Ugh.  Every pastor/speaker knows the feeling.  You’re excited about your message, you have in your heart what you want to say.  Then you share it . . . and it just doesn’t come out right — not the way you hoped, anyway.  And, you keep going over and over and over in your head things you MEANT to say, but didn’t, all the good points you wanted to make, but forgot..  Well, I’ve been feeling so strongly about what I DIDN’T say in my message Sunday morning that I just wanted to follow up and clarify.  Actually, I’ve been inspired by another pastor (of a large, growing, vibrant church, by the way) who has dedicated his WHOLE blog to having a release valve for all those post-sermon thoughts and feelings (see Dave Workman’s blog here). 

So, my message was, “The Hidden Power of a Rejoicing Heart”.  Truthfully, it should have been probably like, a four-part series. . . I always bite off way more than I can chew with my messages.  It’s hard though, when you only speak once a month… you get inspired by the Holy Spirit, and feel like you have to “cram it all in”.  This is the challenge of sharing from the Word:  there is so much that the Lord can say, but there is just a short window of time (and attention span).  I don’t like looong sermons.  But, more often than I like, I speak too long (I can when I’ve run the length of my audiences attention span – it’s written on their faces:)).  So, I know I went too long, but I was more frustrated with the feeling that I didn’t even say it well, even though I took many minutes trying!!  Argh!  Blame it on too much (good) information, or lack of solid preparation — I’ll take blame for both.  Let me summarize some of what I WISH I would have said clearly, and I’ll feel much better . . . and hopefully it will stir your heart as well.  

It’s God’s design for us that we all enter into the ecstatic joy of our Father today and every day!!

We are not meant to live a burdened, weighed down life.  The burdens we do have, we release to the Lord!  Our main “burden” in life, is to be yoked to Jesus and learn of Him!  Our great privilege in this life is to make knowing Jesus and walking with Him our main concern.

There are cares and worries in this life, but they are all temporary.  The God we are joined to is forever GOOD, happy, and IN LOVE WITH US, and He doesn’t change! 

This is the reward that cannot be stolen from us, it is the one thing that nothing can change – a rejoicing heart – strength at all times, unquenchable by the enemy or any circumstance, because it’s based on God and who HE IS, and HE NEVER CHANGES!!! 

That’s what I wanted to say!  If I would have said that and nothing else, it would have been good. 

I Peter 1:3-9

Praise Be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us birth into a NEW and LIVING HOPE . . . which can never spoil or fade….. 6  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith . . may be proved genuine . . .Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

thank you, Peter, you say it way better than I ever could! 

I’m on a role with three-letter acronym titles (FYI, VOM, now IJM).  

I feel kinda bad about this…. my last post was all about persecution and human rights violations, plus I’ve got another page totally dedicated to the nations, yet, in all of this, I haven’t mentioned the International Justice Mission (IJM) once. 

This all hit me yesterday as I was talking with Sam Young after church, and he mentioned reading my blog regularly (thanks, Sam! ).  . . . How does all that connect, you ask?  Well, Sam WORKS for IJM today, and in my early years as a youth leader, he was one of the best student leaders — and now a young man who I greatly esteem.  Not only that, last month, there was a huge initiative at Michigan State University called the “Price of Life” that partnered with IJM to expose the campus to the reality of human trafficking — an initiative that I helped (in a small way) sponsor!  It was talking to Sam, about IJM, the initiative, and a passing reference to my blog, that made it hit me:  why haven’t I said anything about IJM?!?! 

What is IJM? 
I could hardly do them justice, but I will try.  You will be best served to go to their website and see for yourself.  Thier mission, from the website: 
IJM exists to protect people from violent forms of injustice by securing rescue and restoration for victims and accountability for perpetrators, ensuring that public justice systems work for the poor.

I would describe it like this (in my VERY limited knowledge of them).  IJM is a non-profit social justice organization, working all over the world to free people from unjustices and human rights violations.  They work with different national and international governments to bring criminals to just and bring an end to crimes that are many-times ignored in third-world regions (one of the biggest problems: child sex slavery).  The things they see and the stories they tell will 1.) turn your stomach  2.) make you wish you never heard them  3.) motivate you to do SOMETHING to change the situation.  I can tell you, I have had all three reactions . . . and still do. 

