I've been considering today the ideas of forgiveness and community and gossip.
Forgiving our enemies.
What is required of us in community?
Gossip.
I think it all comes down to choices.
To choose to treat the people who do us wrong with kindness. Sometimes to pursue them with kindness when they don't deserve it. Forgiving our enemies is about not seeking revenge but Jesus goes further and tells us to love them.
I've been reading the book Abba's Child, by Brennan Manning, and one of the passages stuck out to me today where he is talking about when Christ said God sends rain on the wicked and the righteous. God blesses those who curse him and those who love him. He cares for his children, but he also extends goodness to those who reject him out of hope that they will repent and also come to him.
God's working this out in me right now toward someone I know who has done truly despicable things. I am beginning to see this person less through judgemental eyes, and more through eyes of compassion. That God would heal this person if they would turn in humility. That God's heart is for this and so mine needs to start lining up with that. Am I wiser than God? Not so much.
So I choose kindness. Not condoning. Not failing to speak truth. But speaking it in compassionate love. God is God and I am not.
The community thing is still percolating in my heart. But a lot of it has to do with not trying to be someone else's Jesus. Not allowing someone to be mine. There is only 1 Christ and he is not currently on earth. So no matter whether I stand or fall, no matter if someone who leads me stands or falls, I follow Christ. My faith is not dependent on the behavior of my fellow humans who are my brothers and sisters and need Jesus as much as I do.
Which leads me back to part 1. If someone in my community offends me, my part is to pray for them. To love them. To treat them with kindness no matter what their behavior is.
And to tie it all up in a bow, God gave me this today in relation to an opportunity I had today to gossip. Satan is a slimy snake and we are not ignorant of his schemes.
Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. Prov 17:9
I choose love. Not perfectly, but walking with Jesus hopefully, more consistently.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
This Year
As I listened to my friend talk about that day in February tonight, my own memories came back. This year has been a chart of highs and lows and not much level in between.
This is what it has been:
The horrific drive back to the hospital. Being alone in the car behind the van crying out to God with all my soul for this not to be. For my friend to have her child back.
Having to photograph a wedding the very next day for two other friends.
Stuffing my heart into a box so I could function.
Driving to the beach to try and take my heart out of the box.
The memorial service.
The joy and sorrow of grieving with people who love Jesus more than themselves.
The difficulties of discipleship and learning- sometimes the hardest way- how to love well and that leading is another word for getting to go last and serving humbly.
Baptizing 4 of my friends this year.
Ruby accepting Christ.
Kiersten accepting Christ.
Hannah accepting Christ.
My friend who has stretched me further than I've gone before, but is so worth the stretching. The joy in her face is worth it all. Jesus. Amen.
Realizing where my path is turning for next year. The fear and the exhilaration of that.
Miami.
The same friends whose wedding I photographed the day after Adora's passing, now facing breast cancer.
The day to day turning of time with it's laughs and irritations and mundane-ness.
Turning 35 and realizing again the finality of the decision to not have children.
Nicaragua.
Emily.
And now we have 2.5 months till the end of 2013 and I wonder what next. I do feel like this battle that has been this year is not done. It scares me and I want to hide in my room under the covers from the monsters that life has thrown at me this year.
But what Melissa said tonight is true. The darkest valleys exist so Christ can shine brightest and so we can learn deeply what it means to be loved in the middle of it all by our Shepherd.
Jesus I want to love you more than anything. More than I'm afraid of life's lows, or excited by the highs. I want you to be my level ground that I stand on through all of it as we move forward to forever.
My Shepherd. Lead on.
This is what it has been:
The horrific drive back to the hospital. Being alone in the car behind the van crying out to God with all my soul for this not to be. For my friend to have her child back.
Having to photograph a wedding the very next day for two other friends.
Stuffing my heart into a box so I could function.
Driving to the beach to try and take my heart out of the box.
The memorial service.
The joy and sorrow of grieving with people who love Jesus more than themselves.
