Those Who Have Gone Before Us

In John 16 and verse 33, Jesus gives us a promise.

He says, "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

If we read the whole chapter we see that Jesus is telling them that He will leave soon, that He is returning to the Father. He talks about the work of the Holy Spirit. He tells them they will be scattered. (When He is crucified.)

In every season that I will be discussing in this series there is some kind of "trouble."

In the wilderness we come face to face with our doubts. We question whether God is still present? And yes, we wonder if He even exists.

But, if we walk in the wilderness with even a mustard seed sized faith, even in the face of these questions, we will trust that God is present.

Sometimes it means reminding ourselves of what He has done before. Reminding ourselves that we serve a good and beautiful God who loves us dearly and sent His Son to die for us.

So yes, of course, He is always present in the desert.

Even if He is sometimes silently working in the background on a plan that we do not yet understand.

We have heard of the Israelites in the desert. How many of them perished because of their unfaithfulness to God.

We have heard of Aaron and Moses, being led into the wilderness by God.

We have heard of John the Baptist who lived and ministered in the wilderness.

And we know that Jesus spent His fair amount of time in the wilderness. Whether it be due to the Spirit prompting Him or Him seeking shelter or even being baptized.

Many have gone before us through the wilderness.

There may be days when the only comfort we have is knowing that Jesus promises He would never leave or forsake us. Believing against the circumstances surrounding us that God is still at work in our lives, even when we do not see Him center stage.

Blessings.

A Good Place to Live

Finding a place where we belong can be truly challenging.

 

For the past few weeks my husband and I have been “church shopping.” Meaning, we’re visiting various churches in our area to find one right for us. One where the spirit of the community mirrors our own. This is the first time in my adult life that I’ve ever been on such a venture. Let me tell you, it’s got me thinking.

 

With each chapter of our lives there seems to come a new season. Here in Asheville, NC we are sort of experts at seasons. Just a few weeks ago I’m pretty sure we got a taste of all four within 7 days. No joke.

 

For a very long time I felt myself in a spiritual wilderness and I couldn’t understand why. I spent time with God. Whispering, listening, weeping and at times, even yelling. At the beginning of this month we made what for us was a huge life change.

 

We left our home church.

 

I had been at this church since I was saved. (Almost 9 years.) My husband had been there since we met and had equally fallen in love with the people and the spirit of God’s love which seemed to emanate from the place. But times and circumstance can change a place. They can even change people. Circumstances and people, often affect the spirit of any given place.

 

That’s what happened at this particular church. It became everything we never thought it would. Everything about American Church which causes people to turn from Christ and despise the Church at large. So we left, and it was the best decision we have ever made.

 

In the past weeks I have realized why it had to become unbearable for us to stay. God wanted us elsewhere. There is a whole different kind of ministry I never imagined outside those four walls. Ministry that really matters.

 

Please, don’t hear what I’m not saying. I believe in the Church. I LOVE the Bride of Christ. But the Church is not, and never will be contained within four walls. The Ekklesia (Greek for Church) is the people. It is the community of believers.

 

Sometimes God turns the luscious farmland around us to wilderness so that He can let us know it is time to move on to a new place. A good place to live which He has prepared and we must trust Him to lead us to.

 

 

From Organization to Organism

About a month ago I met with my mentor for coffee. We had recently gone through some big changes at the church I was attending at the time (and had been a member of for over 8 years) which had caused us to go from a small, unconventional congregation to a big, conservative mass. 

Just so we are clear, folks, I am not conservative. 

My mentor, for whom I hold the utmost respect, cautioned me that day concerning the way I speak. He said that I may need to be careful concerning what I said and with whom I said it to. At first I did not think anything of it. After all, I know sometimes I get in touch with my inner sailor and some not so choice words come out that may offend some. Also, in spite of my education, I am still twenty something and my age tends to show when I speak. 

As the days started to pass something began to bother me. Before you jump the gun, no it was not my mentor, or anything he had said. It was an observation I have made in the past. 

Often times, we "not so conservative" are asked to bite our tongues (especially women) and walk on eggshells so we do no "offend" our conservative brother. 

Pause for a second. 

Now, I am all about not being a stumbling block for other believers, so yes sometimes I sensor myself out of respect and a touch of wisdom. However, I get the feeling we take this out of proportion sometimes. I feel that we use this teaching to justify putting others in a corner to bully so we can feel better about our own shortcomings. 

Such as "No, you can't talk about your views on (fill in the subject) because it might hurt my feelings. Cause let's be honest, I haven't taken the time to research, study and determine what Scripture and the heart of God really say on the subject anyway. I'm just restating what others have told me to say because it "sounds" Christian."

Really? 

I realized soon after that meeting, and I had been slowly coming to the realization for months: as a Christian, and especially as a woman who feels called to ministry, I cannot and will not be effective if I am hiding while I minister. 

The best pastors, speakers, teachers, etc. that I have heard have been transparent. Anytime we as ministers try to live a life of hiding, someday what we've been hiding comes to light. Trust me, it's better to be real up front, than apologize for the skeletons in your closet later on. 

With all of this stirring in my spirit, and after confirming with my husband, we decided it was time to leave our home church. 

In the most recent days I've realized something else: We have taken the beautiful, powerful, organic gospel and made it into an advertisement from which we can make a profit. 

Lord, forgive us for when we lose sight of what is truly important and set our hearts on worldly gain. 

My dear friends, it is high time that the organization that we have made the church (singular, "a church building") be torn down and that we be brought back to our roots. The Church (universal), has to wake up and recognize that it is not about how much money we can make at the next fundraiser. It is about breaking down the outdated idea of church being a building, and realizing that the Church is the people. All the time. Not just on Sunday morning. 

It's time for the organism to come back. For us to realize, it's not about things, it's about people. 

I love you all. You have value. I pray grace, mercy and peace over each of you.