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-

Back at it...

A special thanks to my new friend Tony for subscribing to my blog... which I have not added to since JANUARY. It has just seemed like 'one more thing on the pile.'

Recently I checked out the blogs of others and was pleasantly surprised to see that blogs have gotten shorter over time. Rather than a journal entry they are looking more like TWITTER posts. For my non-Twitter friends that means 140 characters or less. I needed to RE-THINK my technique.

So, this is my plan: I am going to do what I can, when I can. Might not sound like I am aiming very high, but with my wiring, I know what will work.

Now, off to live a life that inspires great blogs...

Take care-

LK

BHAGG

au⋅da⋅cious   /ɔˈdeɪʃəs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [aw-dey-shuhs]

1.	extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless: an audacious explorer.

2.	extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; highly inventive: an audacious vision of the city's bright future.

3.	recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; brazen.

4.	lively; unrestrained; uninhibited: an audacious interpretation of her role.

Jim and I once had a pastor encourage us to set a "BHAGG" based on what God was speaking into our hearts. He later defined BHAGG as a Big Hairy Audacious God-Sized Goal and then further encouraged us to BELIEVE GOD for the fulfillment of His promise. This was great inspiration for us as we had already seen God do BIG things in our lives. Jim and I both have been set free from addictions that threatened to destroy us, so we both have come to know God's nature when it comes to causing the miraculous.

A couple of weeks ago I lead our staff devotions (the Pastoral Staff has a rotation where one of us present a devo. to the whole KFA staff one morning every week) and I asked the staff to get with God and ask Him about His goals for their lives for 2009. I then instructed them to commit to one of the goals and to share it with someone who would hold them accountable to doing their part to fulfill the goal. Since that morning some have shared that they know just where God is directing them while others are still listening for that 'still, small voice' to reveal the plan.

For me, the biggest challenge is not putting a lid on the plans. I KNOW how much I can do. I know what my capabilities are. My hope is that I can give God's plans right back to God because, as I have said before "God is FULLY responsible for the life that is TOTALLY SURRENDERED to Him."

With that in mind, what is God birthing into your life for 2009? Is it to lay things down or pick things up? Is it to finally surrender yourself to His good, perfect and pleasing will? Has He revealed a dream to you in days gone by that you have doubted because it seemed like an impossible feat? I think that everyone is closer to knowing what "IT" is that they will let themselves admit. I dare you to go for it!

Word

This morning I sent an email to about 100 people from KFA encouraging them to add The Daily Bible to their Christmas 'wish list' in preparation to begin reading it January 1st. Many have responded with great excitement as they look forward to being in the Word daily with a structured study.

Many have tried other study guides but this unique Bible Devotional is arranged in chronological order. One example of this is that psalms are inserted into the exact place in the story where the author would have written them. The Gospels are also harmonized so that all accounts are read at the same time. The commentary/narration, written by F. LaGard Smith ties the reading of each day into a seamless epic that spans events from creation to the apolocalypse.

It was twelve years ago that my mentor suggested that I purchase a copy of this Bible and establish a pattern of studying it daily. This habit has been life changing for me and since God's Word does not return void I expect that the same will happen for all who study it.

So, if you are reading this and did not get my email from this morning, please also consider joining us in reading The Daily Bible in 2009. You might also share this with others in your circle of influence.

Take care-