Expecting More

We have a powerful partnership with Vaughn Chapel Missionary Baptist Church here in Milledgeville. Their lead pastor, Tony Fraley, is a great man of God who is desperate to see churches come together and
facilitate change in our community. He & I meet regularly to challenge and encourage each other and are always looking for ways to partner together. Tony came to Northridge this past Wednesday night with several members of their church and shared with us and I am still meditating on the message that he brought and all that it means for my own life & the future of the church here. He taught out of 2 Kings 4 and the story of a widow that asked the prophet Elisha for help which was brought to her through a miracle of God providing oil based in part on her faith. Here are some highlights below (with some added commentary from yours truly) :

When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. (2 Kings 4:6 ESV)

• Are we mixing our prayer with faith?
  (It's easy to say the words without actually believing God will do anything.)

• Pray and apply faith with action.
  (Sometimes the answer to our prayer is revealed by taking action.)

• If you don't expect anything you won't receive anything.
  (In other words, you get what you pray for.)

• The essence of faith is expectation.
  (It's a waste of time if we aren't expecting God to do anything.)

• Faithfully anticipate.
  (Look for God's specific response--it will be there.)

• God gets frustrated with us when we don't expect Him to deliver.
  (He has shown us that He wants to bless His children. Shouldn't we look forward to that?)

• Prayer is often the last thing on our list. We do everything else 1st.
  (This one hits close to home. It's time to stop operating solely on our own power & go to God at the beginning instead of the end.)

• Expectation is the mental attitude of the faithful.
  (You've got to prepare yourself mentally for what God will do. It's not just an attitude, but an exercise in growth.)

• Action is the physical attitude of our faith.
  (Don't just stretch your mind. You need to stretch your abilities, wallet, and calendar to make a difference.)

• Your answer may come at any moment from any direction.
  (You can anticipate an answer, but God doesn't always work in the exact manner we have seen before. Keep your eyes open and trust that He's working in the best way possible.)

• Do you believe He can do or will do?
  (This describes our view of God. Do we see Him as all-powerful, but withholding blessing or as a generous Father & King who wants to give the best to His children?)

Not So Good

"It's just a matter of bringing it every day. It's when you're not at your best, when something's off--those are the days that define you. You better figure out a way to do it because the pitcher doesn't care, the other team doesn't care, and your teammates are relying on you." Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins

It's easy to be excellent when everything comes easily. There are those days when you feel as if you are operating at the peak of your strengths with incredible energy reserves and intense focus. Then there are the days when you feel as if you are running backwards in chest deep mud in ill-fitting shoes while carrying cinder blocks. It might seem easier to just quit and go home (or leave home) but that isn't the answer either. There are people that depend on us to be committed and consistent--whether that is in our calling, our family, or community. Our character will be revealed in our dedication to doing what's right regardless of the level of difficulty. We become stronger people as we maintain our level of dedication and focus on developing perseverance. The bond of our relationships will strengthen and we'll find that the sweetest victories are in the times of struggle and not in moments of ease.

If You Say So

In Exodus 19:8, the Israelites tell Moses, "Everything God says, we will do." We know from reading the rest of the Bible that this statement is not consistently fulfilled, but it doesn't change the heart behind it. It reveals the desire of God's people to place their ultimate, unwavering trust in Him. It requires obedience in searching out His direction through prayer, studying the Bible, worship, and engaging in life with others. It means that we have a fear of life without God and a reverential fear of life with Him.

I don't know that I have enough faith to make the same bold statement the Hebrews of the Old Testament did. Moving beyond the repetition of the words to actively living them out is a difficult transition, but God doesn't expect us to always get that right either. He intends for us to make it the desire of our heart so that His Holy Spirit can have access to our motives, ambitions, and actions.

Making that verse a mantra for our lives and churches will start a chain reaction that will create greater impact than we can currently imagine. The change in our own attitudes, thoughts, and actions will be evident and the reformation in our communities will be powerful. We will start to see barriers between people knocked down, forgiveness freely given & received, physical & spiritual needs met, our reputation become one of grace & mercy, and for hope to replace hopelessness as the currency of broken people.

The powerful simplicity of this statement reinforces the desire of God to work in the willing obedience of His people. We will not perfect it, but there is no other choice before us if we truly desire to see God's will done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Sound of Silence

I pray about a lot of things. I'm not attempting to sound holier-than-thou or like a braggart, but I find myself in multiple conversations with God throughout the day about a number of things. Some of them are very focused prayers with a specific intent and others are a reflective time between God and me. When praying for other people I will often hear the answer through them as they communicate what God has done. There are times when the answer is quite visible (i.e. improved finances, a new house to move into, someone showing up in church or making a decision, etc.) I also have periods of prayer about something specific where God doesn't seem to say anything at all. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

Even though this "silence" can cause me to carefully examine my heart and motivation for the prayer, many times the lack of an answer is an answer in itself. When looking for direction from God I have discovered that His silence often means that I need to continue to trust and be faithful in the direction that He is currently moving me. It is His message to me that He will make it known when that direction changes as long as I keep in continual communication with Him.

Reminded of Calling

Ministry is hard-sometimes it is extremely hard. There are days when it is a struggle to keep your focus on what is important and to not get bogged down in the details of emotion and the tasks that lie in front of you. You perceive that most of what you do is put out fires of conflict and assuage the feelings of wounded people. The politics of organization can threaten to overwhelm you as you try to determine the best practices and pathway for the future vision of the church.

Thankfully God provides the reminder of the calling He has placed on your life. He gives you bountiful moments of sacrifice and kindness from good friends. He gives you people who place their arm around you and tell you with passion in their voice that they are earnestly praying for you. He gives you a good friend & mentor who empathizes in how hard this is and leads the way nonetheless. He lets you have the pleasure of spending time with new friends over coffee and sharing the story of each other's lives. He lets you share in the joy of a powerful woman of God's birthday and the lives that she has touched.

He reminds you quietly and firmly that though this life is hard, this is the one that He has called you to and He will bring you through the good & tough times.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 "The One who has called 
you is faithful and He will do it."