Those Pesky Little Questions and Details!

So, this is the time of year in my daily Bible reading, where I have reached Leviticus.  I have to be honest, I tend to skim read this section because it is full of rules and regulations.  If you sin in this certain way, you take this specific animal to the Priest.  The Priest then does this, waves that, sprinkles this, etc. etc and on and on it goes.  My eyes tend to glaze over!  Detail overload!  How can this be important for anyone today?

But I had an “ah-ha” moment as I thought about all of those pesky little details.  I realized that people understood clearly what they had done and what they needed to do in order to correct the sin.  Or, if they wanted to offer a Thanksgiving offering, they clearly understood what was required and how to go about doing it.  Everyone, at all levels of the community, understood what was expected and why it was necessary.  It was clear cut, precise and purposeful.

There is a valuable lesson that we can glean from this detailed account.  If you ask the average person in the pew, why we do what we do, in church or in the community, most individuals could not answer the question.  Maybe they would say it is because it has been done a certain way for as long as they remember.  Or, maybe they would say it is because they heard about some other church doing this and it worked for them.  Is this really the answer that we want to give?

Back in elementary school, we learned about the proper way to evaluate a story.  We had to be able to identify who, what, where, when, how and why.  Who were the main characters?  What was the story about?  Where was the story taking place?  When were these events happening?  How were they going about resolving the story?  Why were they doing what they were doing?  As I thought about this, I realized that these are the types of questions we in the church should be asking.  Then I realized, we’re not asking these questions!  We’re so busy “doing” ministry trying to make something work that we forget to take the time to lay out a plan ahead of time, clearly stating what we are trying to do, why we are doing it and what we hope the outcome will be.  We end up with a hodge-podge of things that sort of work, or don’t work at all and then wonder why we didn’t see any results.

Let’s take food ministry for example.  Who exactly are you trying to reach out to?  Who will be doing the work?  Who is in charge?  What are you planning on doing?  What is the hoped for outcome?  Where will you be doing this?  At church?  Somewhere out in the community?  When will you be doing this?  One time?  On a continual basis?  When you have enough volunteers?  When it is most convenient for the individuals you are trying to reach?  How do you intend to do this?  How will this fulfill a ministry goal?  How do you intend to let people know about this program?  Why are you doing this?  Is it because it is on a checklist?  Is it because you want to fill a need in the community?  There are so many more questions that could be asked, but my point is this-if you can answer these questions then the chances for success increase because you can demonstrate purpose, interest and passion .  There is a clear plan and people fully grasp the details.  If someone asks a question, you can give a reasonably intelligent answer!

We want our members to use their gifts and graces for work in ministry and, particularly, outreach.  Or, to use the word we least like to talk about, we want our members to be active in evangelism.  But we fail to give them the tools to understand why we are doing certain things and why this is important.  Then leadership wonders why things are not happening in our congregations?!

We bemoan the fact that too many of our congregations are “inwardly focused”.  I understand the argument and there is some validity to the statement.  There are individuals who are very comfortable with the idea that going to church is all you need, to be a good Christian.  But, I also know that there are individuals out there who would like to do more, but feel that they are ill equipped to reach out, because they don’t understand some of these things themselves!  They can not answer what Methodists believe or why they believe these things.  They can’t answer why a particular outreach ministry is an important reflection of the values of the church.  And in some cases, we ask individuals to take on tasks that they are not comfortable handling.  Asking an introvert to be a greeter at the front door would be a good example.  There are individuals who are not going to be terribly outgoing but are wonderful at handling behind the scenes details.  Their “evangelism” is going to look very different from an extrovert’s style of evangelism.  If we could focus a little more on the inward development of an individual-helping them to identify their gifts and graces, helping them understand where they could use those gifts and why using those gifts matter, I think we would see their confidence level go up.  We would see them feeling far more comfortable with talking to others and reaching out to others because they understand the details.  They can explain the purpose.  They understand why this is being done, they understand why it has value and is important and, if someone asks a question, they can answer with confidence.

Jesus didn’t just pick twelve guys out of a hat and then send them out into the world.  He worked with them.  He trained them.  He led them by example.  He answered their questions.  He equipped them with the skills that they needed to do effective ministry, then he sent them out!  We see the same pattern in Acts as well.  The Apostles didn’t send just anyone out to do ministry.  They sent out those individuals who they felt were equipped to handle the mission.

Do we want effective ministry?  If we do, then we have to invest in training our members and equipping them with the skills that they need.  And we have to look at our various forms of ministry and ask the questions that provide the details that under gird the “why”.  Until we do both, we will not see long term tangible results.  The mission or outreach will last only as long as someone stays excited about it and then it will collapse and fall by the wayside.  We will comfort ourselves with the thought that we at least tried, but it just didn’t work in this area.

We have to stop doing things just because it was suggested in a book, or someone else did it or it sounds like something interesting to try.  We need to stop with the rah rah speeches or the finger pointing “guilt you into doing it” approach.  We need to start doing ministry because we have a compelling reason to do so and we can explain the reason in great detail.  We need to know that we have the individuals in place who can handle the mission.

It’s time that we started asking those pesky questions.  It’s time to start focusing, first, on those little details.  Those pesky little questions, those little details, can make all the difference!

Song of Spring

A quick note-I wrote this piece about a month ago and didn't publish at the time.  Health issues and life in general still keep me hopping, but I am hanging tough and will persevere!  I hope you enjoy reading this piece!~ Trudy

Hello, darling readers!  I know, it has been awhile since I have ventured this way!  My only explanation is a few minor health issues, lack of inspiration and need to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather that has ventured over Missouri during the last month!  Today is different, it is the first day in over a month that we will have closer to a “normal average high” temperature.  It also rained quite heavily last night, so rushing to be outside in the mud is not on the agenda!

It’s been a strange spring!  Plants have bloomed much earlier than usual.  Trees are almost fully out in leaf.  My beautiful Lilac bush has just about gone by on the blooming stage.  Normally, it blooms closer to the end of April.  My husband actually did some mowing yesterday evening as well!  Gardeners, such as myself, have been in a rush to get things in the ground.  I did put some early spring plants in the vegetable garden, such as peas, lettuce, broccoli, carrots and radishes.  I took a pass on warmer weather plants, such as tomatoes, because I know that spring weather can be unpredictable.  The risk I take with the early spring crops is that they could bolt to seed if the weather stays unseasonably warm.  But, this is Missouri, and we still face a frost risk, for at least another month.  The cool weather crops can handle a hit of frost.  Tomatoes on the other hand, can not!  Like I said, it has been an unusually warm spring and the plants are doing their thing about a month or so ahead of schedule!

So, I have been outside quite a bit!  We turned off the heat and opened up the windows and let the fresh air in to the house!  I was so upset the other day because it actually got hot and humid enough that we had to close the house back up again and turn on the central air!  I like the fresh air.  I like feeling the breeze blow in through the open windows.  I love hearing the birds sing.  It’s a way for me to still feel connected to the outdoors even when I am doing the things inside that need to be done.  Closing up the house makes me feel disconnected and isolated.  One of the hardest adjustments for me since moving to Missouri has been dealing with air conditioning in the summer time.  In Vermont, summer is a time to be connected with the outdoors!  You open the windows in June, day and night, and they stay open until the end of August!  And if the house gets a little too stuffy, you go outside and sit in the shade, or go swimming at the brook.  That’s a tough thing to do here in Missouri when the temps hit 102 with 100 percent humidity!  Spring has now become my most favorite season here in Missouri, because it is more like the summers that I was used to back home in Vermont!

