Take Time to Connect with People

"Time to think and time to connect with people are as important as getting everything done. Sometimes you have to go slow before you go fast."

I came across this quote in a Leadership and Management post on LinkedIn by Beth Comstock (Chief Media Officer at GE).  It applies to business dealings, but I think it is also pertinent to how we go about our work in the church.  I often (in both my professional and personal life) am so busy trying to meet deadlines, keep appointments, and accomplish my to do list that I forget I am dealing with people and it is probably the relationships with these people that are more important and will have a more lasting impact than the activities we are trying to accomplish.  The same also goes for evangelism and missions.  We must share the gospel and care for the poor and hurting around us, but we also must approach those we interact with as people and build relationships.  This will take time and require investment on our part, but it is those relationships that will be used by God for his glory and to accomplish his purposes, not our trivial actions.

Living Life for Today

Angela posted a link to a blog on Facebook (http://www.handsfreemama.com/2013/08/20/school-year-hopes/) talking about focusing the school year hopes for our children not on what we do not know will occur in the future, but on what we can control today.  This list of hopes for your child today struck me.

Today I hope to take a few extra seconds to kiss the top of your head before you go. 
Today I hope to stand aside and let you do it yourself … even if it takes a little longer … even if it’s messier … even if it’s not perfect. 
Today I hope to say, “I’m sorry,” and “I love you” because they are life changing, comforting, and healing words. 
Today I hope to laugh more than I sigh with exasperated breaths. 
Today I hope to view missed shots and off-key notes as brave attempts at living rather than failures to succeed. 
Today I hope to focus less on your faults and more on your freckles and sense of humor because they light up your face. 
Today I hope to notice the color of your eyes when you speak to me. 
Today I hope to listen to your words without judgment and impatience. 
Today I hope to extend grace for accidental spills and other kid mishaps. 
Today I hope to help you as you clean up that spill and tell you about the time I dropped an entire bag of flour on the kitchen floor. Maybe we’ll even laugh about it. 
Today I hope to give you a little extra time to walk along the edge of the curb, do your own hair, and listen to your knock-knock joke. 
Today I hope to catch a glimpse of you that suddenly reminds me how much of an extraordinary miracle you are. 
Today I hope to remember you are more than your achievements, more that your academic performance, and more than your behavior. 
Today I hope you see my eyes light up, not because of something you do, but simply because of who you are. 
Today I hope you go to bed knowing life is better because of you. 
Today I hope you fall asleep feeling loved right now, today, just as you are.

Daily Pilgrimage

Finished Patrick Morley's "The Man in the Mirror" today in bible study.  It was an okay book and brought about a lot of good discussion.  The passage below really sums up the book for me though and is one of my favorite from the book.  If we can live this way, everything will fall into place in the end.

"Life is a struggle. Each day is part of a pilgrimage that prepares us for our eternal destiny. Each day we should set apart Christ in our hearts as Lord. Focus on the good you see and hear. Testify, just as a witness to the jury, about the changes occurring in your own life.

Encourage those around you, and meet together regularly for friendship, accountability, Bible study, and prayer. To encourage someone is to inspire them to have courage. Attend church where the Bible is believed and Christ is honored. Join a weekly Bible study group. Form an accountable relationship. Pursue your job as a holy vocation. Remember the poor when you give your resources. Be a faithful steward. Stand against bigotry and racial prejudice. Increase your love for God and for people. Remember, no amount of success at the office can compensate for failure at home."

Trust God and Fear Not

I been led to believe lately that God allows trials in our lives so that we can trust in him.  When life is good we tend to not look to God.  When times are bad, we are quick to call on Him.  Life overall is good for me right now.  Sure there are things I would change, but in general I am blessed beyond what I deserve and life is pretty good right now. Still, I see brokenness around me.  I know people going through terrible things with family, health, addiction, and the darkness of our world.  In the midst of it all, good or bad, I have to constantly remind myself that "God is in Control".  God tells us "I AM, and you are not".  We can trust in God and he has given us the Holy Spirit so that we can  "fear not".

Related to this, I came across two things on Shannon Kelley's Blog today (http://www.shannon-kelley.com/blog/)
The first is what struck me as a great way to approach God and our relationship with him:

I’m a weirdo Christian. I have never fit too nicely in the traditional American church. Maybe because I make people uncomfortable-who knows. Because the reality is that I didn’t learn about God in a building doing crafts in the basement-I learned about God by watching Him provide for my family, by watching miracles happen in the Phillipines and China, by sitting under a mango tree listening to stories from the Bible read as if you were there. It’s the same way I feel about astronomy-I didn’t sit and learn how the stars were placed, I went and took walks on the beach at night with my dad when I was 11 and saw them as he pointed out the constellations. I felt the power of millions of stars staring at you in a place where there was no electricity. I didn’t need to look in a book to learn about them, I felt it, they were real to me, they moved me, they gave me childlike wonder. To this day, I stop in awe under a ceiling full of stars. 

