Give us this day our daily blog...

The joy is my strength....

GOD GRACIOUSLY CALLS REBELS TO BATTLE - IT'S HIS PLAN!?!?

Unwillingness to accept God’s “way of escape” from temptation frightens me – what a rebel yet resides within. (Jim Elliot: missionary and martyr)

Temptation is not a sin; it is a call to battle. (Erwin Lutzer)

The heart that walks in love neither rests nor grows weary. If we grow weary we've violated some natural principles (not taken care of ourselves) or operated in our own strength - not God's.

If I'm slack, lazy - WATCH OUT - if I overly spent and active - WATCH OUT

God loved me even before I existed. I delight, am humbled and need his grace daily, every moment actually. THANK YOU JESUS!

WYSIWYG

Just spent a glorious weekend in Newfoundland at Starrigan camp for a "Design for Life" weekend - arrived and left between fog passages - very cool, sort of like the Red Sea opening, you know what I mean - but that wasn't the only God-sighting.

Of more significance was the relationships developed, fortified. I am committed, sold out to relationships, relevance (having conversations) and being real (authenticity).

When I focus on this, and a weekend like this is gold for me - I'm in the groove - passion/calling.

Lorne Pritchett shared powerfully from the word - his daughter Elizabeth guided us in worship, with the help of Jen and Jilll on jembay and keyboard.

Small groups - a safe place where people could share their fears, hopes, pain and healing - very significant.

The whole Acts 2 thing - the spirit speaking to us all, we understanding each other, unity in diversity - heart stuff.

You create the safe environment - confidentiality, nothing you say will shock me, God is in the house, and watch out.

No pretense, no posturing, going for it - What you see is what you get - may it be the real me, talking to the real God - WATCH OUT! TAKE IT GENERATION NEXT!

Have YOUR Way

Fire in my heart right now – what a privilege and responsibility!

Chris Tomlin, by the spirit dresses up the song “Take my life” (Sacred Revolution – Passion Worship Team) and who cannot be impacted hearing the crowd sing “Take all there is of me”.

Fan into flame the gift God has given…this weekend at the Design for Life Seminar at Camp Starrigan outside of St. John’s NFLD, at Salvo Uprising next weekend, in your people who humbly seek you…

What a gracious God, lover of our soul – giver of Sabbath rest, truths to live by (ROOTS), giver of his spirit (WINGS).

If we, evil as we are, know how to give good gifts to our children THEN HOW MUCH MORE does God want to give us his spirit, his good gifts

Hillsong sings “Have your way” and “Your love is better than life”. TRUST AND OBEY, no other way to be happy in Jesus.

TAYKITEZ

Okay for you message texters - a piece of cake - for all we born before 1985 - what is this hieroglyphic?

It was the license plate on the car God placed in front of me yesterday afternoon. Take it easy!

And then a little later I'm reading Mark Buchanan "The Holy Wild" a chapter on sabbath and it all comes together.

GOD MOMENT!

I've been pushing, I've been heroic-like, messianic-like, trying to get all the emails responded to, solving all the stuff and getting it all right.

SABBATH REST - a gift of God. God didn't need to - he did. We are not meant to be materialists, totally self-sufficient, driven. We need God, we need rest.

God you're so patient and good and creative and redemptive and I want to keep following you.

TAYKITEZ EH!

Life is a Beach

One philosophy of life I heard while rehabbing 8 weeks for a brutal femur fracture (ah Ice hockey!) 12 years ago was: LIFE IS A BITCH AND THEN YOU DIE!

This morning in devotions, John of the Cross is talking about weapons of mass distraction (not his term)and to remember them I created an acrostic: Pride; Lust; Anger; Greed; Envy. which is the french word for beach (plage).

We sometimes get "beached" shipwrecked because of memory or imagination fuelled by distractions within or circumstances without and life may very well seem to be a bitch.

I say from my heart, life is hard, but God is good and I need to look to Jesus and daily position myself in his light.

I became close to my fraternity of suffering rehabbers, but nothing compared to the intimacy I experience with Jesus, who knows me, and my Lord who gives me the grace to choose to follow him every day.

He's for us. He forgives us. O how I love Jesus!

Mashed potatoes and carrot FAITH

So I am trying to describe to my blind, new to Canada, Chinese friend, what is on the plate of food that someone just put before him at the fellowship meal.

I said jokingly - you've got to have faith in me don't you - and he he said what is faith? A new word for him.

And we had the perfect picture of "Sure of what we hope for; certain of what we do not see"

He was hoping for a meal, and certain of what he could not see - and the difference he told me was me - I was that person he could trust for that info.

So the classic definition in Hebrews 11:1 made sense - and came alive for me.

O me of little faith, but faith of a mustard seed - far-reaching - that's a kingdom of God symbol.

Descend on my soul now like a river of peace to take away my uncertainties, my minor upsets, my fear of the dark.

We will help you do what Jesus says....

That's what Dallas Willard said should be on the signboard outside every church.

But Jesus - Who is He? What is he saying? How is it being said?

How can we better listen? How do we get past the obstacles? Where does community fit in?

What are the essentials? Non-essentials?

Empowering, enabling, invigorating, life-changing.

Open our eyes Lord we want to see Jesus, and then we want grace to trust and obey Him.

I shared yesterday with a dear brother who has recently called out to Jesus and God's spirit is helping him do what Jesus says. WOW.....

POWERFUL - SIMPLE - LIFE-GIVING - not a Jesus add-on - but participating in God's creative, redemptive work - by his grace and mercy. O how I love Jesus!

Weapons of Mass Distraction

Unwillingness to accept God’s “way of escape” from temptation frightens me – what a rebel yet resides within. (Jim Elliot)

We have public, private and secret personae.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made, not always totally conscious of the inner workings of our spirit.

We have the capacity to think clearly and to act absurdly; to receive wisdom and to ignorantly careen down alleys of danger.

We are vulnerable to “weapons of mass distraction”.

And yet within our spirit is a God-shaped vacuum which God is filling as we allow him.

The sherpas (Nepalese mountain guides) when leading Type A, driven western tourists to the top of Mount Everest would occasionally stop and rest “in order for their souls to catch up with their bodies”

Descend on my soul now, like a river of peace to take away my uncertainties, my fear of the dark.

We need the other.....

I got something in the mail from a friend that was timely, good advice. We need the other.

I recently connected with friends from the past and we spoke powerfully into each others lives. We need each other.

I read something from my devotions that spoke to my heart, good advice. We need the other.

I can see things in others and usually graciously share wisdom, and speak into their lives. We need the other.

I don't always apply that methodology in my own life.....we need the other.

Where two or three are gathered in His name, he is present.

I love my solitude and I need the other. As we seek we find. Thank you Jesus!

SoulWalk

I'm meditating daily with some "classic spirituality". Teresa of Avila has always encouraged, and now St. John the Divine is speaking to my soul....

The soul that walks in love neither rests nor is weary.

And a timely prayer that has worked its way into my vitamin supply, renewing my mind in these days.

Descend on my soul now like a river of peace,
To take away my uncertainties, the fear of the dark.

All for Jesus, following Jesus, falling in love again with Jesus, serving Jesus, seeing Jesus, yeah being Jesus....