Being outdoors, especially in the garden, is a form of meditation for me personally.  There is something very satisfying in the experience of planting and weeding and hoping for the future!  If the tiny little seeds germinate, if the small plants survive and thrive, there is a hope for eating something fresh and wonderful from the ground that you have toiled to work!  It requires attention.  Weeds must be pulled.  Beneficial insects encouraged to pollinate.  Pests that would destroy your efforts, swiftly dealt with.  You don’t just simply throw things on the ground and hope that when you come back later, something will have stuck!  In order to be successful, you must engage in the process!

There’s a metaphor for life!  Engage in the process!  Pay attention to the details!  Prior to the economic crash, there were individuals who were warning that the pestilent swarm of collapse was coming.  Yet, we chose to ignore the sirens and hope for the best.  We threw our seeds on the ground and walked away and hoped that nature would take care of itself.  We called it “market forces” and opted to believe that they would keep the weeds in check and that the locusts would stay at bay.  We have paid a price for that philosophy and hopefully learned a valuable lesson as a country.

We can carry that lesson into our personal lives as well.  I think so many of us struggle because we have literally thrown our creative seed out in the proverbial wind and then wonder why things haven’t turned out the way we hoped they would!  We have hopes and dreams but they seem too big, too impossible to accomplish!  It seems like something is always coming up that either robs us of our energy to carry on, like a weed, or chews away at our confidence, like a locust!  We get tossed to and fro and our dreams shrivel up inside, never to see the light of day because the outcome is too much to hope for!  But let me ask you this-is God a big God?  Do you think God would give you hopes and dreams if HE didn’t already have a way for them to be accomplished?

The first thing to ask yourself is what do you think God wants you to accomplish?  Your first thought might be, I dunno!  But you do!  Think about the things you would like to accomplish.  When you do that, I have found that usually, these can be the seeds of the vision that God has planted inside of you.  It may not always be the case, (sometimes our ego can get in the way) but many times, when you take a good, hard critical look, you can find the seeds of a long term vision.  What do you hope to change?  In other words, what is the outcome that you would like to see?  Some would call it a goal.  I prefer to think of it as God’s vision for my life (once I have taken the time to get my ego out of the way)!  From there, we step back.  What will it take to get there?  This is a great way to come up with individual things that must be done along the way and it helps you identify what needs to be done first!  It forces you to pay attention to the details!  It also provides a way to become engaged in the process.  It becomes a way to engage with God in a very personal way!

This is not a new way of doing things, contrary to what popular culture would have you think!  God has longed to engage in a personal way since time immortal!  Think about it-why send Jesus to suffer on the cross if God was not a God of personal engagement?  Look at anything big that was done in the Bible, such as building the ark or the temple.  When you read about the undertaking, you always find very detailed descriptions of just exactly how the “goal” was accomplished.  First, came the vision.  Then came the details!  Even Jesus was very specific with the Disciples.  Jesus would go on  ahead of them as the Savior.  The Disciples would then share the Good News with all who would listen!  It wouldn’t be easy!  The High Council would dog every step.  Individuals would not receive them.  Sometimes even their own followers would cause them to have to settle disputes.  But their job, their goal would be to share the message and spread the word of God’s love and saving grace, one person, one town at a time!  If they tended the seeds that they planted, eventually the faith would grow and bloom and the bounty would spread!  But it would not happen if they did not take the time to engage in the process and pay attention to the details.  Details matter if you truly want to see the vision through!

Do you feel like you are floundering about, doing a whole lot of things and getting nowhere?  Stuck in the mire of everyday life?  Take some time away by yourself to meditate and listen for God‘s vision.  Your “meditation” may be being out in the garden, or maybe it is turning wrenches on your car project or perhaps it is just sitting quietly at the kitchen table.  Do what helps you think best and ask yourself, what is God’s vision for me?  Perhaps it is becoming a teacher or volunteering to help out a worthy cause or becoming the very best in your field of endeavor so that you can help others.  Whatever it is, get a clear vision of that “end-goal”.  Then take the time to look at the steps necessary to get you to that place.  Don’t be surprised if it takes a little while to come up with a plan because great things take careful consideration!  God is a big God who will show you the way!  Get yourself  spiritually in a position to take that first step!  Once the first step becomes clear, engage!

Psalm 40, verses 1-3 sums it up nicely:

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.  He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.  He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.”

May the God of all creation bless you fully, so you may be a blessing to others!  Amen and Amen!  On your way because your journey begins…today!

Through the Gate to the Broad Place

The notes for Psalm 20 in the Wesley Study Bible say that this is an intercession for the king.  It says that  the people are asking for God’s protection for their king, because their safety is contingent upon his safety.  I’m glad that I read the Psalm before I read the notes because, I had a very different take on this, particularly on verses 4 and 5:

“May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your plans.  May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners.  May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.”

What I heard in my head and heart was a blessing.  This is the type of prayer that I would pray for a loved one or a friend, particularly if they were struggling with some issue.  Not only do I want my friend to overcome obstacles but, I want to celebrate with them, when they achieve their goal!  This is the kind of prayer that I hope someone would pray over me!

There was another verse that caught my attention, as well, that I think goes nicely with this blessing.  Psalm 18, verse 19:

“He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.”

The notes on this verse say that a broad place is far from enemies that would otherwise be pressing in on an individual.  Again, I understand what they are saying,  but I saw something very different!  In my minds eye, I saw a wide, open, space, full of opportunity.  I saw potential!

Here’s my convoluted thought process.  It’s a winding path but stay with me! It will make sense, once we wind through the maze!   Jesus said the gate is narrow.  We have to choose to walk through the gate.  But what happens when you walk through that gate?  Things usually open up into a much wider, broader space!  Why does God give you gifts and graces?  Why does God give you ideas and plans?  Why do the right people show up, at the right time, in the right place?  Here’s the part that we tend to skim over; the reason is, because God delights in you!

If you have prayed to God to use your gifts and graces, for His honor and glory, if you have asked Him what His plan is for your life, then you have started towards that narrow gate.  What a delight!  Someone who actually stopped talking, and stopped long enough to ask what His plan is, rather than, putting forth what you think the plan should be!  Once you walk through that gate, the Holy Spirit puts His arm around your shoulder and says “look around you.”  You look and think “wow, this is way more than I imagined!”  His plan, is your plan, and he will fulfill your heart’s desire!  Your friends and family will celebrate with you because, God has delighted in you!  It is a powerful, profound image!  An incredible vision, if we could just believe in it!  Ah, there’s the catch, the thing that keeps you from walking through that gate!  It’s hard to believe, especially if we feel that we are not “delightful!”

Leslie Weatherhead, in his book, “A Private House of Prayer” said something that was stunning in it’s simplicity, and really gets to the heart of the matter.  In the meditation for day 4, he talks about the story from Mark, chapter 2, where the four men, literally, haul their sick friend up to the roof, and remove the tiles, so they can lower him down to Jesus, because they truly believe Jesus can heal him.  Jesus does not say to the man, “you are healed.”  What does he say?  “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  Rev. Weatherhead says this:

“How many disabilities of ours would disappear if we could really feel completely forgiven, utterly free from guilt?” 

 He comes back to this point, during the confession for day 15, when he says this:

“God does not ask us to live in a state of continual remorse about our past sins, but to outgrow them and become spiritually adult.”  

God forgives, but do you forgive yourself?  Why are you unable to believe that God delights in you?  Because you can’t let go of the guilt.  It is tough to believe in the forgiveness of God when you can’t forgive yourself!  The train of thought in your head is “how can I ask for blessings when I’m not worthy?”

