A Little Bit of Faith

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men,

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1, 3.

I can’t help but think that these great cloud of witnesses were cheering and praising God this past Sunday during worship at God's church at Faith.   Because of God’s faithfulness and the perseverance of many, we’ve stayed in the “race”.

As I filled out a survey (Natural Church Development) to get a baseline for His church at Faith required by the conference, I couldn’t help but recall how far the church had come over the last couple of years. It was a joy to mark many boxes on that survey as “very much agree”.

In worship, not only did God honor us with His guests, but our worship was united as many shared the things for which they were thankful. We heard about answered prayers, healed bodies and God’s provision. I couldn’t help but recall the verse that was used often by the ministry group, Proactive Evangelism Ministries, during the two years of assisting Faith to overcome the battles with the enemy:

They overcame him (the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Revelation 12:11a

The Holy Spirit continued to move the hearts of God’s people during prayer time. Our pastor, Amelia, asked us to write down something for which we were thankful that was personal or private and couldn’t be shared in public and then place those notes at the foot of the cross that was at the front of the altar. The response was incredible! I can still see all of those yellow paper notes lying at the bottom of the wooden cross. And, the visual of two men embraced in prayer at the altar as one ministered to the other after the loss of his wife, was one of the most worshipful sites I’ve ever seen.

God continued to draw us to Him with His message, “Abundance or Scarcity”. Using John 6:5-12, Pastor Amelia pointed out that Philip was operating from a mindset of Scarcity, “Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”, but God wants us to use the mindset of Abundance, “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted.”

As I give thanks for so many things in my life, I am especially thankful for God’s faithfulness to His church at Faith. Thanks to the dedication and perseverance of the leadership there, we are able to join together and continue to serve Him as we Love God, Love Others and Share God’s Love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Prayer for Rich

My nephew will be deployed in February to Iraq.  His service to our country is a calling from God in his life.  While many of our family will gather at my Mom's house for Thanksgiving to see him and wish him well, God has placed a burden on my heart to gather at His throne of grace to pray for Rich and his friends that will be serving together. 

God used the words from the song, The Only One (The Holy One), by Caedmon's Call  to speak to me:

Lord, You are my Prince of Peace
But this war brings me to my knees
See, there's a table You've prepared
And all my enemies are there
But Where my Shepherd leads
Where else can I go?
Who else fills my cup 'til it overflows?

Interestingly, I found the following information about Psalm 23:5:

This verse (Psalm 23:5) was a favorite in London at communion services during World War II, when the bombing was at its peak.  In one instance a bomb hit a section of a church building while the worship service continued.  The Christians prayed while German bombs dropped, Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

  J.R.P. Sclater, The Interpreter's Bible,1955, Vol 4 128

In his book, Falling Into Greatness, Lloyd J. Ogilvie, describes seven things that the Lord promises through Psalm 23:

1. The Lord will work for me.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.

2. The Lord will provide for me.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.

3. The Lord will keep me going.

He restores my soul

4. The Lord will guide me.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

5. The Lord will protect me.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

6. The Lord will heal me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

7. The Lord will pursue me.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

There is no greater honor or humbling of spirit to be called into God's presence to pray on behalf of someone else.  Thank you, God,  for these seven promises from Your word that I can use to pray for Rich and his friends. Instill the perseverance and dedication in my life through the work of Your Spirit to be faithful to this calling. Amen

Shouting for Specifics

When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!..... "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him.  The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."

Mark 10:47-51

As I read the story of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10 and then the story of the blind beggar in Luke 18, I am initially struck at the boldness of both in shouting for Jesus.  Both used the name for Jesus, Son of David, referring to the tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great healing powers. They also had to shout loud enough to be heard over the crowds, bringing attention to themselves and their plight. 

Ancient people believed that blindness was the lowest degradation that a person could endure.  Together with cripples and lepers, blind people were the outcasts of society.  Most biblical incidents indicate that they were relegated to being beggars.  Their place in society and the utter hopelessness for recovery, heightens even more Jesus' concern for them. Blindness in the New Testament, Biblical Illustrator, Gil Lain

Jesus' words, "What do you want me to do for you?" burns in my heart.  While I can be very superficial and spout out a litany of requests, Jesus' question begs for me to risk bringing attention to those things in my life that keep me blinded to the life he has called me to live.  Dare I be so bold and shout to the Son of David, exposing myself to the crowds of people around me?

