Knowing the Author Changes Your Perspective

Tonight I was chatting with a local pastor's wife after she so selflessly gave me a lift home rather than having me walk the 20 or so odd minutes home in the pitch dark.  When I thanked her she said, "Awk, sure, saved you a few extra minutes," with a smile on her face, of course (she always does, I love it!).  My natural response was, "Yea, now I can read a bit more before I head to bed!"  This was said with pure excitement and joy because as much as I enjoy writing, I also enjoy reading!  She then began asking me what I was reading and we got into a long discussion about books, culture today, and then an interesting topic arose because we had both recently been reading books written by people we personally knew.

I am currently reading On the Verge: A Journey Into the Apostolic Future of the Church by Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson.  This book was actually recommended to me by a friend.  Ironically, I know Ferguson because he was one of my mom's childhood friends.  Because of this I know him as such, not as some famous person from Chicago amongst today's Christian circles.  He grew up, lived, and made mischief just like you and me (I know because of stories my grandparents reminisce over with family).

Knowing the author changes or skews the way I read or interpret what I'm reading.  This can be both a good thing and a bad thing, but what I found, more interestingly, is that the woman I was chatting with had the same reaction.  Knowing the author changes it, makes it different, more real, practical, believable.  Because she knew the author she was reading and I, in a roundabout way, knew the author I'm currently reading and gave a hunger and desire to read it, to open my eyes to the actualisation of the words on the pages.

This.  Knowing the Author.  It changes things.  Shouldn't that be how we approach the Bible?  Taking time to talk with God and explore His Word is not merely an obligation, but becomes a desired hunger because of knowing the Author.  It changes how I read Scripture, not seeing it as merely an account of history, but a love letter from the Perfect Father to this Prodigal Daughter.  That when Christ said, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."  He was speaking with me in mind, my sin burdened on His heart.  When "He became sin who knew no sin that we might become His righteousness"...He became MY sin.  He bore MY iniquities.  He sweat drops of blood FOR ME.

This.  Knowing this Author.  It changes everything.

Do you know the Author?

Stop looking on in judgment, but rather join and love them through their journey

On our drive from O’Hare International Airport back home to Michigan City, we had to go through multiple tollbooths.  At the last one, we were stuck behind a black SUV where it was clear the occupants had not given enough change.  You could see silhouettes scrounging around in between seats, searching the floors, and rummaging through the glove compartment.  It was easy to see frustration building on the people in vehicles behind as well as in the booth.  After finally finding enough change and as the vehicle sped away, its driver through sunglasses at the tollbooth lady.  Of course people watching from the outside were flustered, outraged, and confused.  

But the person who threw them wasn’t.  They knew exactly why they threw them.  Why?  Because they know what’s going on in their life and that one more thing will make them snap.  

People were asking why because they disapproved of the behavior, but I asked why praying that whatever led that person to the unexpected outburst would be lifted from them, sorted, and they would be brought peace.

The problem is, we are great at disapproving of behavior, judging, and looking down on people that don’t respond to our standards.  We need to stop being onlookers, bystanders, that watch and judge others and begin asking ‘Why?’  What is going on in that person’s life?  What is breaking their heart?  How can I come alongside them and love them?  

Let’s roll up our sleeves, rub shoulders, and do the unexpected...that should be the norm.

Get out there and love because when people are hardest to love is when they need it the most.  

You may be the only Bible someone ever reads, the only Jesus they ever meet.  What are they reading?  What kind of Jesus are they meeting?

The Dash

We'll all have one. It's kinda crazy. We do all we do and at the end of our lives, our time is minimised to this. A simple dash. 

In America, it was recently Mother's Day and on my mum's gravestone is written: 

1961-2004

But so much goes into that dash. A whole life in such a tiny mark.

But in the grand scheme of things, that dash is quite accurate about the magnitude, the weight, our lives actually carry.

One of my favourite movies is Gladiator with Russell Crowe. Towards the end of this trailer he says something profound:

http://youtu.be/ATdgiMNFsm4

"What we do in life echoes an eternity."

What we do with our dash matters because it effects our eternity. What are you doing with your dash? Are you making the most of it, making it something worth echoing for eternity? Or are you throwing your dash away?

Balance

Balance is key to many things in life.  For me, it was always key in gymnastics, yet I'm finding it even more crucial in my daily life, my daily walk with Christ, and my daily investment in those Christ has placed in my path.

