Tuesday, May 29, 2007
House Blessing...
Tonight, there will be several men gathered at ministry headquarters/our house to pray and ask God to bless this home. This will be a pivotal time to pray against the enemy in his desires to bring shadows and darkness into our home. We will invite the light of Jesus to fill each room and invite honesty and brokenness to take up residence. Jesus, even now, I ask you to use this time tonight to prepare your home for ministry, family, and friendship with You.
Ministry Headquarters...
So, here we are in Birmingham!!! Or atleast, here I am. I got in over the weekend and have begun work on ministry headquarters (aka...our house). Melody is still in North Carolina at her family's house and will be arriving this weekend. I will be in Birmingham this week working on the house and getting things ready.
God has been so gracious to provide a home for our family and a place that will function as the hub/headquarters for ministry. We truly do view this home as God's house. We do not own this place...it belongs to God. So, we want to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us. This will be a place for our family and for others to encounter God's power to redeem and set hearts free.
There have been several people who have ministered to me over the last few days. These home improvement servants have painted, patched, and protected me during my time here so far. Many thanks to Brian and Kristy Johnson, Jeff Merck, Aubrey and Chris Johnson. And there are others who have called to encourage and will help unload this weekend. It is quite humbling to be supported by such a community of redeemed people.
God has been so gracious to provide a home for our family and a place that will function as the hub/headquarters for ministry. We truly do view this home as God's house. We do not own this place...it belongs to God. So, we want to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us. This will be a place for our family and for others to encounter God's power to redeem and set hearts free.
There have been several people who have ministered to me over the last few days. These home improvement servants have painted, patched, and protected me during my time here so far. Many thanks to Brian and Kristy Johnson, Jeff Merck, Aubrey and Chris Johnson. And there are others who have called to encourage and will help unload this weekend. It is quite humbling to be supported by such a community of redeemed people.
Sabbath
I have for years been so intrigued by this custom/command of Sabbath. In one sense, sabbath is something to be observed and remembered. On a regular basis, we are to take a sabbath. In another sense, we are actively called to sabbath, to rest, to renew, to be restored. It is actively grounded in choice.
So, here I am...a recovering baptist and recovering minister. Have I kept the law of the sabbath? Have I been a sabbath-keeper or sabbath-breaker? Keeping the sabbath was one of the most difficult things to do as a staff minister. That is why I meet so many pastors who are filled with fatigue and emptiness or filled/high on themselves and their accomplishments. Their souls are parched and restless. I know...I've been there.
So, Melody and I are rethinking "sabbath". What does it look like for us, as a family, to have 24 hours each week of sabbath time? What does it look like to cease, rest, stop, celebrate, and be thankful? What does it look like to not "create" anything yet love the Creator? What does it look like to not "redeem" and rescue someone's heart but rest in my Redeemer? How would life be different?
I don't want my sons to grow up with a distorted view of the sabbath. I don't want them to grow up with strictly a religious understanding and churched view of sabbath. I want them to experience it.
So, here are a few ideas that we have talked about for celebrating sabbath...
*To intentionally set aside and protect a 24 hour block of time each week. (maybe sat. pm to sun. pm, something like that.) I know that this time will not just happen. Melody and I will have to fight for it. All the forces of Satan will attempt to fill and frustrate our plans. We will have to fight for this.
**To develop what is allowed and not allowed during this 24 hour time. Set boundaries. We are not allowed to work, create, do ministry stuff, etc. Work-related emails and phone calls must wait. There should be no cooking, cleaning, or loading the dishwasher (i'm loving this!!!). On this day, we break from having to teach our children and we choose to enjoy them and their presence. We choose some time for aloneness and time for togetherness. We celebrate God as Creator and choose to spend time outdoors. We choose to celebrate God as Redeemer and express gratitude over our redeemed lives and stories.
So, this is early in the process. But we are choosing to intentionally plan toward being sabbath-keepers.
So, here I am...a recovering baptist and recovering minister. Have I kept the law of the sabbath? Have I been a sabbath-keeper or sabbath-breaker? Keeping the sabbath was one of the most difficult things to do as a staff minister. That is why I meet so many pastors who are filled with fatigue and emptiness or filled/high on themselves and their accomplishments. Their souls are parched and restless. I know...I've been there.
