SMARTER

Last night at Freedom Seekers we did something that I love to do.  Since I was running group I decided it would be Q&A night, which I quietly call “Stump the Pastor.”  This format gives the group a chance to ask questions about God, recovery, relationships, etc. and receive answers/feedback from the Freedom Seekers leadership team.

By the end of the night some of the questions we had answered included questions about prayer (Do I pray to God or Jesus or does it matter?), sleep (I keep waking up at the same time every night… does this mean anything?), recovery (How long will I do these 12 steps before I see change in my life?), suicide (Do people who commit suicide go straight to hell?) and relationships (How do I re-connect with my spouse?).

The feedback was good.  Our people, who have know the pleasures of the world and the heartbreak of living far from God, had the opportunity to study about the veil in the Temple being torn from top to bottom at the moment of Christ’s death and what that symbolizes. They also studied the three types of baptisms in the bible (John’s, Jesus’ and the Holy Spirit’s) while at the same time hearing practical, relevant answers to their ‘real life’ questions.  It was a great night.  I think we all left feeling just a little bit smarter.

REST IN PEACE

Today Jim and I stood in line to file past the casket of a friend’s father. Most of the people in the crowded room were strangers to me although there were KFAers in the mix. When we reached the family I was blessed by the warm reception of the sisters of the deceased man. Each of them wept in my arms and mentioned the great comfort and connection that they felt with me after the hours that we had recently spent together in the hospital. I, too, acknowledged my connection with them.  We had been together in one of the most intimate moments a person could share.  

I can’t help but think of what a blessing it is to be with people as their worlds are changing and their hearts are breaking. It is certainly not for everyone.  Sometimes it goes against every comfortable fiber of my being to walk into these situations, yet it is such a privilege to listen and pray and drop a pearl of wisdom into the depth of their brokenness and pain.  It is a ‘called’ place.  It is a task that only the Comforter can walk me through.  I can only submit and bravely move in with steps guided by a gracious God.

At times like this I reflect on PEACE.  Jesus said “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid,” John 14:27.  This peace is available to us all, regardless of the situations or circumstances of our lives and in it we find REST.

Take care-

SERVICE

One of the lessons I learned early in my journey with Christ was that gratitude is an action word.  The often repeated phrase began “My gratitude SPEAKS when I care and when I share with others…”  The biblical counterpart to that is when Christ said that leaders are to be servants as He washed the feet of the twelve… even the one He KNEW would betray Him. and then said, “Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13:17)

Most people, regardless of where they are in their journey with Christ (including those who don’t yet know Him) want to do good deeds.  We see this when people who say they are opposed to ‘organized religion’ will roll up their sleeves on a church project if the benefit is for the community.  Regardless if the motive is to glorify God, the outcome still does.  

But today is “BLACK FRIDAY” so America has now flipped the focus from what we HAVE to what we WANT NEXT.  So to all those who stayed up or camped out all night in freezing temperatures, I want to personally thank you for doing your part to stimulate the economy.  Please try to glorify God in the long lines of harried shoppers.

Take care-

PERSPECTIVE

Yesterday was a life-changing day. As I was packing up my laptop and heading to pick up the last of my holiday meal fixin’s my text notification rang on my phone. “It is a matter of time now” was what I heard from my dear friend who, along with her extended family have been sitting bedside while her stepfather was succumbing to his cancer battle. While the family knew of the diagnosis and what the end result would be, it is always “too soon” to say goodbye.

On the way home the next call my husband, Jim. He had been laid off from his job of 7 years. This was not breaking news as the company had been facing financial issues and had already laid off (‘furlough’ is the new buzz word for this) the majority of the staff.

Now that I am less numb, I guess that I am facing the reality that everything here is temporary. This is not new information, just something that I occasionally “choose not to look at” from my comfortable spot. Yet the Word that is hidden in my heart says: “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:18 - NLT) It sounds like an instruction to be very intentional about our focus. Now I read for the context of the verse and this is what precedes it: “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! “

OK, so if I believe God’s Word is true and without error, the question remains, “What am I going to do with this.” I’ll keep you posted.

Take care-