Living life with steps of faith

"I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans...   I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head...   I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand--from my own eyes and ears! I'm sorry--forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise! I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor." - Job in response to God (The Message, excerpt from Job 42:1-6)   "He will ask me not to treat you as you deserve for talking nonsense about me, and for not being honest with me, as he has." - God addressing Job's "consoling" friends (The Message, excerpt from Job 42:7-8) How does a minister talk of God and address people's questions when God is a mystery? I think the answer somewhat lie in Job's earlier response, even though he apologizes for speaking too much.  In Job...

I am inspired by Anouk Wipprecht who is part of the Intel Edison team. As a scientist and an engineer she has found ways to express her femininity rather than wear the clothing of the male majority in her field. Not that doing so would have been a bad thing, but it takes confidence to become the "Hardware Couture." One woman who has inspired me like Anouk in my own field is Kathleen Kline Moore . She is a pastor in Virginia who is very graceful and embraces her role as mother, classical dancer, caregiver for the impoverished, and pastor.  I hope that I can be a role model for young girls and women who enjoy playing dress up and decorating with roses and lace who also feel called to the pastoral ministry. I desire to be a tool for God growing the Kingdom on earth and I hope that I can be part of our church becoming a healthy and constantly growing role model for churches in our state. There are so many women in the Bible who are inspirational: Phoebe, the pastor at C...

I don't know if I'll ever get use to when a church member says "goodbye."  The first time I experienced it was my first summer church internship.  I visited a woman at the hospital and when she told me "bye" I just knew it was the final "bye."  Next time I visited she was no longer with us. It comes as even more of a shock when it comes from someone who has been healthy and no one else would have a clue that they are dying.  Yet you both know that the "good-bye" is THE "good-bye" when it is said. There is a finality to it. I think that is why one of my High School classmates and I always end our conversations mid-sentence to be picked up next time we meet - however many years later it may be.  He had a final "good-bye" with a teenage friend and I now wonder if he knew then that it was THE "good-bye." Back in the "old days" people were more attentive to those dying moments.  We no longer keep ...

What would our lives look like if we actually lived the way Christ asked us to live?  I personally find it quite difficult to live as he commanded.  Here are some of the things he asked for: Be baptized (Mt. 3:15) Live on the Word of God (Mt. 4:4) Do not put God to the test (Mt. 4:7) Worship the Lord and serve Him only (Mt. 4:10) Repent (Mt. 4:17) Follow Jesus (Mt. 4:19 & repeated several times) Fish for people (Mt. 4:19) Rejoice in the midst of persecution (Mt. 5:12) Let your light shine through good deeds (Mt. 5:12) Practice & teach God's law (Mt. 5:19) Quickly reconcile with others (Mt. 5:23) Do not look at anyone lustfully (Mt. 5:28) Don't divorce, commit adultery, or marry someone who is divorced (Mt. 5:32) Don't make oaths, just say "yes" or "no" (Mt. 5:36) Do not resist an evil person (Mt. 5:39) Give to the one who asks - do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow (Mt. 5:42) Be perfect like your Father in heaven ...

The Jahi McMath case has troubled me over the last few weeks.   How can I pray and ask God to heal this little girl when so many other families have made the heartwrenching choice to let go and remove life support.   If she were to be healed, wouldn’t this be harmful to those families who accepted the doctors’ prognosis and let go?   Wouldn’t it be cruel of God to heal her when others weren’t “given that opportunity” to be healed? Today, as I sat down to read my daily devotional, I reflected upon the story of the deceased child found in chapter five of Mark.   The community declared and mourned the death of twelve-year-old Tabitha.   Yet Jesus said, “This child is not dead but asleep.”     This statement of Jesus makes me wonder two things.   Was there something Jesus knew about death that the culture of the time didn’t know?   Was she really, truly still alive, yet only asleep?   Or, was this Jesus speaking a...

This Sunday I fell off a member of my church's pedestal.  And it hurt some when I fell.  From this person's perspective, I had done wrong; from my perspective, I acted with grace in alignment with the church's teaching.  I have to admit that I don't like having people not pleased with me.  I want to correct or fix the situation.  But what I realized today as I sat before God, contemplating the wise words of a woman of prayer in our church and the words just read of Jean-Pierre de Caussade, I should celebrate and be glad that I fell, because I never should have been on the pedestal in the first place. I can come up with very human reasons as to why God is blessing us as a gathered community of faith right now.  I can also come up with very spiritualized reasons.  But I know that according to God's word and my life experience that it rains on both the righteous and the unrighteous.  We may be in a season of blessing right now, but I am sure we wil...