IJM is an amazing organization.  They’ve only been around 10 years, but have gained a huge amount of respect, money, and power because what they are doing is honest, excellent in every way, and willing to take lots of (very necessary) risks.  Sad to say (but true), one of the most impressive things about IJM, is that although they are a faith-based organization, they don’t use heart wrenching pleas for money, nor do they operate on a shoestring, barely-getting-by budget.  Their mentality is: fight for justice, and do it right;  no cutting corners or playing “unfair” with people’s heart strings.  I love it. 

About Sam Young. 
I have to write this part, and not just because he may read it .  Many of you don’t know him, but he’s the kind of guy that you WANT to know.  Sam grew up in a big family (6 kids),  went to church all his life (Dad was/is an elder in the church), played lots of sports in high school (noteably, co-captain of the football team), and was well-liked by everyone.  When he graduated, he attended the University of Michigan and recieved his degree in Criminal Justice.  He also got married soon after graduation.

So, here’s a guy, who, in most people’s opinions has everything going for him.  Raised in a good home (not without it’s own problems, though), earned a degree from one of the highest ranking Universities, well-liked and talented.  What does a guy like that do, as he looks ahead at life, and thinks “how can I really make a difference?  how can I best use my life right now to impact the world?”.  He goes to work for IJM!!  How awesome is that?!  And, it’s not like they gave him some prestigious position in the organization.  No, he so believes in justice — the real kind (not some of the shady things that go down in other areas of the legel arena) — that he’s willing to move himself and his new wife and start a new life in Washington, D.C. (far away from both families), with a job at the lower end of the totem pole. . . because he believes, IT’S WORTH IT.  and, I AGREE!  I give my standing ovation to Sam today!

More thoughts on why I love this guy . .  though he was raised in the church, the son of an Elder, he never seemed to get “jaded” with the whole “church” thing.  He was always the “perfect” kid in the youth group (and not just because he wanted to be the youth pastor’s pet; he was the real deal!).  If I got discouraged about other people or what was happening in the ministry, I always knew thinking about Sam and his pure heart for God and love for people would encourage me to keep going.   He never tried to be fake, but was always genuinely interested in others.  He was popular in school and probably could have dated almost any girl, but chose not to waste too much emotional energy on relationships until he felt he was ready to invest in someone special (which didn’t happen until college).  He was a blessing to me because he was always respectful toward me and always seemed to have a good attitude.  He went on to college, and instead of looking to “be free” and live crazy, being out from the watchful eyes of his parents, he continued on the path of integrity, becoming a leader on campus, persuing the best in every area of his life.  Today, I believe he’s very happy.  He’s reaping the rewards of living a life of faith and purpose.  I would guess that he feels fulfilled, knowing that his life is making a difference, and that every choice along the way was worth it.  And, he’s only just begun!

Here’s to you, Sam!  I love you!   

Really, I hoped to not be so “serious” and “spiritual” all the time on this blog . . . I’m just taken with this topic right now… someday soon (hopefully) I’ll have a “just for fun” blog…

Part 4:  We go farther together. 

This is one of the biggest hurdles for us in the Western world.  We live individualistic lives in pretty much every area; we really don’t even have much of a grid for having any kind of “corporate” identity, wether it be in a family, a church, a community, whatever.  We value our independance and personal journey.  There is a reality to a personal journey and our relationship with God.  However, it can’t just be “me and Jesus”. 

See, there is ONE Body.  And, the Father is preparing a Wedding (see Matthew 22) where there will be ONE BRIDE.  Our identity will be so intertwined and connected with one another, that we can truly be called “one”.  There’s no reference to the “harem” of Christ (heard that once and it stuck with me . 

So, one person may speak of amazing personal revelations and experiences they have in the Lord.  However, if that cannot find an expression that impacts others and draws all of us into more of the “fullness of Christ”, there’s a problem.  As they say, “no man is an island”, I think the same concept is reflected in our life in the Spirit.  Don’t get me wrong, we should ALL have a personal, private history with God.  We cannot live off of another person’s pursuit of the Holy, some how siphoning spiritual reality when we haven’t pressed in ourselves.  On the other hand, people who find no need for the corporate expressions of worship, and feel hindered because they just want to “go” in God, and others “just don’t understand” are missing out on the greatest blessing of all. 

