"It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Acts 1:7-8
God doesn't always reveal timing. Time is such a fixation in culturally sophisticated countries like ours. God "keeps His cards close to His chest" on that one. But what He does offer us freely is power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. This makes for a relationship where we need to be dependant upon God continually and to be completely trusting of His work in our lives. We may not know ahead of time the way God will choose to work or when His hand will move. However, if we're always ready - that is if we re in an abiding relationship with Him - keeping our hearts open through prayer and being in His Word and applying these Biblical lessons to our throughts and attitudes, then we will be ready to be used by the Master when He turns the power switch on.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Excellence, Artistic Expression and the Church
Nancy Beach of Willowcreek church in Chicago has a great article on the arts and Christianity called The Masterful Designer of Intricate Detail. Here is the link: http://nancybeach.typepad.com/nancy_beach/2007/11/the-masterful-d.html Nancy Beach wrote a book that makes my heart beat wildly when I read it. It's called One Hour on Sunday and is about the tremendous opportunity and responsiblity the church has to communicate the love and message of Jesus Christ during that very "prime time" on Sunday mornings. One expression of Willowcreeks philosophy is "excellence honors God and inspires people." When performed to the glory of God with a humble heart, it absolutely does. Great work, Nancy.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Honest Faith
"In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch." Psalm 5:3
Something I love about the Christian life is that it is an honest life. While, as believers, we are the recipients of beautiful promises from God, there are still mysteries about His nature with which I wrestle. I don't get the sense that God is annoyed with my honest questions. In fact, I think He delights in answering my questions in unexpected ways. Honesty is always o.k. as long as it is accompanied by respect. I'm glad God doesn't distance Himself from me when I have questions and He always knows where exactly the 'end of my emotional rope lies.' Sometimes there is a string of seemingly unanswered prayers. It feels like in some ways I have steeled myself against the hurt of having things go the opposite way than what I had hoped. It worries me a bit. I worry that I will get myself into a self-protective mode and I will totally miss God's blessings when they come because I'm not looking for them. Do you ever feel the same way?
God has shown Himself to be trustworthy because I have seen Him create incredible beauty from the soil of disappointment. Lord, help me not to go into a protective cocoon when life hurts me. Instead help me to 'eagerly watch' for your answers. In expectant faith, I know that the heart that grieves will also be the same heart that exuberantly rejoices over the answers to prayer that my human eyes can't see now, but the eyes of faith know are just on the horizon. Lord. life up my eyes to eagerly watch.
Something I love about the Christian life is that it is an honest life. While, as believers, we are the recipients of beautiful promises from God, there are still mysteries about His nature with which I wrestle. I don't get the sense that God is annoyed with my honest questions. In fact, I think He delights in answering my questions in unexpected ways. Honesty is always o.k. as long as it is accompanied by respect. I'm glad God doesn't distance Himself from me when I have questions and He always knows where exactly the 'end of my emotional rope lies.' Sometimes there is a string of seemingly unanswered prayers. It feels like in some ways I have steeled myself against the hurt of having things go the opposite way than what I had hoped. It worries me a bit. I worry that I will get myself into a self-protective mode and I will totally miss God's blessings when they come because I'm not looking for them. Do you ever feel the same way?
God has shown Himself to be trustworthy because I have seen Him create incredible beauty from the soil of disappointment. Lord, help me not to go into a protective cocoon when life hurts me. Instead help me to 'eagerly watch' for your answers. In expectant faith, I know that the heart that grieves will also be the same heart that exuberantly rejoices over the answers to prayer that my human eyes can't see now, but the eyes of faith know are just on the horizon. Lord. life up my eyes to eagerly watch.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Called Upon
As Christians, at some point, we are all called upon to give some wise Biblical counsel to others. Does that scare you? That's o.k. That means you take your spiritual responsibility seriously, as well we all should. Here at Hydesville Church we are offering an introduction to the area of counseling on November 4th & 11th at 8:30 AM in the Living Room of the Hut (the house next door to the church). This is a two-session seminar to train ministry workers as they help others in time of difficulty, uncertainty and trouble. Develop your gift to be "a blessing to others in a raw and hurting world."