God’s forgiveness is not dependent on us, or how worthy we think we are!  God forgives because God is God!  He is merciful, and loving; and He doesn’t worry about the past, when someone has truly repented and asked for forgiveness.  If He wanted us to wallow in guilt over past sins, then, why would He send Jesus?  Jesus came because God so loved the world!  Jesus came so that we could experience forgiveness!  When we choose to believe Jesus is Savior, and ask for forgiveness, God forgets those sins!  He focuses on the present, and the future, and what wonderful things are waiting for you, if, you would just believe and ask!  This is why Paul, in Philippians 3, talks about “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” and he talks about pressing towards the goal of the “heavenly call” of God.  If past guilt keeps holding you prisoner, how can you move forward?  Didn’t Jesus come to set each of us free?

God has a “heavenly call” for each of us; a delightful plan that He wants to share.  But, you’re not going to enter that narrow way, if, you keep hauling all the guilt baggage around with you!    Let it go!  God has forgiven you, learn to forgive yourself!  

As you let go of all that baggage, and walk through that narrow gate, I pray with the Psalmist that  God will grant your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans.  I believe that he will deliver you to that broad place because God is Good.  He loves you, He forgives you and He delights in you!  May you shout with joy when your victory comes, because God loves YOU, and delights, in YOU!

Yabut!

Yabut-my made up word of combining  yeah and but.  Most commonly used or whispered to sow discontent or uncertainty in the minds of the hearer.  Favorite tool used by “the accuser” “the deceiver” “the Satan”.

In the book of Job, “the Satan” makes an appearance again.  In chapter 1 there is a gathering of the heavenly beings who “present themselves before the Lord”  (Job1:6) and Satan shows up as well.  Then comes the interesting exchange between God and Satan starting at verse 7:

“The Lord said to Satan, ‘where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘from going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

Let’s be clear, God already knew what Satan had been up to.  He already knew he had been wandering around looking at what sorts of problems he could cause on earth.  Asking the question allows us to become aware of what Satan is up to because Satan has to answer, even if the answer is purposely vague.  He’s giving the impression that he has just been taking a hike, walking around but his nature is to sow discontent.  Satan was truthful in his answer as far as he went with the answer.  But as my Gramma used to say, “a half truth is not truth!”

Then God takes a different tact.  He brings up Job, a man that God describes as blameless and upright who fears the Lord and turns away from evil.  Satan responds with a yabut starting at verse 9:

“Does Job fear God for nothing?  Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side?  You have blessed the work of his hand, and his possessions have increased in the land.  But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”

What is he saying here?  Like a whiney child, he is saying “yabut, that’s only because you have given him all this stuff and you protect him, but if you let me at him and let me take his stuff, I know your precious little human will turn on you and curse you to your face!”

How does God respond?  He agrees to the challenge but tells Satan that he can’t hurt Job.  So Satan orchestrates and manipulates the attacks on Job’s “stuff”,  livestock stolen, servants killed, children killed and he makes sure that he leaves one survivor from each event that can run and tell Job about what happened.  Satan fails though, because Job does not curse God.  He’s upset, he’s distraught but he doesn’t curse God.

So, in chapter 2, we get to listen in on the conversation between God and Satan, again.  God basically says “told ya!  You took all of his stuff but he still did not curse me.”  And Satan responds with his second yabut in Job 2, verse 4:

“Skin for skin!  All that people have they will give to save their lives.  But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.”

Once again, God agrees to the challenge with one condition.  Satan is not allowed to kill Job.  We’re told that Satan inflicts “loathsome sores” on Job from his feet to his head.  Still, he doesn’t curse God.  When that doesn’t work, guess who shows up on the scene?  Jobs “friends”.  And we learn later on in the book that with friends like these, who needs enemies?  Satan couldn’t take him out directly so he goes the covert route by sending the “concerned friends” to come sit with Job.

The yabut pattern is nothing new for Satan.  We know that he used it in the Garden of Eden when talking with Eve.  If you go back to Genesis chapter 3, listen to how he starts the conversation:

“Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’ The woman said to the serpent ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’  But the serpent said to the woman ‘You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil..”

Yabut, did God really mean that?  Did he really tell you that you couldn’t have that?  Yabut you know if you eat of this tree, you won’t die, you’ll just have as much wisdom as God!  Look at the shiny object, Eve, you want it now don’cha?  The twist, the turn and the spurn!  The things that the yabut is made up of!

We also know that he tried this with Jesus in the desert.  Read the beginning of Luke, chapter 4 and you can see the yabut pattern yet again.  Yabut, if you really are the Son of God you can turn this stone into bread.  Yabut, if you will just join my side, I’ll give you the whole world.  Yabut, if you really are the Son of God you can jump off this building and the angels will save you.   And Satan took it up a notch by quoting what was written in scriptures.  When Satan failed with the direct assault it says that he left, waiting for a “more opportune time” to try attacking him once again.

Here is the most important thing to remember.  Satan still wanders the earth, he still attempts full frontal attacks, and if they fail, he will resort to the Yabuts.  A yabut could be self-doubt, it could be a word from a friend or family member, and usually they hit during times of severe stress.   A half truth is spoken, words and meaning are twisted and the outcome is meant for you to either reject or get angry, in other words to spurn!

Let’s say for example, you want to start a new career or business.  You have done your research, prayed about it, weighed the pros and cons of pursuing this particular path and you have decided to go ahead with it.  Maybe you lost your job due to downsizing or the poor economy and you think now is a good time to try something different.  You feel at peace with the decision.  One day, you are in a conversation with someone and you mention what you plan to do.  This person says “oh, I had another friend that tried that and they failed miserably.  Lost their home, their family and the dog.  Bad idea if you ask me!”  The yabut statement they are making is yabut, someone else already tried it and failed.  What makes you think that you can pull it off?

So, what was the full frontal attack?  Losing your job.  So what is the next line of attack?  The oh so subtle Yabuts.  New year, new century, different set of people, same pattern!  Yabuts can stop you in your tracks if you let them!

How deep is your faith?  How much do you trust God?  This is what Satan chooses to test.  He did it with Eve, he did it with Job and he did it with Jesus.  The pattern continues to this day.  That’s why it is so important to focus on your spiritual life, your faith walk, because there will be times of testing.

In Psalm 1, we are reminded to meditate on the law day and night.  The Wesley Study Bible notes say that the word meditate, as it is used in this Psalm, literally means “to mumble or utter its words under one’s breath.”

Deepen your faith by studying God’s word.  Meditate-have some verses of scripture deep inside of you.   At some point in time you will face a yabut moment.  Discern and respond.  Trust God.  Deepen your faith because that faith will carry you through when you need it the most!

May Your Soul Prosper!

Let’s look at one verse from 3 John from four separate translations and see how they compare.
3 John, verse 2:

NIV Translation:

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”

NRSV Translation:

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.”

Amplified Bible:

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and (that your body) may keep well, even as (I know) your soul keeps well and prospers.”

The Message paraphrase:

“I pray for good fortune in everything you do, and for your good health-that your everyday affairs prosper, as well as your soul!”

In this letter, John is writing to Gaius, a church leader, to commend him for his hospitality and to warn him about not following the lead of Diotrephes who is only concerned with himself.  This verse is used a lot when talking about the Prosperity Gospel that is preached in some circles.  God wants you rich, God wants you to have that Cadillac, they tell you.  Well, hold on a minute!  What is supposed to prosper the most?  If you read the entire verse, what truly matters is that your SOUL prospers!  Things and good health are not guaranteed.  They are hoped for, but what matters most is how well does your soul prosper?

