It was a great night of chatting about my work matters yet not having to leave home.
Thanks to Roderick for these pics. Where's Nick??
Monday, July 20, 2009
The First WestLIVE online life group
Tonight Westlife Church launched a new option for connecting and sharing - WestLIVE - our online life group.
It was a great night of chatting about my work matters yet not having to leave home.
Thanks to Roderick for these pics. Where's Nick??
It was a great night of chatting about my work matters yet not having to leave home.
Thanks to Roderick for these pics. Where's Nick??
Saturday, July 11, 2009
My Work Matters
Monday morning, depending on your schedule, somewhere between 5am and 8am, your alarm will go off and you realise it’s the first day of another working week.
How do you feel at that point?
• Are you happy at work?
• Are you fulfilled at work?
• Do you feel that your work has meaning?
• Do have feel a sense of achievement at work?
Or Is work just a way to get enough money to pay the bills?
In the middle of the work week, how do you feel? Do you think “I would so rather be fishing right now, than putting up with this pressure.. in fact I’d rather be having teeth extracted than being at work right now.”
Or maybe this: “If he brings up my mistake one more time, I’m walking out the door”
Often good day at work = good night at home. Bad day at work = kicking the cat, yelling at the kids and burning the dinner.
Some people struggle with the whole point of work at all and would rather be hippies growing all their own food!
How does all of that fit in with our Christian walk?
Last Sunday, Westlife kicked off a important new series called, "My Work Matters".
Rick Warren says, “Many Christians don't make the connection between Sunday and Monday. They compartmentalize their life. They think, "Well, I've got a spiritual life and I've got a secular life. My spiritual life is when I read the Bible, when I pray, when I go to church, when I do good things for others. That's my spiritual life." And that's over in one compartment.
So then, they think, over in another compartment: "This is my secular life. That's my work, my job, my career, my business decisions, my finances, my pension plan; all these things are my secular life."
Rick says that God never wanted us to keep these two parts of our life separate. He is as interested in our work life as He is in our prayer life.
This new "My Work Matters" series seeks to help people make that connection between Sunday and Monday by putting our workplaces under the microscope. The series explores how to apply what the Bible says about work in our lives: It looks at how we stay motivated at work; How we deal with difficult people; How we deal with requests that cut across our own value system.
My next few blog posts will look at the first week of the new series - leadership in the workplace.
How do you feel at that point?
• Are you happy at work?
• Are you fulfilled at work?
• Do you feel that your work has meaning?
• Do have feel a sense of achievement at work?
Or Is work just a way to get enough money to pay the bills?
In the middle of the work week, how do you feel? Do you think “I would so rather be fishing right now, than putting up with this pressure.. in fact I’d rather be having teeth extracted than being at work right now.”
Or maybe this: “If he brings up my mistake one more time, I’m walking out the door”
Often good day at work = good night at home. Bad day at work = kicking the cat, yelling at the kids and burning the dinner.
Some people struggle with the whole point of work at all and would rather be hippies growing all their own food!
How does all of that fit in with our Christian walk?
Last Sunday, Westlife kicked off a important new series called, "My Work Matters".
Rick Warren says, “Many Christians don't make the connection between Sunday and Monday. They compartmentalize their life. They think, "Well, I've got a spiritual life and I've got a secular life. My spiritual life is when I read the Bible, when I pray, when I go to church, when I do good things for others. That's my spiritual life." And that's over in one compartment.
So then, they think, over in another compartment: "This is my secular life. That's my work, my job, my career, my business decisions, my finances, my pension plan; all these things are my secular life."
Rick says that God never wanted us to keep these two parts of our life separate. He is as interested in our work life as He is in our prayer life.
This new "My Work Matters" series seeks to help people make that connection between Sunday and Monday by putting our workplaces under the microscope. The series explores how to apply what the Bible says about work in our lives: It looks at how we stay motivated at work; How we deal with difficult people; How we deal with requests that cut across our own value system.
My next few blog posts will look at the first week of the new series - leadership in the workplace.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Parenting Fears
A US parenting website recently did a survey to identify the top 5 fears parents have for their kids. Interestly, the top 3 are my top 3:
Fear #1: I'm afraid my child won't get the education and opportunities she needs to reach her potential.
Fear #2: I'm afraid that someone will hurt or attack my child.
Fear #3: I'm afraid that my child will be injured in an accident, like a car accident
Fear #4: I'm afraid that my child won't fit in socially or will get picked on.
Fear #5: I'm afraid that my child will have health issues, such as obesity, anorexia, etc.
Fears 4 and 5 I don't worry about so much, probably because I didn't really fit in socially at school, was a bit of a loner, and had obesity issues. However, it didn't hurt me, I think it made me stronger.
I didn't get invited to any of the parties where peer group pressures were rife. I didn't rely on any physical attributes to gain friends, or boyfriends, but rather actually had to work on my character and personality (and still needs lots of work!!).
I learned to be self-sufficient in God, rather than relying on others for my motivation and and fulfilment.
John Maxwell says 'if you want to change the world, you have to be different from the world'. So not fitting in socially - well I can think of worse fears.
But fears 1 to 3 I think would be every parents' fear. What does God say that we can rely on to address these fears?
1. "Do not be over-anxious about anything, but by prayer and earnest pleading, together with thanksgiving, let your request be unreservedly made known in the presence of God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
2. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. This includes our kids. God has a plan for each of them, and so we need not fear that they won't get the right opportunities to reach their God-given potential because God will direct their steps.
3. "Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
4. "Yet the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen [you] and set you on a firm foundation and guard you from the evil [one]" 2 Thes 3:3
5. "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4
6. "You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow, Say this: "God, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe!"
That's right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you're perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. ...
Yes, because God's your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through the door.
He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they'll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling." Psalm 91:3-7
If we are without God's protection, then these fears are real. When we are in God's protection, He says "fear not - for I am with you" and we can rest in His promises.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Weigh to Go
The Queensland Times today reported this story:
My favourite bit is the plug for Bevan who loves me regardless.
My favourite bit is the plug for Bevan who loves me regardless.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Testing your defences
Yesterday I watched a documentary about the 6 day war in 1967. In this war, Israel fought hard for, and captured the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. This was a significant time for a nation seeking to recover sacred ground.
The most intriguing part of ths war was how, at the outset, Israel gained the upper hand.
For years the Israelies had been violating eyptian airspaces, testing for gaps in the radar defenses. Then in one concerted attack, they ruthlessesly exploited all the gaps.
In the few days before the 6 day war, Israel launched a pre-emptive attack on eyptian airforce. The Egyptian airforce were lined up like sitting ducks. The attack was devastating. In 3 hours, 300 planes were destroyed on the ground.
It is arguable that the war wasn't lost by the Egyptians during the 6 days of battle, but rather prior to the battle when they let the Isralies repeatedly violate their airspace to find the gaps in their defence.
It is the same with us.
There is a war going on - and it's a fight for your soul. God wants all of your soul. The devil wants God to have none if it. God wants you to have a life of contentment, abundance and fulfilment. The devil wants to "steal, and to kill, and to destroy" your health, your happiness, your marriage and your children's future. (John 10:10)
1 Peter 5:8 the Bible says, "Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour." Like the Israelite army, Satan tests your defences - he looks for your areas of weakness and vulnerability - he looks for the places where he can violate your space.
Where are your vulnerabilites?
Let's really dig into the detail. You may not be, generally speaking, vulnerable in a particular area. However, if the circumstances change, your vulnerability is exposed. For example, you may not be vulnerable in the area of infidelity. However, change the circumstances such that you start believing lies about your own lack of self-worth, your relationship at home is strained, you feel lonely, you're tired and worn out from over work - and then the devil invades your airspace with temptation. How are you defences then?
Perhaps the temptation was nothing more than an innocent flirt and there was no harm done. But your space has been violated and a gap in your defence has been exposed.
Do a stock-take on when, in the past, you were willing to compromise your usual standards
Do a review of the times you knew you dabbled where you shouldn't have - even if there was no harm done at the time.
The devil is testing your defences. Where are you vulnerable?
Satan is gathering intelligence on where you are open for invasion and then, at a time you least expect it, he launches a concerted attack, ruthlessesly exploiting all the gaps.
The bible tells us to to discipline ourselves and stay alert because the war may not be won or lost when the battle hits. The war may be lost much earlier when we were being sized up and we did nothing.
Ephesians 6:11-13 says "11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. "
The most intriguing part of ths war was how, at the outset, Israel gained the upper hand.
For years the Israelies had been violating eyptian airspaces, testing for gaps in the radar defenses. Then in one concerted attack, they ruthlessesly exploited all the gaps.
In the few days before the 6 day war, Israel launched a pre-emptive attack on eyptian airforce. The Egyptian airforce were lined up like sitting ducks. The attack was devastating. In 3 hours, 300 planes were destroyed on the ground.
It is arguable that the war wasn't lost by the Egyptians during the 6 days of battle, but rather prior to the battle when they let the Isralies repeatedly violate their airspace to find the gaps in their defence.
It is the same with us.
There is a war going on - and it's a fight for your soul. God wants all of your soul. The devil wants God to have none if it. God wants you to have a life of contentment, abundance and fulfilment. The devil wants to "steal, and to kill, and to destroy" your health, your happiness, your marriage and your children's future. (John 10:10)
1 Peter 5:8 the Bible says, "Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour." Like the Israelite army, Satan tests your defences - he looks for your areas of weakness and vulnerability - he looks for the places where he can violate your space.
Where are your vulnerabilites?
Let's really dig into the detail. You may not be, generally speaking, vulnerable in a particular area. However, if the circumstances change, your vulnerability is exposed. For example, you may not be vulnerable in the area of infidelity. However, change the circumstances such that you start believing lies about your own lack of self-worth, your relationship at home is strained, you feel lonely, you're tired and worn out from over work - and then the devil invades your airspace with temptation. How are you defences then?
Perhaps the temptation was nothing more than an innocent flirt and there was no harm done. But your space has been violated and a gap in your defence has been exposed.
Do a stock-take on when, in the past, you were willing to compromise your usual standards
Do a review of the times you knew you dabbled where you shouldn't have - even if there was no harm done at the time.
The devil is testing your defences. Where are you vulnerable?
Satan is gathering intelligence on where you are open for invasion and then, at a time you least expect it, he launches a concerted attack, ruthlessesly exploiting all the gaps.
The bible tells us to to discipline ourselves and stay alert because the war may not be won or lost when the battle hits. The war may be lost much earlier when we were being sized up and we did nothing.
Ephesians 6:11-13 says "11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. "
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Busy like me
Like most people I chat to these days, when we say "how are you" it's not uncommon to hear "we've been busy" or "I've got so much on at the moment".
Philip Mutzelberg of Heritage Church in Ipswich once said, "we wear busyness on our sleeve like a badge - because often it makes us feel important". How true it is.
Everytime I hear myself saying how busy I am, Philip's words ring in my ears. Do I think this makes me sound important?
This morning I read Proverbs 21:2 "We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives" (MSG)
The bottom line is this - are we busy doing stuff, or are we busy fulfilling God's plans and purposes for our life?
Why are we doing what we do?
This self-examination is an extension of the 'shallow soil'.
Lately, I have been so challenged with letting God really grab a hold of my spirit, not just me doing the right things like a religion. I am so challenged at the moment by the impact I see people make when they're God-powered rather than agenda-fulfilling.
I'm singing songs like, "Consuming fire, fan into flame passion for your name" (Tim Hughes) and
"Open our eyes, To see the things that make Your heart cry, To be the church that You would desire, Your light to be seen." (With everything - Hillsong This is Our God) and
"Take my moments and my days, Let each breath that I take, Be ever only for You oh God. My whole life is Yours, I give it all Surrendered to Your Name And forever I will pray Have Your way" (Arms Open Wide - Hillsong United 2009)
It's not about what I do. It's about why I do it. Am I busy because I'm burned up inside by God, or am I busy padding out my schedule to fulfil agendas.
"We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives"
Philip Mutzelberg of Heritage Church in Ipswich once said, "we wear busyness on our sleeve like a badge - because often it makes us feel important". How true it is.
Everytime I hear myself saying how busy I am, Philip's words ring in my ears. Do I think this makes me sound important?
This morning I read Proverbs 21:2 "We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives" (MSG)
The bottom line is this - are we busy doing stuff, or are we busy fulfilling God's plans and purposes for our life?
Why are we doing what we do?
This self-examination is an extension of the 'shallow soil'.
Lately, I have been so challenged with letting God really grab a hold of my spirit, not just me doing the right things like a religion. I am so challenged at the moment by the impact I see people make when they're God-powered rather than agenda-fulfilling.
I'm singing songs like, "Consuming fire, fan into flame passion for your name" (Tim Hughes) and
"Open our eyes, To see the things that make Your heart cry, To be the church that You would desire, Your light to be seen." (With everything - Hillsong This is Our God) and
"Take my moments and my days, Let each breath that I take, Be ever only for You oh God. My whole life is Yours, I give it all Surrendered to Your Name And forever I will pray Have Your way" (Arms Open Wide - Hillsong United 2009)
It's not about what I do. It's about why I do it. Am I busy because I'm burned up inside by God, or am I busy padding out my schedule to fulfil agendas.
"We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives"
The Hard Soil
The hard soil is the last soil that will hinder us from bearing fruit in this next season of our lives.
The hard soil is where the seed fell on the pathway and the birds stole the seed away.
The path spoken of in this parable is a soil that has been beaten and trodden on and walked over to the point where the soil is as hard as rock.
Some of you feel like that – you’ve been trampled on once too often - nothing gets in anymore. As soon as there is an inkling of hope or destiny or future – it gets stolen away.
The devil is busy with his job of snatching or seizing like a bandit or rogue the word of the kingdom before it has time even to sprout.
Nothing moves you anymore. Nothing excites you anymore.
Perhaps you’ve experienced a significant failure in your life.. It’s been said that “The hardest part about failure is the mental struggle that goes on after we fail.. When we encounter a major failure, we feel so frustrated that we oftentimes see no meaning in continuing the work started or in pursuing life itself.”
Perhaps you’ve endured a tragedy and we still can’t get past the “Why God.. Why?”
Divorce, depression, repeated disappointments, abuse, .. all serving as another footprint that presses the very air out of your lungs and hardens your heart that little bit more because that’s the only coping mechanism you know.