The difficulties of discipleship and learning- sometimes the hardest way- how to love well and that leading is another word for getting to go last and serving humbly.
Baptizing 4 of my friends this year.
Ruby accepting Christ.
Kiersten accepting Christ.
Hannah accepting Christ.
My friend who has stretched me further than I've gone before, but is so worth the stretching. The joy in her face is worth it all. Jesus. Amen.
Realizing where my path is turning for next year. The fear and the exhilaration of that.
Miami.
The same friends whose wedding I photographed the day after Adora's passing, now facing breast cancer.
The day to day turning of time with it's laughs and irritations and mundane-ness.
Turning 35 and realizing again the finality of the decision to not have children.
Nicaragua.
Emily.
And now we have 2.5 months till the end of 2013 and I wonder what next. I do feel like this battle that has been this year is not done. It scares me and I want to hide in my room under the covers from the monsters that life has thrown at me this year.
But what Melissa said tonight is true. The darkest valleys exist so Christ can shine brightest and so we can learn deeply what it means to be loved in the middle of it all by our Shepherd.
Jesus I want to love you more than anything. More than I'm afraid of life's lows, or excited by the highs. I want you to be my level ground that I stand on through all of it as we move forward to forever.
My Shepherd. Lead on.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Sheep talk week 1 notes
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
The picture of Christ as a Shepherd, and us as sheep is one of the most frequent word pictures of our relationship with God. It's used in the OT and the NT. Now most of us don't wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and say to ourselves...dang I look white and wooly today. The idea of shepherds and sheep is really far removed from us. So let's break down our identity according to Christ down. But first, let's pray.
The Lord is my shepherd. Before anything else, any of the promises in this psalm this is the starting point.
What is a shepherd? A shepherd is a man or woman who cares for, feeds, leads to water and protects the flock of sheep under his care.
What are sheep? Sheep are white, wooly creatures. They are known for certain kinds of behaviors.
1. timid, fearful, easily panicked, gullible
2. easily influenced by a leader
3. stampede easily, vulnerable to mob psychology
4. little or no means of self-defense; can only run
5. easily killed by enemies
6. jealous, competitive for dominance
7. constantly need fresh water, fresh pasture
8. have very little discernment in choosing food or water
9. perverse, stubborn - will insist on their own way , even eating poisonous
plants or drinking dirty water
10. easily "cast" - flipped over on their back, unable to right themselves
will die of starvation if not turned over by shepherd; helpless
11. frequently look for easy places to rest
12. creatures of habit; get into "ruts"
13. need the most care of all livestock
14. need to be "on the move"; need a pre-determined plan, pattern of grazing
When one sheep moves, the rest will follow, even if it is not a good idea. The flocking and following instinct of sheep is so strong that it caused the death of 400 sheep in 2006 in eastern Turkey. The sheep plunged to their death after one of the sheep tried to cross a 15-meter deep ravine, and the rest of the flock followed.
A shepherd usually carries a staff or a stick or a rod to help him lead and correct the flock. One end of it is for disciplining the rowdy ones in the bunch. The other end helps him to rescue sheep who are stuck in precarious places.
A stick has many uses. It’s a support for walking over rough terrain...... a means of catching ewes and lambs around the neck or legs, and a defense weapon against flock predators.
http://woolshed1.blogspot.com/2008/08/shepherds-crook-brief-history.html
A shepherds job is to provide what the flock needs. The flock may want to eat poison weeds. The flock may want to wander off the edge of a cliff. The flock may think that hanging out next to a wolf's den is a great idea. It's not the shepherd's job to cater to what the flock wants. The shepherd's job is to provide what they need by taking them to nutritious food. Clean water. Safe pasture. and to defend them from predators.
So the vital important first thing in this passage is the very first phrase. The Lord is my shepherd.
Without a shepherd the flock will wander, eat poison, fall, get lost, starve, be preyed on. In order for them to be safe they have to have a shepherd. And they have to follow him.
