Faith Journeys

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Overflowing Love

When Jesus sent out the 70 disciples, He told them not to take anything–not even an extra change of clothes!

The early church sold all of their extra stuff (they shared everything else) and dumped the money at the apostles’ feet. 

The widow in the temple gave everything she had. 

Paul teaches us the secret of contentment: Do all things through Christ who strengthens you whether you’re broke or rich. 

We’re told to not covet in The 10 Commandments and by Jesus Himself. 

We’re told to seek The Kingdom first because God is the supplier of our every need. 

And I could keep going with examples!

I’m packing up to move and I wonder if I’m too greedy…

Am I willing to give everything away?

To share everything?

To see my life–time, giftings, possessions, and money–as simply a means to help others?

I want to say yes. I want it to be an all-the-time truth, but I struggle…

Can’t something be mine?

Here was God’s answer:

Yes, the one thing no one can take away is your relationship with Me. What else do you want?

Ouch!

God is an all-in kind of Father. He gave us everything He had. Nothing was held back from us. 

I want to be that kind of person. 

I want to be all-in. 

My life was so empty before my relationship with God. No amount of success or approval or stuff could fill the void. 

My response to His great grace is that I want to live a life stripped bare of anything that keeps me from being full of Him, of His overflowing love. 

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Angels and Demons

 

I’ve never dabbled in witchcraft or anything involving the occult. 

However, the things I’ve read and watched, the testimonies I’ve heard from men and women who have escaped that lifestyle, are enough for me to know that it’s not good.

This term I am taking Angels and Demons. In the class we will be learning about the spiritual realm. Mr. Kirk Dubois is my teacher and I am excited to dive into the topic. 

Here are some basic truths to consider:

  1. If there is good, there must be evil
  2. If there is right, there must be wrong
  3. If there is light, there must be darkness

Skeptics embrace these facts when it comes to other religions, but not when it comes to Christianity (even though the Bible clearly addresses every one of these areas).

 

Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism–and every other religion in between–have an after life, good and evil, as part of their beliefs.

Whenever someone is ignorant about the spiritual realm, Satan has a  field day because that means there’s lots of room for him to deceive. 

Every person I’ve ever heard speak about escaping the occult or coming out of witchcraft starts off their story the same way:

I didn’t know what I was getting in to.

Normally, all he or she wanted was something to connect with, something to give their lives meaning and purpose. What they found was darkness beyond compare.

Guess what?

As Christians we can share with those individuals–and those who are stuck in dead religions–the source of all strength and power:

Jesus Christ! 

In Him is the hope of a bright future!

In Him is power over all darkness!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gathering around the table

Happy Easter!

Did you have fun celebrating with your family and friends?

I know that I did!

A group of Rhema students and alumni–all of us from other states–gathered this afternoon to eat hot dogs and enjoy each other’s company.

After lunch, we played Apples to Apples and talked about Jesus.

Considering that Jesus ate breakfast with the disciples after His resurrection, I think He’s pleased when we gather together to celebrate.

There’s something powerful about fellowshipping around the dinner table because food is a connecting point.

Transplant life (a term my friend Carli coined) is a great way to create a habit of hospitality because you know what it’s like to be alone in a new town.

Make a menu, get everyone to chip in, and pick a location. This is all you need to host a party! It’s not as hard as you think.

Who doesn’t love to eat?

Of course, I missed my family and hiding eggs for my cousins, but I am glad that my friend Sheri invited me to the get together.

My first Easter in Tulsa was awesome!

I am so thankful for the hospitality of my Rhema friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Springtime reflections

I went on a 5 mile walk today with my friend. It was awesome! 

Springtime pushes me out of the house and into the sunshine. Plus, it’s time for me to get back into an exercise routine…it’s been too long. 

I looked around as we walked the trail and saw some interesting things:

1. Beautiful trees growing in all sorts of directions. 

2. A butterfly bush and several butterflies. (I even tried to catch one but it didn’t happen.)

3. A man playing bongos on a park bench. 

4. The fact that this beautiful walking trail ran parallel to the road and highway entrance. It just struck me as odd for some reason. 

The weather is beautiful and the sunshine’s appearance makes this Easter weekend perfect. 

Today I can’t help but think of the disciples and how they were so sad because Jesus was gone–or so they thought! 

It’s easy for us to pick on them for their unbelief, but that’s unfair. 

How many times do we fail?

And, we have the whole Bible and the disciples did not. 

They remembered after the fact all that Jesus had told them about His death, burial, and resurrection. 

I’ve forgotten stuff the Lord has told me and the Holy Spirit has to remind me. 

All of these thoughts have me excited about Sunday…

Even when I mess up and forget, Jesus never does. He always does what He says. 

Nothing has changed from that first Easter weekend to now because Jesus is the most stable, most steady guy I know. 

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Redemption Stories

unityThere is great power in our personal stories (Christians call this their testimony, but story fits just as well here).

I heard several after Mr. Kirk Dubois finished up announcements on Thursday. He invited students up to share how they ended up at Rhema.

Looking at my fellow classmates now, you would never know about their pasts. Coming to Christ radically changed their lives–and the lives of many of their family members as well. 

Today is Good Friday. At 3 PM, Jesus died on the cross. He was falsely accused, mocked, and ridiculed. The events of His Crucifixion were foretold in the Old Testament and by Jesus Himself.

Isaiah 53 says:

He was looked down on and passed over,
    a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
    We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
    our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
    that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
    that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
    Through his bruises we get healed (MSG).

