Battling with the Strength of the Lord in the Elah Valley

As the rain poured down outside, we sat in the bus and looked out over the Elah Valley.  To the left, the hill that was occupied by the Philistines. 

Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah.  Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.  The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. 1 SAMUEL 17:1-3




To the right, the place where Saul and the Israelites would have assembled. And though now dry, the remains of a riverbed with smooth stones.

David, the youngest son of Jesse from Bethlehem,  a shepherd boy, had been anointed to be king of Israel by Samuel,

and from that day the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul and a harmful Spirit of the Lord tormented him.  1 SAMUEL 16:13-14

For Saul to be leading this battle knowing that the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him must have been particularly difficult. 

For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. 1 SAMUEL 17:16

Trying to lead in our own strength can be so defeating, feeling like we are battling a Giant Philistine, but not getting anywhere. In contrast, the young shepherd, David, who was engaging this giant Philistine with the Spirit of the Lord, and all the experience of protecting his flock, was able to easily defeat the Giant. 

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.  1 SAMUEL 17:45; 47-50

This image of the Giant taking his stand for forty days is powerful! When we're trying and trying, expending a lot of effort with no movement or results, could it be that we're operating without the power of the Lord? 

In these days, the Lord has already poured out his Spirit - the wisdom and strength of the Lord is accessible. Paul writes:
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. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  EPHESIANS 6:12-18

My prayer is that, like David, you and I have a similar display of humble confidence in these times.  And, that we pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers ad requests SO THAT we will fearlessly make know the mystery of the Gospel. 

What battle are your fighting for which we can pray with you? 

A Reflection on The Priestly Blessing

Photo Credit: Peter Meier

The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

The LORD bless you and keep you;
 the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you:
 the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."  NUMBERS 6:22-27

While visiting the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, one exhibit contains two small silver scrolls with this verse written in Hebrew. It is believed to come from the 7th century BC and is the earliest occurrence of a Biblical text in an extra-Biblical document found to date. 

It is the oldest extra-Biblical reference to YHWH, 

the God of Israel. 

I am imagining Moses speaking these words to Aaron and his sons for the first time as the Tabernacle is ready to be dedicated...  and my mind is recalling the words that YHWH spoke to Abraham so many years before: 

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth

    will be blessed through you.”  GENESIS 12:1-3

Abram was 75 years old and childless when the Lord spoke these words to him. Abram's response of faith resulted in the birth of Isaac and the nation of Israelites to whom this blessing would be spoken. 

I wonder if, in that moment, Moses would have experienced the magnitude of YHWH's faithfulness... to Abram... to Isaac...  to Jacob... that resulted in the first people to receive this blessing, spoken from the LORD?

Imagine your family, and their families, and their families... The Lord's love extends for eternity. 

My people, hear my teaching;
    listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.
He decreed statutes for Jacob
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,
    and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget his deeds
    but would keep his commands. PSALM 78:1-7

In what ways has YHWH, the LORD, been speaking to you?  

What steps of faithfulness may YHWH be inviting you to take today, in this season of your life?

What faithful response might you offer today, that may result in many people generations from now knowing the LORD and also being able to receive this blessing?  

Even when I am old and gray,
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.

Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
    you who have done great things.
    Who is like you, God?  PSALM 71:18-19

Wake Up and Be Awesome!

Wake up and be awesome!

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.  JAMES 4:17

Just do the right thing!  I used to say to my kids:
"If you knew is was wrong, why did you do it?"
To this question, there was never a satisfactory answer.

Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
by those who make peace.  JAMES 3:18

How often are we tempted to want our own way and do what we need to do in order to get it.  We see it in toddlers, who whine and cry and sometimes throw tantrums in order to get their own way.  We see it in adults who manipulate, cheat or bully in order to get their own way.  Neither of these scenarios are pleasant to experience and certainly don't promote peace.   

We have an expectation for what we want, or how we want something to be, and will do whatever it takes to be fulfilled.  When focusing on ourselves, and only our desires, it is almost impossible to focus on the good for all concerned.  

We live in a battle every day...  a battle between good and evil, between our desires and God's desires.  In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul calls us to wake up and be awesome every day!

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.  ROMANS 12:2

If we want to wake up and be awesome, 

we choose to be wise, do good, to care for all around us, 

and seek the LORD's wisdom to guide our day:

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.  JAMES 4:17

When we take in the Word of God every day, 

it becomes easier to wake up and be awesome!

That It May Be Well With You

Hearing the voice of the LORD is one thing;
obeying the voice of the LORD is another.  

I've been reading Jeremiah and there is a clear message that the Lord is speaking and the people aren't listening.  He's longing for them to listen.  