Inward--Outward--Upward

Within my journey as a Christ follower, I have come to the realisation that if I am only reaching out (outward) to those who have not chosen to follow Christ, I do so only in my own strength and effort, which is futile in comparison with what the Holy Spirit could do if I allow Him.  If I only interact and invest in my fellow brothers and sisters (inward) in Christ, I may be enjoying the fellowship of the Kingdom, but not expanding it.  And furthermore, if I only build in my relationship with God (upward) yet sit idly by and keep it to myself, its purpose is stunted.  Long story short, any of those scenarios is evidence of an unbalanced journey.  All three are necessary, all three are key, to all three God has called me.  If I do not commune with God, how can I pour into those around me, and if I am not spending time with brothers and sisters, how can I be encouraged and supported in such a tangible way?  And if I am not reaching out to others, is there really much point to the other two?  I mean, I love my brothers and sisters.  I love Jesus.  But if I say that and mean it, I shouldn't be able to contain myself, I shouldn't be able to keep it to myself.

Pray. Go. Love.

This has been bouncing around in my brain since Sunday morning.  I'm not sure exactly what was said to bring it about, but I believe it was the Holy Spirit reminding me that FIRST: pray.  Planning, going, loving; all are secondary and pointless if we do not pray.  If I do not pray.  But if I pray and do not go, it is like planning a holiday and never actually going on it (not a perfect comparison, but when it comes to Kingdom work, how can you compare it?!).  SECOND: But if I do pray, I must go, and I must be willing to go.  Because if I do not go, I cannot love.  THIRD: Love.  Love the crap out of people!  God has literally loved the crap (my sinful heart, attitude, and mind) out of me (and yes, He's still in the process).  But if we pray, then we must go, and if we have prayed and we do go, we can't help but love.  Again, it comes to balance.

How's Your Equilibrium

In life, there must be balance, or we go nuts.  Think about the man who works 80 hour weeks and never takes a holiday.  In the grand scheme of life, is he really more productive than the man who enjoys his weekends off, who enjoys a holiday with his family now and again?  Does he live a more fulfilling life?  Does he enjoy life as much as the next person?  No, of course not, because he doesn't have a life.  He has a job.  (Refer back to the 80 hour week).  On the flip side, if someone is always a couch potato are they going to have drive and ambition?  Not for long!  It's all about balance.

This isn't something I'm coming up with on my own.  Sure, I'm experiencing it, but as you know there's nothing new under the sun.  What is being done has been done.  Look at Jesus' life.  He took time to be alone with the Father (Luke 5:16).  He spent time with brothers and sisters (Matt. 26:20).  He went (more like came down) and loved (really, just read the Gospels).

If the Messiah, our Saviour, Jesus, didn't try to do it all on His own, but talked with the Father, spent time with disciples, and reached out in love...who am I to try to live any differently?  Who are we to live differently?  But then again, in today's society, that is living differently.  And perhaps that's what we all need.  We all need a balanced life.  We all need Jesus, each other, and to share His love.  And maybe, just maybe, because of that difference, that balanced life, even more will come to know Jesus.  Let's talk with Him about it, encourage and support each other in it, and go love (I mean tell) somebody about it!

Freedom Freely Given

Who I am vs Whose I am

I am a failure vs I am a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I lie vs God is Truth (John 14:6)

I look to others for worth vs I am priceless in the eyes of God (why else would He send Jesus to die for me?) (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

I am judgmental vs God’s mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13)

I am selfish and love myself vs God is selfless love that can’t help but give (John 3:16)

I am hot headed, stingy, and heartless vs God is slow to anger, compassionate, and gracious (Psalm 145:8)

These are just a few contrasts between the creation (me) and the Creator (God).  Although the contrasts could go on for pages and pages, lists and lists, days and days, as I go along this week running up to Easter Sunday, I am so thankful that God does not look at who I am, but whose I am.  Jesus has paid the price, so why do I fret?  I stress about programmes, having leaders for said programmes, budgets for programmes, feeling inadequate to do all of the above and more.  I truly count it a beautiful blessing, this struggle called ministry, called life.  

I have found that as I go day to day, trudging through week after week, that I become bogged down more and more because I focus too much on who I am.  But when I focus on what truly is important, whose I am, I am freed.

Isn’t that what Easter is all about, the freedom we’ve found in Christ.  Freedom freely given.  There is nothing we can do to earn it, nothing we can do to deserver it.  It is a gift, no strings, but endless blessings.

