Fortuitous Feasts (or were they?)

The life and death of Jesus had been in the works for centuries.

Three days and Jesus rose from the grave. 40 days and he ascended into Heaven. (This moment is pivotal BTW. It’s not his death or even his resurrection that was unique to him, but the ascension that set him apart.) 50 days and his disciples received the Holy Spirit.

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Redefining Warrior

Warriors come in all shapes and sizes.

Warriors come in all forms of personality and gender and race and socioeconomic statuses.

But today I want to talk about the warriors that are unseen.

All too often we see strength as the loudest voice, the strongest personality, the puffed chest. But when Jesus came to earth He showed us an entirely different kind of strength.

The kind of strength that is less concerned about potential, and more concerned about mission. Jesus never lived up to his potential, rather he humbled himself and fulfilled his mission.

And thank God he did.

Mother Teresa said, “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”

In other words, it’s not programs and buildings that need our attention. It’s people. If we don’t have the time for each other, we’re missing the whole point.

Programs and buildings may bring recognition. The world’s view of success is tempting. It’s validating. It quenches the ache in me that says “I’m only as worthy as they say I am.”

But if I’m living by the praise of man, then I’ll also fall by his criticism.

It hit me hard when I realized I would rather prove myself worthy than have to receive my worth from God. 😳

I take a look around me, at powerful and influential people who the world may never know their names. People who are generating disciples and changing lives because they’re not climbing ladders but believing in themselves enough to stoop low and love well.

I want to be more like them. I want to be more like Jesus.

So pause for just a moment. Forget about your potential.

What’s your mission?

 

 

 

 

“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” – Philippians 2:3-4 (MSG)

 Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

 

Why Women?

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Before we dive in, I’d like to start the same way Sarah Bessey started in her book, “Jesus Feminist”, by relaxing our fists and resting in our worth. The more we fight for a seat at the table (you know, the table, where all the important decision makers sit), the more angst we feel and less heard we are.

Knowing your value means accepting it and exuding it, despite (and sometimes in spite) of what others tell us. We don’t need other people to validate us or give us position.

We all know positional authority is the weakest, so why do we keep striving for it? Relax. Know that you are valuable (silence that nagging voice in your head), and lean back. You were created for good and great things (Eph 2:10)

Now that that’s said….

Let’s talk about women. How are we made? What is our purpose? How can God use us?

Let’s go back to the beginning. Genesis 1: 26-27:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,a]”>[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them

God created male and female together. To rule over the earth and to subdue it, as a partnership. It was not good for them to operate alone, they both have a lot to offer the other and it is better when they operate together.

Let’s dive a little deeper. Genesis 2:18:

18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

The word “helper” here is Ezer Kenegdo, meaning “to rescue, to be strong”. There are 21 exact representations of Ezer Kenegdo in scripture, and 16 of them are in relation to God rescuing (“The Lord is my help” Psalm 54:4 for example). 

This is how you are made. Fiercely feminine. A marvelous mixture of strength and beauty. You lead because you were made to. You are a discipler, leader, encourager, project manager, chef, accountant, teacher, counselor, makeup artist, handyman, interior decorator, and a fill in the blank with anything that needs to get done-er, and that’s all just inside of your home!

I may not know you, but I can tell you this much without having to…

You are strong. You are fierce. And you are lovely.

Even in a world where #metoo is as common as “I had lunch today”, we prevail. Even when we’re told we can’t have authority, we prevail. Even when we’re told to be silent, we prevail. We sit on buses and refuse to be less than, we stoop down low and feed orphans and the poor, we stand up tall and lead armies into victory,  we sit in the quiet and write truth with bravery and fortitude, we speak up for the marginalized and change the world.

Do you even know how strong you are? Do you even know how much is within you? When God created you, He called you RESCUER. He named you STRENGTH.

All too often we equate strength with masculinity, but meet a woman who survived an abusive man and tell me she’s not strong. Meet a woman who raised 3 kids and tell me she’s not strong. Meet a woman who worked to feed her babies and tell me she’s not strong. Meet a woman and threaten her babies, and tell me she’s not strong.

There is nothing wrong with being feminine, but it does not mean you are frail. There is nothing wrong with being strong, but it does not mean you are not feminine.

If we can agree that men and women are different, then we can also agree that so much is missing when women are not a part of it. 

We’re asking the wrong question when we ask, “should women be allowed to _______?” We should be asking, “what are we missing if they don’t?”

unsplash-logoJurica Koletić

When God Goes Silent

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When God goes silent, it can be incredibly frustrating.

WHERE ON EARTH OR HEAVEN OR THE UNIVERSE DID HE GO?

I have had seasons where I’ve felt closer to God than others, certainly. But I’m learning that even in God’s silence, He’s still speaking.

We can never and will never fully understand God (cause then, uh, we’d kinda be God), but there have been a few reasons why God’s voice has seemingly gone dark on me.

Sometimes God stops speaking because He’s already spoken.

I tend to ask the same question over and over and over again, as if the answer will come a different way.  He’s just waiting for me to listen. 

Sometimes God stops speaking when we get in the way.

Anytime my wants / desires / actions come between me and God, it creates a separation.

Not only is God Holy, but He is also unchanging. Holiness and sin do not collide. They cannot not share the same space.

When I’ve been unwilling to follow Him, digging my heels in or refusing to acknowledge what’s at hand, He’ll stop leading.

God is gracious enough to give us space when we choose not to step forward, but He won’t drag us. I have to willingly go where He goes.

It’s amazing when I’ve finally released my grip on whatever I was holding onto, how He floods the room as if He was waiting on the sideline waiting to be called into the game. Here I am thinking I’m waiting on God, when really He’s waiting on me.

The truth is, God wants us to hear His voice. Always.

There are over 40 verses where God refers to Himself as our shepherd, and a good shepherd not only provides protection, but direction. A shepherd is immersed in the lives of His sheep. He knows each one of them, and never leaves their side.

This is the picture that God gives us for our relationship with Him. He desires to lead us, and for us to follow. Because all that He offers is good.

In your own life, what has kept you from hearing God?

unsplash-logoChristian Nielsen