You don’t want to risk being hurt, let down, disappointed again – and maybe you didn’t even realise you were doing it?
Job is a perfect example of someone who has had the very air within him trampled by tragedies of life. He says in Job 17:11 "My days are past, my purposes and plans are frustrated; even the thoughts (desires and possessions) of my heart [are broken off]."
There is a paralysis from being crushed once too often. A fear of opening up again. A fear of being crushed again.
You know the trampled ground was never excluded from being sown with seeds because the master gardener would later plow the ground under the seed – he would re-soften the ground so that fruit could grow there once again - No matter how hard the ground.
Psalms says God heals the heartbroken and bandages their wounds and he puts the fallen on their feet again
And God is calling you to trust again..
. God is calling you to open up your heart up again..
Nothing will happen to you that won’t first pass through the gracious loving permissive hands of Jesus Christ.(Chuck Swindoll) The bible says that he will never give you more than you can handle.
2Th 2:16 “May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, (17) put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.”
Learn to trust God again. Open up your heart to Him again. Let God do his transforming work in and through you in this next season.
The hard soil is where the seed fell on the pathway and the birds stole the seed away.
The path spoken of in this parable is a soil that has been beaten and trodden on and walked over to the point where the soil is as hard as rock.
Some of you feel like that – you’ve been trampled on once too often - nothing gets in anymore. As soon as there is an inkling of hope or destiny or future – it gets stolen away.
The devil is busy with his job of snatching or seizing like a bandit or rogue the word of the kingdom before it has time even to sprout.
Nothing moves you anymore. Nothing excites you anymore.
Perhaps you’ve experienced a significant failure in your life.. It’s been said that “The hardest part about failure is the mental struggle that goes on after we fail.. When we encounter a major failure, we feel so frustrated that we oftentimes see no meaning in continuing the work started or in pursuing life itself.”
Perhaps you’ve endured a tragedy and we still can’t get past the “Why God.. Why?”
Divorce, depression, repeated disappointments, abuse, .. all serving as another footprint that presses the very air out of your lungs and hardens your heart that little bit more because that’s the only coping mechanism you know.
You don’t want to risk being hurt, let down, disappointed again – and maybe you didn’t even realise you were doing it?
Job is a perfect example of someone who has had the very air within him trampled by tragedies of life. He says in Job 17:11 "My days are past, my purposes and plans are frustrated; even the thoughts (desires and possessions) of my heart [are broken off]."
There is a paralysis from being crushed once too often. A fear of opening up again. A fear of being crushed again.
You know the trampled ground was never excluded from being sown with seeds because the master gardener would later plow the ground under the seed – he would re-soften the ground so that fruit could grow there once again - No matter how hard the ground.
Psalms says God heals the heartbroken and bandages their wounds and he puts the fallen on their feet again
And God is calling you to trust again..
. God is calling you to open up your heart up again..
Nothing will happen to you that won’t first pass through the gracious loving permissive hands of Jesus Christ.(Chuck Swindoll) The bible says that he will never give you more than you can handle.
2Th 2:16 “May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, (17) put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.”
Learn to trust God again. Open up your heart to Him again. Let God do his transforming work in and through you in this next season.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Thorny Soil aka the Crowded Soil
Another condition of our heart that can stifle want God wants to do in our next chapter is the thorny soil, or the crowded soil.
This soil also, from the surface, looks like good soil. However, below the surface there lay seeds of thorns which grow with the plant and starve it of its nutrients and resources.. such that the plant grows, but never bears fruit
My last blog talked about the rocky soil stopping growth by the inability to withstand attacks. Well the thorny soil is all about distraction and diversion.
What is a thorn?
A thorn is anything that takes your focus away from pursuing God. Busyness, worry about financial pressure, relationship stress, pursuit of wealth, unforgiveness, pride?
These are all diversions and distractions – and take your energy and focus off God’s work in your life and onto other futile pursuits.
We all have areas of temptation and weaknesses.. for a moment think about what that is for you.. think about when that temptation starts- the first thing that happens if you don’t deal with it - it starts to grow in your thought life. The longer it’s left untreated, the more time and space it starts occupying in your thought life.
Then you don’t feel like praying anymore because you feel guilty. You start letting your quiet times slip because you don’t feel like doing them at the moment.. Maybe it moves from your thought life to a physical action of some kind..
Yet it’s happened – your time, energy and focus has been redirected to something other than God.
Diversions can also be small and seemingly insignificant, yet just as effective in distracting us. “Can’t do my quiet time today, I have the flue.. the next day I have to be at work early, the day after that I have a Business breakfast on” before you know it – you’re out of the habit of meeting with God.
Henry says, “An unconvinced unhumbled heart is like fallow-ground, ground untilled, unoccupied. It is our ground, let out to us, and we must be accountable for it.
But it is fallow; it is unfenced (ie unguarded) and lies common;
It is overgrown with thorns and weeds... We must search into our own hearts, let the word of God divide (as the plough does) between the joints and the marrow. We must rend our hearts. We must pluck up by the roots those corruptions which, as thorns, choke both our endeavours and our expectations.” Where our hearts have been unfenced.. unguarded - then we need to do some weeding. Have we entertained the thorns in our life thinking we can keep them under control. Julianne Cutcliffe once said, “Don’t make friends with that which will destroy you” Don’t turn a blind eye to that which will lead into diversion and distraction.
What thorns have you got that might be imperfectly cleared.
The frequency of you needing to weed may depend on the season you’re in. Joyce Meyer says “the higher the level.. the higher the devil” The deeper you go in God, the more risk of distraction and diversion.
You may also need to weed more than once for the same "weed seed" because a weed producing Seed that is dropped on your lawn drops enough seeds that lay dormant that will affect your lawn for seven seasons.
Just when you think you’ve plucked a thorn out by the roots, it comes back again to tempt.. to distract.. to occupy your thought life and to seek to lure you away from pursuing God at that deeper level. You get victory at one level, but then you need victory at a deeper level.
The answer is this:
Gal 5:16 But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
This is a promise. Live Habitually in the Holy Spirit and we will be able to withstand the cravings of our human nature. He is our key to keeping our soil weed free.
This soil also, from the surface, looks like good soil. However, below the surface there lay seeds of thorns which grow with the plant and starve it of its nutrients and resources.. such that the plant grows, but never bears fruit
My last blog talked about the rocky soil stopping growth by the inability to withstand attacks. Well the thorny soil is all about distraction and diversion.
What is a thorn?
A thorn is anything that takes your focus away from pursuing God. Busyness, worry about financial pressure, relationship stress, pursuit of wealth, unforgiveness, pride?
These are all diversions and distractions – and take your energy and focus off God’s work in your life and onto other futile pursuits.
We all have areas of temptation and weaknesses.. for a moment think about what that is for you.. think about when that temptation starts- the first thing that happens if you don’t deal with it - it starts to grow in your thought life. The longer it’s left untreated, the more time and space it starts occupying in your thought life.
Then you don’t feel like praying anymore because you feel guilty. You start letting your quiet times slip because you don’t feel like doing them at the moment.. Maybe it moves from your thought life to a physical action of some kind..
Yet it’s happened – your time, energy and focus has been redirected to something other than God.
Diversions can also be small and seemingly insignificant, yet just as effective in distracting us. “Can’t do my quiet time today, I have the flue.. the next day I have to be at work early, the day after that I have a Business breakfast on” before you know it – you’re out of the habit of meeting with God.
Henry says, “An unconvinced unhumbled heart is like fallow-ground, ground untilled, unoccupied. It is our ground, let out to us, and we must be accountable for it.
But it is fallow; it is unfenced (ie unguarded) and lies common;
It is overgrown with thorns and weeds... We must search into our own hearts, let the word of God divide (as the plough does) between the joints and the marrow. We must rend our hearts. We must pluck up by the roots those corruptions which, as thorns, choke both our endeavours and our expectations.” Where our hearts have been unfenced.. unguarded - then we need to do some weeding. Have we entertained the thorns in our life thinking we can keep them under control. Julianne Cutcliffe once said, “Don’t make friends with that which will destroy you” Don’t turn a blind eye to that which will lead into diversion and distraction.
What thorns have you got that might be imperfectly cleared.
The frequency of you needing to weed may depend on the season you’re in. Joyce Meyer says “the higher the level.. the higher the devil” The deeper you go in God, the more risk of distraction and diversion.
You may also need to weed more than once for the same "weed seed" because a weed producing Seed that is dropped on your lawn drops enough seeds that lay dormant that will affect your lawn for seven seasons.
Just when you think you’ve plucked a thorn out by the roots, it comes back again to tempt.. to distract.. to occupy your thought life and to seek to lure you away from pursuing God at that deeper level. You get victory at one level, but then you need victory at a deeper level.
The answer is this:
Gal 5:16 But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
This is a promise. Live Habitually in the Holy Spirit and we will be able to withstand the cravings of our human nature. He is our key to keeping our soil weed free.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Rocky Soil aka Shallow Soil
When looking at your next chapter in God, my last blog discussed the purposes God has for each season of our lives, and how our response to what he wants to do can produce fruit, or undermine that purpose. Our responses are much like the parable of the soil.
The first soil I'll look at is the shallow Rocky Soil.
I remember hearing a message many many years ago about youth and how many of the things they do are because of the culture they hang out with, rather than the conviction they have personally.
What they do is largely because of what their generation is doing or their friends are doing, rather than any real heartfelt belief or conviction about what it is their doing.
This, for me, was a great example of the shallow soil.
Shallow soil is where on the surface, the soil looks normal, it looks like good soil, but just beneath the surface there are rocks so that the seed couldn’t put down its roots. The seedling shoots up quickly, and then dies off from sun exposure and lack of access to moisture.
People who are shallow soil "believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation fall away (withdraw and stand aloof)." Luke 8:13
Shallow soil is when we do all the right things, we turn up at all the right meetings, and yet somehow what God wants to do in our lives never really grabs a hold of us, it’s never really firmly established in our lives. We go through the motions, and that’s all, without ever really letting God take hold.
The danger of staying shallow is that at the first sign of opposition, the first kind of attack – we’re out. The first time that things get tough – we’re gone.
We bail before God’s work in us, and for us and through us is complete.
We never breakthrough.
However, at some point in your life, God will allow trials to come across your path. 1 Peter 4:12 says "Dear friends, don't be surprised by the fiery troubles that are coming in order to test you. Don't feel as though something strange is happening to you, "
In Judges, God shows that these trials are there to teach us how to fight! God lets us go through trials and tests so that we can become STRONG and RESILIENT so that he can add increase in our life.
God wants to create in us a spiritual tenacity. He wants us to give us some spiritual muscle. He wants to transform us. We can’t get that without trials to test us.
How do we respond?
1. Hold nothing back. Don't give God the shallow surface areas of your life. He wants you to give him all of you!
2. Be like Paul when he says, "I have not yet received all of those things. I have not yet been made perfect. But I move on to take hold of what Christ Jesus took hold of me for. (13) Brothers and sisters, I don't consider that I have taken hold of it yet. But here is the one thing I do. I forget what is behind me. I push hard toward what is ahead of me." (Php 3:12-13)
Dropping out early means we won't bear fruit, and this next chapter of our lives never achieves it's purpose for our lives.
The first soil I'll look at is the shallow Rocky Soil.
I remember hearing a message many many years ago about youth and how many of the things they do are because of the culture they hang out with, rather than the conviction they have personally.
What they do is largely because of what their generation is doing or their friends are doing, rather than any real heartfelt belief or conviction about what it is their doing.
This, for me, was a great example of the shallow soil.
Shallow soil is where on the surface, the soil looks normal, it looks like good soil, but just beneath the surface there are rocks so that the seed couldn’t put down its roots. The seedling shoots up quickly, and then dies off from sun exposure and lack of access to moisture.
People who are shallow soil "believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation fall away (withdraw and stand aloof)." Luke 8:13
Shallow soil is when we do all the right things, we turn up at all the right meetings, and yet somehow what God wants to do in our lives never really grabs a hold of us, it’s never really firmly established in our lives. We go through the motions, and that’s all, without ever really letting God take hold.
The danger of staying shallow is that at the first sign of opposition, the first kind of attack – we’re out. The first time that things get tough – we’re gone.
We bail before God’s work in us, and for us and through us is complete.
We never breakthrough.
However, at some point in your life, God will allow trials to come across your path. 1 Peter 4:12 says "Dear friends, don't be surprised by the fiery troubles that are coming in order to test you. Don't feel as though something strange is happening to you, "
In Judges, God shows that these trials are there to teach us how to fight! God lets us go through trials and tests so that we can become STRONG and RESILIENT so that he can add increase in our life.
God wants to create in us a spiritual tenacity. He wants us to give us some spiritual muscle. He wants to transform us. We can’t get that without trials to test us.
How do we respond?
1. Hold nothing back. Don't give God the shallow surface areas of your life. He wants you to give him all of you!
2. Be like Paul when he says, "I have not yet received all of those things. I have not yet been made perfect. But I move on to take hold of what Christ Jesus took hold of me for. (13) Brothers and sisters, I don't consider that I have taken hold of it yet. But here is the one thing I do. I forget what is behind me. I push hard toward what is ahead of me." (Php 3:12-13)
Dropping out early means we won't bear fruit, and this next chapter of our lives never achieves it's purpose for our lives.
My Next Chapter
One of the best aspects of my starting bible college this year is that I'm connecting the dots on so many 'truths' that I've gleaned over the years.
One of the must frustrating aspects of starting bible college this year is the time it zaps from my 'free time', meaning my blog is like our garden and lawn.. neglected.
However, last Wednesday I am thankful that I was be able to share a word that God had excited me about over the last month or so - which kicked off the new "My Next Chapter" series at Westlife.
Here are a few 'highlights' from Wednesday night:
Although there is nothing immediately dramatically different.. often we see indicators everywhere that we’re entering a new season. We know that seasons occur as much in our spiritual lives as our physical lives.
But what does this next chapter look like for you? What is required of you? What is God wanting from you? What is He wanting to do in you? What is God wanting to do for you? What is God wanting to do through you?
God has a purpose for the next chapter of your life and He has planted a seed of what he wants to accomplish in you in this next chapter.