I thought about this as I thought about all of the individuals making resolutions for the New Year.  Many are health related, such as lose 20 pounds or quit smoking or exercise more.  Good ideas that are usually out the window and forgotten by March.  Not because they were not well intentioned but because they were not so convinced that it could be done in the first place.  Things that had happened in the past proved that they just couldn’t do it.  As far as resolutions go, I don’t think I have ever heard someone say “I am going to work on making my soul prosper.”  Maybe we should consider making that kind of resolution.

In the Wesley Study Bible the notes say that 3 John shows that both evil and good can be found within a congregation.  “Gaius…. supports the elders understanding of the Christian Mission by making his resources of home and money available to itinerant Christian ministers.  Diotrephes, on the other hand, serves himself by seeking to undermine the elder’s influence in refusing hospitality to these missionaries and preventing those who want to help from doing so.”  The Message paraphrase says this: “The two most difficult things to get straight in life are love and God.  More often than not, the mess people make of their lives can be traced to failure or stupidity or meanness in one or both of these areas…there are always people around who don’t want to be pinned down to the God Jesus reveals, to the love Jesus reveals.  They want to make up their own idea of God, make up their own style of love.”

If you stop and think about it, it makes a lot of sense that how well you are on the inside “the soul” correlates to how well you are on the outside.  What you carry inside of you will manifest outwardly.  Your idea of God or love will show up in some manner.  So, perhaps we should consider what we are carrying around inwardly first before we make those resolutions for outward change.  Maybe the first place to start is getting rid of some of the inward baggage.  Still angry at someone?  Still nursing an old wound?  Still feeling like the victim?  Still making the excuse that you do certain things because you were damaged or hurt by what (insert name here) did to you twenty years ago?  Whether we like to admit it or not, old baggage from things that happened that we can not change, can and will weigh us down.  Bad things happen, even to good people.  It’s what you do with it that matters!  If it simply is a weight around your neck than it is not doing you or anyone else any good!  It’s time to let it go.  It is time to choose to love yourself like Jesus loves you and it is time to love others in the same way.  No more my style, it’s time to choose Jesus style!

So here’s a suggestion.  Take all of those things, those issues and write them down.  Make a list.  Then take the list and burn it or shred it beyond recognition.  Make sure you can not tape it back together no matter how hard you might try.  Commit to turning it over to God and then commit to letting it go.  Don’t take it back again.  If something comes up in your mind again say to yourself “I already let that go and turned it over to God” and then move on to something else.  I know, it is easier said than done but I also know that it can be done.  

It is much easier to move forward and create new good positive feelings and memories when you let go of  the old negative ones.  It is easier to accept love when you let go of those things that you think make you unlovable.  It is easier to love others when you can learn to love like Jesus loved.  How does your soul prosper?  May it prosper well!

May your everyday affairs prosper as well as your soul prospers in 2012!

The Coolest Mystery that You'll Never Fully Understand

Yesterday morning turned a little crazy around our house.  My daughter called me in full blown panic.  She is being transferred to her new post and she has to drive herself.  Her Jeep was acting up again and she needed to find a place to live because there is no housing available on base.  All of this would normally be a minor nuisance except for the fact that she moves next week!  I don't care how old your children get-when something comes up, fully mommy mode kicks in because once a mommy, always a mommy!  Even if they are far away, somehow you find a way to help!  I spent the morning on the Internet and cell phone.  I do believe today will be a much calmer, quieter day-although there is still a lot of work to do!  There's a plan in place now to make the transition smooth!

Yup, my daughter is beautiful, intelligent, poised and level headed but every once in awhile she still needs her mommy!  I look at my children and am amazed sometimes because I wonder how in the world I managed to raise them!  Parenthood is part art, part science and a whole lot of mystery!  That little baby grew and became an amazing individual and in the whole scheme of things you're not really sure how that happened!

In The Message paraphrase Ecclesiastes 11 says this:

"Just as you'll never understand the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman, so you'll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does."

Parents can relate to that statement!  Scientists and doctors can explain the process and National Geographic can create shows that illustrate the mechanical points, but that forming life is still a miraculous mystery that we will never fully understand.  As we come in to Advent I think about Mary and what it must have been like for her and how gutsy and courageous she was in saying yes to God's plan.  She knew, going in, that this child was going to be unique and special.  (All parents believe that each child will be unique and special but Mary heard it from an angel).  I doubt that she could even fathom just how things would turn out.  If she knew that 33 years later, the child that she carried, raised and nurtured was going to have to brutally die on the cross and that she would have to witness this, I wonder if she would have had cause to pause. 

Conventional thinking at the time was that the Messiah would be the "new" David.  He would be a king after God's own heart ruling a kingdom here on earth.  It was envisioned that he would be king and rule justly and live to a ripe old age and then die a natural death and be buried, just like David.  Persecution, suffering, they were not part of the equation. 

No parent ever envisions the worst for their children.  No parent wants to see their child suffer or make wrong choices or worse, that the child dies before the parent.  That is never part of the future that we envision for our children!  We envision the very best!  And though sometimes we can explain their choices, sometimes what happens to our children is a complete mystery!  We don't know what the future holds!  Why do they turn out the way they do with all of the likes and dislikes and quirks and individual personality?  The same set of parents raises the same set of children yet each turns out differently.  That is truly the mystery!

If that is how it is for us as parents imagine what it is like for God!  Each and every one of us created, each and every one his child, yet each and every one unique and different.  God envisioning the very best for each of us.  God also knowing though that pain and suffering will come in to each and every human life, to each and every one of his children.  It is a part of the warp and weave of life here on earth. 

No wonder he created a plan to be able to claim his children again!  No wonder he chose the mystery of childbirth-the creation of a baby in order to fulfill his plan.  God knew that there would be suffering and pain involved yet he also knew that there would be great joy that would come as well! 

God is the ultimate parent and he envisions the very best.  Yet sometimes a child will suffer.  It must be difficult to watch sometimes.  Yet that is the mystery of children, each one individual, each one with free will.  Will they make the right choice?  That is the question and that is the mystery.  It is the coolest mystery that we as parents will never fully understand!  That is exactly how it is supposed to be because that is a part of the mystery of life!  Just like Mary, we made the courageous choice to see it through, not fully understanding what that choice might entail but believing the very best for our children and their future.  We said yes to the mystery!  I for one am glad that I said yes!  I think just about every parent would say the same thing!  Life truly is a mystery!

Churches Trying to Find Their Way

I am continuing on my jaunt through Revelation and the Seven Churches and how their stories are similar to stories that we hear today.  Let's talk about the three churches that I put into "group one" from Tuesday's blog post.  These are the churches that appear to be churches but, in essence, have lost their zeal and their core.  They are the congregations without depth, a mere shell of what they once were and are on the path to dying if they do not change their ways.  These are the churches where you have members who long for the good ole days.  These are the churches where you have members who will try just about anything to try to turn the tide of decline.  They didn't plan to decline, it just happened!  Or, perhaps there was a difference of opinion which caused a rift and some of the members left.  Either way, they are not what they used to be when they started out.  Ephesus is told "you have abandoned the love you had at first." (Revelation 2:4).  Sardis is told "you have a name of being alive, but you are dead." (Revelation 3:1).  Laodicea is told "you are neither cold nor hot." (Revelation 3:15).

