I spent the day with Jennie, as we drove down to Pennsylvania to deliver her younger sister, Anna to their father, Rick. We met up in Williamsport at a Wendy's restaurant. That's when I met Nick.
Nick is a kind Christian gentleman in his 50s who was eating a cheeseburger by himself at a table near where we sat to eat our lunch. He actually broke the "ice" first when he commented on the fact that we prayed before we ate our meal saying that it was an encouragement to him. That made a nice "on-ramp" to keep the connection going.
Nick is a small business owner who lives with his wife just outside Williamsport. He runs a mobile Cheeseburger Stand and follows the fairs around the state to provide all that lovely carnival food we all so enjoy. (I thought it funny that he was eating a Wendy's cheeseburger when we talked.) Nick and his wife attend an area fellowship where he is in charge of the drama department and very much enjoys writing most of their scripts.
He and his wife have just one child, a daughter, Nicole who is 25 years old and lives in Lancaster County where she is hoping for a position in youth ministry at a large church there. She also works in registration at the famous "Sight and Sound" theater ministry located down in Lancaster. It's clear that he is very proud of his little girl and encouraged me to "look her up" the next time I go to Sight and Sound Theater.
This was a pleasant and easy interaction, made easier by the fact that he bravely stepped out first by commenting on our prayer before our meal. I found that as he responded to my initial question (Are you here on your lunch break?) that I was both hearing him, and trying to come up with some more questions that would encourage the flow of conversation to continue. I feel like I'm building a toolbox of questions that help with making these cold contact stranger connections a bit easier, and look forward to the time when it all happens more naturally.
I told Nick, as he thanked me for talking with him, that I'd pray for him. Would you join me? Father God, thank you for this man of God, Nick. Let Your hand of protection and peace rest upon he and his wife and please draw them ever closer to You. I pray for Nicole, that she would be blessed as she pursues ministering to youth in Your name. Guide her steps, provide for her needs, and reveal more of Your Father heart to her -- even through her loving earthly father, Nick.
Thanks Dad!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Connections - Day 3 - Sylvia
You would think a Sunday would be relatively easy to have a stranger connection, but not so today. First, there were relatively few strangers in the congregation today. I actually received a text from a friend asking me to try to connect with two particular strangers, but because others were jumping in to meet these two, I thought I would wait for a more convenient time to introduce myself. I did attempt to meet one other stranger who had been lingering a bit after service but I found it enormously difficult because she didn't seem at all interested. I suppose it might be daunting to have a bunch of smiley Christians all clamoring to welcome you - maybe even get you saved. :) I had kind of been counting on church for my stranger connection today, oh well.
This afternoon, we held a baby shower for my daughter-in-law, and although we had 40 people there, I pretty much knew everyone. I was able to connect with some folks I haven't connected with for a while - I was more intentional about it and think that's important. I even connected with one person I hadn't really met before today, however, we also didn't have much a conversation so I won't count that. It's odd how I spent so much time with a large number of people, but I was unable to connect with a stranger on any meaninful level during that time.
I was exhausted after the shower, and just wanted to crash at home with my family, I knew I was still missing my day's stranger connection - and so I ventured off to the local grocery store to wander around, and pick up a few items while hoping to bump into someone willing to get past "Hi" with me. I was so tired, I decided to just check out and in my head, I began to formulate my day's blog entitled "Day 3 - Failure" :) however -- I met Sylvia in line. (Yay, Sylvia!) I got caught up in so much conversation with Sylvia, I had to let other people go in front of me while we continued chatting. Sylvia is a middle aged school teacher and proud new grandmother of a 7 pound, 4 ounce baby boy, born this past week at Highland Hospital in Rochester to her second born son and daughter in law who reside in Scottsville. This is her first grandchild and you could tell from her beaming smile. Maybe that's why it was easy to connect - because I was wearing the same smile having just come from my daughter in law's baby shower. I find that it's easier to connect with someone who you have something in common with....you just have to find that commonground as early in the conversation as possible in order to keep the ball rolling. I also found that if you keep the focus on the stranger's life, rather than telling her all about your life, she remains engaged in the conversation. (Interstingly, I also had a decent connection with my check out guy, Jordan, but I won't elaborate on it here. Just to say, on a day when I thought I'd have no connections, I ended up having two...so far.
Lord, help me keep my eyes and ears open!!
This afternoon, we held a baby shower for my daughter-in-law, and although we had 40 people there, I pretty much knew everyone. I was able to connect with some folks I haven't connected with for a while - I was more intentional about it and think that's important. I even connected with one person I hadn't really met before today, however, we also didn't have much a conversation so I won't count that. It's odd how I spent so much time with a large number of people, but I was unable to connect with a stranger on any meaninful level during that time.