The LORD isn't a tyrant of a master, He is a caring shepherd and loving Father who always desires the best for his children.  He wants people to have healthy relationships, meaningful work, abundance in provision, healthy bodies, and to care about their communities and the people in them.  

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat met.  For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices.  But this is what I commanded them, saying 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people.  And walk in all the ways I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.'  JEREMIAH 7:21-23

When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he replied:

“The most important one is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  MARK 12:29-31

It was the same command that the LORD had give to the Israelites as they were entering the promised land:

These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. 

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. DEUTERONOMY 6:1-9

The LORD knows that we have temptations and distractions all around. 

He calls us back to focus on His good things, SO THAT it may be well with us. 

Take time to listen, and obey, so that it may be well with you!

Abundant Resources

When we think we don't have sufficient resources to do what God is calling us to do, we can be courageous and look to Jesus as our example.

First, Jesus notices... 

he always notices what's happening.  

Jesus beckons us to notice
and to have compassion.

... Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.  JOHN 6:1-6

One of the disciples responded with and excuse...

Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

How often do we respond in the same way?  Jesus notices and speaks, we hear and fail to notice, or find excuses to not have compassion enough to act.  We think we don't have the resources, when in fact, God has all the resources we need!  We may not have them in our hand, and yet, when we take a look around, there they are!

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

The resources are all around us.
When we take what may seem like a meager amount to Jesus,
he has the ability to bless and multiply them into enough!

Do we fail to look or take those meager provisions to Jesus because we don't really believe he can multiply them?  Jesus never panics, he never worries, and he is never in a hurry.  

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

Jesus orchestrates the distribution of food

with complete confidence that there will be enough

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

It is only after the crowds see the miracle that they truly believe Jesus is the Prophet, the promised Messiah, who was to come into the world. By choosing to not notice and act upon what Jesus may be prompting for us, we are prohibiting those watching from the blessing of seeing evidence that Jesus truly is the promised one of God. 

After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Jesus notices.
He has compassion.
He asks his followers to seek a solution.

My friends at FiveTwo say it this way:  The five thousand plus were fed by five loaves and two fish belonging to one of the five thousand plus.  The disciples were blind to the resources in front of them and blind to Jesus’ power to multiply them.  

Jesus notices.
He has compassion.
He asks his followers to seek a solution.
And... everything the we need to serve the community is already in the community.  It just needs to be brought to Jesus for blessing. 

I challenge you to notice what may be all around you, not only what you have in your hand!

I Confer on You a Kingdom

Maundy Thursday.
The night of the Last Supper.
Don't miss the point!

Jesus and his disciples share the Passover Meal together.  In recent days, Jesus has been talking about his death more frequently and I can just imagine the disciples confusion over the dinner conversation.  

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. LUKE 22:17-20

Bread and Wine, Jesus body and blood.  He's been trying to help them understand, but this is really beyond their realm of experience and understanding.  This Holy One of God, so good, so kind, so wise...  How could what he is saying be true?

Then in what seems like the same breath, Jesus makes the statement that someone at the table will be the one to betray him.  The disciples begin to question themselves, wondering who it might be...

Then, in the next moment, they are arguing about who among them is the greatest!

Tonight, I'm trying to put myself in the midst of the scene.  I've been traveling with Jesus, he's been talking about these things, yet they are really beyond my full comprehension.  The evening moves from a sacred meal, to an accusation, to confusion, to quarreling, and then...

The Savior of the World picked up a towel and demonstrated his love for his disciples by washing their feet. Jesus words and actions speak wisdom and truth!

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:3-5 

But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. LUKE 22:26-27 

Maundy, shortened form of the Latin, mandatum 

(from which we get the English word, mandate).  

In the Upper Room, on the night he was betrayed, 

THIS is the mandate:

Serve one another, as I have served you.

Love one another, even as I have loved you.

And then Jesus says:

And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. LUKE 22:29-30 

Jesus Spoke the Word, 

Showed the Word, 

Taught the Word, and 

Served those in front of Him.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  JOHN 1:14

Jesus conferred on them a Kingdom of love.  

He brought this kingdom to their feet.  

He humbled himself and lovingly served.  

We can think of this night and remember betrayal, a night of agony as Jesus prays.  Don't miss the point...  Jesus has conferred on those who love Him a Kingdom of Love.  Jesus clearly says, it's not about power and position, it's about love.

Be humble, serve people in love, and give them heaven!

Rights, Privileges, and Responsibilities

Graduation is an end and a beginning, that special moment when one holds all the preparation of the degree in their hands with the anticipation of how it will be utilized. 