Erwin McManus says that some people want God to be like a GPS. Hey God, let me punch in where I want to go, and you get me there. Instead of allowing him to set the course, they want to control the course and just get there by the quickest, most easy route.
That's not what the verse says. The verse doesn't say the Lord is my GPS. Or the Lord is my Google Maps. Or the Lord is my concierge. It says the Lord is my shepherd. Therefore.
I am a sheep.
Lets go back to that list of character qualities of sheep.
I am a sheep. I need a shepherd. Before any of the rest of this. Before the lacking nothing, before the rest and pasture. I need a shepherd. I need to follow him. Because he knows how to get me where I need to go. Not where I want to go. Where I need to go. If we treat God as a GPS and we want to tell him where we are going, then as a sheep with these character qualities I am going to possibly choose poisoned food. Treacherous paths. Places where wolves may gather. Do we want to be delivered safely and quickly to destruction? Or do we want to let someone set the course who knows what he is doing? We need a shepherd.
Q 1. Are you treating God as your Leader, Lord and Shepherd, or are you treating him like a GPS in your life?
Woooohooo! So we got allll of that out of The Lord is my shepherd. Are you guys ready for the next part?
I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
I lack nothing.(NIV) I shall not want. (KJV) I have all that I need (NLT)
Erwin McManus also says this about Psalm 23 want: false promise between this and wealth. People connect those two things immediately. Well, lacking nothing means that I'll get money, health, romance, toys, homes, cars. But what is the verse right before it? The Lord is my shepherd. Erwin says, the provision of God comes when we step into the mission of God. Lacking nothing definitely does not mean no problems because 4 verses in we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
What these verses are saying here is this. When you follow God there will be refreshing for your soul. Life will not always be easy breezy and beautiful, but God will bring you to oasis of peace if you follow him. No matter what valley or desert you are in, you can trust your shepherd to lead you well. You will lack nothing. He will care for you in the middle of the storm.
Storming is also a constant story theme in the Bible and I want to talk about Jesus as a Shepherd in a storm situation. Let's look at Mark 6.
Mark 6
46 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
So this story is the second time that he's with the disciples in a storm. The first time he's in the boat with them. The storm comes. He is sleeping. They are absolutely terrified. He calms the storm and then tells them they have little faith.
Right before this second storm, Christ had just fed 5000 people from a lunchbox. He showed off a little, providing a pasture and a still place for his disciples and his flock.
And then Jesus was really intentional about sending them ahead in a boat into a storm. By themselves. And here they are in the same situation again. Christ gives them a new opportunity to trust him. He is a patient Shepherd. Sometimes he is intentional about sending us into storms. Not so He can change the circumstances of our lives, but so he can use the circumstances to change us.
The disciples had now seen him calm a storm once, and feed thousands miraculously, and what does the scripture say they do when they see him? They scream like girls.
Matthew has a little more detail about what happened next. In this extended story Peter says hey Jesus, if it's you tell me to come. Jesus says come and holds out his hand and Peter does great. He looks at Jesus and he's frolicing across an ocean in a storm. And then he looks at the storm instead of his Shepherd. He is a distracted sheep. And he sinks. And Christ pulls him up, gets in the boat and the storm dies.
Our Shepherd is a Prince of Peace, my friends. He leads us to still waters. Even in storms. Sometimes He wants to calm our storm and sometimes He wants us to walk with Him in the middle of it. Either way. He will bring us peace if we follow him.
So we are sheep. We can choose to be lost sheep wandering around on our own. Or we can choose to follow Christ and allow him to choose our paths. To calm our storms. To be Lord of our lives and Prince of our Peace.
What does this look like practically.
There is the initial choice for Christ. If you have not chosen a personal relationship with Christ, fully surrendered to him, repented of your sin and accepted his sacrifice on the cross as your righteousness in exchange for your sin, you are a lost sheep.
Jesus loves lost sheep. Look with me at Luke 15
Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Jesus is seeking you. If you have not given your life to Christ he is seeking you and all you have to do is confess your need for him and ask him to be the lord of your life.
Step 1.