This seed is to bear fruit in your life, and that fruit may mean new levels of influence, or new financial prosperity. For some it may mean a new skill. For others it may mean a maturing in specific area, or a strengthening in an area, or an increase in the fruits of the spirit.
The bible is clear that the seed will grow provided it is given the right conditions. That is where our responsibility kicks in.
The parable of the sower provides 3 ways in which we can sabotage that growth:
1. Shallow soil
2. Rocky Soil
3. Hard soil
Stay tuned to the blog to look at what these soils mean, and how we can make sure we don't cut off God's awesome work in our lives.
One of the must frustrating aspects of starting bible college this year is the time it zaps from my 'free time', meaning my blog is like our garden and lawn.. neglected.
However, last Wednesday I am thankful that I was be able to share a word that God had excited me about over the last month or so - which kicked off the new "My Next Chapter" series at Westlife.
Here are a few 'highlights' from Wednesday night:
Although there is nothing immediately dramatically different.. often we see indicators everywhere that we’re entering a new season. We know that seasons occur as much in our spiritual lives as our physical lives.
But what does this next chapter look like for you? What is required of you? What is God wanting from you? What is He wanting to do in you? What is God wanting to do for you? What is God wanting to do through you?
God has a purpose for the next chapter of your life and He has planted a seed of what he wants to accomplish in you in this next chapter.
This seed is to bear fruit in your life, and that fruit may mean new levels of influence, or new financial prosperity. For some it may mean a new skill. For others it may mean a maturing in specific area, or a strengthening in an area, or an increase in the fruits of the spirit.
The bible is clear that the seed will grow provided it is given the right conditions. That is where our responsibility kicks in.
The parable of the sower provides 3 ways in which we can sabotage that growth:
1. Shallow soil
2. Rocky Soil
3. Hard soil
Stay tuned to the blog to look at what these soils mean, and how we can make sure we don't cut off God's awesome work in our lives.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Your Unique Shape
Tonight Westlife begins its first session of "extra teaching and fuel" - including the launch of Discovering my Shape
One of the most important factors in discovering your shape is the realisation of just how unique you are. For some, that is a good thing. For others, they feel uncomfortable about being different.
Being unique means that we are not to be measured up against what others can do, but by what we can do.
On 24th March I posted this blog on not comparing yourself to others. There is a great clip in it by Bob from the Biggest Loser Australia that we can all take a lesson from.
I recommend you take another look and then think about - What is my shape?
One of the most important factors in discovering your shape is the realisation of just how unique you are. For some, that is a good thing. For others, they feel uncomfortable about being different.
Being unique means that we are not to be measured up against what others can do, but by what we can do.
On 24th March I posted this blog on not comparing yourself to others. There is a great clip in it by Bob from the Biggest Loser Australia that we can all take a lesson from.
I recommend you take another look and then think about - What is my shape?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Fight or Flight
Earlier this week I was reading the well known story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17).
As many will know, at a time when the Philistines and the Israelites were in conflict, one man created a stir.
Goliath, a Philistine, was about 3 metres tall and built like a tank! He was one scary guy. Every day he would step out to the battle line and confront the 'good guys', the Israelites, challenging anyone to duel. If Goliath won the duel, then the Israelites would become the slaves of the Philistines, and vice versa.
This Philistine giant taunted the Israelites day after day after day - looking for a fight. In the minds of all Isralites (but one), this giant was undefeatable.
We may think of this story as nothing more than a 'sunday school story', not really relevant for today's circumstances.
Yet how many people find themselves facing a giant in their life that taunts them day after day after day.
For some, it could be pornography, for others it could be alcohol. Perhaps our giant is depression, or food, or debt, or insecurity, or anger, or infidelity.
Whatever the giant - for some the taunting is daily. Daily there is a struggle to not give in and become a slave to it's seduction. Daily there is a mental battle. Daily there is a call to give in! We can get to the point where we feel our giant is overwhelming and undefeatable.
However THE GIANT CAN BE DEFEATED
Of most importance in gaining the victory, David knew that the battle wasn't his, but the battle was the Lord's. He knew that it was God that would deliver the victory, not David's own ability.
The bible says that God's Spirit is our strength where we are weak. It is these very situations where we know we cannot defeat the giants in our life that God comes, fills us with his Holy Spirit and we find ourselves being able to overcome the giants in our lives.
God knows you can't overcome your giants - apart from Him. Apart from God, we can do nothing. This isn't a physical fight. It's a spiritual fight... and through God, we can defeat the giants in our life.
There's one final point to make - for David, victory came not from fighting the giant on Goliath's terms (with sword and shield), but from fighting with the tools and strategies best suited for David (stone and sling).
We need to identify the best weapons and strategies for our battles.
My brother was trained up as a security guard. They were taught - when you're confronted to fight.. RUN!
The bible tells us to do the same for some of our battles. For example, for giants such as lust, pornography and infidelity, alcoholism, debt, the bible makes your weapon very clear.. RUN! Don't try to negotiate. Don't try to hang around the battle field thinking you can overcome - GET OUT OF THERE. Don't put yourself in the positions where you know the battle will heat up.
If you struggle with alcohol, then going to a bar to fight your battle may not be the wisest move. STAY AWAY.
If your giant is food and indulgence, then don't go shopping when you're hungry! Don't fill your fridge with chocolate!
For some giants, we need to face up to them. We need to stop pretending the battle doesn't exist. For example, if your giant is insecurity and inadequacy, then it's time to stand up to that giant and speak what you know to be true. "I will listen to these lies no longer! I will not allow these thought to taunt my mind for another day! I will live in the truth of God's thoughts of me, thoughts of hope, thoughts of a future, thoughts of Love"
We need to wise in battle, and God says in the bible that if anyone lacks wisdom, let them ask God for it, and He will give you wisdom.
In Ephesians, the bible also sets out weapons that we need to take up everyday, including the truth, righteousness, peace, hope, salvation and prayer. (I can't do justice exploring these in this blog and encourage you to study these further). I recently heard someone say "prepare for battle in times of peace".
God has said that you will never be tempted beyond what you can handle and that He will always provide a way out.
So the next time your giant taunts you, realise that this is not your battle - the battle belongs to God. Pray, as I have often done, "God - I'm weak here right now - please show me the way out of this. Holy Spirit - be my strength".. and stand and fight... or run!
As many will know, at a time when the Philistines and the Israelites were in conflict, one man created a stir.
Goliath, a Philistine, was about 3 metres tall and built like a tank! He was one scary guy. Every day he would step out to the battle line and confront the 'good guys', the Israelites, challenging anyone to duel. If Goliath won the duel, then the Israelites would become the slaves of the Philistines, and vice versa.
This Philistine giant taunted the Israelites day after day after day - looking for a fight. In the minds of all Isralites (but one), this giant was undefeatable.
We may think of this story as nothing more than a 'sunday school story', not really relevant for today's circumstances.
Yet how many people find themselves facing a giant in their life that taunts them day after day after day.
For some, it could be pornography, for others it could be alcohol. Perhaps our giant is depression, or food, or debt, or insecurity, or anger, or infidelity.
Whatever the giant - for some the taunting is daily. Daily there is a struggle to not give in and become a slave to it's seduction. Daily there is a mental battle. Daily there is a call to give in! We can get to the point where we feel our giant is overwhelming and undefeatable.
However THE GIANT CAN BE DEFEATED
Of most importance in gaining the victory, David knew that the battle wasn't his, but the battle was the Lord's. He knew that it was God that would deliver the victory, not David's own ability.
The bible says that God's Spirit is our strength where we are weak. It is these very situations where we know we cannot defeat the giants in our life that God comes, fills us with his Holy Spirit and we find ourselves being able to overcome the giants in our lives.
God knows you can't overcome your giants - apart from Him. Apart from God, we can do nothing. This isn't a physical fight. It's a spiritual fight... and through God, we can defeat the giants in our life.
There's one final point to make - for David, victory came not from fighting the giant on Goliath's terms (with sword and shield), but from fighting with the tools and strategies best suited for David (stone and sling).
We need to identify the best weapons and strategies for our battles.
My brother was trained up as a security guard. They were taught - when you're confronted to fight.. RUN!
The bible tells us to do the same for some of our battles. For example, for giants such as lust, pornography and infidelity, alcoholism, debt, the bible makes your weapon very clear.. RUN! Don't try to negotiate. Don't try to hang around the battle field thinking you can overcome - GET OUT OF THERE. Don't put yourself in the positions where you know the battle will heat up.
If you struggle with alcohol, then going to a bar to fight your battle may not be the wisest move. STAY AWAY.
If your giant is food and indulgence, then don't go shopping when you're hungry! Don't fill your fridge with chocolate!
For some giants, we need to face up to them. We need to stop pretending the battle doesn't exist. For example, if your giant is insecurity and inadequacy, then it's time to stand up to that giant and speak what you know to be true. "I will listen to these lies no longer! I will not allow these thought to taunt my mind for another day! I will live in the truth of God's thoughts of me, thoughts of hope, thoughts of a future, thoughts of Love"
We need to wise in battle, and God says in the bible that if anyone lacks wisdom, let them ask God for it, and He will give you wisdom.
In Ephesians, the bible also sets out weapons that we need to take up everyday, including the truth, righteousness, peace, hope, salvation and prayer. (I can't do justice exploring these in this blog and encourage you to study these further). I recently heard someone say "prepare for battle in times of peace".
God has said that you will never be tempted beyond what you can handle and that He will always provide a way out.
So the next time your giant taunts you, realise that this is not your battle - the battle belongs to God. Pray, as I have often done, "God - I'm weak here right now - please show me the way out of this. Holy Spirit - be my strength".. and stand and fight... or run!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Perspective Reset
Yesterday, I returned from 3 days at Hillsong Colour Conference 2009.
If you're going to Colour this week, then you probably don't want to read my blog because I don't want to let the cat out of the bag for you!
Without doubt, the most impacting session was Saturday morning during the "Sisterhood" session. Personally, I never really liked the term "sisterhood" because it conjured up images of girls shopping together, doing toilet trips together etc etc. I've never really been into that.
However, Saturday morning disintegrated that perspective.
On Saturday morning, we were confronted with the horrors being experienced around the world. Children kidnapped and forced to become soldiers required to commit sickening crimes against other children and babies (eg tieing infants to a tree and hitting them until they died). One girl (yes Girl!) told how she had to beat her own brother to death, or be killed herself.
Similarly, girls are being kidnapped and given to men as wives. We saw 2 women who tried to escape, and had their lips, ears and nose-tips cut off with razor blades as punishment.
Then we heard about parents feeding their children mudcakes to hold off hunger pains. Another mother talked of feeding their children 'rat rice', which is the rice found in rat nests.
We saw babies and toddlers who had been discarded on rubbish tips - left for dead - some with hands and feet bound.
Take a look at this youtube video on how the global food crisis is affecting so many.
Against this horror, I realised that my own world was too cacooned. My prayers were too selfish. My perspective was far too narrow and it needed to change. I needed to stop judging the 'sisterhood' because I didn't like the word, and my perspective on what that meant!
What if a group of ordinary women, who are unremarkable by the worlds standards, could create an extraordinary difference around the globe because they were aligned in purpose and vision? That's the sisterhood.
We are a 'Synery' - which is "The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual" That's the sisterhood.
As individual women, our impact may not be felt - but the combined effect of 18,000 women can be felt globally and generationally.
This morning I put my money where my mouth is. I sponsored an 8 year old girl who had been waiting for over 12 months to be sponsored. I chose an 8 year old, because this is the same age as my son. Neither he nor I did anything to be born into this luxury of Australia. So we are making a difference to a child that could have been any one of us.
Have I really made a difference? It's like the story that many of us have heard of the boy running along the beach full of stranded starfish, tossing each one he encountered into the sea. An onlooker stopped him and said "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference." The youth paused briefly, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said, "I made a difference to that one."
Today I made a difference to one, and am part of something bigger.
This isn't a pat on the back for me, nor is it the first child I've sponsored. But this is my step so that I am not just sitting back and say "isn't that heartbreaking - someone should do something about that", but a step to "be the change I want to see in the world"
Please sponsor a child at Compassion. It costs only $44 a month - a small price to pay for such a huge impact. Be part of something bigger and be the change you want to see.
If you're going to Colour this week, then you probably don't want to read my blog because I don't want to let the cat out of the bag for you!
Without doubt, the most impacting session was Saturday morning during the "Sisterhood" session. Personally, I never really liked the term "sisterhood" because it conjured up images of girls shopping together, doing toilet trips together etc etc. I've never really been into that.
However, Saturday morning disintegrated that perspective.
On Saturday morning, we were confronted with the horrors being experienced around the world. Children kidnapped and forced to become soldiers required to commit sickening crimes against other children and babies (eg tieing infants to a tree and hitting them until they died). One girl (yes Girl!) told how she had to beat her own brother to death, or be killed herself.
Similarly, girls are being kidnapped and given to men as wives. We saw 2 women who tried to escape, and had their lips, ears and nose-tips cut off with razor blades as punishment.
Then we heard about parents feeding their children mudcakes to hold off hunger pains. Another mother talked of feeding their children 'rat rice', which is the rice found in rat nests.
We saw babies and toddlers who had been discarded on rubbish tips - left for dead - some with hands and feet bound.
Take a look at this youtube video on how the global food crisis is affecting so many.
Against this horror, I realised that my own world was too cacooned. My prayers were too selfish. My perspective was far too narrow and it needed to change. I needed to stop judging the 'sisterhood' because I didn't like the word, and my perspective on what that meant!
What if a group of ordinary women, who are unremarkable by the worlds standards, could create an extraordinary difference around the globe because they were aligned in purpose and vision? That's the sisterhood.
We are a 'Synery' - which is "The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual" That's the sisterhood.
As individual women, our impact may not be felt - but the combined effect of 18,000 women can be felt globally and generationally.
This morning I put my money where my mouth is. I sponsored an 8 year old girl who had been waiting for over 12 months to be sponsored. I chose an 8 year old, because this is the same age as my son. Neither he nor I did anything to be born into this luxury of Australia. So we are making a difference to a child that could have been any one of us.
Have I really made a difference? It's like the story that many of us have heard of the boy running along the beach full of stranded starfish, tossing each one he encountered into the sea. An onlooker stopped him and said "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference." The youth paused briefly, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said, "I made a difference to that one."
Today I made a difference to one, and am part of something bigger.