We ARE called to love God in the most extravagant personal, all-consuming way possible (first commandment: love God with everything).  We are ALSO called to love others (second greatest command!).  Our relationship to the Lord is intricately connected to the life and love we share with others. 

God has a desire to cause us to attain to the “fullness of Christ” — to somehow grab hold of ALL that Christ is– but, it only happens in relationship to one another!!  (see Ephesians 4:12-13, “. . . that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the.. fullness of Christ).  This is amazing, stunning, and challenging all at the same time! 

Let me throw out a few of the most startling Scriptures related to this:

Paul prayed…”that you may be able to comprehend together with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;  that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:18-19 

Paul prays that we would comprehend the great love of God — and be filled with the fullness of God — but only in the context of “wiith ALL the saints”.  We get it TOGETHER. 

 the commanded blessing: “See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard ……. for THERE the Lord commands the blessing — life forevermore.” Psalm 133:1-3 

Not only is it GOOD and PLEASANT (that means God really likes it!), it says that He COMMANDS a blessing…. there’s a blessing that cannot be stopped, because it is commanded by God Himself!!  It is an ETERNAL blessing, and powerful blessing:  “life forevermore” — could that mean the RESURRECTION LIFE and POWER of Jesus?????  We are supposed to have His POWER in us!  So what could this commanded blessing and “life forevermore” contain??……. 

This promise seems to be partly fulfilled in the book of Acts: “They were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house …. then there appeared to them tongues of fire, and one sat upon each of them, and everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 2:1-3) “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.  Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.  There wasn’t anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.” (Acts 4:31-35) 

Wow!  Obviously as the people came together in Unity, great power was released!  It’s awesome!   

“And through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were done among the people.  And they were all with one accord at the Temple area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.”  Acts 5:12… and more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord — crowds of both men and women…… Crowds came in from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.”  Acts 5:14-16

I could happy to love Jesus in my little corner of life.  But, He has SO much more for us!  How could we not come together, and find out what the reality of knowing the FULLNESS of God is??

If you have n’t read Part 1 of this series, to that first: click here. 

After you’ve done that you might want to check out this interesting post about corporate times of praise/worship — funny, we all use different words to describe this time we share together glorifying God, singing songs, etc…. and there are actually 9 “worship words” in the Hebrew/Greek texts of the Bible — anyhow, he doesn’t do an in-depth exposition on all the words, but hits the heart of the matter.  I think you’ll enjoy. 

 Ok, so Part 2.  I couldn’t wait to post more.  My first post was so general on Unity.  And there’s so much more bubbling in me! 

One of the main reasons efforts at “unity” among Christians fail:  making “unity” the goal. 

That seems strange, right?  If you want to accomplish something, like becoming more “unified”, you set your sights on how you can make THAT thing happen, right?  Right.  Well, in most cases that is true in life.  But, I don’t think it works here. 

They say that nothing can bring “unity” among a group of people better than a common “enemy”.  This is how armed forces become such tight units, caring for one another, willing to sacrifice life and limb for one another.  It’s because they’re not focused on each other, and making sure the group is “ok” or safe.  There is a HIGHER purpose, a goal outside of themselves, a calling to fulfill destiny for many.  A common cause brings a common bond.  And not just agreeing to the common cause, but a heart and soul dedication to that cause — willingness to sacrifice self for the greater good.  In an army, laying your life down is for the greater good, and you do it willingly because it’s what you signed up for; you wanted to be a part of winning the “war”, squelching evil and protecting the greater good for all of mankind (more or less; I’m trying to generalize the mindset here — you get it, right?). 

In the call of our destiny to become One in Jesus, it will be because we are committed to a higher call, a greater good, and so dedicated to it that our lives are willingly laid down.  What is the greater good, then? 

 Is it that we would “get along” and like each other?  Or, is it that we could do activities together and say that we did this thing with that group that’s “different” than us?  Is it just a tacit agreement that “well, we’re Christians, so we’re supposed to be on the same team”. 

I say no. 

The higher calling is the glory of God.  That God Himself and His Son Jesus would receive honor and praise from more people and that His Kingdom would come more fully on Earth as it is in Heaven.   For this we are willing to lay our lives down, give up comfort, honor, pride, personal preferences, etc.  We love Him and He is worthy of it all and more.  That is the call that will truly unify us and cause us to love one another and humble ourselves and say “you’re better than me”, “your life and welfare is more important to me than my own”.