I was exhausted after the shower, and just wanted to crash at home with my family, I knew I was still missing my day's stranger connection - and so I ventured off to the local grocery store to wander around, and pick up a few items while hoping to bump into someone willing to get past "Hi" with me. I was so tired, I decided to just check out and in my head, I began to formulate my day's blog entitled "Day 3 - Failure" :) however -- I met Sylvia in line. (Yay, Sylvia!) I got caught up in so much conversation with Sylvia, I had to let other people go in front of me while we continued chatting. Sylvia is a middle aged school teacher and proud new grandmother of a 7 pound, 4 ounce baby boy, born this past week at Highland Hospital in Rochester to her second born son and daughter in law who reside in Scottsville. This is her first grandchild and you could tell from her beaming smile. Maybe that's why it was easy to connect - because I was wearing the same smile having just come from my daughter in law's baby shower. I find that it's easier to connect with someone who you have something in common with....you just have to find that commonground as early in the conversation as possible in order to keep the ball rolling. I also found that if you keep the focus on the stranger's life, rather than telling her all about your life, she remains engaged in the conversation. (Interstingly, I also had a decent connection with my check out guy, Jordan, but I won't elaborate on it here. Just to say, on a day when I thought I'd have no connections, I ended up having two...so far.
Lord, help me keep my eyes and ears open!!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Connections - Day 2 - Julie
This is Day 2 of a journey I'm on to connect with strangers. If you're interested in reading about the background concerning this adventure, you're encouraged to read "Connections - Day 1" - my blog entry dated July 9, 2010.
I have been out and about quite a bit on this sunny Saturday, and I've had plenty of opportunities to meet and talk with strangers along the way. Because of that, it was an "easy" connection day, however, I believe the Lord has encouraged me to pay special attention to particular connections because He wants to train me in the ways of relationship. Today, through my "stranger connection", the Holy Spirit revealed some difficult realities about me and my self-focused life. Although it was painful in some respects, I am exceedingly grateful for the light of truth because I believe the Lord is ushering me out of the cloistered, self-protective life, and into a more confident vulnerability in relationship.
I'd like to introduce you to Julie. Julie is a pleasant, middle aged woman with four grown daughters and several grandchildren. One of her daughters adopted a beautiful baby girl eight months ago from a Buffalo area agency, and that baby is an answer to prayer for this family. Julie has had some difficult things happen in life in the past couple years, most recently a house fire destroyed a three-apartment home she and her husband owned. Her 86 year old father-in-law, one of their tenants, was burned in the flames and spent some time recently in the hospital managing pain, and getting skin grafts. Thankfully, he is going to be fine. They're going to hold a benefit in town soon, to raise money for their displaced tenants and I'm hoping to be able to attend that benefit. I am so very grateful that I had this connection with Julie.
So far, so good, right? You may be wondering why I said that God used this stranger connection to reveal the awful selfishness of my heart. The sad fact is, Julie has lived next door to me for the past 8 years, but until today, I couldn't have told you what her first name was. I met her today, for the first time, at her daughter's garage sale - that's right: for the first time! Why have I not pursued this friend before? Busy-ness? Insecurity? Fear of rejection? Timidity? Probably all of those things and more. Some may say, "She's not really a stranger - she was your neighbor" but as I said, I never met her before. I've waved "Hi" as I've driven by her walking along the road, but not once, did I pursue a conversation of any substance with her. :( I'm confident this is the stranger connection God ordained for today - reminding me that sometimes strangers are right under our noses. We don't have to look far. Perhaps God put Julie in that house next door, so that He could reveal His heart for her, through His life in me. How wrong it has been of me to hide that life and light. Father, forgive me, open my eyes, and help me cross the barriers. Thank you for Your grace and continue to teach me YOUR ways of relationship.
For the purist out there, who may still feel as though Julie was not a "true" stranger, let me introduce you to Dan - a complete stranger I had the pleasure of meeting this evening. Dan just graduated from high school two weeks ago and has enlisted in the Air Force. His dad wanted him to enlist in the Navy because his grandfather was a sailor, but when he talked to the Naval recruitment officer, he was encouraged to indicate that he was a Native American so he could be specially assigned to Naval security (because minorities were given special consideration for that position). Dan is not Native American, but he is a young man of integrity. He decided that he could NOT knowingly lie in order to obtain his preferred assignment, so instead, enlisted in the Air Force. His desire is still to work in security and enforcement, but he's willing to serve however the Air Force determines. He's still waiting for his orders that will determine his future and soon after he will head to a Texas Air Force base for training. In the meantime, Dan works at Wal-Mart.
Father - thank you for Dan and his heart to serve and to live true. It's encouraging to know there are young men committed to integrity, and willing to lay their lives down for their country. Please reveal YOUR heart to Dan, guide and direct his steps, and help him surrender his life to You. Thank you, Father.