So, Melody and I are rethinking "sabbath". What does it look like for us, as a family, to have 24 hours each week of sabbath time? What does it look like to cease, rest, stop, celebrate, and be thankful? What does it look like to not "create" anything yet love the Creator? What does it look like to not "redeem" and rescue someone's heart but rest in my Redeemer? How would life be different?
I don't want my sons to grow up with a distorted view of the sabbath. I don't want them to grow up with strictly a religious understanding and churched view of sabbath. I want them to experience it.
So, here are a few ideas that we have talked about for celebrating sabbath...
*To intentionally set aside and protect a 24 hour block of time each week. (maybe sat. pm to sun. pm, something like that.) I know that this time will not just happen. Melody and I will have to fight for it. All the forces of Satan will attempt to fill and frustrate our plans. We will have to fight for this.
**To develop what is allowed and not allowed during this 24 hour time. Set boundaries. We are not allowed to work, create, do ministry stuff, etc. Work-related emails and phone calls must wait. There should be no cooking, cleaning, or loading the dishwasher (i'm loving this!!!). On this day, we break from having to teach our children and we choose to enjoy them and their presence. We choose some time for aloneness and time for togetherness. We celebrate God as Creator and choose to spend time outdoors. We choose to celebrate God as Redeemer and express gratitude over our redeemed lives and stories.
So, this is early in the process. But we are choosing to intentionally plan toward being sabbath-keepers.
Love/Hate
I have a love/hate relationship with this word/process called brokenness. I love the result of it...I hate experiencing it. I have been reading and rereading an article in Leadership journal about Phil Vischer. He was the founder of Big Idea Productions--producers of Veggie Tales (aka Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber). They sold millions of children's videos and became a huge success...atleast in "business" terms. All the while, Phil says that he lost his heart. He woke up one day and realized that the fruit of the Spirit was not evident in his life. He was disconnected from life in the Spirit. Then he hit the wall of brokenness. His mega-business exploded in a bankrupty battle. Big Idea Productions was sold and Phil was left to pick up the pieces.
The article goes on to tell, through Q&A, how Phil recovered his heart and calling. He realized that goal-setting and successful business practices were empty aside from a deep pursuit of God and grace. I was so struck by the article...i think I read it 4-5 times. It is just a one-page interview nestled among multi-page articles in this journal.
So, what's the the big idea? Brokenness is to be celebrated as God's pathway to healing and wholeness. I hate that Phil lost so much. I hate that Bob and Larry were sold into corporate life. I hate that Phil hit bottom, felt so alone, and had to face the real shadows in his life. I hate that the pain had to run so deep. But I love the man I read about. So authentic, so real, so genuine, so at peace. This "new creation" I read about brought me relief and gratitude.
I realize I am talking about Phil as if I am his personal friend and confidant. I don't know Phil...never met him. But, in essence, I meet Phil every day. Wherever there are men, there is Phil. Some man who is taking his question to false lovers...work, success, women, addiction. And I find Phil in my own life. Trying to succeed...make a name for myself...be noticed...achieve. Yet, I am reminded today of the importance of this love/hate relationship with brokenness. To be the man God wants me to be, I must be broken. To be the father I need to be, I must be broken. To be the husband I need to be, I must be broken. Courageous humility is birthed out of deep brokenness. What the world needs most are more men who are courageously humble and humbly courageous.
The article goes on to tell, through Q&A, how Phil recovered his heart and calling. He realized that goal-setting and successful business practices were empty aside from a deep pursuit of God and grace. I was so struck by the article...i think I read it 4-5 times. It is just a one-page interview nestled among multi-page articles in this journal.
So, what's the the big idea? Brokenness is to be celebrated as God's pathway to healing and wholeness. I hate that Phil lost so much. I hate that Bob and Larry were sold into corporate life. I hate that Phil hit bottom, felt so alone, and had to face the real shadows in his life. I hate that the pain had to run so deep. But I love the man I read about. So authentic, so real, so genuine, so at peace. This "new creation" I read about brought me relief and gratitude.
I realize I am talking about Phil as if I am his personal friend and confidant. I don't know Phil...never met him. But, in essence, I meet Phil every day. Wherever there are men, there is Phil. Some man who is taking his question to false lovers...work, success, women, addiction. And I find Phil in my own life. Trying to succeed...make a name for myself...be noticed...achieve. Yet, I am reminded today of the importance of this love/hate relationship with brokenness. To be the man God wants me to be, I must be broken. To be the father I need to be, I must be broken. To be the husband I need to be, I must be broken. Courageous humility is birthed out of deep brokenness. What the world needs most are more men who are courageously humble and humbly courageous.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Is Anything too Hard for the Lord?