This morning during my devotions I read a quote that really struck my attention.  I would use the quote here, but if I did I would be taking it out of context as I don't believe I interpreted it as the writer intended. But, how I interpreted it was meaningful to me.  The idea I heard was that sin is something we discover that becomes deeply ingrained within ourselves.  I like this idea, because as I have discerned sin in my life, I have often found that it is something I've been doing for a while and never considered to be sin.  I often find my recognition of something in my life as sin to be quite surprising and then I feel sorrowful because I hadn't realized how what I had been doing had been so hurtful to myself and others.  I like this concept because it speaks to those areas that seem so right at the time and can be justifiable until we are enlightened to view it differently.  And I like this perspective because it shows how sin can go unrecognized, an...

"God has no more precious gift to a church or an age than a man who lives as an embodiment of his will, and inspires those around him with the faith of what grace can do." - Andrew Murray, Leadership (Fall 1986)

I am utterly amazed by all that the Bible has to say about wisdom.  I really thought that in doing a word study on wisdom, that I would find one, two, or perhaps three unified themes.  What I am discovering is that the depth and complexity of wisdom is expressed in a variety of ways and that GOD really wants us to grasp wisdom.  It isn't something hidden or difficult to find.  It is there for our taking - if we will just seek it!

A highlight of my week is often visiting the alcohol and tobacco shop located next door to our church.  Every time I go I am met with an unexpected and pleasant surprise.  One of the employees has decided that I am the store's pastor and that it is my responsibility to come by each week to bring a little Jesus into the store. Today when I went, it must have been in the midst of a shift change, because several employees were behind the counter.  One of the men who I am getting to know introduced me to another man as "the padre I've been telling you about, the one at the church next door."  This then started an entire conversation with employees asking where the church was because they hadn't remembered seeing one next door.   Our church is currently meeting in two connecting store fronts in a strip mall.  We don't yet have a traditional sign, so many people don't yet know we are there.  It is only by our relational presence in the community tha...

I was thinking the other day about how we give greater honor to those whose stories have been recorded.  It is almost as if one's work doesn't matter unless it is published.  But, this isn't how it works in God's kingdom.  This morning I read Jesus' words as recorded in John 4:38, "I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."  Who are these other people? In the church, we frequently rely upon the stories of the New Testament, for obvious reasons.  But, we also tend to tell the New Testament stories that are louder and take more space.  The disciples get a lot of attention.  Here, in John, Jesus acknowledges that the disciples have the easy job--they get to reap what others have sown. But look at what, or should I say, "who," Jesus is pointing to here.  Jesus is recognizing that many of his followers have worked quite hard to get people to the feet of Jesus. ...

I think reading the reflections of pastors from the past is a gem in my collection of tools for ministry.  Sometimes they seem so much wiser than the writings from pastors today.  Pastors who are too consumed with contemporary life to recognize the truths and principles of ministry that have stayed consistent through the years. I want to be that type of pastor. The one who holds on to and lives the core values of pastoral care.  The shepherd who knows her sheep by name and their stories by heart.  One who listens and creates sacred spaces of hospitality where God's love and grace is shown.  A minister who keeps Jesus Christ first and lives a life of prayer, soulful rest, Bible study, and joy-filled fellowship. I want my life to reflect God's peace.  I want to be a presence that brings people home to Jesus. I want to love and to live freely.  When people think of me and my profession, I would like them to think "pastor" before "minister." I apprec...

Prayer for a Neighbor's Salvation I pray that ________ will both hear and understand the gospel,   will both see and perceive it. Please soften ______'s heart so that they may see with their eyes,  hear with their ears,  and understand with their hearts. I pray that _____ turns toward you Christ,  so that you might heal them. Amen. (Matthew 13)

A friend wrote me an email asking how one can evangelize when being a Christian often carries a cost.  My answer was that the story of Jesus does not end on the cross, but it continues through the resurrection! Too often when we witness we focus on hell/heaven, the crucifixion, or even the Kingdom of God as the right way to live.  But the gospel is the Word and the Word is Jesus Christ!  When I share Christ, I want to share that Jesus is a personal savior who brings restoration and resurrection to that which is broken and needs restoration and brings life to that which is dying.  We aren't leading people to heaven or leading them to the cross (although we do this too), rather we are leading people to Jesus Christ and He'll lead them the rest of the way!