That is what God is to me. He isn’t something I learned- He is someone I know that is real to me. I feel him. He is real to me. He moves me. He gives me childlike wonder. 

The second  came from a Jesus Calling devotion that she referenced:

“Instead of floundering in the past, release your mistakes to Me. Look to Me in trust, anticipating that My infinite creativity can weave both good choices and bad into a lovely design. Because you are human, you will continue to make mistakes. Thinking that you should live an error-free life is symptomatic of pride. Your failures can be a source of blessing, humbling you and giving you empathy for other people in their weaknesses. Best of all, failure highlights your dependence on Me. I am able to bring beauty out of the morass of your mistakes. Trust me, and watch to see what I will do.” 

 Both point back to our dependence on God and trust in him.  I read another place today about the woman who was plagued with bleeding for 12 years and believed that if she could just touch Jesus' robe, she would be healed (Matthew 9:20-22).  She trusted God and was healed because of her faith.  It was pointed out though that to reach out for Jesus' robe, the lady had to open her arms.  If we keep our arms to our chest we can maintain our privacy and hold in our shame, our guilt, our imperfection; but we can't draw on the power of Jesus.  Holding our arms to our chest maintains our false front of perfection that we put up for those around us, but it keeps those with whom we are in community from helping us through our problems and bringing us back to the grace of God.  This gets back to pride, which judging from how it keeps coming up, will probably be a topic of a future post.

Restoration

From a devotional I was reading today...How we are supposed to help those in need as the Church.

RESTORATION  (Isaiah 58:6-12)
While the prophet Isaiah had harsh warnings for the people of Judah, he also had good news: after enduring punishment, God’s people would later be restored. Restoration means more than putting a bandage on a wound. The society Isaiah described was not “patched up.” Instead, in this passage, there is an emphasis on wholeness, permanent
change, and on bringing people back into complete health—mind, body, and spirit.
Changing the lives of those devastated by poverty, illness, and other issues mean more than offering temporary solutions, as helpful as they may be. It means looking at employment, security, health—deeper issues, that when addressed, bring lasting changes.
So, don’t only provide a patch of land, but provide a well-watered garden. Help to build a home, not just a roof over someone’s head. Strive not only for the absence of war, but also for restorative, healing peace.

In Need of Repair

The past couple days the brokenness of the world has really been brought to my attention.  I think this has been in the back of my mind for a little while now, but really came to light this past weekend and the following days.  Sickness, pain, death, abandonment, hatred, anger, despair, fear, cruelty, malice...it is prevalent around me, it is evident in the world, and seems to be really in my face lately.
Yet, I was reminded this weekend that despite all the darkness, there is light.That we are supposed to be the light in the darkness shining and reflecting Jesus and God's love.  In his final days on earth, Jesus tells his disciples and speaks to those who will come after (the Church) that the world will know Him through our love for others and our oneness of purpose.  More importantly, we know how this all turns out in the end.  We know the final pages of the story.  Love wins, light overcomes darkness, good beats evil, God wins.

 











I have to hold on to that thought.  It has to overcome the darkness in my own life and change my attitude and demeanor.  I have to overcome, or at least come to grips with , my own sin and make a conscious effort to shine with Jesus and infect light on those around me.

The famous sermon, one I like to reflect on often, "It's Friday, but Sunday's Coming" really is appropriate here as well.  Although it may seem dark now.  Although it may not seem God is control of the chaos and despair.  There is hope in the fact we know that Sunday is coming and God wins in the end.

When God Asks You To Walk the Other Way

I came across a Word document a few minutes ago where I had compiled several short essays and blog posts along the common theme of the title of this post.  I am not sure where I got all this stuff, but I think it was part of my preparation for a Sunday School lesson.  I think I remember using part of it, but I do not remember what I was teaching on.

Anyway, as usual, my discovery of this information was timely.  I wanted to include it here so I could go back to it.

When God asks you to walk the other way

by SEMISUD-FLEREC on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 9:44am

by Bobby Lynch

Have you ever had God to ask you to do something a little different? Arturo, one of our students at SEMISUD (South American Seminary), was challenged by God recently. He and his wife are experienced missionaries and church planters from Chile. They came to SEMISUD to study and prepare for future ministry. Maybe to even take a little time to rest as they reflected upon their past years in ministry. Yet God had different plans.

Soon after arriving at SEMISUD, Arturo and his wife participated in one of our church planting courses. During this course, they were challenged by God. They were challenged to put their hands back to the plow and get back to work. Now was the time for work, not the time for rest.

As they were leaving the campus one day, they notice that everyone was walking through the main gate and turning to the right. This would be assumed normal and correct as the town, student houses, and buses are all located to the right of our campus. However, God stopped Arturo and his wife as they were exiting the gate and caused them to look to the left and ask, “What’s over there?”

So Arturo began to ask people where the road to the left went. The guard told him, “No where. There is nothing that way. Unless you walk for over an hour you will see only trees and cows. If you walk for an hour you will come to a little village inhabited by a people who don’t like visitors. Don’t go there Arturo. If you go, you will only find problems.” But Arturo could not deny that God was calling him to go to that town and visit the people. He knew that God was calling him to plant a church in that town!