Step 2:
If you are a sheep of Jesus' practically speaking this is what you do. Obey him. Following is boiled down to this concept. Obey your shepherd.
Gal 5:
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Q2. Is Jesus your Shepherd? If He is your Shepherd where do you need to obey your Shepherd this week? How can you turn away from acts of the flesh and walk in the Spirit?
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
The picture of Christ as a Shepherd, and us as sheep is one of the most frequent word pictures of our relationship with God. It's used in the OT and the NT. Now most of us don't wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and say to ourselves...dang I look white and wooly today. The idea of shepherds and sheep is really far removed from us. So let's break down our identity according to Christ down. But first, let's pray.
The Lord is my shepherd. Before anything else, any of the promises in this psalm this is the starting point.
What is a shepherd? A shepherd is a man or woman who cares for, feeds, leads to water and protects the flock of sheep under his care.
What are sheep? Sheep are white, wooly creatures. They are known for certain kinds of behaviors.
1. timid, fearful, easily panicked, gullible
2. easily influenced by a leader
3. stampede easily, vulnerable to mob psychology
4. little or no means of self-defense; can only run
5. easily killed by enemies
6. jealous, competitive for dominance
7. constantly need fresh water, fresh pasture
8. have very little discernment in choosing food or water
9. perverse, stubborn - will insist on their own way , even eating poisonous
plants or drinking dirty water
10. easily "cast" - flipped over on their back, unable to right themselves
will die of starvation if not turned over by shepherd; helpless
11. frequently look for easy places to rest
12. creatures of habit; get into "ruts"
13. need the most care of all livestock
14. need to be "on the move"; need a pre-determined plan, pattern of grazing
When one sheep moves, the rest will follow, even if it is not a good idea. The flocking and following instinct of sheep is so strong that it caused the death of 400 sheep in 2006 in eastern Turkey. The sheep plunged to their death after one of the sheep tried to cross a 15-meter deep ravine, and the rest of the flock followed.
A shepherd usually carries a staff or a stick or a rod to help him lead and correct the flock. One end of it is for disciplining the rowdy ones in the bunch. The other end helps him to rescue sheep who are stuck in precarious places.
A stick has many uses. It’s a support for walking over rough terrain...... a means of catching ewes and lambs around the neck or legs, and a defense weapon against flock predators.
http://woolshed1.blogspot.com/2008/08/shepherds-crook-brief-history.html
A shepherds job is to provide what the flock needs. The flock may want to eat poison weeds. The flock may want to wander off the edge of a cliff. The flock may think that hanging out next to a wolf's den is a great idea. It's not the shepherd's job to cater to what the flock wants. The shepherd's job is to provide what they need by taking them to nutritious food. Clean water. Safe pasture. and to defend them from predators.
So the vital important first thing in this passage is the very first phrase. The Lord is my shepherd.
Without a shepherd the flock will wander, eat poison, fall, get lost, starve, be preyed on. In order for them to be safe they have to have a shepherd. And they have to follow him.
Erwin McManus says that some people want God to be like a GPS. Hey God, let me punch in where I want to go, and you get me there. Instead of allowing him to set the course, they want to control the course and just get there by the quickest, most easy route.
That's not what the verse says. The verse doesn't say the Lord is my GPS. Or the Lord is my Google Maps. Or the Lord is my concierge. It says the Lord is my shepherd. Therefore.
I am a sheep.
Lets go back to that list of character qualities of sheep.
I am a sheep. I need a shepherd. Before any of the rest of this. Before the lacking nothing, before the rest and pasture. I need a shepherd. I need to follow him. Because he knows how to get me where I need to go. Not where I want to go. Where I need to go. If we treat God as a GPS and we want to tell him where we are going, then as a sheep with these character qualities I am going to possibly choose poisoned food. Treacherous paths. Places where wolves may gather. Do we want to be delivered safely and quickly to destruction? Or do we want to let someone set the course who knows what he is doing? We need a shepherd.