I have been out and about quite a bit on this sunny Saturday, and I've had plenty of opportunities to meet and talk with strangers along the way. Because of that, it was an "easy" connection day, however, I believe the Lord has encouraged me to pay special attention to particular connections because He wants to train me in the ways of relationship. Today, through my "stranger connection", the Holy Spirit revealed some difficult realities about me and my self-focused life. Although it was painful in some respects, I am exceedingly grateful for the light of truth because I believe the Lord is ushering me out of the cloistered, self-protective life, and into a more confident vulnerability in relationship.
I'd like to introduce you to Julie. Julie is a pleasant, middle aged woman with four grown daughters and several grandchildren. One of her daughters adopted a beautiful baby girl eight months ago from a Buffalo area agency, and that baby is an answer to prayer for this family. Julie has had some difficult things happen in life in the past couple years, most recently a house fire destroyed a three-apartment home she and her husband owned. Her 86 year old father-in-law, one of their tenants, was burned in the flames and spent some time recently in the hospital managing pain, and getting skin grafts. Thankfully, he is going to be fine. They're going to hold a benefit in town soon, to raise money for their displaced tenants and I'm hoping to be able to attend that benefit. I am so very grateful that I had this connection with Julie.
So far, so good, right? You may be wondering why I said that God used this stranger connection to reveal the awful selfishness of my heart. The sad fact is, Julie has lived next door to me for the past 8 years, but until today, I couldn't have told you what her first name was. I met her today, for the first time, at her daughter's garage sale - that's right: for the first time! Why have I not pursued this friend before? Busy-ness? Insecurity? Fear of rejection? Timidity? Probably all of those things and more. Some may say, "She's not really a stranger - she was your neighbor" but as I said, I never met her before. I've waved "Hi" as I've driven by her walking along the road, but not once, did I pursue a conversation of any substance with her. :( I'm confident this is the stranger connection God ordained for today - reminding me that sometimes strangers are right under our noses. We don't have to look far. Perhaps God put Julie in that house next door, so that He could reveal His heart for her, through His life in me. How wrong it has been of me to hide that life and light. Father, forgive me, open my eyes, and help me cross the barriers. Thank you for Your grace and continue to teach me YOUR ways of relationship.
For the purist out there, who may still feel as though Julie was not a "true" stranger, let me introduce you to Dan - a complete stranger I had the pleasure of meeting this evening. Dan just graduated from high school two weeks ago and has enlisted in the Air Force. His dad wanted him to enlist in the Navy because his grandfather was a sailor, but when he talked to the Naval recruitment officer, he was encouraged to indicate that he was a Native American so he could be specially assigned to Naval security (because minorities were given special consideration for that position). Dan is not Native American, but he is a young man of integrity. He decided that he could NOT knowingly lie in order to obtain his preferred assignment, so instead, enlisted in the Air Force. His desire is still to work in security and enforcement, but he's willing to serve however the Air Force determines. He's still waiting for his orders that will determine his future and soon after he will head to a Texas Air Force base for training. In the meantime, Dan works at Wal-Mart.
Father - thank you for Dan and his heart to serve and to live true. It's encouraging to know there are young men committed to integrity, and willing to lay their lives down for their country. Please reveal YOUR heart to Dan, guide and direct his steps, and help him surrender his life to You. Thank you, Father.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Connections - Day 1 - Lily
I have some truly wonderful Christian friends who are more like family to me than anything else. We get along well, worship together, and find many things to talk and laugh about.
Recently several of us were at a celebration, sitting at a big round table, preparing to enjoy some food together, when a young mom and her 8-year-old daughter came and sat at our table. They sat directly across from me. She introduced herself to all of us and we exchanged the normal niceties but then continued to talk and laugh among ourselves. With so much in common, and so much history with one another, it was easy to keep the flow of conversation going. Unfortunately, we weren't making any effort to include our new table-mates in our riveting discussion. To include them, would require some measure of boldness and could be very awkward. It's interesting how we can sometimes view ourselves as very open and fun-loving -- not recognizing we're only like that when we're with "our own kind". I guess that's really more sad than interesting. Jesus told us to go and preach the gospel and make disciples, but we can't even figure out how to say, "Hi."
God made us for relationship. We are all desperate to feel the love and acceptance of others, sometimes so much so, that we forget that those "others" are also in desperate need. In our insecurity, we clamor for affection and approval through relationship, but then once we feel relatively content with our relationship quota, we stop looking to connect. "I'm friends with you and you're friends with me....what do we need her for?" The truth is, maybe she needs YOU - or rather maybe she needs the Jesus that's inside you. (and maybe you need the Jesus that's inside her!)