Friday, October 19, 2007
Responsible Leadership
“…So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.”…Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control – for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies – then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him… Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin – and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You has written!”…Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend” Exodus 32:14;25,26,31,32; 33:11a
Moses, human though he was – showed great responsibility in leadership. He pleaded the case of his people to the LORD, being so persuasive that the LORD changed His mind. Minister Matthew Henry (1662-1714) penned in his commentary, “The power of prayer; God suffers himself to be prevailed with by the humble believing importunity of intercessors. The compassion of God toward sinners, and how he is ready to forgive.”
Moses begged God not to act out of His anger that He felt . Yet, when God gave Moses the request of his heart, Moses turned around and got angry himself with the people, moving swiftly to see that justice was carried out. He did on his own, in part, what he begged God not to do.
Then acknowledging the people’s sin before the LORD, Moses adds that if the LORD is going to blot people out of His book – to blot out himself as well. Moses, in a sense took on the responsibility for the sin of the people even through he was not a participant in the blatantly rebellious acts they performed. Moses identified with the people he led, being willing to take punishment along with them. Perhaps Moses understood, given different circumstances, he could have succumbed as well. If we understand the nature of temptation and the truth of our humanness, we know that none of us are immune to falling. “There but by the grace of God, go I.” Maybe Moses could identify with the people because of the humbleness of his spirit. Even though what they did was awful, and justice needed to be carried out, Moses was able to appeal to the mercy of God’s character because he understood he also needed God’s mercy for himself.
Moses was a peacemaker and reconciler between God and the Israelites. Moses was a friend of God and a leader of the people.
In leadership, sometimes people will disappoint us. We may grieve when they sin, and part of our grief is in realizing that we could be in that other person’s shoes. As a leader our job is to pray to the LORD on behalf of the people we lead, and then be responsible to do the right thing in the eyes of the LORD. We may have to lovingly discipline people. We may have to turn away (Romans 16:17) those who cause division. But for those whom we are called to lead – we identify with them and bring their needs before the LORD. We shepherd, we nurture, we admonish, we love. We exhort people to stay true to the LORD. We lead responsibly.
Moses, human though he was – showed great responsibility in leadership. He pleaded the case of his people to the LORD, being so persuasive that the LORD changed His mind. Minister Matthew Henry (1662-1714) penned in his commentary, “The power of prayer; God suffers himself to be prevailed with by the humble believing importunity of intercessors. The compassion of God toward sinners, and how he is ready to forgive.”
Moses begged God not to act out of His anger that He felt . Yet, when God gave Moses the request of his heart, Moses turned around and got angry himself with the people, moving swiftly to see that justice was carried out. He did on his own, in part, what he begged God not to do.
Then acknowledging the people’s sin before the LORD, Moses adds that if the LORD is going to blot people out of His book – to blot out himself as well. Moses, in a sense took on the responsibility for the sin of the people even through he was not a participant in the blatantly rebellious acts they performed. Moses identified with the people he led, being willing to take punishment along with them. Perhaps Moses understood, given different circumstances, he could have succumbed as well. If we understand the nature of temptation and the truth of our humanness, we know that none of us are immune to falling. “There but by the grace of God, go I.” Maybe Moses could identify with the people because of the humbleness of his spirit. Even though what they did was awful, and justice needed to be carried out, Moses was able to appeal to the mercy of God’s character because he understood he also needed God’s mercy for himself.
Moses was a peacemaker and reconciler between God and the Israelites. Moses was a friend of God and a leader of the people.
In leadership, sometimes people will disappoint us. We may grieve when they sin, and part of our grief is in realizing that we could be in that other person’s shoes. As a leader our job is to pray to the LORD on behalf of the people we lead, and then be responsible to do the right thing in the eyes of the LORD. We may have to lovingly discipline people. We may have to turn away (Romans 16:17) those who cause division. But for those whom we are called to lead – we identify with them and bring their needs before the LORD. We shepherd, we nurture, we admonish, we love. We exhort people to stay true to the LORD. We lead responsibly.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Too Much Fun
Can you have too much fun? The R.I.S.E. Annual Autumn Women's Retreat was a time for great Bible teaching, heartfelt worship, yummy food, and good friends. But we had "over the top" fun. I think my stomach hurt from laughing while "Buela" and "Minnie May" fussed at the Famous French Fashion Diva of Hydesville Church. Too much fun...
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