Randy's journal entry from today...
Genesis 17-18
vs. 12-14
"So she laughed silently to herself and said, "How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master - my husband - is also so old?" Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, 'Can an old woman like me have a baby?' IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son."
God loves to work in the realm of the impossible. He loves to break through at the final hour. Satan, the enemy, enjoys working in the realm of what seems possible...what seems realistic. Faith, which connects us to God, is activated in the impossible. To have nothing that is defined by impossible in my life is to have no need for faith. The enemy's desire is to keep everything in my life within the realm of possibilities. To keep me within what I can figure out. To keep me in what I can arrange and manipulate. In our Western culture of planning ahead, cushioning against hardship, creating safety and security - we have arranged for life to be "possible". So we have planned ourselves out of needing God. Faith has been sidelined. There is no real need for it.
Then God steps in and calls us to do something impossible. It rattles us. It shakes us. It throws our plans and life into a tailspin. Suddenly, our plans and possibilities are thwarted. Securities are taken away. This doesn't feel right. This is not what I had planned. And we laugh - just like Sarah laughed. The laughter is a mix of fear and unbelief. You know, the dry laughter that seems disconnected and distorted. And God shows up with a question: Is anything too hard for the Lord? My laughter turns to mourning over my own distrust and disbelief. So, today, how will I answer this question. My life will answer this question with a resounding "yes" or "no". Can a 90 year old woman have a baby? Is anything too hard for the Lord? So, I choose today to walk in faith, to embrace the impossible. Instead of finding comfort in my self-made possibilities, I choose the life of faith. God, breakthrough in my life today.
Genesis 17-18
vs. 12-14
"So she laughed silently to herself and said, "How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master - my husband - is also so old?" Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, 'Can an old woman like me have a baby?' IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son."
God loves to work in the realm of the impossible. He loves to break through at the final hour. Satan, the enemy, enjoys working in the realm of what seems possible...what seems realistic. Faith, which connects us to God, is activated in the impossible. To have nothing that is defined by impossible in my life is to have no need for faith. The enemy's desire is to keep everything in my life within the realm of possibilities. To keep me within what I can figure out. To keep me in what I can arrange and manipulate. In our Western culture of planning ahead, cushioning against hardship, creating safety and security - we have arranged for life to be "possible". So we have planned ourselves out of needing God. Faith has been sidelined. There is no real need for it.
Then God steps in and calls us to do something impossible. It rattles us. It shakes us. It throws our plans and life into a tailspin. Suddenly, our plans and possibilities are thwarted. Securities are taken away. This doesn't feel right. This is not what I had planned. And we laugh - just like Sarah laughed. The laughter is a mix of fear and unbelief. You know, the dry laughter that seems disconnected and distorted. And God shows up with a question: Is anything too hard for the Lord? My laughter turns to mourning over my own distrust and disbelief. So, today, how will I answer this question. My life will answer this question with a resounding "yes" or "no". Can a 90 year old woman have a baby? Is anything too hard for the Lord? So, I choose today to walk in faith, to embrace the impossible. Instead of finding comfort in my self-made possibilities, I choose the life of faith. God, breakthrough in my life today.
Arranging for Life
Randy's journal entry from May 8th...
Genesis 16
"So Sarai said to Abram, "The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant (Hagar). Perhaps I can have children through her." And Abram agreed with Sarai's proposal.
Returning to Dallas Willard's quote: "We must stop shouldering the burdens of outcomes."
Satan's tactic is to question what God has revealed. His goal is to bring shame and hiddenness. His goal is to lead us to arranging for life... Take things and circumstances into our own hands... Abram had been told by God on several occasions that he would have descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth. God had promised his protection and His provision. Yet, Sarai had another plan for accomplishing this. She arranged for life. And Abram agreed and acted on her proposal. He took his question to the woman instead of taking it to God. In their arranging, Hagar was wounded and God's plans were thwarted. Abram and Sarai chose to shoulder the burden of their outcomes.
So, here I am, and God has revealed a new assignment for Melody and I. He revealed that we are to partner with Him in a full-time endeavor to set hearts free. He has revealed that He is redeeming our brokenness to help save and sustain marriages. And we are reaching financial forks in the road. The enemy is using various circumstances to defeat us, shame us, and cause us to want to hide. In our hiddenness, we are tempted to question what God has already revealed. So, I choose today to trust and not arrange for life. I choose not to try and figure life out and make it happen. God has called us and given us this new assignment. As a loving Father, he has revealed that He will provide and protect. I choose to trust. I will not shoulder the burden of outcomes. The real challenge of today: to arrange or to trust.