I've been thinking and praying about this quite a bit lately - trying to analyze why it is we prefer to stay cloistered in our social-networking world. While thinking this stuff through, I believe the Lord has put a challenge before me that I've really hesitated considering too seriously. I believe He's asking me to intentionally connect with a different stranger every single day for the rest of this month (July, 2010). I've hesitated because I recognize I really do live a cloistered life, literally spending hours each week in the basement of our church working on administrative type tasks. I'm afraid days will go by when I don't even come across a stranger that I could connect with and I'll fail the challenge. But because I really do believe God is the One behind this "experiment" of sorts, I also believe He will provide the people He wants me to connect with - friends I've simply not yet met. I also believe He'll probably train me in boldness, push me past my fear of the cold-connection, and help me find some confidence in just talking with strangers.
And so...the challenge begins.
Here are a few parameters:
A "Stranger" is someone I have not yet met, or established any sort of relationship with.
A "Connection" is something that gets past the "Hi. How are you. Have a nice day" stage. It means actually finding out something meaningful about that person - making a real connection and remembering their name the next day.
I won't limit myself to just ONE connection per day, however, I will look for at least one each day, even if I have to break out of the basement and go track down a stranger somewhere! :)
Just for fun, I plan to blog about each encounter here. I really want to learn about what makes the cold-connection so hard and what might help to make it a little bit easier. Mostly, I just really want to introduce you to these amazing precious ones that I would've otherwise overlooked.
Day 1 - Meet Lily. Lily is a beautiful young lady with much to say. She practically bounded into the church, full of life and energy. She was easy for me to connect with because of her own outward friendliness. In fact, I learned much from her, on this Day 1 of the Challenge to Connect. For instance: Just be you. No reason to put on airs and pretend to be someone you're not - that's too much work. Be assertive in your approach to the stranger by initiating conversation, but remain open so that they can see the real you too. It makes the stranger feel safe. (at least that's how I felt. "Safe" as assertive Lily initiated conversation and asked questions about me.) Lily likes exploring, likes new things, likes to eat, and likes strangers! Oh, and one other thing about Lily: she's three years old. :) I'm grateful God put her "first" in line of the new friends I'll meet this month. It may seem like an easy "connect" since she's only a child - but I do believe God put her first to encourage me not to overlook ANYONE in my pursuit to connect because "of such is the Kingdom of God." Thanks God - for Lily. Draw her to You, so she can know how very much You love her.
I can hardly wait for Day 2!
Recently several of us were at a celebration, sitting at a big round table, preparing to enjoy some food together, when a young mom and her 8-year-old daughter came and sat at our table. They sat directly across from me. She introduced herself to all of us and we exchanged the normal niceties but then continued to talk and laugh among ourselves. With so much in common, and so much history with one another, it was easy to keep the flow of conversation going. Unfortunately, we weren't making any effort to include our new table-mates in our riveting discussion. To include them, would require some measure of boldness and could be very awkward. It's interesting how we can sometimes view ourselves as very open and fun-loving -- not recognizing we're only like that when we're with "our own kind". I guess that's really more sad than interesting. Jesus told us to go and preach the gospel and make disciples, but we can't even figure out how to say, "Hi."
God made us for relationship. We are all desperate to feel the love and acceptance of others, sometimes so much so, that we forget that those "others" are also in desperate need. In our insecurity, we clamor for affection and approval through relationship, but then once we feel relatively content with our relationship quota, we stop looking to connect. "I'm friends with you and you're friends with me....what do we need her for?" The truth is, maybe she needs YOU - or rather maybe she needs the Jesus that's inside you. (and maybe you need the Jesus that's inside her!)
I've been thinking and praying about this quite a bit lately - trying to analyze why it is we prefer to stay cloistered in our social-networking world. While thinking this stuff through, I believe the Lord has put a challenge before me that I've really hesitated considering too seriously. I believe He's asking me to intentionally connect with a different stranger every single day for the rest of this month (July, 2010). I've hesitated because I recognize I really do live a cloistered life, literally spending hours each week in the basement of our church working on administrative type tasks. I'm afraid days will go by when I don't even come across a stranger that I could connect with and I'll fail the challenge. But because I really do believe God is the One behind this "experiment" of sorts, I also believe He will provide the people He wants me to connect with - friends I've simply not yet met. I also believe He'll probably train me in boldness, push me past my fear of the cold-connection, and help me find some confidence in just talking with strangers.
And so...the challenge begins.
Here are a few parameters:
A "Stranger" is someone I have not yet met, or established any sort of relationship with.
A "Connection" is something that gets past the "Hi. How are you. Have a nice day" stage. It means actually finding out something meaningful about that person - making a real connection and remembering their name the next day.
I won't limit myself to just ONE connection per day, however, I will look for at least one each day, even if I have to break out of the basement and go track down a stranger somewhere! :)
Just for fun, I plan to blog about each encounter here. I really want to learn about what makes the cold-connection so hard and what might help to make it a little bit easier. Mostly, I just really want to introduce you to these amazing precious ones that I would've otherwise overlooked.