This isn't a pat on the back for me, nor is it the first child I've sponsored. But this is my step so that I am not just sitting back and say "isn't that heartbreaking - someone should do something about that", but a step to "be the change I want to see in the world"
Please sponsor a child at Compassion. It costs only $44 a month - a small price to pay for such a huge impact. Be part of something bigger and be the change you want to see.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Don't Compare - Ever
In a year of being unleashed, it is so tempting to compare ourselves with how others are being. This is dangerous for so many reasons, and benefits no one.
Today is another blog inspired by the Biggest Loser - a show where people are being unleashed from their prisons of obesity, and learning so much of themselves in the process.
Last night my favourite contestant, Bob, shared a story from his past that teaches us the pain of cruel words and the paralysis of comparing ourselves with others.
Check it out:
Such wise words. The book of all wisdom, the bible, mirrors this advice.
Galatians 6 says it like this "4 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. 5 Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. "
Joyce Meyer says, "Don't be impressed with what you can do, and don't be upset with what you can't do"
My responsibility is to be the best "me" that I can be - and to make the most of my 'shape' that I've been given.
Starting on 15th April, Westlife is running a 3 part workshop on discovering your SHAPE - I encourage you to sign up to explore who you are, so you can take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your life.
Today is another blog inspired by the Biggest Loser - a show where people are being unleashed from their prisons of obesity, and learning so much of themselves in the process.
Last night my favourite contestant, Bob, shared a story from his past that teaches us the pain of cruel words and the paralysis of comparing ourselves with others.
Check it out:
Such wise words. The book of all wisdom, the bible, mirrors this advice.
Galatians 6 says it like this "4 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. 5 Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. "
Joyce Meyer says, "Don't be impressed with what you can do, and don't be upset with what you can't do"
My responsibility is to be the best "me" that I can be - and to make the most of my 'shape' that I've been given.
Starting on 15th April, Westlife is running a 3 part workshop on discovering your SHAPE - I encourage you to sign up to explore who you are, so you can take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your life.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Remembering the Future
I recently watched a documentary on the human memory. Interestingly, scientists discovered that the part of the brain that is activated for “creativity, imagination and problem solving” is the same part of the brain that is responsible for “memory”. They interviewed a guy who had very limited memory function, who then struggled to imagine the future.
I found this fascinating that our ability to be creative, to problem solve and to imagine our future was directly related to the information we feed our brain.
What information are we feeding our brains?
When we are looking for an answer to a problem, when we are trying to create new strategies, when we are trying to be optimistic about our future, what resources does our memory hold for us to draw from?
The extent to which we have loaded varied, positive and continual information into our brains will directly relate, I believe, to the extent to which we can come up with more creative ideas and solutions for our everyday life, and future planning.
The opposite must also be true.. garbage in - garbage out.
Our response to current circumstances will draw upon the information held in our memory.
When we are facing a challenge to overcome, have we loaded negativity into our minds, or have we loaded God's promises into our minds? Have we loaded stories of people who have overcome into our minds?
When we are feeling insecure, have we loaded our mind with thoughts of self-doubt and or past experiences of rejection by others? or have we loaded God's thoughts of us into our minds? Will we recall that we are fearfully and wonderfully made?
We must familiarise ourselves with the wisdom, promises and guidance of God, so that we can recall them on demand.
David says "I have hidden your word in my heart so that I won't sin against you." (Psa 119:11) He had fed his memory with God's word because he recognised his response to current circumstances will draw upon the information held in his memory.
Col 3:2 says "And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. "
But what if our minds are already filled with junk, with negativity, or shallow tv soaps! What can we do? Fortunately, our memories can be re-written.
Another relevant fact from the documentary is that each time we recall an event, our brains re-write that memory to be consistent with our latest recollection (which may include filling in some gaps). That's why, when we initially recall something, we might not be sure about all of the detail.. and then over time we're absolutely convinced our recollection is accurate.
The bible regularly talks about remembering. For example, Revelation 3:3 says "So remember what you have been taught and have heard. Obey it..."
That's because when we remember, we strengthen that memory in our minds. When we remember, that memory becomes clearer. When we remember, that memory becomes more prominant.
We can re-write the memories of our mind. As we recall events, or worries, or interractions with people, we can re-write our conclusion about them to be in line with the hope and the future that we know God has for us.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. "
What are you feeding your mind?
What resources are you giving your memory to draw from?
How will your memory imagine the future?
I found this fascinating that our ability to be creative, to problem solve and to imagine our future was directly related to the information we feed our brain.
What information are we feeding our brains?
When we are looking for an answer to a problem, when we are trying to create new strategies, when we are trying to be optimistic about our future, what resources does our memory hold for us to draw from?
The extent to which we have loaded varied, positive and continual information into our brains will directly relate, I believe, to the extent to which we can come up with more creative ideas and solutions for our everyday life, and future planning.
The opposite must also be true.. garbage in - garbage out.
Our response to current circumstances will draw upon the information held in our memory.
When we are facing a challenge to overcome, have we loaded negativity into our minds, or have we loaded God's promises into our minds? Have we loaded stories of people who have overcome into our minds?
When we are feeling insecure, have we loaded our mind with thoughts of self-doubt and or past experiences of rejection by others? or have we loaded God's thoughts of us into our minds? Will we recall that we are fearfully and wonderfully made?
We must familiarise ourselves with the wisdom, promises and guidance of God, so that we can recall them on demand.
David says "I have hidden your word in my heart so that I won't sin against you." (Psa 119:11) He had fed his memory with God's word because he recognised his response to current circumstances will draw upon the information held in his memory.
Col 3:2 says "And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. "
But what if our minds are already filled with junk, with negativity, or shallow tv soaps! What can we do? Fortunately, our memories can be re-written.
Another relevant fact from the documentary is that each time we recall an event, our brains re-write that memory to be consistent with our latest recollection (which may include filling in some gaps). That's why, when we initially recall something, we might not be sure about all of the detail.. and then over time we're absolutely convinced our recollection is accurate.
The bible regularly talks about remembering. For example, Revelation 3:3 says "So remember what you have been taught and have heard. Obey it..."
That's because when we remember, we strengthen that memory in our minds. When we remember, that memory becomes clearer. When we remember, that memory becomes more prominant.
We can re-write the memories of our mind. As we recall events, or worries, or interractions with people, we can re-write our conclusion about them to be in line with the hope and the future that we know God has for us.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. "
What are you feeding your mind?
What resources are you giving your memory to draw from?
How will your memory imagine the future?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Our Personal Trainer
I love watching the Biggest Loser. Each week I get inspired by what I see.
I was particularly impacted me when Bob (the 56 year old Truck Stop owner) weighed in on Sunday. He started talking about the challenge earlier in the week where where the contestants had to run around the Royal Randwick racetrack (or parts of it) 4 times.
On the 4th lap, when his team were behind, he said words to the effect that he had hit a point where "the old Bob just couldn't go any further, there was nothing left in him, it was all over.. but then the new Bob kicked in, got going and finished the race"
It is so inspiring to see these guys dig deep and make significant improvements in their well being. Of course, they couldn't achieve this level of 'success' without their personal trainers, Michelle and Shannon. You can see in the picture, Shannan holding Bob's arms, running stride by stride to get Bob over the line, yelling encouragement, pushing him to keep going and not letting him give up!
Don't we all need a personal trainer in our lives?
Fortunately - we've got one! We've got the ultimate personal trainer - the Holy Spirit.
Westlife are running a series called re-enActs which is all about discovering and releasing the Holy Spirit in our lives.
For all of us, there will be days where we feel like the old Bob and we feel like we can't keep going - perhaps we've had a tragedy we just can't seem to get over, maybe we've have an ongoing disappointment, or maybe the tank is just empty and we're worn out. We just get tired of the fight and don't want to strive anymore.
But that's the perfect time when our personal trainer, the Holy Spirit, kicks into to overdrive and our new "Bob" kicks in.
Isaiah 57 says:
15 A Message from the high and towering God,who lives in Eternity, whose name is Holy: “I live in the high and holy places, but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed, And what I do is put new spirit in them, get them up and on their feet again."
Romans 8:26 "So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness.."
Just as Shannon was shuffling stride by stride with Bob to get him over the line, the Holy Spirit does the same for us. In John, Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as our encourager, which also means "one called to the side of another." He is right with us, every step, encouraging us to keep going.
Galatians 5:25 “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” which means we are to walk when He says walk, run when He says run - we can keep going when He says "don't give up - let's keep going".
Our personal trainer, the Holy Spirit is always by our side, holding us up, running with us stride by stride - yelling encouragement at us, urging us to keep going, keep giving, to dig deeper - and finish the race.
I was particularly impacted me when Bob (the 56 year old Truck Stop owner) weighed in on Sunday. He started talking about the challenge earlier in the week where where the contestants had to run around the Royal Randwick racetrack (or parts of it) 4 times.
On the 4th lap, when his team were behind, he said words to the effect that he had hit a point where "the old Bob just couldn't go any further, there was nothing left in him, it was all over.. but then the new Bob kicked in, got going and finished the race"
It is so inspiring to see these guys dig deep and make significant improvements in their well being. Of course, they couldn't achieve this level of 'success' without their personal trainers, Michelle and Shannon. You can see in the picture, Shannan holding Bob's arms, running stride by stride to get Bob over the line, yelling encouragement, pushing him to keep going and not letting him give up!
Don't we all need a personal trainer in our lives?
Fortunately - we've got one! We've got the ultimate personal trainer - the Holy Spirit.
Westlife are running a series called re-enActs which is all about discovering and releasing the Holy Spirit in our lives.
For all of us, there will be days where we feel like the old Bob and we feel like we can't keep going - perhaps we've had a tragedy we just can't seem to get over, maybe we've have an ongoing disappointment, or maybe the tank is just empty and we're worn out. We just get tired of the fight and don't want to strive anymore.
But that's the perfect time when our personal trainer, the Holy Spirit, kicks into to overdrive and our new "Bob" kicks in.
Isaiah 57 says:
15 A Message from the high and towering God,who lives in Eternity, whose name is Holy: “I live in the high and holy places, but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed, And what I do is put new spirit in them, get them up and on their feet again."
Romans 8:26 "So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness.."
Just as Shannon was shuffling stride by stride with Bob to get him over the line, the Holy Spirit does the same for us. In John, Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as our encourager, which also means "one called to the side of another." He is right with us, every step, encouraging us to keep going.
Galatians 5:25 “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” which means we are to walk when He says walk, run when He says run - we can keep going when He says "don't give up - let's keep going".
Our personal trainer, the Holy Spirit is always by our side, holding us up, running with us stride by stride - yelling encouragement at us, urging us to keep going, keep giving, to dig deeper - and finish the race.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Lost Child
Yesterday I listened to a podcast by Steve Furtick of Elevation Church. It is a 3 part series called "Come Home" - and this blog is inspired by Part 1, which you can watch here. All 3 are brilliant, and I believe essential listening as we sharpen our focus to reach our neighbourhood for God.
Imagine that your entire family is shopping at your local shopping centre, and after a while, every parent's worst fear happens, you realise that one of your kids is no longer with you.. he or she is missing.
What will you do at that point?
Will we keep shopping?
Will we huddle together and say "Thank God the rest of us are still here"?
What we will probably do is start a frantic search.. an unrelenting driven search.. that won't stop until you find that child.
I think about Bruce and Denise Morcombe - parents that we all feel for after their son went missing in 2003.
Here are some snippets that describe their search for their lost child:
"It was all consuming. It was 24 hours a day seven days a week. There was no getting away from it."
"back and forth from town in the fading Sunday light, desperately searching the side of the road for their son walking home"
"The couple yesterday sold their investment property for $350,000, which will be directed into a radio, print and television campaign"
"Mrs Morcombe and her husband, Bruce, are still working full-time to find their beloved son"
"We will never give up!"
Now look at Luke 15:3-7
"Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?
When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance."
Steve Furtick says that each ordinary life has extraordinary value to God, and he will leave the 99 to find that one lost ordinary life.
There is a pursuit, a continual searching and a desperation in finding the lost child - the lost soul.
When one of our neighbours, our family, our friends is lost, what will our response be?
Will we stay focussed on the things we "need" to get done first? David in Psalm 119:36 says "turn my heart toward your statutes and not towards selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things"
Will we keep huddle together in our church and be thankful for those that are still with us?
Or will we start the search party, investing all we have and all we are to finding the lost child and bringing them home... because that's what Christ did for us.
Imagine that your entire family is shopping at your local shopping centre, and after a while, every parent's worst fear happens, you realise that one of your kids is no longer with you.. he or she is missing.
What will you do at that point?
Will we keep shopping?
Will we huddle together and say "Thank God the rest of us are still here"?
What we will probably do is start a frantic search.. an unrelenting driven search.. that won't stop until you find that child.
I think about Bruce and Denise Morcombe - parents that we all feel for after their son went missing in 2003.
Here are some snippets that describe their search for their lost child:
"It was all consuming. It was 24 hours a day seven days a week. There was no getting away from it."
"back and forth from town in the fading Sunday light, desperately searching the side of the road for their son walking home"
"The couple yesterday sold their investment property for $350,000, which will be directed into a radio, print and television campaign"
"Mrs Morcombe and her husband, Bruce, are still working full-time to find their beloved son"
"We will never give up!"
Now look at Luke 15:3-7
"Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?
When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance."
Steve Furtick says that each ordinary life has extraordinary value to God, and he will leave the 99 to find that one lost ordinary life.
There is a pursuit, a continual searching and a desperation in finding the lost child - the lost soul.
When one of our neighbours, our family, our friends is lost, what will our response be?
Will we stay focussed on the things we "need" to get done first? David in Psalm 119:36 says "turn my heart toward your statutes and not towards selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things"
Will we keep huddle together in our church and be thankful for those that are still with us?
Or will we start the search party, investing all we have and all we are to finding the lost child and bringing them home... because that's what Christ did for us.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Give me the Simple Life
Chuck Swindoll once said, "life isn't complicated. We MAKE it complicated". Some weeks life feels more complicated than others.
There are always so many things that demand our time, our attention and our resources. We feel we can't say no to them because we have obligations to fulfil, commitments to meet and people who are relying on us.