The healing that happened to both men resulted in immediate praise....how could I not risk myself so that God's healing in my life would lead me to praise in a way that is uncontrollable?  In the passage in Luke 18, God's healing initiated praise among those that were witnesses to God's miraculous healing.  Am I willing to live in bondage and brokeness and keep others from seeing God's work in my life? 

Jesus, Son of David, give me the courage to open myself up to your miraculous healing despite the risks of bringing attention to those inadequacies in my life.  Help me to be honest in your question to me, "What do you want me to do for you?" 

Coming to Our Senses

In preparation for leading a Spiritual Transformation weekend with Proactive Evangelism Ministries in Florida, I listen for God's direction in the story of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15: 11-32.   While this is probably one of the most familiar of the parables, there is a phrase from this passage that draws my attention today from all the rest- "When he came to his senses". 

Dr. Eddie Lawrence, in his book, Breath of God, says ....

Often these light bulb experiences are occasions when God speaks to us.  Such an experience can be called a defining moment, an epiphany, an awakening, or a revelation.  These are times when our minds get an understanding of what our spirit has been yearning to tell us....Life is so much more spiritual than most of us have imagined.  When our eyes open to this possibility and our hearts become willing, God draws us nearer and nearer.  He always moves to the place of willingness wherever He sees it.

God started bringing me to" my senses" several years ago when he placed a yearning in my heart for more in this life..."open the eyes of my heart, Lord" became my prayer. 

The Sacred Romance by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge was one of the books that thrust me into a journey of a deepening relationship with God that has been beyond my wildest imaginations. The back cover of this book describes the journey as...

From childhood on, something or Someone has called us on a journey of the heart.  It is a journey full of intimacy, adventure, and beauty-but like any fairy tale it is also fraught with more than a little danger.  To ignore this whispered call is to become one of the living dead who carry on lives divorced from their most intimate selves, their heart....It is His (God's) invitation to experience His unfathomable love for us.

Because of His love and mercy for me, God has brought me to a place in this life that allows me to slow down and come to know Him through His word and conversation.  It is a way of life that challenges me to become all that God has for me...restoring me to the way He originally created me to be...in His image.  

The passage in Isaiah 61 is one of hope and restoration that calls all of God's people to be delivered from the bondages of this world that we currently live in....

to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and realease from darkness for the prisoners......to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who greive in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

Dear precious and loving Lord, thank you for never giving up on me and bringing me to my senses.  Thank you for leading me to a place where I can hear your sweet Spirit whispering to me that there is more...an abundant and fulfilling life of being all that you created me to be.  Use your Holy Spirit to continue this process of transformation until I see your face and stand in your Presence for eternity.

Breathing Space

At first the churches were breathing spaces: not all of them, not everywhere, but the only chance to find a bit of space as a normal, non-intellectual and non-famous person, was in these church meetings. These were not revolutionaries, they were people who kept to their faith despite the disadvantages that came with it: marginalisation, being blocked from promotion at work, their children not being allowed to study, the suspicion or even the knowledge of being surrounded by IMs (unofficial collaborators with the political police in East Germany) who posed as friends. The churches became the place to assemble, to talk about social, political and environmental problems and formulate them as prayers.....But for the years before the fall of the wall and during the dramatic days in November 1989, the faithful joined hands to change the world.

Read the rest of the blog, We are the People, Bern Hagenkord, SJ @ http://www.thinkingfaith.org/

Struggling with a respiratory illness this week has brought to mind the importance of breathing and being able to have full access to the oxygen that our bodies need to function at full capacity.  As the world celebrates the fall of the wall in Berlin, we, in America today, have experienced little of the oppression that has been faced by people of faith throughout history.

I found it so interesting that the author used the words "breathing spaces" to describe the body of Christ, His church. Can we say the same thing about His church at Faith....do we provide breathing space for those that are smothered and suffocated by life and the things of the world?  How do we help each other formulate all those things that are weighing us down into prayers? Can we access the power that comes from joining hands in prayer and not only changes our lives, but our world?

"It is the precious presence of the Holy Spirit moving and flowing through our lives that releases the fragrance of Jesus Christ into the nostrils of the hurting world surrounding us." 

Breath of God, Dr. Eddie Lawrence

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 

Acts 17:24-25

Thank you, Lord, for breathing your breath into me when I was created and the breath of your Holy Spirit when I accepted you into my life.  Help me to surrender myself to the work of your Holy Spirit in my life so that I can be the fragrance of Jesus Christ into the nostrils of the hurting world.  Help your church at Faith to provide breathing space to all those guests that you send to us. Amen