Day 1 - Meet Lily. Lily is a beautiful young lady with much to say. She practically bounded into the church, full of life and energy. She was easy for me to connect with because of her own outward friendliness. In fact, I learned much from her, on this Day 1 of the Challenge to Connect. For instance: Just be you. No reason to put on airs and pretend to be someone you're not - that's too much work. Be assertive in your approach to the stranger by initiating conversation, but remain open so that they can see the real you too. It makes the stranger feel safe. (at least that's how I felt. "Safe" as assertive Lily initiated conversation and asked questions about me.) Lily likes exploring, likes new things, likes to eat, and likes strangers! Oh, and one other thing about Lily: she's three years old. :) I'm grateful God put her "first" in line of the new friends I'll meet this month. It may seem like an easy "connect" since she's only a child - but I do believe God put her first to encourage me not to overlook ANYONE in my pursuit to connect because "of such is the Kingdom of God." Thanks God - for Lily. Draw her to You, so she can know how very much You love her.
I can hardly wait for Day 2!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Beach Vacation
The family and I went on a vacation a couple of weeks ago, to the beach at Ocean City, Maryland. We had a wonderful time, hanging out, playing in the sand, going for walks on the boardwalk, and eating! Before going on this particular trip, I felt as though the Lord asked me to set aside some alone time with just Him. I was fairly excited about the thought that God wanted my attention, assuming He was going to teach me new and wonderful things! So each morning, I would wake up before 6:30, take my beach chair, and walk out to the beach to sit and be still for a couple of hours. I read a little, prayed a little, but mostly I just sat. At times I would "try" to hear God, assuming He had some things to say to me, but quite often I would only sense Him saying, "Don't strive - just be. Rest a while with Me." (Ha - that rhyme was unintentional.)
Many times the Lord instructs me as I read the word or through gifted teachers, even by just a sense of His voice throughout every day life. I so appreciate those times when I am a student of the Holy Spirit. I am used to God being a Teacher - it's quite often how I have related to Him in my walk throughout the years. I have to say though, during these times at the beach, He seemed to put down His teacher's chalk, and sit in His own big beach chair right next to me. This may seem kind of strange, but it was like He was on vacation too. Just chilling with me on the beach. He wasn't really talking in an instructional way at all, but He certainly was very present.
During each of these early morning visits, I was regularly impacted by two awesome images, both of which were significant illustrations of God's love.
The first is fairly obvious: I was impressed by the vastness of the mighty Atlantic. I would strain to see the edge of the endless sea and find myself getting slightly dizzy as I tried to see what was unseeable. So much water. The surf was kicking up quite a bit while I was there, which revealed only a fraction of the power resident in that huge ocean. So deep, so wide, so measureless. Yes, as you can imagine, it was easy to find insight into the greatness of the love of God while sitting by the sea. I was especially struck by the constancy of the rolling waves, always pushing towards me - always reaching out to touch the edge of my world. If I did not move my position, eventually those waves would wrap themselves around my feet as the tide would eventually and most certainly come in. It always comes in. Even more than that, if I got up from my seat and intentionally moved towards the water - meeting the wave at it's point of impact, I would surely be overcome by the force of liquid power. His love: so constant, so powerful, so persistently pursuing the object of His affection. Let the tide roll in - here I come, ready or not! SPLASH!
The other image that I often saw while sitting by the shore, was that of a dad with his little girl. It wasn't the same dad, with the same little girl - but various father/daughter interactions that for some reason, all seemed especially highlighted to me during my week on the beach. I was impressed by the willingness of one dad to get up so early in the morning just to collect seashells with his very wide awake daughters - seashells mind you, that would no doubt find their way into a forgotten mason jar in the basement of their home. This dad was not worried about the practicals of seashell collection - no, he was out there for one reason: to be with his little princesses and revel in their glee-filled squeals and delightful discoveries. I watched as one dad passed up surfing with the big guys so he could build a sand castle with the apple of his eye. The sandcastle was surely doomed for destruction with the next tide, but not before a joyful memory was made. And not just a memory - but I believe an investment was made into that little girl's heart - the assurance that she's absolutely cherished and always will be.
As I said - although I thought perhaps the Lord might use my vacation at the beach to instruct me in the principles of kingdom living, it seemed He was more intent on just hanging out and resting. I didn't take any notes. I didn't even bring a notebook. Instruction didn't seem to be on His agenda...
Hold on! Wait just one minute. In spite of all the rest and relaxing by the sea, somehow, I feel like I've come away from that time with greater understanding of my Father's love for me. Just how did He do that? I thought we weren't doing the instructional teaching thing. Huh. Maybe God was showing me that He wants to be more than my Teacher. Maybe He wants me to know that a Father's way of teaching, is sometimes less about instruction and more about spending time with His little girl doing the things that delight her heart. Ha ha ha...