This is what I want to share with the world, with the Emerald Isle, with Newcastle.  

Freedom freely given.  Do you humbly accept this gift?  Or do you walk on by, looking inwardly only to find disappointment, or outwardly only to find rejection and disappointment?  The world we live in will leave us longing, but our Creator longs to have us back in His arms.

HE IS RISEN!  Will you walk with Him?

"Just Living The Dream..."

This is the response I give when people ask me, "How's it going?"

And it is the honest to God truth.  I really am living the dream.  But not the one I had for myself, rather, the one God has placed in my heart.  From where I've grown up, the culture I was surrounded with, I understand why many of my friends would not be able to truly grasp why I do what I do, raising support opposed to finding a job that "pays well".

But that's just it.  It's not about the money.  I'm spending my life doing what I love, sharing the love of Christ.  My desire is not to live a luxurious life of wealth, fame, and stuff.  I desire a life full of...life!  That includes: love, laughter, joy, peace, fulfillment, purpose.  God knew from the beginning that's what I was created for and the natural reaction to having this revealed to me is to share it with others, to share HIM with others.

The Holy Spirit is moving here in Newcastle.  Hearts are burning to know Him in a real, intimate way. And He's responding.  He has come, revealed His presence.  Bible studies have sprouted throughout the area with young and old alike.  They are experiencing Him and His love, laughter, joy, peace, fulfillment, and purpose.

I praise this God, the one who frees us from our bondage to what the world says will make us happy and reveals that which gives us more than we could have ever imagined.  Other religions, other faiths, all talk about working our way to become a god, but our God, in His infinite power and wisdom, left His throne to come down to His creation and redeem them.  Christ, on the cross, redeemed us.

By His wounds we are healed.  We are freed.  So that we may "have life and have it to the full" (John 10:10b).  That cannot be found outside of Christ, but when it is found, it cannot be detained...it must be shared.

I do not live a luxurious life by the world's standards, but I have life and have it to the full...it is not something someone can break in and steal, for it is not of this world.  I do not live in this world or for this world, I live in its midst, but for Someone so much greater and a life no mind can fathom for it is a life eternal, with the God who imagined me, created me, and redeemed me to Himself, forever.

"Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake," Henry David Thoreau.

"All men dream: but not equally.  Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it is vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible," T.E. Lawrence.

This is living the dream.

Curtains of the Heart

Much can be said, yet words tend to escape me in what has been going on in the ministry since I have returned.  I am truly blessed and privileged to be a part of the ministry here in Newcastle.

The first night I was back, I attended a program called Fused, which is equivalent to high school youth group in the States.  This, however, is unique in the sense that all the young ppl from all the churches come together.  During small group discussion one of the girls who began coming to Fused after attending the high school aged drop-in on a Thursday night began talking about how she is looking at colleges.  What struck me was her next sentence when she said, "I never would've thought college would be an option for me, but because of spending time with you guys, I realize it is an option."

These young women are beginning to dream again!!!  **An answered prayer of my heart**

One thing you find when returning "home" is how loved you are and how missed you truly were.  Tuesday nigh drop-in girls (jr. high age) painted me a banner to show me how much.  Then, Thursday night at drop-in (high school age), one of the young men and I were catching up on what I'd done while in the States and how he'd been doing in school.  He then, out of the blue, asked, "How is your sister?" He not only remembered me mentioning my sister and her being in a wheelchair and working on driving and such, but he was compelled to ask about her.  I see God in him so much!

Wednesday nights we have been doing a Smoking Cessation program where the young people create, participate in, and develop anti-smoking adverts.  It is a constant reminder of how creative God is and his enthusiasm that shows through the young people.

**Curtains of the Heart**

Because I tend to walk to and from work most days, I tend to, as you can imagine, pass several houses. Something I have noticed is that when it's dark and cold outside, people's curtains are shut, to retain the warmth that is already present in the room.  On the other hand, when the sun is shining, people throw open their curtains to let the light in and warm up the rooms the windows connect to.  This has really been a beautiful picture of our hearts.  When we are feeling like the world around us is dark, we cling to the Truths in our hearts that God has etched into them (closing the curtains).  At the same time, when the Light is being given through a conversation, beautiful landscape being viewed, or a random song, we open our hearts to what God is saying to us, the Truth He is etching into our hearts once more (opening the curtains).  When the darkness closes in we must cling to the Truths we already know, yet when Christ shines His light, let us open our hearts to His Truth, His leading, His love.