Some would say that God can only be seen in the mighty and the wonderful. There are some in the world who would rather look for Jesus in the powerful and the mighty, but that might not always be the best place to look for him. As a matter of fact Elijah had a similar issue.
He found himself in a cave, in the side of a mountain during a huge storm. Elijah thought that God was in the storm and tempest and all of the wild and amazing things in life, but he was wrong. God was only found in a small, quiet breeze - not a wind a breeze - like the gentle spring breezes that wake the plants from their wintry slumber. That's where God was found.
So the natural question must follow - where do you go to look for God? Are you an Elijah, looking for God in the HUGE things of life? Are you looking for God in the biggest buildings and the highest priced "anythings" of life?
There's nothing inherently wrong with big and lavish things in life - the issue is that we often get so distracted by the "stuff" that we fail to see God in the midst of it all.
So where is God today? Have you had the ability to enjoy a small breeze blowing through you life recently? Don't wait for the violent winds and the earth shattering events to see him - Jesus is right beside you in the still, small voice of the gentle breezes that life has to offer. Where is God - right in the midst of the ordinary and sometimes mundane parts of life...He is where His love is!
Can you hear it? Can you feel it? He's there - the breeze is blowing...
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Invaders VS. Insiders
Have you ever thought of yourself as an invader? Well, you should, because we all are "invaders" in someone's life. In our communities we often find ourselves invading the lives of others with our own personal agendas. We see it all the time...
The salesman who comes knocking on our door offering us the next best thing, or the telemarketer calling us to get our support for the most worthy of causes, or even our friends or neighbors inviting us to participate in their favorite pastimes. These all really can be invasions into our already busy lives.
The church is not exempt from this problem with invasions. As a matter of fact we are pretty bad at it. How many times has the church (pastor or other person) told you to "share your faith" or "bring someone to church"? These are INVASIONS!!! We are assuming a great deal. We are assuming that we have something that they want to hear - which is not always the case. When you visit someone for the first time, how do you react? What is your agenda?
We have been trying to very intentionally build a new way into Living Truth Ministries. Over the past several months a couple of us from the church have been meeting up at a local bar/restaurant for a couple of drinks, appetizers, and some great conversation. We are not going in as invaders rather we are there as insiders. We could almost be considered "regulars."
So - what's the difference? The biggest difference is that an invader is there to push something on someone, while an insider is present simply to be a part of the culture. How can you move from an invader to an insider? Which of these two did we see Jesus model for us: was He an invader or an insider?
The most correct answer is that Jesus was both - sometimes both at the same time. It's possible to be an invader for someone, while being an insider in their life. Jesus invaded the lives of the Pharisees, when He showed them a new way - but the method He used with them was often that of an insider.
An insider's focus is on relationships, while an invader's focus is on his or her own personal agenda. God's call us for us to live in this world - not as invaders but as INSIDERS. With whom are you an insider?
The salesman who comes knocking on our door offering us the next best thing, or the telemarketer calling us to get our support for the most worthy of causes, or even our friends or neighbors inviting us to participate in their favorite pastimes. These all really can be invasions into our already busy lives.
The church is not exempt from this problem with invasions. As a matter of fact we are pretty bad at it. How many times has the church (pastor or other person) told you to "share your faith" or "bring someone to church"? These are INVASIONS!!! We are assuming a great deal. We are assuming that we have something that they want to hear - which is not always the case. When you visit someone for the first time, how do you react? What is your agenda?
We have been trying to very intentionally build a new way into Living Truth Ministries. Over the past several months a couple of us from the church have been meeting up at a local bar/restaurant for a couple of drinks, appetizers, and some great conversation. We are not going in as invaders rather we are there as insiders. We could almost be considered "regulars."
So - what's the difference? The biggest difference is that an invader is there to push something on someone, while an insider is present simply to be a part of the culture. How can you move from an invader to an insider? Which of these two did we see Jesus model for us: was He an invader or an insider?
The most correct answer is that Jesus was both - sometimes both at the same time. It's possible to be an invader for someone, while being an insider in their life. Jesus invaded the lives of the Pharisees, when He showed them a new way - but the method He used with them was often that of an insider.
An insider's focus is on relationships, while an invader's focus is on his or her own personal agenda. God's call us for us to live in this world - not as invaders but as INSIDERS. With whom are you an insider?
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
God's Recipe for Lemonade
It may sound kind of corny to think of God making lemonade, but I believe that we can learn a great deal from the old addage, "if life hands you lemons, make lemonade." It's not easy but if it was easy - it wouldn't be life. Let me give you a little background to what I'm referring to:
The past three days have been pretty difficult around here. My life, most likely just like yours, has been very hectic and has dealt several unexpected blows. I can't go into all of the details but the high (or low) points are that critical relationships aren't always valued by all as lifelong, people hide things and keep secrets that really shouldn't be kept secret and those things that should be secret for some reason are the things that we end up sharing. Many people around me are hurting and others are just confused (myself included) by the vast amount of "bad-stuff" present in our lives.
