intentionality

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Couch potato faith

Can faith really be faith if it has no expression? 

James 2:14-16 is the most quoted passage on the subject:

14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing,16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

In Matthew 25, Jesus talks about putting actions to your faith:

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

Years ago, I went to a church that adopted “Faith is a verb–live it!” as a reminder to the people that faith requires action. 

IMG_1563Putting feet to your faith means that your feet might get muddy. You might actually have to sacrifice something to walk it out.

The more I read about the early church–the church fathers and martyrs–I am convicted of my own selfishness. 

Am I really ready to give up everything?

What am I still holding back?

Do I talk about what I believe more than I demonstrate what I believe?

I’m just gonna stop here because there’s not much more I can say except that a read through the New Testament doesn’t leave any room for argument. 

Couch potato faith is not allowed.

 

 

 

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Hello, my name is…

I’m sorry…what’s your name again?

We’ve all forgotten someone’s name before and it happens. 

Do you feel bad when you do?

I want to remember someone’s name because names are important. 

And knowing someone’s name is not about kissing up to men and women “more important” than you. 

We need to know names, to call people by their name, because it’s key to their identity. 

Christine Caine is a teacher and founder of A21, an anti-human trafficking organization. She was abandoned in a hospital, unnamed and unwanted. 

She was assigned a number instead.

This is hard to imagine…

 The first thing the angel told Mary–after “By the way, you’re to be the mother of the Son of God”–was what to name the baby. (We obviously know it’s Jesus, right? Good. I was getting concerned.)


Jesus was and is always available to those who call on His name.

His name…

Above every name,

Powerful over all sickness and disease,

And every scheme of the devil. 

Did I mention that He knows your name, too?

He calls you by name and knows everything about you. 

In an age where you can “know” someone without having to take the time to get to know them, intentionality in our relationships is important. 

What if Jesus only knew us from Facebook or Twitter? 

Oh yeah…I read your posts all the time. Looks like you had a great time at such and such with so and so. 

Thankfully, Jesus knows us and made a way for us to know Him and Father God. 

Loving and knowing others like Jesus loves and knows us requires more depth, more intentionality on our part. 

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Focus is key

Ms. Lynette Hagin talked with us today about focus. (Well, we listened to her message via video, but it seemed like she was in the room.)

All Rhema students in the US and Canada must move to Tulsa, which is a big move to make. 

What is our intention in doing so?

To study the Bible, to focus our attention on the various areas of ministry God is leading us to pursue for His name and His glory. 

There’s that word again: focus.

The level of intentionality and proximity to Spirit filled teaching and training promoted here at Rhema requires a great deal of focus. 

As Ms. Lynette said in her message, “The annointing is more caught than taught.”

You can’t catch anything if you’re not paying attention. 

I’m going to spend the rest of this week writing out my list of focus areas. (I wrote out goals before I moved, but it can’t hurt to do it again.)

When classes start on Monday, I will have my catcher’s mit on!

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Shortcuts and Backroads

  Who doesn’t like a shortcut?

Winding country roads, jaunts through neighborhoods, an alleyway….

The GPS gives us the fastest route first. Our friends know all the best back ways. 

Shaving off travel time is important, but you can’t take shortcuts in relationships. 

A lot of people think that the restoration journey between my dad and I took place overnight. 

Let me be the first to answer that assumption with a hearty no. 

It’s been 5 years and counting. Yes, we’ve come a long way, but we still have quite the journey in front of us. 

I encourage you to be intentional in your relationships. Good relationships don’t just happen by chance. They take work. 

This is probably not news to most of you, but knowing something and still choosing the romantized version is the norm. 

In today’s world of social media friends, it’s easy to forget that you actually have to hang out with your friend offline in order for  that person to be a real friend. 

I’m not dissing the use of social media to keep up with friends and family that live far away either. 

Many people, though, only have online friends–far away or otherwise. 

There are no shortcuts to meaningful relationships. You have to put miles on your tires and wear out some shoe leather. 

You won’t regret the extra miles. 

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Simple gifts

What’s the best meal you ever had?

Was it a complicated, picture worthy affair? Or was it simpler fare with a close friend or family member?

I remember this one meal with a close relative. He diced up hot dog wieners and put them in a pan with tomato paste, a dash of garlic powder, and some Italian seasoning. 

That was it.

 He stirred it up, got it warm, and dished it out generously on our plates. 

I felt like a queen. Life was going good for this 9 year old! 

I “learned” a new recipe and spent the evening enjoying myself and the time with my relative. 

How many times do we agonize over big, fancy meals? 

How many times do we stress out over minor issues, berating and belittling our family in the process?

There’s nothing wrong with great food, but missing out on the important moments is not worth the exchange. 

The things we attach a memory to are quite small. 

Filet mignon on vacation might be overlooked while cheese and crackers on Tuesday is precious. 


Thanksgiving is a week away. 

Cook up a feast! 

Eat yourself silly. 

Clean up later if a fun opportunity presents itself afterward. 

Just don’t stress out over the inconsequential elements of the celebration. 

Remember: It’s the simple moments of intentionality that make the holidays special–not a gourmet meal. 

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The best kind of days

The best kind of Saturdays are lazy Saturdays. 

You stay home in your PJs, doing light housework at a leisurely pace. 

Nothing is rushed. Everything is enjoyed. And you wish there were more days like this one. 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about working hard and playing hard. 

But I’m starting to wonder if the drive to be busy is why most things in life–even passions–become burdensome. 

My creativity level is higher when I have more margin. So is my energy level. 

The idea that everything is urgent needs to die. 

Very few text messages, emails, and phone calls are important. 

We don’t have to scramble around, ignoring what’s going on around us to check our phone each time it goes off. 

You don’t even have to take pictures of everything you do…

Maybe your Facebook page will be boring, but if that’s the worst thing that happens you’ll be fine. 

We all need to be more intentional about creating margin, breathing room in our schedules. 
I encourage you to schedule in a lazy day. 

You won’t regret it.