Yet this morning I read Acts 1 and 2 (which is of particular interest during our re-enacts series) and a passaged that jumped out at me was Acts 2:44-47
"Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved"
Here is a group of people that were living life with a simplicity of heart - a life absent of the complications that we find ourselves tangled up in.
I want that simple life - but how do I get it?
I noticed a couple of things:
1. They were together and had all things in common.
This means they cast off dissent. They were unified.
Conflicts and bickering complicate our life, especially where we know we're right and we have to make sure the other person understands that! Find the things that you have in common with others, not the things you differ on. I've said it before, and I'll say it again... let it go.. and you'll find your life is a lot simpler.
2. They freely gave their possessions to those in need.
They conquered the need for 'stuff'. They knew their needs would be met. They didn't strive to hang on to their goods that won't end up in the hearse anyway. Trying, conspiring, manouvering and striving with the circumstances of life to increase our possessions and wealth above all else complicates life. Contentment, on the other hand, brings a simplicity in life. Contentment is a peace in the soul that God will supply all my needs - regardless of the circumstances.
Some words of wisdom from a man that doesn't mince his words - Perry Noble - which are particularly relevant for our global economy right now.
3. Daily they broke bread.
This means that daily they met with God. The simple life is more about our perspective than our actual circumstances. Meeting with God daily keeps our perspective in check. It makes sure we spend our time on what makes us fruitful, not what makes us busy. It helps us keep our priorities in order, because we measure them up against the plan God has for our lives, as He reveals it to us day by day.
Meeting with God daily also keeps us focussed on what we 'should' be doing.. ie not sinning. Therefore meeting with God means there is less chance of making mistakes that have consequences that we then have to live with - thus complicating our life! Our flesh wants to do the wrong thing. The Spirit of God in us wants to do the right thing. We have to meet with God daily to make sure God's spirit dominates us, not our flesh.
4. They ate with gladness - they were thankful!
John Maxwell (yes I know - I'm quoting him again!) says people who are not thankful always want more and always think they deserve more. Yet people who are thankful are usually given more. If we're not thankful, and think we deserve more than we've got, then life gets complicated because we focus on the perceived injustice and how it's JUST NOT FAIR. Ringing in my head is Evie's song (from the early 80's).. "just be thankful for the good things that you've got, because the good things that you've got are for many just a dream"
These guys had the simple life, and for getting it right, they had favour with people and God added to their number DAILY.
We can enhance our "favour campaign" and our "just walk across the room campaign" by living the simple life.
There are always so many things that demand our time, our attention and our resources. We feel we can't say no to them because we have obligations to fulfil, commitments to meet and people who are relying on us.
Yet this morning I read Acts 1 and 2 (which is of particular interest during our re-enacts series) and a passaged that jumped out at me was Acts 2:44-47
"Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved"
Here is a group of people that were living life with a simplicity of heart - a life absent of the complications that we find ourselves tangled up in.
I want that simple life - but how do I get it?
I noticed a couple of things:
1. They were together and had all things in common.
This means they cast off dissent. They were unified.
Conflicts and bickering complicate our life, especially where we know we're right and we have to make sure the other person understands that! Find the things that you have in common with others, not the things you differ on. I've said it before, and I'll say it again... let it go.. and you'll find your life is a lot simpler.
2. They freely gave their possessions to those in need.
They conquered the need for 'stuff'. They knew their needs would be met. They didn't strive to hang on to their goods that won't end up in the hearse anyway. Trying, conspiring, manouvering and striving with the circumstances of life to increase our possessions and wealth above all else complicates life. Contentment, on the other hand, brings a simplicity in life. Contentment is a peace in the soul that God will supply all my needs - regardless of the circumstances.
Some words of wisdom from a man that doesn't mince his words - Perry Noble - which are particularly relevant for our global economy right now.
3. Daily they broke bread.
This means that daily they met with God. The simple life is more about our perspective than our actual circumstances. Meeting with God daily keeps our perspective in check. It makes sure we spend our time on what makes us fruitful, not what makes us busy. It helps us keep our priorities in order, because we measure them up against the plan God has for our lives, as He reveals it to us day by day.
Meeting with God daily also keeps us focussed on what we 'should' be doing.. ie not sinning. Therefore meeting with God means there is less chance of making mistakes that have consequences that we then have to live with - thus complicating our life! Our flesh wants to do the wrong thing. The Spirit of God in us wants to do the right thing. We have to meet with God daily to make sure God's spirit dominates us, not our flesh.
4. They ate with gladness - they were thankful!
John Maxwell (yes I know - I'm quoting him again!) says people who are not thankful always want more and always think they deserve more. Yet people who are thankful are usually given more. If we're not thankful, and think we deserve more than we've got, then life gets complicated because we focus on the perceived injustice and how it's JUST NOT FAIR. Ringing in my head is Evie's song (from the early 80's).. "just be thankful for the good things that you've got, because the good things that you've got are for many just a dream"
These guys had the simple life, and for getting it right, they had favour with people and God added to their number DAILY.
We can enhance our "favour campaign" and our "just walk across the room campaign" by living the simple life.
Grander Vision Living - A Recap - Part 2
Grander Vision living not only sees people as a priority, but we focus on the potential in people.
We focus on their potential and look past their flaws, because that's what Christ did for us. Our view of others is no longer where they are right now, but what their lives would be like if they let Christ into their life.
We can't do that if we have judgmental thoughts or superior attitudes.
We are to treat others with the same standard that God treated us. John Maxwell says the standard is this: "God loves us just as we are, not as we would like to be, or as we appear to be, but just as we are"
Our job is not to point out their flaws, but just point them to Christ.
Chuck Swindoll sums it up nicely when he says, "Our job is not to clean the fishtank.. just fish"
We are to love others, care for others and walk across the room for others - just as they are - and focus on their potential.
I love this picture by John Ortbert:
It reinforces the point that we can't take our 'stuff' with us to heaven. But there is something we can take with us.. People!
People are the only thing we’ll be taking to heaven. This world is temporary – it’s people are not.
Imagine going to heaven, and leaving your family behind. What a sad sad thought. Knowing the fleeting nature of life, there is an urgency in our grander vision living.
Walking across the room is not about achieving targets, it's not about ticking boxes, or reaching 'goals'. It's about people, real people, people you and I love, going to heaven. It's all about you and I making an introduction to Christ that will change their life for eternity.
We focus on their potential and look past their flaws, because that's what Christ did for us. Our view of others is no longer where they are right now, but what their lives would be like if they let Christ into their life.
We can't do that if we have judgmental thoughts or superior attitudes.
We are to treat others with the same standard that God treated us. John Maxwell says the standard is this: "God loves us just as we are, not as we would like to be, or as we appear to be, but just as we are"
Our job is not to point out their flaws, but just point them to Christ.
Chuck Swindoll sums it up nicely when he says, "Our job is not to clean the fishtank.. just fish"
We are to love others, care for others and walk across the room for others - just as they are - and focus on their potential.
I love this picture by John Ortbert:
It reinforces the point that we can't take our 'stuff' with us to heaven. But there is something we can take with us.. People!
People are the only thing we’ll be taking to heaven. This world is temporary – it’s people are not.
Imagine going to heaven, and leaving your family behind. What a sad sad thought. Knowing the fleeting nature of life, there is an urgency in our grander vision living.
Walking across the room is not about achieving targets, it's not about ticking boxes, or reaching 'goals'. It's about people, real people, people you and I love, going to heaven. It's all about you and I making an introduction to Christ that will change their life for eternity.
Grander Vision Living - A Recap - Part 1
For those at Westlife, this week at our Small Groups we'll be looking at "Grander Vision living", yet we shared about this in our Sunday message over a week ago. So I thought I'd blog a bit of a recap.
Grander Vision Living
As many of people know, because I’ve talked about it before, I work for the negligence insurer for lawyers. Every day I hold 2 - 3 workshops with a small group of people and we talk about were claims come from.
I’ve done that workshop around 400 times.. the same message, the same facts!
But my job is not aimed at running workshops – that is not the objective. My job is all about saving claims.
You see, if my focus becomes nothing more than running workshops, then I miss the entire point of why I’m doing it. My motivation and job satisfaction will wane and dwindle because the goal of running a workshop has been achieved over and over and over.
My goal of saving claims - this is the bigger picture – and each workshop, each interraction, is a step in achieving that bigger goal.
It is no different for "Just walk across the room".
Our goal is not to strike up a conversation with a friend. Our goal is not to have the dinner party of the century, or the most amazing fishing trip .. Our goal is the bigger picture. Our goal is to see lives come to Christ through all these individual steps.
That is grander vision living.
Developing friends, sharing your story, sharing God’s story aren’t just another thing on your to-do list.. Grander vision living infiltrates your entire to-do list.
Everything we do now is done within a framework of ‘this person would be better off with Christ”
People become our focus!
How we treat people is aligned with our Grander vision living.
How we behave towards others is either a magnet, or detraction to them every coming to Christ.
If we’re feeling out of sorts, if we’re having a bad day, if the person beside us is driving us crazy.. will our response reflect our knowledge that we could be the one to lead this person to Christ.
Here is a video where they didn't respond so well:
Are we a magnet or a detraction?
I want Christians to be the best employees, the nicest customers, the best tradesmen... not the worst.
Now, I’m not suggesting you do this.. but imagine you wore a badge everywhere that said ‘I’m a Christian’.. how would that affect what you do, or how you do it?
If we’re going to move into having chats about Christ, then we need to live life as if we’re wearing the ‘I’m a Christian’ badge.. drive like there’s a fish sticker on our car..
Like the old saying ‘Preaching the gospel often, and occasionally use words”
Grander Vision living knows that People are our priority.
Grander Vision Living
As many of people know, because I’ve talked about it before, I work for the negligence insurer for lawyers. Every day I hold 2 - 3 workshops with a small group of people and we talk about were claims come from.
I’ve done that workshop around 400 times.. the same message, the same facts!
But my job is not aimed at running workshops – that is not the objective. My job is all about saving claims.
You see, if my focus becomes nothing more than running workshops, then I miss the entire point of why I’m doing it. My motivation and job satisfaction will wane and dwindle because the goal of running a workshop has been achieved over and over and over.
My goal of saving claims - this is the bigger picture – and each workshop, each interraction, is a step in achieving that bigger goal.
It is no different for "Just walk across the room".
Our goal is not to strike up a conversation with a friend. Our goal is not to have the dinner party of the century, or the most amazing fishing trip .. Our goal is the bigger picture. Our goal is to see lives come to Christ through all these individual steps.
That is grander vision living.
Developing friends, sharing your story, sharing God’s story aren’t just another thing on your to-do list.. Grander vision living infiltrates your entire to-do list.
Everything we do now is done within a framework of ‘this person would be better off with Christ”
People become our focus!
How we treat people is aligned with our Grander vision living.
How we behave towards others is either a magnet, or detraction to them every coming to Christ.
If we’re feeling out of sorts, if we’re having a bad day, if the person beside us is driving us crazy.. will our response reflect our knowledge that we could be the one to lead this person to Christ.
Here is a video where they didn't respond so well:
Are we a magnet or a detraction?
I want Christians to be the best employees, the nicest customers, the best tradesmen... not the worst.
Now, I’m not suggesting you do this.. but imagine you wore a badge everywhere that said ‘I’m a Christian’.. how would that affect what you do, or how you do it?
If we’re going to move into having chats about Christ, then we need to live life as if we’re wearing the ‘I’m a Christian’ badge.. drive like there’s a fish sticker on our car..
Like the old saying ‘Preaching the gospel often, and occasionally use words”
Grander Vision living knows that People are our priority.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Living in 3D - Just Walk Across the Room
This morning, we had an awesome life group exploring what it means to live in 3D. I thought I would share some of the 'gold' from the meeting.
Cacooning or Connecting
While many of us said that we tended to cacoon ourselves in our Christian circles, Kristy Karhula and her mum shared that they had moved into being 'connectors'. When asked how they moved from being cacooners to connectors, Kristy said words to the effect, "I go out of my way to catch up with people I haven't seen in a while. I don't just say 'we should catch up', but I set a time and date then and there"
She also said that it takes time, it takes effort and she has to be deliberate about it.. whether she feels like it or not.
It reminded me of a verse I read this week: 1Corinthians 9:19 "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. "
I've been asking myself the hard questions this week - do I live like a slave to Christ and others? or do I live like a concerned bystander - concerned...but never really getting involved
To use a Staggsanism, Kristy had 'cracked the code' on moving from being a cacooner to being a connector. She had given up her free time, her free resources to serve others to win as many as possible.
Discovering the Story First
We learned this morning to place emphasis on building a friendship instead of saving a soul. The question was then asked.. Why? Why build the friendship before engaging in spiritual discussion?
Without missing a beat, Bevan said, "People don't care how much you know--until they know how much you care." (John Maxwell)
Right then it made me realise - another key difference between me sharing my faith and a pyramid scheme salesman is the 'Care' factor. Bill Hybels calls it a platform of Love.
The challenge with this is - we have to care! I genuinely have to care!
My struggle (and perhaps that of others) is that care is often an emotion behind an action. We don't always 'FEEL' the need, which makes it harder to care and connect.. My emotions are often dry, or disconnected from the needs in my 'neighbourhood'.
The consequence of not feeling the need is that we often are less inclined to move towards action, or act with genuine care or love.
To help with this dilemma, I heard a brilliant message on Jesus' ministry. To put it simply, the speaker said that Jesus' ministry was in this order.. 1. Jesus went; 2. Jesus saw; 3. Jesus felt.. and acted.
The point of the message is that if you wait to feel the need, you will never do anything. However if, like Kristy, we deliberately GO, only then can we see the need, feel the compassion and take the right steps. None of this can be done within the safe walls of convenience.
We can show we care through our discerned next steps which may be helping an immediate need, carving out time from our busy schedules to just listen, or using recreational interests to develop deeper friendships.
The take home for me is this:
1. Connector and Comfort don't really go together.. neither does Slave and Convenience. I have to move from one to the other. I have to move from cacooned to connected. It won't happen accidentally. I have to deliberately plan this into my schedule to be able to 'live in 3D'
2. Going through the motions without genuine love and care is nothing more than a clanging symbol. I can't show genuine love and care without step 1 - Deliberately going out (connecting) and seeing the need first. Then I can show I care through my actions This is why I must 'Discover the story'.