Oh, we have such a good Dad, you and I.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Let there be light
Just read a headline: Sixth School Killing in China in under Two Months. Meat cleaver wielding man kills nine, injures eleven in kindergarten classroom.
Such shocking cruelty is hardly restrained to one corner of our world, but like a rampant epidemic, it has infected every country, every people group, and every community on the face of the planet. We here in America have also been devastated by the reports of too many senseless school shootings. Almost 16, 000 murders were committed in the U.S. last year. We here in the land of the free, have sacrificed the lives of over 50 million unborn babies since legalizing their early death in the name of convenience. 27 million people world-wide are kept as modern day slaves and a million children a year are exploited through global commercial sex trade. We read the headlines through squinted eyes, afraid to see what new depths of evil we humans are capable of.
"See, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples..." Isaiah 60:2
"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13
As Christians, our hope has never been in our ability to do more good than bad, but rather our hope is in the goodness of the Lord. Our human kindnesses will never overthrow darkness in this world. Our victory has always been in ONE - Jesus - and that victory was absolutely won at Calvary. As promised, He filled us with His Spirit and we are considered aliens in this dark world. The Kingdom of God is within us and as citizens of glory, we are equipped to release the light of truth and hope into the dreadful night.
The other day, as I was thinking about some of these things, I believe the Lord showed me a picture that revealed to me, His heart for the world and His love for His bride.
I saw a painter's canvas that had been painted on over and over throughout the course of history. Most of the colors used were darker hues, but as the years went on, it seemed the colors became darker and darker until the paint was completely black. Hardly a beautiful painting, it looked like a black hopeless mess.
I believe the Lord revealed to me, that the painting was not yet complete. Like a great artist, He is not daunted by what has not yet manifested on the canvas because He "sees" the finished creation in His heart. The blackness was just the backdrop. Lined up in front of the canvas were several little jars of brilliant and beautiful paint colors. Each color represented various expressions of the Church - traditional, contemporary, Baptist and Pentecostal - each had its own glorious tint. It was actually pleasing to the eye to see all those pretty colors so neatly lined up in a row.
But that's not the purpose of paint: to stay in their jars.
I can even see Him now...I see a smile on the Lord's face as He grabs the handle of one of the paint brushes, and His bride yields to His beautiful plan! The Divine Artist, with easy skill, splashes light onto the blackened canvas. It's interesting how a dark background actully helps color look so much brighter and more beautiful. My focus is drawn NOT to the blackness, but to the dancing colors as they leave their neat jars and find joy in being released to shine. It's interesting to note that as the colors cross and mix on the canvas, brilliant new colors are created that seem to have a living quality to them. It's as though flecks of shimmering gold appear at those points where the colors come together and the whole painting moves and breathes with new life. Such glory is revealed when the Church fearlessly moves out of their comfort zones to relate with one another and spread the love of God to the world! What a privilege it is to be His Church in this day and in this hour!
At the onset of creation, darkness was on the face of the deep. While the Spirit hovered, Jesus spoke "Let there be light." And like a splash of new color - there was light.
The headlines of our newspapers reveal the sad indisputable fact - darkness covers the earth.
But as those who have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness, we put our trust not in the headlines of newspapers, but in the truth of God's Word and the assurance of His Promise.
"See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness over the peoples...
but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn." Isaiah 60:2 & 3
OH, LET THERE BE LIGHT!
Such shocking cruelty is hardly restrained to one corner of our world, but like a rampant epidemic, it has infected every country, every people group, and every community on the face of the planet. We here in America have also been devastated by the reports of too many senseless school shootings. Almost 16, 000 murders were committed in the U.S. last year. We here in the land of the free, have sacrificed the lives of over 50 million unborn babies since legalizing their early death in the name of convenience. 27 million people world-wide are kept as modern day slaves and a million children a year are exploited through global commercial sex trade. We read the headlines through squinted eyes, afraid to see what new depths of evil we humans are capable of.
"See, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples..." Isaiah 60:2
"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13
As Christians, our hope has never been in our ability to do more good than bad, but rather our hope is in the goodness of the Lord. Our human kindnesses will never overthrow darkness in this world. Our victory has always been in ONE - Jesus - and that victory was absolutely won at Calvary. As promised, He filled us with His Spirit and we are considered aliens in this dark world. The Kingdom of God is within us and as citizens of glory, we are equipped to release the light of truth and hope into the dreadful night.
The other day, as I was thinking about some of these things, I believe the Lord showed me a picture that revealed to me, His heart for the world and His love for His bride.
I saw a painter's canvas that had been painted on over and over throughout the course of history. Most of the colors used were darker hues, but as the years went on, it seemed the colors became darker and darker until the paint was completely black. Hardly a beautiful painting, it looked like a black hopeless mess.