In modern day parlance, these are churches that our conference would identify as needing to be revitalized, particularly if they were in a "strategic area" (i.e. urban center or large community).  So the conference "lovingly" and "strongly" recommends that the church members agree to participate in a revitalization program (in our area, they call it the Healthy Church Initiative).  If the church agrees to participate, there are books to be read, consultants are sent in, secret shoppers show up at unknown times, teams are created and then a report is issued with prescriptions of what the church needs to do to turn itself around.  A mission statement and vision statement are created and the congregation has a year to implement the prescriptions.  Periodic "progress report" meetings are held during this time to make sure the church is staying on track.  My church chose to participate in the process.

Let me just say this, because I know I am about to tread in touchy territory as I voice my opinion.  Healthy Church Initiative is a good idea, as far as it goes.  My church was excited to participate and we did really well through the process.  I applaud the conference for trying to come up with a workable process.  There were changes made, and some of them worked out very well and they have had a positive influence.  But, there came a point when it seemed like the prescriptions became items to check off of a checklist rather than noble and worthy goals to accomplish.  I struggled for a long time trying to put my finger on the exact moment that the subtle change happened and I struggled with why it happened.  It wasn't until I heard Bill Hybels speak at the Leadership Institute that I made the connection and put words to the nagging feeling that lay just under the surface.  Bill gave a talk that he titled "5 Greatest Leadership Lessons" and it was a profound "ah-ha" moment for me at the time!  Here are the five lessons that he shared:

1)  Vision-paint a picture of the future that produces passion in people.  Watch out for "vision leaks".
2)  Get people in your church engaged.  There is a difference between agreeing with a vision and owning a vision.
3)  Make your gatherings memorable.  People are yearning for experience-to feel the touch of God, somehow, in some way.
4)  Pace yourself for the long haul.  "Hitting the wall" or "burn out" brings about anger-no depth.
5)  Pay attention to whispers from God.  Big things start with a whisper.  Discern-make sure they are from God then obey them.

Point number 2 was the "ah-ha" moment for me.  This also, in a round about way, gets back to the comment that John Meunier posted on my blog post from yesterday.  As a leader, as a church, you need to discern God's vision for you and your congregation, but at some point each individual has to take ownership of that vision.  Or, as Bill Hybels says, "you have skin in the game!"

Ron Crandall, in his book "Turn Around Strategies for the Small Church" says this on page 69:

"...pastors who lead congregations to find a corporate vision, have a personal vision already at work in their own lives.  They believe in a personal God who intervenes in history and changes people.  Their own experiences of conversion or their call to ministry are vivid, and they are thus convinced that God is ready and able to touch the lives of others."

The realization that I came to was that many agreed with the vision that came out of our Healthy Church Initiative.  Not everyone chose to "own" the vision. It was not a conscious choice or an intentional choice or even an outright rejection of the vision.  The effort was sincere, people were honestly looking for a way to improve!  But at some point along the way, the prescriptions became a checklist, rather than goals to help reach the vision.  The vision statement was warm and fuzzy enough to make you feel like it meant something but vague enough to leave room for interpretation.

Our members worked hard to try to fulfill the prescriptions.  Some burned out, and some ended up feeling hurt and angry because change didn't happen even though we as a congregation followed the prescriptions.  There are many good things going on at our church, but I sense that some long for more!

I often wonder what difference it would have made if we had written our own prescriptions?  Or, if instead of just having the prescriptions, if the consultants had led the congregation of literally writing goals and action items for each prescription listed?  If we had tied certain "action items" from the prescription, specifically to the vision would it have made a difference?    I can't say for sure that it would have made a difference but knowing the heart of the folks at my church I think it might very well have been the tipping point because the members would have had a say as to what was being done, how it was being done, but even more importantly why it was being done!

For me personally, I am a casualty of point number 4 on Bill's list.  I'm not angry, I'm just burned out.  Being at church is painful for me right now.  I love my church and I love my friends, my church family!  I see the hope that lives in them.  I also see the frustration and hurt and exhaustion.  I pray that the sparks of renewal become a flame.

Going back to Ron Crandall's book, on page 43, he talks about Howard Snyder's book "Signs of the Spirit". Howard discusses the 5 different but interrelated principles that historically have led to church renewal and revitalization through the ages.  They are:

1)  Personal Renewal-a dramatic, decisive experience or simply a deepening that gives greater peace and joy.
2)  Corporate Renewal-a dramatic spirit of revival sweeping the church, or simply by a gentle quickening of the church's life.
3)  Conceptual Renewal-God gives a new vision of what the church can and should be.
4)  Structural Renewal-simply finding the best forms, in our day and age, for living out the new life in Christ.
5)  Missiological Renewal-A church needing renewal is focused inward.  A renewed church focuses outward to mission and service in the world.

Maybe we, like the churches in Revelation, need a little more prayer.  And perhaps the conference can best help a church in these circumstances by bringing in the consultants and have them do the study, exactly as they have been doing.  But instead of the consultants writing the prescriptions, perhaps it would be best to lead the congregation to prayerfully consider  the information gathered, and write their own prescriptions.  It would help members connect to the vision and have "skin in the game".  They are not hopeless or dead, they are just trying to find their way.

The Big Picture-Imagination Adventure of the Day

Imagine with me for a moment.  Picture in your mind, your home town.  Picture the borders, where your town starts and where your town ends.  Have you got it, do you see it precisely in your mind?  Now, picture in your mind that a wall has suddenly been built on those borders and you are completely cut off from everything outside of your town.  No one gets in, no one gets out!  What you have is what you've got, nothing more, nothing less.  Here's the question: could your town sustain itself for one week based on what you have in your town?  I'm betting most of you would answer "no" to that question and honestly a few weeks ago I would have as well!

Something happened though to change my thinking on this question.  My home state got hammered by massive amounts of flooding and there were towns that were literally cut off from everyone else around them.  Granted, they didn't have to go a full week before supplies were flown in to them, but they did have a period of days where all they had to survive was what they had in town.  Not only did they survive, they thrived under the pressure!  You see, they discovered that when they worked together they had more than they thought!  They discovered that they were more than the sum of their parts!

I am reminded of the early church portrayed in the Book of Acts.  In chapter 2, starting at verse 44 (NRSV) it says:

"All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.  Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people." 

Now I'm not suggesting that you sell all your stuff and join a religious commune.  No.  What I am suggesting though is that you look at your church family and your community with a new set of eyes.  We tend to look at things a piece at a time.  We look at the parts rather than looking at the whole picture.  The early church prospered and grew because they worked together as a whole.  They had one goal-sharing the good news of Jesus!  Everything they said, everything they did, how they lived, was focused on that goal.  They discovered that they were more than the sum of their parts.

Let me go back to the example of the towns that were cut off by flooding.  The first thing they did was meet together to figure out who was accounted for, who was not, who needed help and what did they need to focus on first.  Some people had food in their freezers which they pulled out and donated for a big town barbecue so everyone would have something to eat.  Some had heavy equipment which they put to work trying to rebuild roads so they could get things opened back up.  Some had ATVs which they used to either rescue folks who were stranded or to try to find a way out of town to get supplies.   Horses, propane cook stoves, generators-there were things in town that individually wouldn't make much of a dent but when pooled together would sustain them all until they could get help.  And plain ole labor-people willing to pitch in to help clean up because the faster they could clean up, the more they could save and the faster they could rebuild.  They were able to accomplish a lot more working together than working individually.

There's a lesson to be learned here.  Churches want to "make an impact" they want to "do and be" but many times you have groups of individuals doing a little bit of this here and a little bit of that there in the hope that this will be "the next big thing".  Not that these things are not good or important but where do they fit in the big picture?  What part are they of the whole?  When you look at your church in relation to your community what part do you play?  Where do you fit in?  What is your goal for your church and for your church within your community?  What could you accomplish if your entire congregation worked together?  What would you accomplish if your church worked with others in your community?