Q 1. Are you treating God as your Leader, Lord and Shepherd, or are you treating him like a GPS in your life?
Woooohooo! So we got allll of that out of The Lord is my shepherd. Are you guys ready for the next part?
I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
I lack nothing.(NIV) I shall not want. (KJV) I have all that I need (NLT)
Erwin McManus also says this about Psalm 23 want: false promise between this and wealth. People connect those two things immediately. Well, lacking nothing means that I'll get money, health, romance, toys, homes, cars. But what is the verse right before it? The Lord is my shepherd. Erwin says, the provision of God comes when we step into the mission of God. Lacking nothing definitely does not mean no problems because 4 verses in we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
What these verses are saying here is this. When you follow God there will be refreshing for your soul. Life will not always be easy breezy and beautiful, but God will bring you to oasis of peace if you follow him. No matter what valley or desert you are in, you can trust your shepherd to lead you well. You will lack nothing. He will care for you in the middle of the storm.
Storming is also a constant story theme in the Bible and I want to talk about Jesus as a Shepherd in a storm situation. Let's look at Mark 6.
Mark 6
46 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
So this story is the second time that he's with the disciples in a storm. The first time he's in the boat with them. The storm comes. He is sleeping. They are absolutely terrified. He calms the storm and then tells them they have little faith.
Right before this second storm, Christ had just fed 5000 people from a lunchbox. He showed off a little, providing a pasture and a still place for his disciples and his flock.
And then Jesus was really intentional about sending them ahead in a boat into a storm. By themselves. And here they are in the same situation again. Christ gives them a new opportunity to trust him. He is a patient Shepherd. Sometimes he is intentional about sending us into storms. Not so He can change the circumstances of our lives, but so he can use the circumstances to change us.
The disciples had now seen him calm a storm once, and feed thousands miraculously, and what does the scripture say they do when they see him? They scream like girls.
Matthew has a little more detail about what happened next. In this extended story Peter says hey Jesus, if it's you tell me to come. Jesus says come and holds out his hand and Peter does great. He looks at Jesus and he's frolicing across an ocean in a storm. And then he looks at the storm instead of his Shepherd. He is a distracted sheep. And he sinks. And Christ pulls him up, gets in the boat and the storm dies.
Our Shepherd is a Prince of Peace, my friends. He leads us to still waters. Even in storms. Sometimes He wants to calm our storm and sometimes He wants us to walk with Him in the middle of it. Either way. He will bring us peace if we follow him.
So we are sheep. We can choose to be lost sheep wandering around on our own. Or we can choose to follow Christ and allow him to choose our paths. To calm our storms. To be Lord of our lives and Prince of our Peace.
What does this look like practically.
There is the initial choice for Christ. If you have not chosen a personal relationship with Christ, fully surrendered to him, repented of your sin and accepted his sacrifice on the cross as your righteousness in exchange for your sin, you are a lost sheep.
Jesus loves lost sheep. Look with me at Luke 15
Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Jesus is seeking you. If you have not given your life to Christ he is seeking you and all you have to do is confess your need for him and ask him to be the lord of your life.
Step 1.
Step 2:
If you are a sheep of Jesus' practically speaking this is what you do. Obey him. Following is boiled down to this concept. Obey your shepherd.
Gal 5:
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Q2. Is Jesus your Shepherd? If He is your Shepherd where do you need to obey your Shepherd this week? How can you turn away from acts of the flesh and walk in the Spirit?
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Wisdom and Grace
Awhile ago I drew a picture of an iceburg. Mostly because God was pretty clear about something. I see a situation. I see just the top of the iceburg. And because thats all I can see I think I know it all. But there's a ton of stuff underneath it that I have no clue about. I have much to learn.
I've had 2 iceburg situations in the last week. And my desperate cry to God has been show me, teach me, lead me here because I don't see it all.
I need wisdom and grace.
Amen.
I've had 2 iceburg situations in the last week. And my desperate cry to God has been show me, teach me, lead me here because I don't see it all.
I need wisdom and grace.
Amen.
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