Genesis 16
"So Sarai said to Abram, "The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant (Hagar). Perhaps I can have children through her." And Abram agreed with Sarai's proposal.
Returning to Dallas Willard's quote: "We must stop shouldering the burdens of outcomes."
Satan's tactic is to question what God has revealed. His goal is to bring shame and hiddenness. His goal is to lead us to arranging for life... Take things and circumstances into our own hands... Abram had been told by God on several occasions that he would have descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth. God had promised his protection and His provision. Yet, Sarai had another plan for accomplishing this. She arranged for life. And Abram agreed and acted on her proposal. He took his question to the woman instead of taking it to God. In their arranging, Hagar was wounded and God's plans were thwarted. Abram and Sarai chose to shoulder the burden of their outcomes.
So, here I am, and God has revealed a new assignment for Melody and I. He revealed that we are to partner with Him in a full-time endeavor to set hearts free. He has revealed that He is redeeming our brokenness to help save and sustain marriages. And we are reaching financial forks in the road. The enemy is using various circumstances to defeat us, shame us, and cause us to want to hide. In our hiddenness, we are tempted to question what God has already revealed. So, I choose today to trust and not arrange for life. I choose not to try and figure life out and make it happen. God has called us and given us this new assignment. As a loving Father, he has revealed that He will provide and protect. I choose to trust. I will not shoulder the burden of outcomes. The real challenge of today: to arrange or to trust.
Monday, May 7, 2007
First Steps...
On Sunday, April 29th, Randy and I had the priviledge of being back in Clermont, Florida at The Crossing Church to share more with our friends there about our story and God's redeeming work in our lives over the last few years. We had been a part of The Crossing Church since last August up until our recent move, and have so many friendships that we are missing very much, so it was great to be back among people we have come to love and appreciate so much over the last 9 months.
We are taking our first steps with Encounter. Getting to share more about our lives, our marriage, and our new ministry calling with our friends there was a great start to what God is calling us to do. We had many additional Clermont friends and business associates of Randy's join us on Sunday morning. We felt the hand of God over everything that happened our entire morning there. And we felt God's continued affirmation of our calling to use our story and our marriage to help others find hope that only comes through a relationship and dependence on Jesus Christ. So, we thank Him and praise Him for making Sunday morning His day!
We are currently living in North Carolina with my parents while we finalize details for a home in Birmingham. We will be here for several more weeks. We've had the craziest weather here - it went from 95 degrees to 65 degrees a few days ago and now we have 40 mph winds! Doesn't feel much like May today, but it should warm up by the end of the week and then we'll be longing for the cooler weather to come back! The boys are enjoying their time with Nana and Papa, and we are trying to find some "normal" pattern for life, while we're on week 4 of our "homeless" life. We were able to spend time at my sister's house in Tennessee before we came here, and enjoyed that so much too!
We're new to blogging, but would love to hear from anyone who takes the time to read the latest of our journey! We consider you all our partners in this new ministry. Thanks for doing life with us!
We are taking our first steps with Encounter. Getting to share more about our lives, our marriage, and our new ministry calling with our friends there was a great start to what God is calling us to do. We had many additional Clermont friends and business associates of Randy's join us on Sunday morning. We felt the hand of God over everything that happened our entire morning there. And we felt God's continued affirmation of our calling to use our story and our marriage to help others find hope that only comes through a relationship and dependence on Jesus Christ. So, we thank Him and praise Him for making Sunday morning His day!
We are currently living in North Carolina with my parents while we finalize details for a home in Birmingham. We will be here for several more weeks. We've had the craziest weather here - it went from 95 degrees to 65 degrees a few days ago and now we have 40 mph winds! Doesn't feel much like May today, but it should warm up by the end of the week and then we'll be longing for the cooler weather to come back! The boys are enjoying their time with Nana and Papa, and we are trying to find some "normal" pattern for life, while we're on week 4 of our "homeless" life. We were able to spend time at my sister's house in Tennessee before we came here, and enjoyed that so much too!
We're new to blogging, but would love to hear from anyone who takes the time to read the latest of our journey! We consider you all our partners in this new ministry. Thanks for doing life with us!
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