Friday, November 30, 2007
Planet Wisdom
Sarah & I (and a bunch of ONE leaders from other churches) are leaving for Planet Wisdom right now. We'll be back around 10 p.m. Saturday night, unless of course we get hit by a snowstorm...
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Comfort
I've discovered that sub-zero temperatures feel worse when your barefoot and not wearing a shirt. It's not very comfortable. But it sure did make me appreciate my 66 degree house. :-) Anyway, I've been having a lot of interesting discussions with people about life lately. Here are some thoughts that I'm coming away with about life.
In this life, God is preparing us for eternity. It's not about being babied or pampered, or even about having everything we want, but about eternity. The fact that God allows us to participate in His eternal Kingdom now, is huge, but more than that: what we do with and for His Kingdom NOW will determine what eternity will be like for us. Rick Joyner wrote about this by basically saying that how close we are to God here on earth will be how close we are around His throne...interesting thought.
So, if this life is about preparing us for eternity, how does that effect what we do now? I think that if we live with that perspective it should change every activity of our lives. What really matters in light of eternity? After all, God isn't going to be all excited that we were blessed while on the earth, but His concern will be if we were a blessing. It's not about being blessed, but about being a blessing. This even, or should I say especially (?), applies financially. God gives to us so that we can give to others...we're only administrators of what He has given us...maybe God has given us more so that we can give more (think in terms of the world population...not the United States average income)? Maybe giving really isn't godly giving until it brings us to the point of sacrifice? Maybe we're not giving, or living, to our full potential as blessings to others until it takes us out of our comfort? Maybe getting out of our comforts will allow us to really enjoy the blessings that God has given us? Maybe we don't truly enjoy the blessings until we learn to share them generously with others? (I think of those who haven't heard of Jesus or those who haven't been given the opportunity to know the love and hope of knowing Him...I think of those starving around the world while I eat three servings of thanksgiving meals over one weekend).
Just some thoughts...
In this life, God is preparing us for eternity. It's not about being babied or pampered, or even about having everything we want, but about eternity. The fact that God allows us to participate in His eternal Kingdom now, is huge, but more than that: what we do with and for His Kingdom NOW will determine what eternity will be like for us. Rick Joyner wrote about this by basically saying that how close we are to God here on earth will be how close we are around His throne...interesting thought.
So, if this life is about preparing us for eternity, how does that effect what we do now? I think that if we live with that perspective it should change every activity of our lives. What really matters in light of eternity? After all, God isn't going to be all excited that we were blessed while on the earth, but His concern will be if we were a blessing. It's not about being blessed, but about being a blessing. This even, or should I say especially (?), applies financially. God gives to us so that we can give to others...we're only administrators of what He has given us...maybe God has given us more so that we can give more (think in terms of the world population...not the United States average income)? Maybe giving really isn't godly giving until it brings us to the point of sacrifice? Maybe we're not giving, or living, to our full potential as blessings to others until it takes us out of our comfort? Maybe getting out of our comforts will allow us to really enjoy the blessings that God has given us? Maybe we don't truly enjoy the blessings until we learn to share them generously with others? (I think of those who haven't heard of Jesus or those who haven't been given the opportunity to know the love and hope of knowing Him...I think of those starving around the world while I eat three servings of thanksgiving meals over one weekend).
Just some thoughts...
Friday, November 16, 2007
Two Trees
I just finished reading "There Were Two Trees in the Garden" by Rick Joyner. It was a very interesting book. It took me about six months to finish it because I had to be in the right mood to follow. There seemed to be a few main themes, but a lot of mini-sermons along the way.
Something that really cut deep to my heart was where it talked about God's dreams, visions and promises and how we can lean on our own understanding, like Abraham did, and create Ishmaels. How when it is a work of God it flows out of resting in God's presence and not striving to fulfill the promise in our own strength. It was an interesting reminder in looking at Abraham about the "son of the flesh" and the "son of the promise." Pastor Russ has said a lot that, "the line between the righteous works of the flesh and the unrighteous works of the flesh is hardly discernible!" Think about it, how often do we serve God with our own strength and don't rely on Him? It's interesting to think that even the right thing done at the wrong time, or in the wrong way, is the wrong thing...
I want the things I do to be a result of God's promises and not my flesh; His strength and not my strength; and His rest and not my striving!
Something that really cut deep to my heart was where it talked about God's dreams, visions and promises and how we can lean on our own understanding, like Abraham did, and create Ishmaels. How when it is a work of God it flows out of resting in God's presence and not striving to fulfill the promise in our own strength. It was an interesting reminder in looking at Abraham about the "son of the flesh" and the "son of the promise." Pastor Russ has said a lot that, "the line between the righteous works of the flesh and the unrighteous works of the flesh is hardly discernible!" Think about it, how often do we serve God with our own strength and don't rely on Him? It's interesting to think that even the right thing done at the wrong time, or in the wrong way, is the wrong thing...
I want the things I do to be a result of God's promises and not my flesh; His strength and not my strength; and His rest and not my striving!
Perspective - Perception - Paradigm
This Wednesday I shared about one of the reasons why I think Christians have a hard time connecting with people who are not Christians. I think it has to do with faulty paradigms that we're functioning in. A comment I've gotten a lot is that people aren't interested in God, yet surveys show that the vast majority of people consider themselves "spiritual!" The problem isn't people not being interested in God, but maybe our paradigms for sharing the awesome news of God's Kingdom is wrong.
For clarification here's my oversimplified definitions of these words. Perspective being the view that you have of something/someone. Perception how you are interpreting the facts you see from your perspective. And paradgim, the pattern of rules and responses developed to address the perceptions.