Then to kind of top it all off, I woke up this morning - after only about 3 hours sleep, tops - and the sun was nowhere to be found. It was a typical central Ohio day with cloud cover, a little fog and plenty of cool humidity in the air. It's amazing how a lack of sun can affect your day - but it sure did mine. I was on my way to a meeting and was stuck behind every slow driver in the area. I ended up being late to the meeting by only five or six minutes, but I detest being late so that was not a good thing. Then the meeting I was at evidentally didn't make very high on the priority lists of the others asked to be present because there were only three of us there: the host, the presenter and myself. That's pretty sad, but that's a whole different topic.
So I hope you can see the lemons in my life the past few days. Granted my lemons might be nothing compared to yours, but they still make life flat stink sometimes. I was praying and praying that God would somehow make things a little better. I prayed for a little "sugar" for my lemons. Not sure exactly what that meant, I decided to go on with the rest of my day.
Finally it hit me - only two things in life are constant: God's love for us and His Son's death/resurrection for our sins. The Bible promises that God will not allow us to suffer through more than we can bear with HIS help. It sure seemed like God had taken a lunch break the past couple of days, but then it really struck me square between the eyes - John 3:16 is what it's all about. This is the "sugar" for our lemon-filled lives.
We have a couple of options when life deals us a "bad" day. We can complain about it and make everyone around us miserable, or we can sprinkle a little "Jesus" in our lives. The choice is really up to us as individuals. If God has promised to give me no more than I can bear, that means that He knows I am stronger than I often give myself credit for. So today, maybe God is inviting you to spice up that lemon-water life a little. He just might be shouting words similar to Emeril (you know the famous cook on the food network) - God just might be inviting us to "BAM" our lives with the sugar of Jesus and His love for us.
Today, if you are living in a vat of lemons remember something a good friend once told me...today you might not be strong enough to live what God has put before you and that's fine. This is simply your opportunity to invite God to "live this one for you today." Maybe Jesus can sweeten our lives with the "sugar" of His never-ending love.
So the long and short of God's Lemonade Recipe is a stinky point in your life and a whole lot of God's love. I pray that you will be able to enjoy the new life that God has given you - BAM!!!
The past three days have been pretty difficult around here. My life, most likely just like yours, has been very hectic and has dealt several unexpected blows. I can't go into all of the details but the high (or low) points are that critical relationships aren't always valued by all as lifelong, people hide things and keep secrets that really shouldn't be kept secret and those things that should be secret for some reason are the things that we end up sharing. Many people around me are hurting and others are just confused (myself included) by the vast amount of "bad-stuff" present in our lives.
Then to kind of top it all off, I woke up this morning - after only about 3 hours sleep, tops - and the sun was nowhere to be found. It was a typical central Ohio day with cloud cover, a little fog and plenty of cool humidity in the air. It's amazing how a lack of sun can affect your day - but it sure did mine. I was on my way to a meeting and was stuck behind every slow driver in the area. I ended up being late to the meeting by only five or six minutes, but I detest being late so that was not a good thing. Then the meeting I was at evidentally didn't make very high on the priority lists of the others asked to be present because there were only three of us there: the host, the presenter and myself. That's pretty sad, but that's a whole different topic.
So I hope you can see the lemons in my life the past few days. Granted my lemons might be nothing compared to yours, but they still make life flat stink sometimes. I was praying and praying that God would somehow make things a little better. I prayed for a little "sugar" for my lemons. Not sure exactly what that meant, I decided to go on with the rest of my day.
Finally it hit me - only two things in life are constant: God's love for us and His Son's death/resurrection for our sins. The Bible promises that God will not allow us to suffer through more than we can bear with HIS help. It sure seemed like God had taken a lunch break the past couple of days, but then it really struck me square between the eyes - John 3:16 is what it's all about. This is the "sugar" for our lemon-filled lives.
We have a couple of options when life deals us a "bad" day. We can complain about it and make everyone around us miserable, or we can sprinkle a little "Jesus" in our lives. The choice is really up to us as individuals. If God has promised to give me no more than I can bear, that means that He knows I am stronger than I often give myself credit for. So today, maybe God is inviting you to spice up that lemon-water life a little. He just might be shouting words similar to Emeril (you know the famous cook on the food network) - God just might be inviting us to "BAM" our lives with the sugar of Jesus and His love for us.
Today, if you are living in a vat of lemons remember something a good friend once told me...today you might not be strong enough to live what God has put before you and that's fine. This is simply your opportunity to invite God to "live this one for you today." Maybe Jesus can sweeten our lives with the "sugar" of His never-ending love.
So the long and short of God's Lemonade Recipe is a stinky point in your life and a whole lot of God's love. I pray that you will be able to enjoy the new life that God has given you - BAM!!!
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