3. Once I've connected and shown I care, then I can share what I know - the greatest gift of all.
Cacooning or Connecting
While many of us said that we tended to cacoon ourselves in our Christian circles, Kristy Karhula and her mum shared that they had moved into being 'connectors'. When asked how they moved from being cacooners to connectors, Kristy said words to the effect, "I go out of my way to catch up with people I haven't seen in a while. I don't just say 'we should catch up', but I set a time and date then and there"
She also said that it takes time, it takes effort and she has to be deliberate about it.. whether she feels like it or not.
It reminded me of a verse I read this week: 1Corinthians 9:19 "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. "
I've been asking myself the hard questions this week - do I live like a slave to Christ and others? or do I live like a concerned bystander - concerned...but never really getting involved
To use a Staggsanism, Kristy had 'cracked the code' on moving from being a cacooner to being a connector. She had given up her free time, her free resources to serve others to win as many as possible.
Discovering the Story First
We learned this morning to place emphasis on building a friendship instead of saving a soul. The question was then asked.. Why? Why build the friendship before engaging in spiritual discussion?
Without missing a beat, Bevan said, "People don't care how much you know--until they know how much you care." (John Maxwell)
Right then it made me realise - another key difference between me sharing my faith and a pyramid scheme salesman is the 'Care' factor. Bill Hybels calls it a platform of Love.
The challenge with this is - we have to care! I genuinely have to care!
My struggle (and perhaps that of others) is that care is often an emotion behind an action. We don't always 'FEEL' the need, which makes it harder to care and connect.. My emotions are often dry, or disconnected from the needs in my 'neighbourhood'.
The consequence of not feeling the need is that we often are less inclined to move towards action, or act with genuine care or love.
To help with this dilemma, I heard a brilliant message on Jesus' ministry. To put it simply, the speaker said that Jesus' ministry was in this order.. 1. Jesus went; 2. Jesus saw; 3. Jesus felt.. and acted.
The point of the message is that if you wait to feel the need, you will never do anything. However if, like Kristy, we deliberately GO, only then can we see the need, feel the compassion and take the right steps. None of this can be done within the safe walls of convenience.
We can show we care through our discerned next steps which may be helping an immediate need, carving out time from our busy schedules to just listen, or using recreational interests to develop deeper friendships.
The take home for me is this:
1. Connector and Comfort don't really go together.. neither does Slave and Convenience. I have to move from one to the other. I have to move from cacooned to connected. It won't happen accidentally. I have to deliberately plan this into my schedule to be able to 'live in 3D'
2. Going through the motions without genuine love and care is nothing more than a clanging symbol. I can't show genuine love and care without step 1 - Deliberately going out (connecting) and seeing the need first. Then I can show I care through my actions This is why I must 'Discover the story'.
3. Once I've connected and shown I care, then I can share what I know - the greatest gift of all.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Pointing, not Solving
Have you ever looked at someone and thought, "they are just so far from God.. where do I start?" Whether it be attitude, lifestyle, weaknesses, there comes a point where we walk across the room, develop friendships, find their story only to realise that they have some serious issues going on in their life.
When we encounter people like that, there is often a strong urge to want to "solve" their problems for them. We want to tell them what they 'need' to do, what areas in their life they need to fix and how they should fix them!
I'm not sure this is what Christ had in mind. Perhaps Just walking across the room is about pointing people in the right direction, not telling them how to fix their problems, but letting God do the transformation in their lives.
It matters less about the baggage they carry, and more about the destination, because the baggage will be dealt with on the journey.
On P88 and 89 of JWAR, Hybels states, "What was of utmost importance to Jesus was that irreligious people were willing for Him to make them holy. It didn't matter where they had been or what they had done.. But to Christ, what mattered more than where they came from was the direction in which they were headed"
A few examples came out of the campaign so far. Brian, the soccer coach, was told that his choices had led him to the place where he was, but Bill Hybels didn't tell him how to fix his problems. He just pointed him in the right direction, and let God do the work.
Another example is Bill's encounter with the couple in the restaurant. He wasn't prompted by the spirit to condemn their lifestyle, but simply pointed them in the right direction.
In a message called "People Matter", Dr John Maxwell makes a few points that help in this area:
1. The value that God has bestowed on people, is the standard by which we should value others.
2. What is the standard? “God loves me as I am, not as I would like to be, or as I appear to be, but just as I am.”
Because God loves us in this way, then we ought to love others just as they are and without judgment on where they're at. We then can point them in the right direction and let God make them holy.
3. People are important to God (and therefore important to us) because of who they can become.
Bill Hybels states the same point when he says "Jesus capitalised on the possibility in people - the hidden potential inherent in all of us"(p67). He goes on to say, "He [Jesus] had an uncanny ability to look past the obvious flaws in people's lives and envision who they could become if the power of God were released in their lives"
Chuck Swindoll summarises it nicely when he says, "Our job is not to clean the fish tank.. just to fish"
Our job is see people for who they can become, love them just as they are and point them towards the one who can transform their reality to God's potential.
When we encounter people like that, there is often a strong urge to want to "solve" their problems for them. We want to tell them what they 'need' to do, what areas in their life they need to fix and how they should fix them!
I'm not sure this is what Christ had in mind. Perhaps Just walking across the room is about pointing people in the right direction, not telling them how to fix their problems, but letting God do the transformation in their lives.
It matters less about the baggage they carry, and more about the destination, because the baggage will be dealt with on the journey.
On P88 and 89 of JWAR, Hybels states, "What was of utmost importance to Jesus was that irreligious people were willing for Him to make them holy. It didn't matter where they had been or what they had done.. But to Christ, what mattered more than where they came from was the direction in which they were headed"
A few examples came out of the campaign so far. Brian, the soccer coach, was told that his choices had led him to the place where he was, but Bill Hybels didn't tell him how to fix his problems. He just pointed him in the right direction, and let God do the work.
Another example is Bill's encounter with the couple in the restaurant. He wasn't prompted by the spirit to condemn their lifestyle, but simply pointed them in the right direction.
In a message called "People Matter", Dr John Maxwell makes a few points that help in this area:
1. The value that God has bestowed on people, is the standard by which we should value others.
2. What is the standard? “God loves me as I am, not as I would like to be, or as I appear to be, but just as I am.”
Because God loves us in this way, then we ought to love others just as they are and without judgment on where they're at. We then can point them in the right direction and let God make them holy.
3. People are important to God (and therefore important to us) because of who they can become.
Bill Hybels states the same point when he says "Jesus capitalised on the possibility in people - the hidden potential inherent in all of us"(p67). He goes on to say, "He [Jesus] had an uncanny ability to look past the obvious flaws in people's lives and envision who they could become if the power of God were released in their lives"
Chuck Swindoll summarises it nicely when he says, "Our job is not to clean the fish tank.. just to fish"
Our job is see people for who they can become, love them just as they are and point them towards the one who can transform their reality to God's potential.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Be afraid.. be very afraid
Last year, Bevan said to me, "It must be hard having an opinion on everything".
Now, he wasn't being sarcastic. He was genuine. People who are easy going seem to let many things slide, but others seem to be able to find a standpoint on everything, from how the grocery bags are packed at woolworths, to the colour of the serviettes in the church foyer.
There's no prize for guessing which category I fall into.
If ever there was an organisation where everyone has an opinion, it's got to be the church. We all have opinions, some stronger than others, on what time church starts, what songs are played, the outfit of the speaker, how long the service goes for etc etc. There are just so many things to analyse and critique. I know I'm putting myself out there.. but I know I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE!
I'm not blogging on this because I've heard things, or because I've been asked to. The following scripture was in my daily quiet time, and it's on my heart to share it.
In Numbers 12:1-16 Miriam felt uninhibited to share her opinions on Moses' conduct and leadership. Moses was the leader of the Israelites, of which she was a member.
She said to Moses, "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?.. Hasn't he also spoken through us?"
In other words, "Moses - do you think that God only speaks to you?? We hear from God too. You view isn't the only one that counts"
At this point, God came to Moses' defence. He said:
"He [Moses] is faithful in all my house.
With Him I speak face to face, clearly not in riddles;
He sees the form of the Lord
Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
For her lack of respect for Moses' position, and her lack of restraint in judging Moses' actions, Miriam was given a leprous disease for 7 days.
This story sends a very clear message.
In our church, we have leaders that God has appointed to lead us through journey God has set before us. Those leaders will not always do things the way we think it should be done. In fact, sometimes we think they are just plain wrong.
However, God is clear. Be extremely cautious, or just don't, speak out against the people that God has placed in positions of authority in our lives, particularly in our church.
Be sure to treat our leaders with the honour they deserve, and not to become complacent with the familiar. Don't fall into the trap of mentally elevating yourself where you think "God talks to me too - my view is just as important"
What it does mean is to show restraint? Life and death are in the of the tongue. Blessings dwell in the place of unity. The quickest way to destroy unity is to speak out against our leaders without restraint.
Our leaders spend much time in God's presence seeking guidance and wisdom on how to lead our church. However, when we speak without restraint, how many of us have first sought God for his wisdom and guidance on how to best approach our difference of opinion.
Does this mean we blindly follow without turning on our brains - NO!
God has given us guidelines on resolving disputes, in particular, going to the person you have a grievance with and talking about it with a spirit of conciliation and love.
So the next time there is an urge to share an opinion about the way things are done .. be afraid.. be very afraid.
Now, he wasn't being sarcastic. He was genuine. People who are easy going seem to let many things slide, but others seem to be able to find a standpoint on everything, from how the grocery bags are packed at woolworths, to the colour of the serviettes in the church foyer.
There's no prize for guessing which category I fall into.
If ever there was an organisation where everyone has an opinion, it's got to be the church. We all have opinions, some stronger than others, on what time church starts, what songs are played, the outfit of the speaker, how long the service goes for etc etc. There are just so many things to analyse and critique. I know I'm putting myself out there.. but I know I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE!
I'm not blogging on this because I've heard things, or because I've been asked to. The following scripture was in my daily quiet time, and it's on my heart to share it.
In Numbers 12:1-16 Miriam felt uninhibited to share her opinions on Moses' conduct and leadership. Moses was the leader of the Israelites, of which she was a member.
She said to Moses, "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?.. Hasn't he also spoken through us?"
In other words, "Moses - do you think that God only speaks to you?? We hear from God too. You view isn't the only one that counts"
At this point, God came to Moses' defence. He said:
"He [Moses] is faithful in all my house.
With Him I speak face to face, clearly not in riddles;
He sees the form of the Lord
Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
For her lack of respect for Moses' position, and her lack of restraint in judging Moses' actions, Miriam was given a leprous disease for 7 days.
This story sends a very clear message.
In our church, we have leaders that God has appointed to lead us through journey God has set before us. Those leaders will not always do things the way we think it should be done. In fact, sometimes we think they are just plain wrong.
However, God is clear. Be extremely cautious, or just don't, speak out against the people that God has placed in positions of authority in our lives, particularly in our church.
Be sure to treat our leaders with the honour they deserve, and not to become complacent with the familiar. Don't fall into the trap of mentally elevating yourself where you think "God talks to me too - my view is just as important"
What it does mean is to show restraint? Life and death are in the of the tongue. Blessings dwell in the place of unity. The quickest way to destroy unity is to speak out against our leaders without restraint.
Our leaders spend much time in God's presence seeking guidance and wisdom on how to lead our church. However, when we speak without restraint, how many of us have first sought God for his wisdom and guidance on how to best approach our difference of opinion.
Does this mean we blindly follow without turning on our brains - NO!
God has given us guidelines on resolving disputes, in particular, going to the person you have a grievance with and talking about it with a spirit of conciliation and love.
So the next time there is an urge to share an opinion about the way things are done .. be afraid.. be very afraid.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
I'm nothing like a pyramid scheme salesman
The most confronting paragraphs of Just Walk Across the Room, bar none, says this,
“A man once told me he never shares his faith with anyone.”.... “His answer shocked me. ‘I would never want to inflict the burden of God on anyone,’ he said.
‘Wow, that is not at all the God I know’, I thought. ..”
He also says, “I honestly believe that every wayward person I know would live a vastly better life if God’s love, grace, and redemption were operating in their lives.... DO YOU BELIEVE THIS TOO?”(p27)
I stopped reading right there. Do I believe this? Of course I believe this for my life. But do I believe this for others? If I do, then why don’t I feel comfortable sharing it with others? Why do I hold back?
Bill encourages us to ‘rewind our faith journey a little to the pre-christian days’ – and reflect on what that was like. However, for me, I accepted Christ into my life at 5.. So I don’t know a life apart from Christ that I can remember.
It’s difficult to share a testimony of ‘before and after’ when I can’t remember the ‘before’. It’s hard to describe the change they’ll experience, when my changes have always been post-Christ.
Then I thought about the people that are in my sphere of influence.. successful people who seemingly have life under control, are financially stable, happily married and life is good.
Do I believe that these people would be vastly better off in this life (leaving the next life for the moment) if they handed control of their lives over to God - the answer is Yes!
Do I believe I have the skills to convince them of that – the answer is No! That is probably the honest reason why I have held back from going into the ‘zone of the unknown’.
I believed that I would look and sound like a pyramid scheme salesman (eg amway or sandenbrook) - the type of ‘friendship marketing’ most people have experienced when a friend asks you for coffee, and you realise they just want to sign you up for the life-changing, money making, freedom giving network sales scheme. .. which can bring friendships to end, or make them very awkward from that point onwards.
However, then I read a paragraph that gave me a new perspective to my dilemma:
“Dr B (professor at Trinity College) said, ‘throughout the course of your life, you’re going to give your life to something. You will. All people do. They give their lives to pleasure or to possessions, to the attainment of popularity or to the acquisition of more power. But always to something”(p28)
I realised that no matter how successful, my friends were giving their life to something that would never satisfy them and would always leave them feeling wanting. I realised that, while they looked like life was good, I could never know the condition of their heart, the questions that remained unanswered, the deep desires that were never filled and the fact that they weren’t sure how to fill them.. but God knows. He knows where they’re at. That’s why I have to be obedient to His promptings – when and where He prompts me.
My part in this is to listen to Jesus when He says “Live as though you actually believe that your parent, your co-worker, and your neighbour would be better off if they knew my Father – if they were on the receiving end of his counsel, his wisdom and his guidance” (p29)
I always believed it, but I don’t think I lived it.