If we focus on the big picture rather than the individual parts I wonder how that would change what we do in our churches and I wonder how that would change how we interact within our communities?  I wonder what kind of resources we would discover, that had always been there, but we didn't notice?  I think about individuals sitting in our congregations who would like to find a way to actively participate but who think there is no where that they fit in within church ministry.  Or, I think about people in the community who would like to find a way to help but they have no group to connect with.  Can we take those parts and connect the dots and do something truly extraordinary?

One of the great things about the Methodist tradition is that work is not a dirty word.  You don't do works because it somehow scores you angelic brownie points.  You do work because it is an outward expression and demonstration of your faith.  As the Apostle Paul said "Faith without works is dead."  Wesley understood this, that's why he went to the prisons and brought not only faith, but food.  That's why he set up Sunday School so children who worked in factories six days a week could not only hear the word but learn to read the word.  He knew if a young person could read they stood a better chance of advancement-they stood a better chance of being able to have a better life.  He understood the need to preach and teach but he also understood the value of the practical.  He understood the importance of meeting someones needs.

So take some time today for some quiet reflection and really think about the big picture.  Where do you fit in?  Where does your church fit in?  What can you do with others that would make a difference towards uplifting and sustaining your community?  What can you accomplish if you work together with others?

There's your exciting thought adventure for today!  Have fun!

Winning the Battle Starts with Showing Up!

The books of the Bible that deal with rules and bean counting are always hard reads for me, no matter what the translation is that I happen to be using!  It reminds me of history class when you had to keep track of the specific dates for various Civil War battles in order to pass the final exam.  If I could match a specific battle to a specific war I figured I had hit the bonus round!  Asking for the exact date?  That's an entirely different story!  I'm grateful that I absorbed enough information to figure out what happened and when it happened!  That's the same sort of view that I take with certain books of the Bible.  I'm never going to keep the genealogies and census numbers straight but if I can get the general idea then it's all good! 

There are little nugget gems to be found within the various law and number books if you keep reading.  Every once in awhile, something will jump out at me and I'll be like "huh, wonder why I didn't notice that before?"  Today's daily Bible reading had one of those little gem moments.  Take First Chronicles for example!  Chapter 9 discusses the list of exiles who came back to Jerusalem, and of course it names names.  It is a pretty standard list by clan and it involves the Priests, Levites and temple support staff.  But when you get to the Korahite family who were the guards at the temple gates there is this little bit of added information.  The Message paraphrase says this:

"David and Samuel the seer handpicked them for their dependability."

Now if you have any inkling of history, you know that the exile happened well after King David's time.  So the choice of this particular clan to be in charge of temple security happened long before the Babylonian exile and eventual return of the tribe of Israel to Jerusalem.  And the key reason as to why this particular clan was chosen for this specific duty was because they were dependable!  David and Samuel knew they could rely on them to fulfill this duty and that they would actually show up!  Even though a lot of time had passed, this was still true of the clan when they returned from exile.  The job would get done because this family would be there.  They would actually show up!

That is the moral of the story for today.  Part of winning your battles involves being dependable.  It involves not just talking about what you are going to do.  It is about showing up, doing the work and following through.  Want a modern example?  Firefighters have training and they have the equipment but if they don't show up to put out a fire it doesn't do you much good, now does it?  Teachers have training and they create lesson plans but if they don't show up to teach the class all that planning amounts to nothing.  Or, if you would like to jump in to the world of science fiction-a starship has warp drive but until Captain Picard says "engage" it doesn't really help you!  You can have the best plans, you can have the greatest tools but until you actually show up to do the work it amounts to absolutely zero in progress!  There is great value in being dependable!

Dependability is under-rated today.  It's just not a "glamorous" virtue like being utterly brilliant!  Having been an office manager I can tell you that I would take a dependable person over a brilliant person any day!  A dependable person is trainable.  Someone who has brilliant ideas but is not reliable is useless to me in an office setting because they are never around to follow through on their good ideas!  They are flighty.  My preference would be to have someone with both qualities-brilliance and dependability but if I had to make a choice, I would choose the dependable person.  It's not because I oppose new ideas but rather because I need to know that someone is going to be there to actually do the work!

So how does this apply to your life and your faith walk?  Well, let me ask you this.  Are you facing struggles and you have some good ideas on how to deal with them but you just haven't implemented them?  Why?  What is holding you back?  Is it because the task seems too daunting or is it because you believe someone else will take care of the problem?  If you happen to fall in to the second category-believing that someone else should take care of the problem-you may have a problem!  The only person you can change, the only person you have control over is you!  Doing the work, making small changes, that's how big changes occur.  But you have to "show up" to win the battle.  You, my darling friends must do the work.  You have to be dependable and reliable-for you!

The same thing applies not only in your personal life and your work life, but also in the life of a church.  If you want change, then you have to be willing to do the work!  You have to show up.  You have to be the reliable, dependable person!  I have a beautiful voice, I can sing.  But in order to be involved with the Praise Team I had to show up for practice and I had to show up to help lead worship on Sunday morning.  I could have all the good ideas I wanted but if I didn't bother to show up then those ideas would not come to fruition because there would be no one to follow through.  Being part of the team meant working for the best interest of the team.  And a big part of that involved simply showing up!  The team was successful because we knew that we could rely and depend on each other!  Things would get done because there was a reliable core who was willing to do the work!

I remember a conversation I had with a good friend of mine who also happens to be a very successful businessman.  As an office manager I was suddenly having to deal with moving large sums of money around which was something completly new to me and quite frankly, I was rather intimidated by the whole thing.  I mentioned this to my friend.  He also had experienced the same thing at first but he said "I got to the point where it didn't bother me any more.  A thousand dollars, a million dollars, same difference."  The uncomfortable became comfortable because it became normal.  It became normal because he showed up every day and did the same thing over and over again until it became second nature.  It wasn't randomly done, there was a specific plan and procedure to follow.  It worked because my friend was dependable and reliable and he showed up to do the work.  He looked at the problem and created plan A, B and C.  He addressed the issue head on and he did the work to win the "battle".  But his success would never have happened if he didn't bother to show up to "do battle" in the first place.  That's why being dependable is so critical to any success in life.  Change doesn't happen by itself.  Change depends on people willing to work the plan in order to make change happen!

Are you facing big problems?  Do you have some ideas on how to address them?  Do you want to see change?  Create a plan and then start doing the work.  If this is your battle than show up!  Face your challenges head on.  Engage in the action.  Be steady and consistent or in other words be dependable.   Battles are unavoidable but the art of winning the battle is showing up for the battle in the first place!  

As Captain Picard would say...Engage!

The Land of Milk, Maple Syrup and Mentors

The first thing you notice when you cross the border between New York and Vermont is the lack of billboards.  Many years ago, the state decided to ban billboards because they were considered a blight on the landscape.  It's an immediate shock to the senses for me because billboards are everywhere here in Missouri!  Don't let the lack of billboards fool ya though, there's a lot going on in the state!  All one has to do is get off the interstate and travel the back roads and you see small farms and businesses thriving!  Small signs posted at the bottom of a driveway tell you that you can buy maple syrup or that a roadside farm stand is just ahead.  Or, you can stop by the Cabot Creamery Annex and browse and buy locally made products to your hearts content!  Add to that the local chambers of commerce who promote everything in their small towns and you have a winning combination!  Compared to other places, there is a stunning level of cooperation between small businesses throughout the state!  Cabot Creamery makes the best cheddar cheese as far as I'm concerned but when you walk in the annex, you find far more than just cheese!  Homemade mixes for biscuits, scones and pancakes.  I counted four different hot chocolate/hot cocoa mixes.  Let's not forget the maple syrup, maple sugar and maple creme!  Plus, micro-brews, hard cider, jams and jellies, salsa, crackers, sodas and soap, the variety is amazing!  Each and every one of the items in the store is locally made by small businesses within the state of Vermont!