 So, why does is not seem to work when different groups try to “unify”.  Well, in my opinion, it’s because we look to ourselves and to each other.  We seek unity, not God and His high calling.  And, we end up factoring everything down to the lowest common denominator, i.e. “well, what are the basics that we can agree on, so nobody gets offended?”  What does this approach produce?  A lukewarm, “dumbed-down” cause with no passion, no teeth, no bite, no power.  It is self-protecting instead of sacrificial; it covets comfort instead of victory and battles won.  Istead of looking down, to the “basics”, we should look up to the higher calling and let it call us UPWARD. 

In the process, we will all be challenged — not to require less of one another, but MORE of ourselves– to give more, to humble ourselves, serve those around us and be obedient in love (to the One who loved us), even to death.  that is, I might have to die to what I “like”, my personal preferences, my position of power, my “vision”, etc. 

Ouch.

Why would I want to do that?  Because Jesus did that for me, and I’m madly in love with Him.       

I love the nations!  As a child I was fascinated by different cultures and people that seemed exotic in some way.  I had a certain sense of pride in being friends with those who were “different” —  ethnically, or otherwise.  

Today, that fascination has grown into a life focus.  I’m committed to not getting too caught up in my little middle class, white, Midwestern life experience.  I’ve been on several trips to different nations of the world, and it has opened my eyes.  We may have a lot of wealth, materially in the US — and that’s nice, because how else would someone like me get to travel all over the globe?? —  but the true riches of life seem to be found in abundance once you reach the shores of other lands.  I’ve come to realise how very bankrupt I am in the things that really matter, although, on most days, I feel like I have pretty much everything I could need or want.

Life never happens in a vacuum.  Whether or not we realise it, what happens to Sergei, Chen, Alfonso, and Paulo in their parts of the world affects you and me.  Our futures and destinies are tied together.  Eternity will show that our lives have always been connected, and though we feel like it’s easy to get lost, or to hide (depending on your personality)  in the “sea” of 6 billion people on the planet, we are all connected.  Your life affects mine, my life affects yours, and on and on from person to person all over the world, the reverberations of our lives have impact in the destiny of us all. 

In light of this, to keep from becoming some sort of “political” blogger, I started a new page on this blog dedicated to specific nations that I have a keen interest in.  You can keep tabs on it if you want. 

Maybe Disney was prophesying when they came up with the “It’s a small world after all . . ” song…

“There is hope, but we fear to hope,” she said. “We still dream of rearing our children in a country where everybody would have equal chances at opportunities.”

This is a quote from an article I just read about Myanmar’s current unrest (Yahoo news got  this one right, thanks to the AP).  Pray for the Christians in Myanmar/Burma, too.  The media like to focus on the monks, but they are not the only ones terrorized by a militaristic government.   

And, don’t be fooled.  Although North Korea finally admitted to having nuclear reactors/plants (who did they think they were kidding anyway?) and have agreed to “cooperate” with peace-seeking nations in a disarmament plan, they are not suddenly good.  I hardly consider this breakthrough.  While thier loftly leader Kim Jong Il is trying to look good in the face of the global pressure, the people of North Korea are literally dying every day!  Oh, you didn’t know?  I’m not sure why the media doesn’t tell us about the fact that there are many in prison workcamps, and that there’s been a country-wide famine in North Korea for many years, causing the death of thousands every year.  . . . .  [if you didn't notice I linked to several of the words above, if you want to find more info on any of this stuff, just click them and follow the link] . . .

I could go on for a while about the burdens that many counries carry, but I won’t belabor the point – we all want to be free!  Our founding fathers were right (not that America is perfect or that those men were, either):  ”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 

So, what is the solution to all the ills and burdens in the world?  Should we come in with military might and fight for the freedom of those who are oppressed?  Maybe.  Or, we could appeal to the High Court of Heaven . . .

Because “if the Son [Jesus Christ, the Son of God] sets you free, you will be free indeed.” From the Bible, book of John, chapter 8:36. 