It is much the same 

with the gift of faith from God!

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-21

When a person graduates and receives an educational degree, 

the President of the University confers upon the graduates 

"all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities appertaining thereunto."  

In receiving that degree, the reality is that the graduate has almost no new rights nor privileges; however they do have a new status and with that the associated responsibilities that have been conferred.  At this moment of transfer, they are now challenged to live up to all the potential for which the degree has prepared them.

It is much the same when we receive the gift of faith.  

In the world around us we don’t have new rights or privileges; however, we do have a new status with God and the rights and privileges associated with the Kingdom of Heaven.  In the realm of the world, the person of faith doesn't have any new rights or privileges, but what she does have is the invitation and challenge of living up to the responsibilities of a person who is reconciled to God.  

God has called you and me to help others become reconciled to God also.

Paul implores us on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be son for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  

"Righteousness” is defined as “one who lives in accord with divine law.”  As we pray the Lord's Prayer, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven," we can recognize that it is the Lord who has entrusted us demonstrate God's mercy and grace in this world and communicate the Good News of salvation through Jesus' redeeming work on the cross.   

So, enjoy your new status and exercise your new responsibilities well!

Saturating Grace

And the day begins! 

My eyes opened in the darkness.
The sky had a hint of pink hue bordering the horizon...
I wait with the camera ready!

The sun rising over the vastness of the ocean, its light bringing forth a new day, 

gives me a picture of God's love entering the darkness of a broken and hurting world. 

Just like the light of the sun that shines on all creation, 

the Lord is not selective about where his love can reach, it is available for all.

Each day, faithful, without hesitation, the sun rises.
It's light expands to fill every space it touches.

The reflection like a pathway, inviting and showing the way.

Come to me, all you who labor ad are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

MATTHEW 11:28

I Am - David Crowder

There's no space that His love can't reach

There's no place where we can't' find peace

There's no end to amazing grace

Take me in with Your arms spread wide

Take me in like an orphan child

Never let go

Never leave my side

I am

Holding on to You

I am

Holding on to You

In the middle of the storm

I am holding on 

I am 

Love like this

Oh my God to find

I am overwhelmed

With a joy divine

Love like this sets our hearts on fire

This is my resurrection song

This is my halleluiah come

This is why it's to You I run

There's no space that His love can't reach

There's no place where we can't find peace

There's no end to amazing grace

Forgive them... Is this my prayer?

Forgive them...  

Stephen, full of faith, respond like Jesus.

I'm reading the book of Acts and noticed something that I had not caught before.  Stephen was a man chosen to serve from the multitudes of disciples.  He is described as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit who did great wonders and signs among the people.  

Some disputed with him; it is said: "And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke."  He gave testimony to the work of God and spoke truth.  

The Stoning of Stephen
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.  

ACTS 7:54-60

 They cast him out of the city and stoned him...Stephen responded with:

“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” 

Stephen, a man full of faith, is persecuted and stoned to death and his response is to advocate and intercede for his perpetrators!   On the cross, Jesus set the example - Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.  

As I am walking out a life of faith, is this my prayer?

Lord, do not hold this sin against them..."  

For this to be Stephen's response, He needed to see the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand.  Jesus, the perfect and sinless one, who was also persecuted and put to death, the one who took on the sin of the world is now in the glory of God.  Stephen, knowing he had received the forgiveness that Jesus won on the cross, was now asking that for his perpetrators. 

Freely you have received; freely give.MATTHEW 10:8

While Grace is free to the recipient, it is costly to the giver.  My prayer is, like Stephen, to be so focused on God's grace and glory, knowing that I have freely received, be able to freely give, without hesitation.  

Faith and Love

Love is something that flows from one being to another.  It is expressed from the one communicating love and received by the one for whom it is intended.  Others who witness love can't help being positively impacted by its allure.   

Love draws us in.

Love is always for our good.

Love always builds up and never tears down.

Love can't be manufactured - it either exists or it doesn't. 

In this second week of Advent, focusing on Faith and Love, I was traveling behind a vehicle that was decorated with two bumper stickers: 

My first thought was that we can coexist without loving or understanding one another, with a posture of tolerance, rather than love.    

We can believe in love, and not be loving.  

We can believe in peace, without being peacemakers.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.  1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8a

Jesus embodies love and peace, bringing them into the world. 

God is love.  1 John 4:16

In the same way, God calls his people to be loving.  

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  1 JOHN :7-12

  

The journey of Advent points us to Jesus, who entered this broken world to bring love and peace.  More than merely coexisting, or believing in love and peace, Jesus invites us to love others as ourselves because of the love we've received from God.  And, having experienced the reconciling nature of God, God calls us to be peacemakers. 