A good friend of mine who is a pastor in Iowa recently blogged about the tension she feels as a person and a pastor in regards to her attendance at a caucus.  I appreciate what she wrote, so I want to share a link to this post: "Confession of Repentant - Iowa Caucus" Here is my response to what she wrote: "I'm glad you wrote about this.  I was wondering the same question this morning.  I know how Iowans feel about pastors expressing themselves politically - more than one pastor has lost his/her job as a result.  I understand and respect the boundaries of the pastoral role, but I too wondered how this works itself out in a caucus situation.  If you attend the Republican caucus, no one may know how you voted, but they know that you attended the Republican caucus.  If you attend the Democrat caucus, everyone who also attends knows exactly how you vote.  I thought about the importance of attending to show the value of participating in this US American...

I'm actually creating this blog for the purpose of receiving responses .  I want to hear from the people on the world wide web what they have learned about the differences in the lexicon or dictionary of evangelical and mainline Christians.  From my experience dancing between and in both worlds, I have discovered that often these two practices of Christianity will talk past each other even when they are discussing the same thing.  I think there are times when representatives of each perspective will agree with each other even though they don't really agree.  There are other times where representatives will be having heated arguments and they are saying the same thing, but using different terms.  So, I want to hear what you have heard - how do you translate the conversation? For example.  My evangelical friends may ask, "When did you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?"  While my mainline friends would ask, "When did your faith become...

Jesus is not about complacency!  Jesus has the authority to give supernatural authority to His disciples. With this authority, Jesus expects His disciples to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus blesses them with this power, commissions them, and says that His laborers are worthy of their having their needs met, yet they are to freely (without compensation) give God's gifts of healing and freedom. Jesus does not promise freedom from persecution, trouble, or conflict in this life. In fact, Jesus says that those who follow him will be persecuted just as He was persecuted. In many ways Jesus is saying that He will be embodied in His disciples.  Those who honor them honor Jesus.  In a like manner as the Father is embodied in Jesus, those who honor Jesus, honor the Father. Jesus also clearly states that he did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Big Idea: Jesus delegates authority and responsibility to His disciples and by doing so the disciples...

"As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons." - Matthew 10:7-8 Do you ever wonder why these miracles don't seem to happen anymore?  I've been reading through the gospels and I am struck by the loudness of the theme of healing.  The good news in the gospel accounts isn't just that God has came to us through Jesus Christ, but that the healing authority of God has come to us through Jesus Christ. Do you think this is still true today? Sometimes I think we U.S. Christians have it all wrong.  I think we've missed the message and missed out on the supernatural aspect of faith.  God can still work miracles today!  And it seems in my reading of Scripture that God wants to work those miracles through us.  So, why aren't we letting Him? Prayer:   God, You Created, You gave Life, You Healed.  Help me to experience Your miraculous, supernatural power today....

2 Kings 7:9   “Then they said to each other, ‘We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go out at once and report this to the royal palace.’” Israel was in a bad place.   They were surrounded by their enemy, the Arameans, overwhelmed by famine, and prices were exorbitant.    The government had given up. Four men with leprosy met outside the city gate.   As the marginalized of the community, they realized their fate had been set.   They were going to die.   One man suggested to another, “let us desert to the Aramean camp; if they spare our lives, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.”   At twilight they set off to the enemy camp and when they arrived they were surprised to find it deserted!   God had defended the Israelites by making the Arameans hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army. The Arameans fled...

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; 
 I will be exalted among the nations, 
 I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46:10 Jesus just says the word and it is!  An officer in the Roman army approaches Jesus and tells him that one of his servants is sick.  The officer asks Jesus to heal the servant. Jesus says “Go” and the servant is healed.  Two people possessed by demons approach Jesus and Jesus says “Go!” and the demons depart and the people are healed. A leper approaches Jesus, Jesus responds, “Be made clean!” and we know what happens, the leper is healed.  A paralytic is brought to Jesus and Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven… Stand up, take your bed, and go to your home” and the man stands up and walks. (See Matthew 8-9) Hmmm. Does this remind you of anyone else?  “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.”  “And God said, ’…  let the dry land appear. ‘ And it was so.” “And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living cre...