Sounds simple.  that’s because it is.  Real freedom — freedom of the soul and spirit– is paid for already,  and can’t be regulated by any human government.  and, it’s what we were all made for, and it is what we all long for — to truly be free. 

well, after spending time laboring over the last two posts, with little response (though I know people are reading, since my blog stats tell me so…), this time I’m just going to post some great quotes I copied and from someone elses site….

 these are the words of John Wesley; a great man of faith from the early days of our nation… and lest we think his words would be “out of date”, I find myself STIRRED today, reading them… oh, to be more like this . . .  (we’ll see if these generate any feedback)  

” Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as ever you can”

” Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”

” When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.”

” When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me”

“Once in seven years I burn all my sermons; for it is a shame, if I cannot write better sermons now than I did seven years ago.”“Give me 100 men (or women* [my addition]) who hate evil and love good, and I care not one whit whether they are clergy or laity, with these men I will change the world and usher in the kingdom of God in one generation.”

“Mr. Wesley with so much to do in a day how is it that you can find time to pray four hours a day? Wesley response, “With so much to do in a day how can I not pray four hours a day?”

Why bother believing for big things?  Why do we long for impact?  Why do I want to be apart of something big, great, impactful? 

Is that somehow written in our DNA?  We are created with a desire for something bigger than us, for transcendence – to touch something beyond us . . .  I have heard people say that, and I believe it. 

Ultimately, we all want to touch God.  We look for fun and thrills in life, but really, what is more thrilling the experiencing the Almighty Creator of the Universe, touching your weak, human, made-from-the-dirt frame?  I know for some people that doesn’t even connect in your brain.  For some people, the thought of God is far from thrilling.  “Boring” or “irrelevant” might be the words that more easily come to mind for them. . . I won’t bother defending what I believe is the Truth:  that God is the MOST thrilling thing there is, and He is the very reason people enjoy being thrilled and excited!  Roller coasters, thrillers, mysteries, movies, sports, all forms of dare-devil stuff, most entertainments, video games – these are all things we love and enjoy because we are CREATED with a  capacity and a desire to EXPERIENCE joy, pleasure, etc… It’s there because God put it there, and because ultimately, there is no higher experience of love, joy, pleasure, excitement than touching God.  FOR REAL!  That’s the truth!  If you can’t believe it, it’s because you haven’t experienced it.  I invite you, “taste and see that the Lord is Good”.  You won’t be disappointed, because if you truly seek, you WILL find (God).     

However, that’s not really what’s on my mind.  J

What about the deep seated desire to have IMPACT, to make a difference in the world, to be the “one” who changed things??  This burns so strongly in me.  But, I feel so frustrated, because, well, I don’t feel like it’s happening!  I do what I feel I can/should to impact my part of the world, and well, sometimes I feel like it’s doing much… 

But, as a person of faith, I’m supposed to believe and ask God to do GOD-sized things.  So, I have no excuse to live in the mundane, ordinary, easy, possible/plausible/logical world.  And, I don’t want to.  So.. what am I to do?  What are YOU to do, if you feel this same frustration?   

 Possible conclusions: 

-Believe for big things,

-intercede,

-act in faith,

-work with diligence,

-don’t lose heart . .

-and leave the results up to God.

My challenges:  I’ve never been a part of anything that really seemed “big”; no big church, no big outreach/ministry/movement… at least nothing that like exploded and continued on.  I have been a part of, and helped do some big one-time events.  But, I’m always believing for a big, sustained move of God, where people are being added (saved), even daily, and where the supernatural power of God is transforming hearts, lives and physical bodies.  I feel like I have read of some things like that, and heard people talk about some things, but in some senses it seems unreal, almost fictional because I don’t know if I’ve ever actually seen and touched it, you know?

I could be wrong on that – there is a very REAL, explosive move of God in Brazil – supernatural things happening, many saved, delivered, etc…. and I have been in that twice now on two summer trips.  It’s wonderful and amazing, but at the same time, it feels very natural, unforced…. It’s just God, it seems.  But, where does it come from?  Does it just fall out of the sky?  Is it the three fiery intercessors who pray diligently and daily for years and years….?

In some situations it seems there is that one leader who seems to drive the whole thing . . . they have a strong, charismatic, inspiring personality that draws a crowd, and people follow.  But, I don’t think that could ever be me.  I don’t want people to follow me.  I don’t even believe I have that “crowd-drawing” charisma, anyway.  So, that kind of thing doesn’t seem possible. 

So, I’m asking more questions than giving any answers. . . but, that’s what this is for… let’s talk. J  Let the comments roll.