I believe the Lord revealed to me, that the painting was not yet complete. Like a great artist, He is not daunted by what has not yet manifested on the canvas because He "sees" the finished creation in His heart. The blackness was just the backdrop. Lined up in front of the canvas were several little jars of brilliant and beautiful paint colors. Each color represented various expressions of the Church - traditional, contemporary, Baptist and Pentecostal - each had its own glorious tint. It was actually pleasing to the eye to see all those pretty colors so neatly lined up in a row.
But that's not the purpose of paint: to stay in their jars.
I can even see Him now...I see a smile on the Lord's face as He grabs the handle of one of the paint brushes, and His bride yields to His beautiful plan! The Divine Artist, with easy skill, splashes light onto the blackened canvas. It's interesting how a dark background actully helps color look so much brighter and more beautiful. My focus is drawn NOT to the blackness, but to the dancing colors as they leave their neat jars and find joy in being released to shine. It's interesting to note that as the colors cross and mix on the canvas, brilliant new colors are created that seem to have a living quality to them. It's as though flecks of shimmering gold appear at those points where the colors come together and the whole painting moves and breathes with new life. Such glory is revealed when the Church fearlessly moves out of their comfort zones to relate with one another and spread the love of God to the world! What a privilege it is to be His Church in this day and in this hour!
At the onset of creation, darkness was on the face of the deep. While the Spirit hovered, Jesus spoke "Let there be light." And like a splash of new color - there was light.
The headlines of our newspapers reveal the sad indisputable fact - darkness covers the earth.
But as those who have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness, we put our trust not in the headlines of newspapers, but in the truth of God's Word and the assurance of His Promise.
"See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness over the peoples...
but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn." Isaiah 60:2 & 3
OH, LET THERE BE LIGHT!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Fear vs Truth
I'm not much of a collector. No stamps or rocks or seashells for me. Seems like a habit that needs to be nurtured over a long period of time - and for what? More stamps, more rocks, more seashells? No thanks.
I did, however, possess an impressive collection of fears. I didn't collect them on purpose of course. I'm not even sure when I started accumulating them or how each became a part of the collection. All I know is that I had more fears than could be counted. Many of them were your average sorts of fears. You know...fear of the dark, fear of falling, fear of storms - that sort of thing. I also owned several hard core fears that were like huge foundational blocks laid in the basement of my heart. Honestly, after I trusted in Jesus as my Savior, I assumed I was a "new creation", and should therefore just ignore those old issues and concentrate on making sure the rest of my house was neat and tidy. I didn't realize that when Jesus walked into the front door of my heart, he was packing tools and had plans for an EXTREME makeover.
For many years, I lived a "normal" Christian life - until the anxiety surfaced. I began to suffer from severe daily panic attacks and found it difficult to function. Out of the blue, a rush of terror would sweep over me, catching my breath away, raising my heart rate, causing chest pain and tempting me to flee the source of the fear. Unfortunately, I had no idea what the true source was, which only made the fear that much worse! Eventually I was afraid of things like shopping at the store, or going to sleep or getting my mail. This monstrous collection of fears had overrun my desperate life. I cried out to God to rescue me from this horrible hell - and he heard me.
The Lord spoke to me, "Quiet your soul and face those hidden fears. Not the whole blizzard of lies coming at you in the midst of an attack - but go deeper. Look past the barrage of demonic lies that want to confuse your focus. What are those old foundational issues, firmly established in the basement of your heart? List them, and then with each delineated fear, find scripture that refutes each lie."
I was afraid to look at them. I was afraid the fears were true and there was no defeating them. But, I was also sick to death of living in terror. I reasoned that if I found out that these fears were true, then at least I would know. Perhaps in the knowing, I could find some peace. I sat down and did my homework and it proved to be one of the most impactful assignments I ever worked through.
This is the list of the hard core fears of my heart from that time. I was brutally honest and named fears that any well respecting Christian might find hard to admit to. That was my trouble. I was afraid God would be mad at me for not having the faith I should have. I learned however that what he prefers is simple honesty. He wants me to expose my doubts, not hide them. Bringing fears out into the light is always better than keeping them in the dark. As I worked on my assignment, the Spirit of God revealed that these fears were indeed lies from hell which had been ignored over the years and covered up with good Christian intentions. In the end, Jesus took His word like a jackhammer in his strong, capable hands, and destroyed each fear one by one.
Lie #1 You don't and won't ever know the truth. ("You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." John 8:32)
Lie #2 Your sin is too wicked, God will not accept you. ("If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father." 1 John 2:1)
Lie #3 God didn't choose you. ("You did not choose me, but I chose you..." John 15:15)
Lie #4 You are too weak to win the battle. ("Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors." Romans 8:37)
Lie #5 God isn't strong enough this time. ("The Lord God Omnipotent reigns!" Rev. 19:6)
Lie #6 The Big Unknown - What if...?? ("Do not fear little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32
Lie #7 You're going to go crazy. ("God is not the author of confusion, but of peace." 1 Cor. 14:33)
Seven lies - Silenced by truth.