Several local preachers advised Arturo against trying to plant a church in that village. They said, “Those people don’t want to hear about God. They do not want a church. You and your wife should work with us in our churches or try to plant a church in an easier area.

Don’t go to that village. If you go, you will only find disappointment and frustration.”

Despite the intense discouragement, Arturo and his wife could not shake God’s call to go to this village and share the Good News of Jesus. They had to go. And so they went.

As others had predicted, they did encounter many problems, disappointments and frustration. However, due to their faithfulness and obedience to following God’s call, within six months they successfully planted a church in that village. Today, a year after their attendance in our church planting conference, that church has over 50 members and that church has gone on to plant 2 other churches in two other villages. Arturo and his wife’s credit, our conference and training for giving him the inspiration and ability to plant this church in such a hardened environment. We praise God for men and women like Arturo and his wife that attend our training and use it to introduce more people to Jesus.

If you would like to partner with us in sponsoring one of these conferences, please contact us.

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

After the Israelites rebelled against God by making a golden calf idol He told Moses He would no longer lead the people into the Promised Land. Instead He would send an angel to lead them there.  This means that it was technically possible for the rebellious Israelites to enter the Promised Land without God.

In the same way pastors and Christian leaders can lead a successful ministry all without God.

“Only one thing will distinguish us from all the peoples on the face of the earth,” said Demian. “It is (God’s) presence.”

Biblical figures like Moses and David wanted only the presence of God. Moses thought it was meaningless to enter the Promised Land without God. David determined that he would not sleep soundly before he found a dwelling place for God.

“Sometimes we think disobedience is only when we hear (God’s voice) and don’t obey,” he said. “But we don’t understand that we break the Father’s heart when we don’t care about what He wants.”

“His longing is that we will walk with Him, He loves to dwell with His people,” said Demian. “That is the character of God.”

---------------------------------------------------

Shifting. Challenged. Change.

March 30, 2011 By Nicki 18 Comments

Tonight I sit curled up in my overstuffed-green-chair that sits in the corner of our office. Its very chilly outside and I find warmth and comfort here in the safety of this chair and these pale yellow walls.
Big dreams lay in the layers of my heart and purpose stands knocking louder than anything I could ever imagine.

Then, there’s circumstance. 

The thing that keeps me planted. Staying the same. Never taking the risk. Willing to change directions only if given 100% confidence in the future.

Its much like the rain that quietly drips off my roof-top tonight to keep me cuddled up here in my thoughts.
Safe, like this green chair.

Circumstance…its just enough to make me stay put.

But tonight, the future looks different.

My husband still stands beside of me, my girls still toddle below me. God still whispers His faithful words into my soul.

But something looks…different. 

The truth is, the ground below me feels like its shifting. A little of me, a little of life but a little bit at a time its all…shifting.

I’m challenged to be more than I am today. To strive for greater, to hold onto what’s better.

Truth speaks to me tonight that we just only get one shot at this. Sure, there’s an entire eternity that awaits us the day we take our last breath on this earth. And I can’t wait to see what that’s all about.

But today I hear the voice of God say so loudly…
“You are not overlooked. You are chosen, hand-picked, set-apart and you are here to leave a mark on your generation. Invest into today because you have incredible potential and I see you.” 

And I feel so strongly that He shouts those same words to you my friend.
Today matters.  You matter.  Life…matters.  Invest wisely. 

While many days I wish I could just gaze into the future a few years from now and see what is all ahead, tonight I rest in the uncertainty that life offers. I know that much of what God is doing right now is simply as we say to our girls: “None-ya”. [In other words: none ya business]

These words from the book God-calling said it so well:
“I am here. Seek not to know the future. Mercifully I veil it from you.”

He sees everything ahead so we don’t have to. He is kind, mercifully, generous and loving enough to not let me see what He’s doing. Our job is simply to trust.

So as a girl who is shifting, being challenged and being changed…those promises are more than enough to give me the guts to get out of this comfy green chair and get to the place my heart longs to be.

“Keep company with God…get in on the best.” -Psalm 37:4 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 



Today, someone just needs to hear that God has chosen you.

That you are His, He delights in you. In a crowd of a 10,000 He reaches down His hands from His throne and says, “That’s my child.” 

As life seems unsettled and we want to drift away from our dreams to realities He invites you to stay. To rest. To keep believing. 

While we think nothing is happening, the greatest plans of our lives are unfolding. There’s always more to see than we do but yet we can hold our place in the confidence of His touch.

Our souls may scream that we are not chosen, not favored and not likely but -His truth shouts louder that its not about who we are, it’s about who He is.

And so we rise up.
We stand as chosen.
We lift our hands and say those words, “Lord, here am I…send me.”
We are ready.

Because as simple as they sound -those words are the invitation to God that we are making ourselves available to Him, His work…His purpose.