So we looked at the Jew that Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to...you can check it out. Basically: Jesus knew that the Jewish man had Jewish perspective (obviously) and his perception of non-Jews was that he was better. His paradigm for dealing with non-Jews was to avoid them. And yet Jesus shatters that paradigm by saying that the Samaritan did better than the Jews (this guys paradigm of what a neighbor was was very limited and Jesus seriously challenged it) AND by telling him to love the way the Samaritan had...
I think a lot of our ministry and life paradigms may be messed up because deep down inside there is pride that says we are better than others, so our perspective is that of looking down on others. This loftiness in turn affects our perception of them and we interpret the data based on our "higher" viewpoint. We then develop sets of behaviors and habits of life and ministry that become part of us (paradigms)...many times we don't know why we do the stupid things we do...even scarier is that I think a lot of times we don't realize what we're doing!
Anyway, the whole point is: change your perspective in order to change your perception so that you can change your paradigms for life and ministry.
Jesus was numbered with the transgressors and was characterized by compassion...He had a perfect perspective and sinless perception before coming to earth, yet He chose to humble Himself and walk in our sandals! He changed His perspective from being above to being beside...maybe we need to change our perspective from above to beside and that will change our perception of those who don't yet serve Jesus Christ, which will in turn change the way we go about life...God forgive us for our pride.
For clarification here's my oversimplified definitions of these words. Perspective being the view that you have of something/someone. Perception how you are interpreting the facts you see from your perspective. And paradgim, the pattern of rules and responses developed to address the perceptions.
So we looked at the Jew that Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to...you can check it out. Basically: Jesus knew that the Jewish man had Jewish perspective (obviously) and his perception of non-Jews was that he was better. His paradigm for dealing with non-Jews was to avoid them. And yet Jesus shatters that paradigm by saying that the Samaritan did better than the Jews (this guys paradigm of what a neighbor was was very limited and Jesus seriously challenged it) AND by telling him to love the way the Samaritan had...
I think a lot of our ministry and life paradigms may be messed up because deep down inside there is pride that says we are better than others, so our perspective is that of looking down on others. This loftiness in turn affects our perception of them and we interpret the data based on our "higher" viewpoint. We then develop sets of behaviors and habits of life and ministry that become part of us (paradigms)...many times we don't know why we do the stupid things we do...even scarier is that I think a lot of times we don't realize what we're doing!
Anyway, the whole point is: change your perspective in order to change your perception so that you can change your paradigms for life and ministry.
Jesus was numbered with the transgressors and was characterized by compassion...He had a perfect perspective and sinless perception before coming to earth, yet He chose to humble Himself and walk in our sandals! He changed His perspective from being above to being beside...maybe we need to change our perspective from above to beside and that will change our perception of those who don't yet serve Jesus Christ, which will in turn change the way we go about life...God forgive us for our pride.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Sabbath
Praise God for Sabbaths! We spend a lot of time being tired and I think it's because we work in order to rest instead of resting to be able to work. I think the change in perspective is great. We are called to do stuff in life, even Adam served God before he sinned, work is not punishment (the wrong job may feel like it though). So I'm really learning to value my Sabbaths and I am trying more and more to make them true Sabbaths and not just days where "I don't go to work." Hebrews 3 and 4 talks about the Israelites failing to enter into God's rest because of their UNBELIEF, which is weird to think that, but when you realize that that unbelief is "anti-faith" or "anti-trust" that would explain it more. They never entered God's rest because they never truly practiced a life of Sabbath because they didn't trust Him enough to do what He said He would do...they were supposed to even go as far as giving the land a break on each seventh year and two years in a row on the fiftieth. There does not appear to be any evidence that that took place!
This Sabbath Rest there speaks of the rest that is available for God's people in eternity, but there is also rest available NOW! It's interesting that Revelation lists a punishment of those who reject Christ as never resting and a reward of those who serve Him as being able to rest in eternity. Sabbath is truly a gift from God and is meant to help us Trust Him. When we're in that place of Trust in Him as our source we begin to get the energy we need to do the work that He has called us to.
Tomorrow is my Sabbath and I will rest.
Saturday we will be grinding glue off of the floor at ONE24!!! (I've been waiting to do that for months!) The sprinkler system will be going in and the electrical, we'll also be putting up some walls soon! The work goes on, but amidst all there is to do we must continue to live a life that is at rest and that relies on God's Spirit for strength throughout the week.
This Sabbath Rest there speaks of the rest that is available for God's people in eternity, but there is also rest available NOW! It's interesting that Revelation lists a punishment of those who reject Christ as never resting and a reward of those who serve Him as being able to rest in eternity. Sabbath is truly a gift from God and is meant to help us Trust Him. When we're in that place of Trust in Him as our source we begin to get the energy we need to do the work that He has called us to.
Tomorrow is my Sabbath and I will rest.
Saturday we will be grinding glue off of the floor at ONE24!!! (I've been waiting to do that for months!) The sprinkler system will be going in and the electrical, we'll also be putting up some walls soon! The work goes on, but amidst all there is to do we must continue to live a life that is at rest and that relies on God's Spirit for strength throughout the week.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Sectional
Wow, it's been a crazy week! Lots of stuff going on. I got to speak on Sunday and that was fun, I love talking about the presence of God, so it was cool to be able to talk about the importance of living a life that releases the power of God's presence.
After 3 and a half years of having futons in the living room we finally got a real couch! It was a really sweet deal we just happened upon, I'll let Sarah tell the rest on her blog:
After 3 and a half years of having futons in the living room we finally got a real couch! It was a really sweet deal we just happened upon, I'll let Sarah tell the rest on her blog:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