"The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways." Deut. 28:7
It's amazing how dealing with a few core fears means freedom from dozens more. (For instance, because I know God reigns, I don't worry about getting the mail any more.) Following this glorious breakthrough, the Lord revealed to me, the bedrock of all my anxiety. My fears weren't really lies I was believing about me - they were lies I believed about about God, himself. I truly found the very deepest freedom from fear and anxiety, when I finally embraced three profound, yet simple truths: God is love, God is good, and God is able. When confronted with those basic facts, fear has no choice - it flees. I will forever be grateful to Jesus Christ, for taking me by the hand, walking me down those stairs into the dark, cold basement, and causing me to confront those things that held me captive for so many years. He's so good. Ahh...sweet freedom.
I did, however, possess an impressive collection of fears. I didn't collect them on purpose of course. I'm not even sure when I started accumulating them or how each became a part of the collection. All I know is that I had more fears than could be counted. Many of them were your average sorts of fears. You know...fear of the dark, fear of falling, fear of storms - that sort of thing. I also owned several hard core fears that were like huge foundational blocks laid in the basement of my heart. Honestly, after I trusted in Jesus as my Savior, I assumed I was a "new creation", and should therefore just ignore those old issues and concentrate on making sure the rest of my house was neat and tidy. I didn't realize that when Jesus walked into the front door of my heart, he was packing tools and had plans for an EXTREME makeover.
For many years, I lived a "normal" Christian life - until the anxiety surfaced. I began to suffer from severe daily panic attacks and found it difficult to function. Out of the blue, a rush of terror would sweep over me, catching my breath away, raising my heart rate, causing chest pain and tempting me to flee the source of the fear. Unfortunately, I had no idea what the true source was, which only made the fear that much worse! Eventually I was afraid of things like shopping at the store, or going to sleep or getting my mail. This monstrous collection of fears had overrun my desperate life. I cried out to God to rescue me from this horrible hell - and he heard me.
The Lord spoke to me, "Quiet your soul and face those hidden fears. Not the whole blizzard of lies coming at you in the midst of an attack - but go deeper. Look past the barrage of demonic lies that want to confuse your focus. What are those old foundational issues, firmly established in the basement of your heart? List them, and then with each delineated fear, find scripture that refutes each lie."
I was afraid to look at them. I was afraid the fears were true and there was no defeating them. But, I was also sick to death of living in terror. I reasoned that if I found out that these fears were true, then at least I would know. Perhaps in the knowing, I could find some peace. I sat down and did my homework and it proved to be one of the most impactful assignments I ever worked through.
This is the list of the hard core fears of my heart from that time. I was brutally honest and named fears that any well respecting Christian might find hard to admit to. That was my trouble. I was afraid God would be mad at me for not having the faith I should have. I learned however that what he prefers is simple honesty. He wants me to expose my doubts, not hide them. Bringing fears out into the light is always better than keeping them in the dark. As I worked on my assignment, the Spirit of God revealed that these fears were indeed lies from hell which had been ignored over the years and covered up with good Christian intentions. In the end, Jesus took His word like a jackhammer in his strong, capable hands, and destroyed each fear one by one.
Lie #1 You don't and won't ever know the truth. ("You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." John 8:32)
Lie #2 Your sin is too wicked, God will not accept you. ("If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father." 1 John 2:1)
Lie #3 God didn't choose you. ("You did not choose me, but I chose you..." John 15:15)
Lie #4 You are too weak to win the battle. ("Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors." Romans 8:37)
Lie #5 God isn't strong enough this time. ("The Lord God Omnipotent reigns!" Rev. 19:6)
Lie #6 The Big Unknown - What if...?? ("Do not fear little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32
Lie #7 You're going to go crazy. ("God is not the author of confusion, but of peace." 1 Cor. 14:33)
Seven lies - Silenced by truth.
"The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways." Deut. 28:7
It's amazing how dealing with a few core fears means freedom from dozens more. (For instance, because I know God reigns, I don't worry about getting the mail any more.) Following this glorious breakthrough, the Lord revealed to me, the bedrock of all my anxiety. My fears weren't really lies I was believing about me - they were lies I believed about about God, himself. I truly found the very deepest freedom from fear and anxiety, when I finally embraced three profound, yet simple truths: God is love, God is good, and God is able. When confronted with those basic facts, fear has no choice - it flees. I will forever be grateful to Jesus Christ, for taking me by the hand, walking me down those stairs into the dark, cold basement, and causing me to confront those things that held me captive for so many years. He's so good. Ahh...sweet freedom.
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