Restaurants are no exception.  They go out of their way to use local products from fruits and vegetables to locally raised meat and poultry.  And of course, they use local syrup and cheese and butter.  Believe me, you can taste the difference!  They're proud of the diversity and they're willing to support each other!  They are also willing to talk to complete strangers and answer questions.  Some places like Cabot Creamery and Cold Hollow Cider Mill offer either tours or demonstrations of how their products are made.  They are proud of what they do and they want people to see exactly how it is done.

I tell you all of this because I vividly remember a time when Vermont was not such a hopeful place to live!  Jobs for the average Vermonter just were not there!  Farms were being bought by out of staters for high end developments because milk prices tanked and property taxes went sky high.  There were some farmers who couldn't afford to hold on any longer!  It looked like the Vermont way of life was going to be ripped up and paved over to make room for yet another condominium complex!    Open fields were being replaced by cookie cutter housing.

There were individuals, however, who decided that they were not going to give up so easily!  The traditional way of life was important, it mattered and somehow a piece of it needed to be saved.  Farmers got creative and started creating events that brought people to their farm-the birth of agri-tourism.  Small businesses started creating "value added" products.  Instead of just selling strawberries, how about making some really cool jams?!  They chose to work together and when they started to see success they didn't keep it to themselves.  Instead they created workshops and gatherings where they could teach others to do the same thing!  The cottage industry movement flourished!

You could use a lot of terms to describe these individuals.  Creative, visionary, diligent, hard working, risk taker.  A couple of verses in Proverbs really reminded me of just how important their vision and risk taking were to the community and the state.  In Proverbs 14 (The Message Paraphrase) it says:

"Cynics look high and low for wisdom and never find it; the open minded find it right on their doorstep."

This verse in Proverbs 15 (The Message Paraphrase) also jumped out at me:

"The empty-headed treat life as a plaything; the perceptive grasp its meaning and make a go of it."

The easy out would have been to take the cynics route instead of looking at what they had right on their doorstep.  The easy out would have been walking away instead of trying to make a go of things.  When I say some of these folks took a big risk, I mean they put it all on the line for their vision and goals!  Believe me, they went in to the venture with a lot of fear and trembling!  But life is like that, isn't it?  There's a lot of fear out there in the world today and a lot of hopelessness being purveyed.  Sometimes though, you just have to use that fear to propel you forward to take a risk that you know is worth taking.  Sometimes you just gotta lay it all on the line and trust God that you have been given the skills and strength to fulfill your dream and vision!

The second part of all of this, is the mentoring (which I can not emphasize enough!)  Sharing with others what you did and how you did it and helping them avoid your mistakes and sharing lessons learned is incredibly important!  Even just offering encouragement can be the best gift that you can give someone.  I saw that lesson first hand on the last day that we were in Vermont. 

My 17 year old son Robert starts his Senior year this fall.  I don't know what he will end up doing but I can tell you that he is incredibly gifted and amazingly smart!  One of the things that he is really passionate about is blacksmithing.  He has his own little mini forge set up in our front yard under the trees down the hill.  He had shown an interest a few years ago and after doing a little research I found a local workshop here in Missouri.  I signed him up for so he could check it out.  I signed my husband and Lonnie up as well so the three of them set off on a weekend adventure!  Rob was hooked!  He loved it!  But, there were a lot of people telling him that he couldn't make a business out of it. They thought that he needed to think about doing something else and just keep blacksmithing as his hobby.  I, on the other hand, think that he should follow his heart and use his gifts to the best of his ability!  Long story short, we had passed by a local blacksmithing shop in Marshfield, Vermont and on our last day there we decided to stop so Rob could have a look.  Blackthorne Forge is owned by the wonderful and amazing Steven Bronstein who creates the most incredible pieces of work out of metal!  Steven not only took time out of his busy schedule to talk to Rob, he also helped Rob troubleshoot a couple of things that he had been having problems with at home!  He answered Rob's questions, but more importantly he encouraged him to keep at it and also gave him the name of someone to get in touch with who might be able to help him down the road!  His passion and dedication and his success hopefully gave Rob the encouragement he needed to pursue his dream! 

My hope and prayer is that you are inspired and encouraged to follow your heart and take a risk and use your God given gifts and talents to make a difference.    Life is meant to be lived not feared!  It's time to step forward and do what you were called to do!  And someday, you will be the one mentoring others and sharing your story!  I am looking forward to hearing your story!

Get Everything Ready For You In The Field

I find it interesting that my Bible readings today both come from the book of Proverbs!  Let me back up and explain-I am using a daily plan that will allow me to read through the entire Bible by the end of the year.  I also have been working through Disciple Bible Study on my own and the focus of this week's readings happens to be the book of Proverbs.  I'll tell ya what, I am beginning to think that anyone in a leadership position should consider this book of the Bible as required reading!  It's like peeling back an onion, the more you read it, the more you see!

I don't know about other bloggers but I actually pray before I write-it's real simple "please dear Lord, don't let me stick my foot in my mouth and let me say something that will be helpful to someone!  Guide my way.  Amen"  I wait until that still small voice kicks in and then I start writing.  I call it my "spiritual nudge" because that's the best way that I can explain it.  I've talked quite a bit about having faith and hope and using your God given gifts, tapping in to your God given creativity, etc. etc.  Personally, I thought it was time to move on to something new.  Nope!  Apparently, I haven't said it enough times yet, so you and I dear friends, are gonna cover the territory again!  This is good stuff though!  We're just mining a little deeper and coming at it from a different angle, looking at the same message, just in a different way!

Here is what Proverbs 24:27 says:

"Prepare your work outside, get everything ready for you in the field; and after that build your house."

Hmmm....now that's interesting!  First, you prepare your work and get everything ready out in the field THEN you build your house.  Say what?  Doesn't common thought dictate that you put a roof over your head first and then you do the other things?  Yet this is saying to reverse that order.  Why? 

There's a life lesson here!  Wait for it...wait for it.....

In an agricultural community how do you feed your family and how do you produce an income?  From your crops and livestock.  So preparing your field is investing in your future!  You plow the field and plant the seed or the grape vine or the apple tree. Then there is a period of time where you have to wait-it's called growing season.  You still have to tend to the various things-pull the weeds, watch for disease, water when necessary but essentially it is not as labor intensive as the initial planting season.  This is when you can work on building your house.  Because at the end of growing season you're going to be busy gathering the harvest.  Harvest comes in due season but there will be nothing to harvest if you didn't prepare the field in the first place!  And, if you haven't taken the time to build some place to put that harvest for safe keeping it will not last!

Some of you are probably thinking "that's nice but I'm not a farmer so I don't know how that would apply to me."  Think bigger!  Be creative, broaden your perspective.  Maybe your "field" is to get more training.  Maybe your "field" is to get in touch with someone who can help you write that business plan.  Maybe your "field" is to start a new ministry or outreach program.  Maybe your "field" is to be a mentor.  Your "field" is that gift or idea that you need to invest in so you can reap a harvest, either for yourself or for others!  Think about the possibilities!  This is taking that God given creativity and making plans and doing the work now so you can reap a harvest later!  It is literally taking the steps necessary to get the ball rolling!  You are taking a carefully planned leap of faith! 