Living this way means I look at the people around me differently.
I start wondering whether they’re lonely, wondering whether they’re unfilled, wondering if they’re searching for something more... and living as though I actually believe that they would be better off knowing Christ.
I no longer assume they don’t want to talk about it - because I’m nothing like a pyramid scheme salesman .
Changing my perspective towards seemingly happy people is my first right step in being unleashed to just walk across the room.
“A man once told me he never shares his faith with anyone.”.... “His answer shocked me. ‘I would never want to inflict the burden of God on anyone,’ he said.
‘Wow, that is not at all the God I know’, I thought. ..”
He also says, “I honestly believe that every wayward person I know would live a vastly better life if God’s love, grace, and redemption were operating in their lives.... DO YOU BELIEVE THIS TOO?”(p27)
I stopped reading right there. Do I believe this? Of course I believe this for my life. But do I believe this for others? If I do, then why don’t I feel comfortable sharing it with others? Why do I hold back?
Bill encourages us to ‘rewind our faith journey a little to the pre-christian days’ – and reflect on what that was like. However, for me, I accepted Christ into my life at 5.. So I don’t know a life apart from Christ that I can remember.
It’s difficult to share a testimony of ‘before and after’ when I can’t remember the ‘before’. It’s hard to describe the change they’ll experience, when my changes have always been post-Christ.
Then I thought about the people that are in my sphere of influence.. successful people who seemingly have life under control, are financially stable, happily married and life is good.
Do I believe that these people would be vastly better off in this life (leaving the next life for the moment) if they handed control of their lives over to God - the answer is Yes!
Do I believe I have the skills to convince them of that – the answer is No! That is probably the honest reason why I have held back from going into the ‘zone of the unknown’.
I believed that I would look and sound like a pyramid scheme salesman (eg amway or sandenbrook) - the type of ‘friendship marketing’ most people have experienced when a friend asks you for coffee, and you realise they just want to sign you up for the life-changing, money making, freedom giving network sales scheme. .. which can bring friendships to end, or make them very awkward from that point onwards.
However, then I read a paragraph that gave me a new perspective to my dilemma:
“Dr B (professor at Trinity College) said, ‘throughout the course of your life, you’re going to give your life to something. You will. All people do. They give their lives to pleasure or to possessions, to the attainment of popularity or to the acquisition of more power. But always to something”(p28)
I realised that no matter how successful, my friends were giving their life to something that would never satisfy them and would always leave them feeling wanting. I realised that, while they looked like life was good, I could never know the condition of their heart, the questions that remained unanswered, the deep desires that were never filled and the fact that they weren’t sure how to fill them.. but God knows. He knows where they’re at. That’s why I have to be obedient to His promptings – when and where He prompts me.
My part in this is to listen to Jesus when He says “Live as though you actually believe that your parent, your co-worker, and your neighbour would be better off if they knew my Father – if they were on the receiving end of his counsel, his wisdom and his guidance” (p29)
I always believed it, but I don’t think I lived it.
Living this way means I look at the people around me differently.
I start wondering whether they’re lonely, wondering whether they’re unfilled, wondering if they’re searching for something more... and living as though I actually believe that they would be better off knowing Christ.
I no longer assume they don’t want to talk about it - because I’m nothing like a pyramid scheme salesman .
Changing my perspective towards seemingly happy people is my first right step in being unleashed to just walk across the room.
Friday, February 6, 2009
You can't have one without the other
On Wednesday night, Ps Andrew shared his concept of 'Unleashed!', and gave us a range of examples of people who were unleashed including Jesus, Moses and Gideon.
While he was sharing this, it struck me that unleashing cannot occur without change.
There must be change in some form to have true unleashing this year.
This change may occur in the one or more of the following areas:
* Change of thoughts
* Change of perspective
* Change of actions
* Change of opportunities
* Change of restrictions (whether self-imposed or external)
* Change of circumstances
For some, change is effortless. For others, change is extremely difficult and just plain scary!
I thought I'd look into change a bit more, and found these interesting insights into change.
It the book, “Managing personal change”, the statement is made:
“Change is like a rock thrown into a pond. It ripples through your life causing disruption, excitement, distress, and sometimes crisis. Your usual ways of doing things and your plans for the future can come into question. In place of clarity, change brings uncertainty and transition. This disruption is not only in your mind. It can affect you physically and even make you ill. It can also affect your emotions, especially your feelings about yourself.”
Herodotus from the fifth century says, "Disease always attacks people when they are exposed to change"
When we start changing our actions, our thoughts or our perspectives, there may be temporary feelings of uncertainty and anxiety and even frustration while we transition. Similarly, when we are presented with new opportunities that we step into, there may be feelings of insecurity, inadequacy and fear.
I think we need to be realistic about the impact that being unleashed will have on our lives. Allowing God to unleash us is absolutely the best thing we can do this year! But we also have to be cognisant of the "ripples" that this big rock will create when thrown into our lives - so that we can, with God's help, manage the ripples.
To manage the ripples, we should:
1. Spend regular time with God. We need to recalibrate our purpose, direction and steps with God's plans for our lives. (See my blog on this here). This will give us certainty on God's work in our lives in times of change.
2. We need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Look after our bodies physically by eating properly and exercise. This will help reduce the risk of disease because we're giving our body the nutrients and oxygen it needs.
3. Get plenty of rest. When you are tired, your immune system finds it harder to resist disease AND you are so much more vulnerable to an attack from the devil. When you are tired, you are more likely to compromise, feel like giving up, or have a stinking attitude to the great work God is doing in your life.
4. Have regular connection. Proverbs says "2 are better than 1, because if one falls down, the other can pick him up". Establish strong friendships with people where you can spur each other on to push through the transition" That's why small groups and growth groups are vital to our journey of being unleashed this year!
God is in the business of change. The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.
While he was sharing this, it struck me that unleashing cannot occur without change.
There must be change in some form to have true unleashing this year.
This change may occur in the one or more of the following areas:
* Change of thoughts
* Change of perspective
* Change of actions
* Change of opportunities
* Change of restrictions (whether self-imposed or external)
* Change of circumstances
For some, change is effortless. For others, change is extremely difficult and just plain scary!
I thought I'd look into change a bit more, and found these interesting insights into change.
It the book, “Managing personal change”, the statement is made:
“Change is like a rock thrown into a pond. It ripples through your life causing disruption, excitement, distress, and sometimes crisis. Your usual ways of doing things and your plans for the future can come into question. In place of clarity, change brings uncertainty and transition. This disruption is not only in your mind. It can affect you physically and even make you ill. It can also affect your emotions, especially your feelings about yourself.”
Herodotus from the fifth century says, "Disease always attacks people when they are exposed to change"
When we start changing our actions, our thoughts or our perspectives, there may be temporary feelings of uncertainty and anxiety and even frustration while we transition. Similarly, when we are presented with new opportunities that we step into, there may be feelings of insecurity, inadequacy and fear.
I think we need to be realistic about the impact that being unleashed will have on our lives. Allowing God to unleash us is absolutely the best thing we can do this year! But we also have to be cognisant of the "ripples" that this big rock will create when thrown into our lives - so that we can, with God's help, manage the ripples.
To manage the ripples, we should:
1. Spend regular time with God. We need to recalibrate our purpose, direction and steps with God's plans for our lives. (See my blog on this here). This will give us certainty on God's work in our lives in times of change.
2. We need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Look after our bodies physically by eating properly and exercise. This will help reduce the risk of disease because we're giving our body the nutrients and oxygen it needs.
3. Get plenty of rest. When you are tired, your immune system finds it harder to resist disease AND you are so much more vulnerable to an attack from the devil. When you are tired, you are more likely to compromise, feel like giving up, or have a stinking attitude to the great work God is doing in your life.
4. Have regular connection. Proverbs says "2 are better than 1, because if one falls down, the other can pick him up". Establish strong friendships with people where you can spur each other on to push through the transition" That's why small groups and growth groups are vital to our journey of being unleashed this year!
God is in the business of change. The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
We are living in Exponential Times
This youtube clip is mind-boggling! Make sure you watch it all the way to the end.
Credit to Mark Beeson's blog, as I saw this clip on his blog.
This just raises so many thoughts in my head on how unfathomable is God's power, knowledge and wisdom (compared to human intelligence); and How awesome that He knows each of us by name and has numbered the hairs on our head!
It also makes my creative side start firing with ideas of new ways to reach, new methods of connection, and new workshop ideas on technology so people don't feel left behind.
Perhaps we could all follow Ps Andrew and Ps Jill on twitter? Perhaps we could start loading our messages on podcasts or vodcasts? Perhaps we could all become fans of Westlife on Facebook? Perhaps we could have our own program that fires out a devotion each day by email/blog that ties in with the relevant theme (eg Just walk across the room)..!
I realise all of this takes time and money, but I believe there are Westlifers out there that would relish the opportunity to serve in this area. We also then create opportunities to serve in non-traditional areas and keep our technology savvy generation 'tucked-in'
Finally, I think about the new igeneration (see an article here on this new generation class) who do not remember life without the internet. How can we best position them for an unleashed future!
Growing up, I spent many hours on my father's computer, and have enjoyed the benefits personally and professionally - over and over and over. With proper supervision, I let Bailey and Reuben have computer time because nothing beats exposure to technology to improve skills and knowledge in this area.
Credit to Mark Beeson's blog, as I saw this clip on his blog.
This just raises so many thoughts in my head on how unfathomable is God's power, knowledge and wisdom (compared to human intelligence); and How awesome that He knows each of us by name and has numbered the hairs on our head!
It also makes my creative side start firing with ideas of new ways to reach, new methods of connection, and new workshop ideas on technology so people don't feel left behind.
Perhaps we could all follow Ps Andrew and Ps Jill on twitter? Perhaps we could start loading our messages on podcasts or vodcasts? Perhaps we could all become fans of Westlife on Facebook? Perhaps we could have our own program that fires out a devotion each day by email/blog that ties in with the relevant theme (eg Just walk across the room)..!
I realise all of this takes time and money, but I believe there are Westlifers out there that would relish the opportunity to serve in this area. We also then create opportunities to serve in non-traditional areas and keep our technology savvy generation 'tucked-in'
Finally, I think about the new igeneration (see an article here on this new generation class) who do not remember life without the internet. How can we best position them for an unleashed future!
Growing up, I spent many hours on my father's computer, and have enjoyed the benefits personally and professionally - over and over and over. With proper supervision, I let Bailey and Reuben have computer time because nothing beats exposure to technology to improve skills and knowledge in this area.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Align your perspective of wealth with the Bible – Perspectives 3 and 4
3. Money will NOT bring me contentment and peace.
“Things will be better when.. “ Do you find yourself thinking that?
This is the statement of someone who is not content.
"When I finish school, when I get to retire, when I pay off my mortgage, when I get that payrise.."
This is another example of the lie that says you need just a little more.. Be content where you are
Contentment is independent of external circumstances. (Thayer Definition)
Easton says Contentment is "A state of mind in which one's desires are confined to his lot whatever it may be (1Ti_6:6; 2Co_9:8). It is opposed to envy (Jam_3:16), avarice (Heb_13:5), ambition (Pro_13:10), anxiety (Mat_6:25, Mat_6:34), and repining (1Co_10:10). It arises from the inward disposition, and is the offspring of humility"
Quickest way to rob your contentment is spend your time looking at what others have, or reading those junk mail catalogues in the mail.
A lack of contentment leads to irresponsible spending.
Here is what Ecc says:
Ecc 4:4 "Then I saw that all painful effort in labor and all skill in work comes from man's rivalry with his neighbor. This is also vanity, a vain striving after the wind and a feeding on it."
The global credit crisis that we’re facing at the moment started with US financiers lending amounts that were more than people could repay.. to fund a lifestyle that those people couldn’t afford.
It doesn’t matter how often you have the latest of everything, or keep up with the jones’.. the temporary feeling of elation does not last. If your self esteem if fuelled by finances or the latest gadgets, you are on a path of poverty.
Paul learned to be content. Php 4:11 "Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am."
He who dies with the most toys doesn’t win! He who invests most in the Kingdom of God wins.
4. Money is NOT just for me
Our view can become that having wealth is an end it itself.. that is, that having wealth is the goal. No! Having wealth is a means to an end..
The money isn’t just for us.. We are blessed to be a blessing.
Yesterday, the Courier Mail reported on the new Igeneration, coming in after generation Y.. and one of the predictions was that the Igeneration will be less accepting of religion. Friends, we need to get chaplains in our school...not just working part time on a minimum salary. We need to invest in youth programs, and children's outreach!
Mat 9:37 "So he said to his disciples, "The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in. 38 Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest."
We need to send out workers in our schools, in our communities.
Another example of money not just being for us is in Matthew 25:35 “I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, 36 I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.'..."40 Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me.'"
There is on obligation on us to feed the hungry.. there is a charge on us to look after the disadvantaged.
God doesn’t want to just give to you.. He wants to give through you – so we can change the world!
“Things will be better when.. “ Do you find yourself thinking that?
This is the statement of someone who is not content.
"When I finish school, when I get to retire, when I pay off my mortgage, when I get that payrise.."
This is another example of the lie that says you need just a little more.. Be content where you are
Contentment is independent of external circumstances. (Thayer Definition)
Easton says Contentment is "A state of mind in which one's desires are confined to his lot whatever it may be (1Ti_6:6; 2Co_9:8). It is opposed to envy (Jam_3:16), avarice (Heb_13:5), ambition (Pro_13:10), anxiety (Mat_6:25, Mat_6:34), and repining (1Co_10:10). It arises from the inward disposition, and is the offspring of humility"
Quickest way to rob your contentment is spend your time looking at what others have, or reading those junk mail catalogues in the mail.
A lack of contentment leads to irresponsible spending.
Here is what Ecc says:
Ecc 4:4 "Then I saw that all painful effort in labor and all skill in work comes from man's rivalry with his neighbor. This is also vanity, a vain striving after the wind and a feeding on it."
The global credit crisis that we’re facing at the moment started with US financiers lending amounts that were more than people could repay.. to fund a lifestyle that those people couldn’t afford.
It doesn’t matter how often you have the latest of everything, or keep up with the jones’.. the temporary feeling of elation does not last. If your self esteem if fuelled by finances or the latest gadgets, you are on a path of poverty.
Paul learned to be content. Php 4:11 "Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am."