Love always enters in for the good of another!

People throughout the world are hurting in a variety of ways -  lonely, hungry, displaced, brokenhearted, desperate, angry... the list is long.  Imagine what love does in each of these situations...  Love says "you are not alone and I won't abandon you.  I'll share what I have and we'll figure this out together."  Love never says "it's someone else's problem."  

Through faith, the kind of redeeming love and peace

necessary to heal the strife in this world is possible.

Shifting Gears- Outreach into Mission

Photo by brownpau

In recent months, I've been in the midst of clergy from a variety of Christian denominations.  Many are serving waning congregations, experiencing frustration, and being drawn into a rediscovery of mission.  While challenging, these are exciting times as we experience God's movement right before us!  

A SHIFT is happening...

I've been a Christ follower since the mid-1980's.  During my time in the church, outreach has been the mission focus of the local church, and mission was done by specially trained personnel who went to foreign fields and was funded by members of the local church.  Outreach was close and Mission was far away.  

The United States is now the 3rd largest mission field in the world.   

OUTREACH is shifting into MISSION

OUTREACH tends to take a congregation-centric approach, where mission expansion is limited to a geographic region around the congregation.   Generally, the congregation’s leaders determine the ministries and areas of focus and recruit congregation members to support and participate in them.  The way most church-goers have been trained for outreach is generally limited to assisting in church-sponsored programs and in inviting people to the church to be discipled by the pastor and certain trained leaders at the church location. 

MISSION tends to take a deployed-missionary approach.  Missionaries have a sense of being sent to help a certain group of people know Jesus.  Before a missionary is sent off to foreign lands, they receive training, develop a network of support, and are prepared to disciple the people that they are serving in the location of the people.  

A Missionary thinks differently,
instead of thinking how does s/he get people
to come and join what s/he's doing,
s/he considers how to join others in what they're doing
and look for opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus.   

In order to approach domestic outreach
in the same way as foreign mission,
two major shifts are necessary

Shifting where activity is focused

preparing everyday missionaries

to join people where they are.

Shifting the responsibility for discipling

equipping and resourcing everyday missionaries to walk 

a journey of discipleship with the people that they are serving.  

WHEN a normal part of the conversation becomes about encouraging God's people to consider whom God is calling them to serve and disciple, the focus for where people spend their time will begin to shift.  

WHEN we celebrate the sending of a domestic missionary, our focus shifts from a sense of loss in the local congregation, to a sense of gain for the Kingdom.  

WHEN we see the local congregation as a hub, a center for worship and a center of discipling, equipping and deployment, the congregation's FOOTPRINT shifts into a
 REACH, and the kingdom begins to expand with renewed vigor!

Glimpses of God

For the last two weeks I've set up camp and pondered these two verses:

And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.

And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.  MARK 4:33-34


Jesus, God himself, knew the enormity of God's Kingdom.  Following Jesus through the Gospels, we find him sharing glimpses of this Kingdom in what he said and did...

• He healed the sick, raised the dead, restored sight, hearing, and physical infirmities... 
• He spoke forgiveness... 
• He taught about living in such a way that relationships with God, self, others, and creation are always honored... 

As Jesus journeyed through life, he shared illustrations and stories that gave people glimpses of God and His kingdom... 

A kingdom where love reigns!
A kingdom where relationships are never compromised!
A kingdom that has more beauty and abundance than humankind can fully imagine!

Journeying through life,
there is evidence of God's Kingdom all around!  

"The kingdom of God is like…”
 - a man who sowed good seed in his field.  Matthew 13:24    (it’ is good)

 - a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field  Matthew 13:31 
   (it starts small and grows)

 - yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of yeast until it worked all through the dough  Matthew 13:33 (a little bit can make a big difference)

 - treasure hidden in a field  Matthew 13:44 (it is very important and should be protected)

 - a merchant looking for fine pearls  Matthew 13:45 (it is precious and worth a great price) 

 - a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish  Matthew 13:47 (it is filled with variety and produces in abundance)

 - the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old  Matthew 13:52  (everything has value) 

 - a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants  Matthew 18:23  (it is filled with integrity)

 - a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard  Matthew 20:1  (there is lot of work to be done)

 - a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son  Matthew 22:2  (in it there is joyful celebration) 

Jesus is providing small glimpses
of what a life with God is like.  

He's inviting you in...

Do you see it?

Does it make you wonder? 

Come in, 

sit down with Jesus, 

let His Word,
 and the people who follow Him,
explain what he means!