What gets me in this passage is Jesus was “a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand”. The King James calls Jesus a Man of Sorrows. 

Many people claim that no one understands their pain, their suffering.

First off, that’s simply not true. There are others (probably more than you realize) who can identify with you. 

Secondly, Jesus knows your pain.

Blow by blow Jesus was beaten and all of His blood was shed.

Our sins are the reason Jesus willingly laid down His life. 

As you observe Good Friday, maybe even for the first time, meditate on these truths.

Our stories were redeemed because of Jesus’ sacrifice.

 

 

 

 

 

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Invest in the right thing

As much as I love reading–I would read all day everyday if I could–I love people more. 

People are always more important. 

We’re surrounded by technology and a million other distractions that can keep us from investing in the lives of our friends and family. 

Only 2 things on earth are eternal: 

  1. God’s Word
  2. The spirits of men and women. 

Everything else will be burnt to a crisp once the final judgment comes to the earth. 

The Great Comission is about preaching the gospel and making disciples. 

Jesus told us the greatest command is to love God. Then He said the 2nd commandment is equal to the first: love people. 

God is a people person–He just wants us all to know Him. 

He loves us so much that He sent His most precious gift, Jesus, to earth to live and die for our sins. 

A gospel message that lacks love is not representing the true gospel at all. 

One of my teachers said something recently that I’m still chewing on:

In our preaching, is Jesus attractive enough that people want to accept Him without the threat of hell?

Please don’t stop reading. I’m not a heretic. 

Hell is a real place like Heaven–and it’s not a fun place either. Eternal punishment and separation from God is the worst fate ever. 

But I wonder what would happen if Christians shared with lost people about a God who loves them first instead of throwing it in after speaking of the eternal doom of not choosing Jesus. 

Why not start with love?

Share the story of God’s love and model it in your own life. 

I’m not interested in debating on  methods of evangelism. I just want to point out that Christianity at it’s core, is all about the love of God and the love of Christ. 

Love multiples, which is why Jesus told us to share and teach the truth. 

The importance of discipleship was emphasized and modeled to us by Jesus and the early church leaders. 

People are important and investing in relationships is the best use of your time. 

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Time for Action

Isn’t it amazing how the things we get all worked up over are so small on the importance scale?

I ran into a few technical problems this morning with the PowerPoint for the conference at work. 

Guess what?

We all had a great time worshipping the Lord even though things weren’t running smoothly as planned. 

Majoring on minor details is the fastest way to lose sight of what’s important. 

I’m not saying to do sloppy work, but you can’t freak out when things aren’t “perfect”. 

Perfection will cripple you any chance it can. 

You’ll wait forever to do something under the premise of the “perfect moment” when the best time to do it–whatever “it” is–is now. 

The book of James tells us to be doers of the word and not hearers only. 

What are we waiting for?

Christians are told over and over not to sit around dreaming about what will one day happen. 

Maybe the reason God hasn’t done this or that (preachers have a new list every week) is because He’s just waiting on us to do something. 

It’s not like we don’t know what to do. God wrote it down for us. 

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Trust is key 

I entered a busy season today. There’s a lot going on at school and work. 

It’s all good stuff, but it could easily become overwhelming if I let it. 

And we all know that stress and worry has never helped anyone. 

I’m doing my best to combat any anxious thoughts immediately by praying about them instead of fretting over them. 

It really works! 

In fact, I am more at peace now than I ever was in the past when facing similar situations. 

My trust in God has increased exponentially and I’m learning to bring it all to Him first–not as a last resort. 

One of the biggest lessons I’m learning at Rhema is that knowing something and doing something are very different. 

Yes, I have known for a long time that trusting God is key to a peaceful and fruitful life.

 I have many stories about how trusting God has pulled me out of many seemingly impossible situations. 

But living in Tulsa has only increased my opportunities to trust God more fully. 

Like Dean Tad says, “If you can move to Tulsa by faith, you can follow God anywhere by faith.”

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Good dirt is important

I got to play in the dirt today! 

My fun spring break activity was visiting my friend Nina and helping her get some gardening projects done. 

We re-potted some thyme and spinach, moved a cold frame, and planted potatoes, onions, and garlic. 

Digging around in the dirt is my favorite part of gardening. I enjoyed the dirt stains on my jeans (and having muddy hands). 

My obsession with dirt is a bit odd to some, but it’s such a reminder to me of our lives. 

Most of the time, any problem with your plants can be traced back to the soil. 

Good dirt makes all the difference. 

Nina and I had a lot of fun chatting as we worked. It’s cool to see how the Master Gardener, God the Father, is working in and through our lives as we follow Him each day. 
Covered in dirt, surrounded by kids–real kids and goat kids–the afternoon was filled with good conversation and gorgeous sunshine. 

I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

 This is the first spring break I’ve had in many years and it’s been awesome. 

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This Ordinary Adventure

Aren’t we all afraid of being normal? 

If someone calls you normal, they might as well say, “You are the most boring person I know.”

At least, that’s how it feels because who doesn’t want to be known as a wandering, wondering, unpredictable world changer?   I just finished This Ordinary Adventure by Christine and Adam Jeske, which answers that question. 

Adam and Christine served as missionaries to Nicarauga, China, and South Africa before moving back to Wisconsin with their 2 children. 

They wondered if moving back to America was “settling” for a mediocre life. 

I enjoyed how the book switched back and forth between their two perspectives. 

If you find yourself struggling in this area, I think this book will be helpful.