He who dies with the most toys doesn’t win! He who invests most in the Kingdom of God wins.
4. Money is NOT just for me
Our view can become that having wealth is an end it itself.. that is, that having wealth is the goal. No! Having wealth is a means to an end..
The money isn’t just for us.. We are blessed to be a blessing.
Yesterday, the Courier Mail reported on the new Igeneration, coming in after generation Y.. and one of the predictions was that the Igeneration will be less accepting of religion. Friends, we need to get chaplains in our school...not just working part time on a minimum salary. We need to invest in youth programs, and children's outreach!
Mat 9:37 "So he said to his disciples, "The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in. 38 Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest."
We need to send out workers in our schools, in our communities.
Another example of money not just being for us is in Matthew 25:35 “I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, 36 I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.'..."40 Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me.'"
There is on obligation on us to feed the hungry.. there is a charge on us to look after the disadvantaged.
God doesn’t want to just give to you.. He wants to give through you – so we can change the world!
Free Software - a Microsoft Office alternative
If you're looking for a free alternative to Microsoft Office (because you're cleaning out your well!) why not have a look at Open Office (http://www.openoffice.org/).
Personally I found this to be a very reasonable alternative.
Personally I found this to be a very reasonable alternative.
Align your perspective of wealth with the Bible – Perspectives 1 and 2
It is so important that, while managing money well and positioning ourselves for increase, we have the right perspectives on wealth. Here are a couple to think about.
1. Money is NOT my passion
Let’s be clear – God wants you to be prosperous, but not for that to be your focus. He wants to be the apple of your eye, the object of your efforts, the first place in your heart – then he adds the wealth to you.
Ecc 5:10 "If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. It is useless". The bible tells us to seek first the Kingdom, then all these things will be added unto you.
If our passion is money accumulation, then we can run the risk of paying a much higher price for our wealth than we intended... in stress, in poor health, in sacrificing relationships because we are never home.
Prov 23:4 "Do not wear yourself out getting rich. Be smart enough to stop"
2 Money is NOT my security
Pastor Elwin from New Hope Hawaii says "In many respects, we seem to rely on money to determine our sense of value, to define our level of success, to measure the extent of our happiness. It's money that we turn to in order to find comfort and security, albeit a false sense of security. And as the economy goes, so goes our finances and our degree of contentment. Everything that affects us, our emotions, our happiness, our sense of satisfaction, it seems, rises and falls on the condition of our finances."
The challenge is - How much is enough? One of the greatest lies we buy into is that we will reach a point when we have enough and therefore, feel secure about our financial future. So we keep aspiring for that elusive point... of JUST A LITTLE MORE
Gerry Harvey still fears going broke, and he has $1.6bn in wealth. It doesn’t matter how much you have – you will not feel financially secure in money. God must be your financial security. Money is not secure..
Bible says "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . . "(Matthew 6:19–20 NKJV).
Haven’t we seen that lately – wealth disappearing like the wind.
Don't let money be your security, or your passion - only God.
1. Money is NOT my passion
Let’s be clear – God wants you to be prosperous, but not for that to be your focus. He wants to be the apple of your eye, the object of your efforts, the first place in your heart – then he adds the wealth to you.
Ecc 5:10 "If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. It is useless". The bible tells us to seek first the Kingdom, then all these things will be added unto you.
If our passion is money accumulation, then we can run the risk of paying a much higher price for our wealth than we intended... in stress, in poor health, in sacrificing relationships because we are never home.
Prov 23:4 "Do not wear yourself out getting rich. Be smart enough to stop"
2 Money is NOT my security
Pastor Elwin from New Hope Hawaii says "In many respects, we seem to rely on money to determine our sense of value, to define our level of success, to measure the extent of our happiness. It's money that we turn to in order to find comfort and security, albeit a false sense of security. And as the economy goes, so goes our finances and our degree of contentment. Everything that affects us, our emotions, our happiness, our sense of satisfaction, it seems, rises and falls on the condition of our finances."
The challenge is - How much is enough? One of the greatest lies we buy into is that we will reach a point when we have enough and therefore, feel secure about our financial future. So we keep aspiring for that elusive point... of JUST A LITTLE MORE
Gerry Harvey still fears going broke, and he has $1.6bn in wealth. It doesn’t matter how much you have – you will not feel financially secure in money. God must be your financial security. Money is not secure..
Bible says "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . . "(Matthew 6:19–20 NKJV).
Haven’t we seen that lately – wealth disappearing like the wind.
Don't let money be your security, or your passion - only God.
Stop the blockage to being Blessed!
Gen 26:12 "Isaac planted crops in that land and took in a huge harvest. GOD blessed him. 13 The man got richer and richer by the day until he was very wealthy. 14 He accumulated flocks and herds and many, many servants, so much so that the Philistines began to envy him. 15 They got back at him by throwing dirt and debris into all the wells that his father's servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham, clogging up all the wells."
Commentators say that these wells were used to water their flock.
In other words, the water from the wells sustained their wealth – a bit like our income today. We need to water our mortgage, water our electricity bill.. water our school fees..
Some of you don’t have to worry about the enemy clogging up your wells, because you’re doing a great job on your own. Some of you are heaping dirt into your own wells and stopping the flow of blessing in your life.
1st example – Tax Returns
Mar 12:17 "And Jesus said unto them, Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s. And they marveled greatly at him."
The bible is clear – honestly pay your taxes.. even if you think you pay too much tax, don’t we all, be honest.
2nd example – Petty Theft. Tit 2:9 “Guide slaves into being loyal workers, a bonus to their masters--no back talk, 10 no petty thievery. Then their good character will shine through their actions, adding luster to the teaching of our Savior God. “
Petty thievery may include stationery, time goofing off on the net, etc etc. It’s petty – yes.. so don’t do it. Live a life pleasing to God, and be a good PR in your workplace
3rd example – Piracy and Copyright There’s another kind of theft that I used to struggle with a lot. I know I’m going to sound like a dvd intro, but you wouldn’t steal a car, but we all know that piracy and copyright infringements are theft. It’s stealing..
How can we expect God to bless the hands of our work when we are stealing from the hands of others.
I can talk about this because 4 years ago – I cleaned out my well. I was the queen of copied music, illegal software and photocopied books. Napster and bearshare were my source of all music and while I knew I probably shouldn’t do this, we had no money so I justified it.
Pro 6:30 “Hunger is no excuse for a thief to steal”;
Increasingly I felt more and more guilty about this stuff, and so when we moved into our house in Springfield Lakes, I had a ceremonial destruction day.. anything that I hadn’t legitimately purchased was either snapped, deleted (including out of the recycle bin) or torn up. I cleaned my house of any tainted property.
Ephesians 4:28 “the thief must steal no more, but rather toil to earn a living with his own hands, so he may have something to give the person in need.”
Integrity is what you do when no one will find out.
Within 4 years of my ‘cleaning out the well’, there was a significant increase in our income – could have only been God.
Deu 28:1 “ If you listen obediently to the Voice of GOD, your God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, GOD, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world.
Deu 28:2 All these blessings will come down on you ..
Deu 28:4 GOD's blessing on your children, the crops of your land, the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds, the lambs of your flocks.
Deu 28:6 GOD's blessing in your coming in, GOD's blessing in your going out.
Deu 28:8 GOD will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; he'll bless you in the land that GOD, your God, is giving you.
Perry noble wrote yesterday on his blog – partial obedience = total disobedience. Clean out your well.
Commentators say that these wells were used to water their flock.
In other words, the water from the wells sustained their wealth – a bit like our income today. We need to water our mortgage, water our electricity bill.. water our school fees..
Some of you don’t have to worry about the enemy clogging up your wells, because you’re doing a great job on your own. Some of you are heaping dirt into your own wells and stopping the flow of blessing in your life.
1st example – Tax Returns
Mar 12:17 "And Jesus said unto them, Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s. And they marveled greatly at him."
The bible is clear – honestly pay your taxes.. even if you think you pay too much tax, don’t we all, be honest.
2nd example – Petty Theft. Tit 2:9 “Guide slaves into being loyal workers, a bonus to their masters--no back talk, 10 no petty thievery. Then their good character will shine through their actions, adding luster to the teaching of our Savior God. “
Petty thievery may include stationery, time goofing off on the net, etc etc. It’s petty – yes.. so don’t do it. Live a life pleasing to God, and be a good PR in your workplace
3rd example – Piracy and Copyright There’s another kind of theft that I used to struggle with a lot. I know I’m going to sound like a dvd intro, but you wouldn’t steal a car, but we all know that piracy and copyright infringements are theft. It’s stealing..
How can we expect God to bless the hands of our work when we are stealing from the hands of others.
I can talk about this because 4 years ago – I cleaned out my well. I was the queen of copied music, illegal software and photocopied books. Napster and bearshare were my source of all music and while I knew I probably shouldn’t do this, we had no money so I justified it.
Pro 6:30 “Hunger is no excuse for a thief to steal”;
Increasingly I felt more and more guilty about this stuff, and so when we moved into our house in Springfield Lakes, I had a ceremonial destruction day.. anything that I hadn’t legitimately purchased was either snapped, deleted (including out of the recycle bin) or torn up. I cleaned my house of any tainted property.
Ephesians 4:28 “the thief must steal no more, but rather toil to earn a living with his own hands, so he may have something to give the person in need.”
Integrity is what you do when no one will find out.
Within 4 years of my ‘cleaning out the well’, there was a significant increase in our income – could have only been God.
Deu 28:1 “ If you listen obediently to the Voice of GOD, your God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, GOD, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world.
Deu 28:2 All these blessings will come down on you ..
Deu 28:4 GOD's blessing on your children, the crops of your land, the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds, the lambs of your flocks.
Deu 28:6 GOD's blessing in your coming in, GOD's blessing in your going out.
Deu 28:8 GOD will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; he'll bless you in the land that GOD, your God, is giving you.
Perry noble wrote yesterday on his blog – partial obedience = total disobedience. Clean out your well.
Positioned for increased income - at Church
B. In your church:
This post is, from my personal experience, an absolute must when positioning yourself for increase.
Take a look (Prov 3:9-10) Honor the Lord from your wealth, And from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
It’s an action, then a consequence.. Do this.. so you will get that.
One commentator says this,
“Many people give God their leftovers. If they can afford to donate anything after the bills are paid, they do so. These people may be sincere and contribute willingly, but they are not obeying what God says. God wants the first part of our income. This demonstrates that God, not possessions, has first place in our life and that our resources belong to him (we are only managers). Giving to God helps us conquer greed, helps us properly manage God's resources, and opens us up to receive God's special blessings.”
How do we put God first, or give Him the first fruits? Let’s look at another organisation that puts themself first with our income.. the tax department. They know what you’re like. If they asked you to pay your tax at the end of every pay week, they’d have no chance of collecting it. They take out their portion first to ensure it gets paid (before you spend it on other stuff)!
That’s the view I take when giving God my first fruits. Every 2nd Saturday, after our pays go in, an automatic direct debit goes from my account to the storehouse – so that the first fruits of my labour are my honour gift to God.. I can’t forget it.. I can’t overlook it.. No excuses.. it happens..
There’s my action... and I’m glad to do it! Because what’s the consequence – SO THAT MY BARNS WILL BE FULL!
Positioning yourself for increase means being obedient to the spiritual principles of giving into the storehouse.
Some people says – God if you’d give me more money, then I’d give you some money. But look at Luke – You give, and then it will be given back to you.
Luk 6:38 "give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again."
Generosity breeds Blessing.. The more generous, the more you’re blessed. However, there is a qualification here..
How would you feel if someone came up to you with a present and said ‘here you go.. merry christmas’.. dumped a present in your lap, huffed and walked out. You almost would think – why bother?
Same goes with us - 2Co 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
We position ourselves for increase when we cheerfully, not out of obligation, Honour God with the first fruits of our labour
Important question: Should we keep tithing in a recession?
My answer is without doubt yes! If I stop giving, will God stop giving back? Why would the laws of sowing and reaping change .. is God part of our recession? No! God’s ways are higher than our ways – His thoughts are higher than our thoughts..
He can make a way where there seems to be nothing but barrenness.. just look up and you will see.
This post is, from my personal experience, an absolute must when positioning yourself for increase.
Take a look (Prov 3:9-10) Honor the Lord from your wealth, And from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
It’s an action, then a consequence.. Do this.. so you will get that.
One commentator says this,
“Many people give God their leftovers. If they can afford to donate anything after the bills are paid, they do so. These people may be sincere and contribute willingly, but they are not obeying what God says. God wants the first part of our income. This demonstrates that God, not possessions, has first place in our life and that our resources belong to him (we are only managers). Giving to God helps us conquer greed, helps us properly manage God's resources, and opens us up to receive God's special blessings.”
How do we put God first, or give Him the first fruits? Let’s look at another organisation that puts themself first with our income.. the tax department. They know what you’re like. If they asked you to pay your tax at the end of every pay week, they’d have no chance of collecting it. They take out their portion first to ensure it gets paid (before you spend it on other stuff)!
That’s the view I take when giving God my first fruits. Every 2nd Saturday, after our pays go in, an automatic direct debit goes from my account to the storehouse – so that the first fruits of my labour are my honour gift to God.. I can’t forget it.. I can’t overlook it.. No excuses.. it happens..
There’s my action... and I’m glad to do it! Because what’s the consequence – SO THAT MY BARNS WILL BE FULL!
Positioning yourself for increase means being obedient to the spiritual principles of giving into the storehouse.
Some people says – God if you’d give me more money, then I’d give you some money. But look at Luke – You give, and then it will be given back to you.
Luk 6:38 "give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again."
Generosity breeds Blessing.. The more generous, the more you’re blessed. However, there is a qualification here..
How would you feel if someone came up to you with a present and said ‘here you go.. merry christmas’.. dumped a present in your lap, huffed and walked out. You almost would think – why bother?
Same goes with us - 2Co 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
We position ourselves for increase when we cheerfully, not out of obligation, Honour God with the first fruits of our labour
Important question: Should we keep tithing in a recession?
My answer is without doubt yes! If I stop giving, will God stop giving back? Why would the laws of sowing and reaping change .. is God part of our recession? No! God’s ways are higher than our ways – His thoughts are higher than our thoughts..
He can make a way where there seems to be nothing but barrenness.. just look up and you will see.
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