I remember reading about the pioneers and how they would build their barns  and outbuildings or plow their fields before they built their houses-something I didn't understand at the time but now I do.  It was a statement of faith and hope.  They planned and planted and built because they had faith that harvest would come!  They were willing to do the work to make it happen.  They had the courage to take a risk! 

There are great ideas and plans out there that will never see the light of day, let alone a time of harvest if someone doesn't go out there and plan for them.  They will never see the light of day if someone is not willing to take a risk.  Pray, study, ask, discern.  Is the time right?  Is the time now?  If it is, then what steps need to be taken in order to start?  Start getting everything ready now so you can be ready when the time is right!  Harvest time only comes when you are willing to do the work in the first place!  Pray, plan, prepare!  Have faith and hope!  Believe that God truly does want the very best for you!  Mediocrity is easy.  Great things involve great work and a whole lot of planning!  Are you ready?

An entire life lesson in one simple verse!  How cool is that?!

"Elemental P" A Life with Meaning

When you are a parent of a child with Asperger's (Autism Spectrum Disorder) you sometimes have to get creative in order to get your child to do what he needs to do!  My son Randy was not fond of washing his hands.  He would turn on the water, stick a finger in and then proclaim he was done!  After trying all sorts of things I finally came upon something that worked!  I told him that he had to put both hands in the water, rub them together and sing the ABC song.  Once the song was done, he was done and he could turn off the water and dry his hands.  Since he enjoys singing he was delighted with this idea and continues to sing the ABC song to this day!

One day, I noticed that when he sings L-M-N-O-P it sounds like he is saying "elemental P" and I thought "hmm...that's interesting" and kind of let it go at that.  The Spirit though, kept nudging me and I had a very clear impression that I needed to pay attention to this because there was a lesson just waiting to be revealed!

Elemental P-what could it possibly be and why is it so important?  Well guess what happened this morning when I was reading in Proverbs?  I made the connection!  Chapter 9 makes a clear distinction between Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly.  In The Message paraphrase Lady Wisdom prepares a meal and goes out to a prominent place and asks:

"Are you confused about life, don't know what's going on?  Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me!...Leave your impoverished confusion and live!  Walk up the street to a life with meaning."

A life with meaning!  Elemental P!  It's not one word, it is many words and all of them are connected to wisdom!  So I made a list.  It is by no means complete, but these are words that jumped out at me in regards to living a life with meaning.

Purpose:  Who am I and why am I here?  At some point in time everyone asks themselves this question.

Plan and Picture:  What is God's plan for my life?  How do I fit in to God's big picture?

Prayer and Praise:  Prayer being a two way conversation where I ask but I also listen.  Praise where I worship and bring my thanks and remain awed by the wonders God has created. 

Promise and Peace:  Promise meaning I listen to what God is saying to me and believe what is being said-that it will come to pass.  Peace-that I understand that even though challenges still exist I rest in the peace of knowing that God is fully in charge.

Perception and Parallels:  Another word might be discernment.  When I read God's word what is it saying to me?  Am I making the connection between how this verse or story from the past is still relevant today?  Can I see the parallel and apply it to something happening now? 

Person:  When I look at other people do I see them as God sees them?  Or do I judge them by worldly standards?  Am I being asked to do something in their lives?  How do I help them connect to a life of faith?

Parameters and Pace:  Boundaries are set for a reason.  To follow Jesus means to accept parameters for my own good!  Pace-do I let God take the lead or do I try to rush out ahead?  Running the good race does not imply a sprint.  It's more like running a marathon and any runner knows that if you don't want to hit the wall you have to pace yourself!

Honestly, I've blown the opportunity in each and every item on this list at one point or another!  I've been impatient, I've pushed too hard!  I have forgotten to be thankful.  I've whined, griped and complained.  I haven't liked the answer to a question.  I have had to confess my folly and ask for forgiveness.  That's the beauty of Grace, you can fall flat on your face and God will still love and forgive you if you ask Him!  Even your failures on your life journey can bring you closer to wisdom!  The closer you get, the more you realize that yes, your life does have meaning!  You were put here for a purpose.  Part of the journey is getting your ego out of the way and listening to the plans that God has in store for you!  My darling friends, my prayer is that you find your "Elemental P" and have the courage to follow and trust God!  

It has been an interesting lesson indeed! 

What are you being asked to do?

The United Methodist Church currently has this big push "to go and make disciples" based on Jesus' commissioning of the disciples in Matthew 28.  They have lots of catchy campaign slogans and this is the foundation and driving force behind "Call to Action" and "Healthy Church Initiative" just to give you a couple of examples.  My personal opinion, I think they put the cart in front of the horse.  They have the right idea but they're coming at it from the wrong direction.

The beauty of Wesley's basic Methodism was that he understood that change comes from within FIRST and when you feel that love of God within you, you are compelled to share it with others.  If the heart is "strangely warmed", if change begins to happen within you, ideas start to flow.  You see and notice things that you didn't pay attention to before and you feel compelled to do something!  I think that's why Wesley emphasized (rightly so) the importance of reading scripture, of praying, fasting and being in fellowship with others who help hold you accountable and keep you moving on the right path.  You don't do mission work simply to do mission work.  You do the work because it truly matters to you!  It is a reflection of what is inside of you.

Some friends from church are currently down in Joplin, Missouri helping out with tornado relief efforts.  Cindy, who is the driving force behind this effort, posted on Face book one day "I'm thinking of going down to Joplin to cook, who wants to come?"  That simple question led to a group of friends getting together to go and help out in any way possible.  This wasn't organized by the church.  It didn't have the backing of some slick ad campaign.  It started from the heart of one person who felt compelled to do something! 

The same thing happened when my friend Sonia came up with the idea of creating a coffee house space at our church for young adults who didn't want to go to Sunday School on Sunday mornings but wanted some place to gather.  Sonia shared her idea with some other folks in her adult Sunday School class and Higher Grounds Coffeehouse was born.  One person, with a God inspired idea, who shared it with others to turn it into a reality because she felt compelled to do something!

I could talk about another friend, Crystal, who, as a young adult, felt that it was important that our church offer Vacation Bible School.  It wasn't really in the budget but she shared the idea with others and created a wonderful VBS experience for children on half a shoestring!  Crystal has also taken over as youth group leader as well because she wanted the youth to experience the same positive atmosphere that she did as a teenager!  There are a lot of other things she could be doing but she feels compelled to act and lead!

Great, God inspired ideas, do not come from committee or because they are on some arbitrary checklist.  They come from within, from the heart, from a compelling need to do something for others.  And a changed heart comes from following in Christ's footsteps.  You learn by reading scripture and meditating on what it is saying to you personally.  That leads to the prayer "God, what are you asking me to do?"  That's the point that I am at right now in my spiritual walk.  My guess is that some of you reading this are at that point as well.  I don't have an answer yet but I have hope that I will soon!  Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

Maybe God has already given you a plan or idea but you haven't acted on it because you don't think the church will back the idea.  Do it anyway!  If you feel compelled because your heart is telling you it's the right thing to do then do it!  If it's a God idea it's gonna go regardless of what others say or think!  If you feel strongly about volunteering at the battered women's shelter or starting a prison ministry or delivering for meals on wheels than do it!  Change comes because compassionate people act.  People are compassionate not because it looks good, it is because they have a heart for compassion. 

What is God asking you to do?  Study, pray, discern, act.  And God be with you!