change. (p. 27; emphasis mine)

"Infinite possibilities of change" ... isn't that what you long for? Isn't that what you pray for? I know that is my prayer for you, for your people! Yet look how Dawson says it happened ... "underneath the surface of history" - unrecognized by the "leaders" of the day!

Fight the tendency to see things on the surface. For goodness' sake, ignore the media! How I pray that we will have God's eyes - that we will see where the "new principle" of the Gospel is taking root, bringing with it infinite possibilities of change - of turning the world upside down!

"...These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also..." (Acts 17:6)