The O's of Ministry
ONENESS. God expects oneness with His followers. Through Christ He wants us right behind Him, walking with Him but never getting ahead of Him. He is looking for a bride for His groom not another groom. A bride is responsive in her oneness with her groom. One heart that leads to one mind and one soul. Oneness always overflows into ORDER.
ORDER. When you are ONE with someone you simply submit to their heart. When you are one with God you submit to His heart. His heart changes your agenda and how you think. Reading His word helps mature us into His agenda and His order. Seeking to move closer to God allows His Being to permeate our life. When His order sets up shop in our life we begin to enjoy overflow with Him.
OVERFLOW. When you have God's order in your life, you will always have overflow that you can share with those around you. It will naturally overflow.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Ready to Marry
Are they NAKED before God?
How to tell if they are NAKED before God?
A Man.
When the Apostle John met Jesus in His glorified state, he feel at His feet like a dead man. Too scared to move. Have you seen the man you are interested emotionally naked before His God like that? Then be very cautious. Test his repentance, test his forgiveness. The man who has "seen" God will be humble in forgiveness and quick in repentance. A man not lost in Christ will always be found by the world and the flesh, ALWAYS. Now it may be churchy flesh (the worst kind) but it will still be the same flesh.
A Woman.
When a woman has met God the most noticeable thing will be her mouth. She will be quick to hear, slow to speak. Her hope will be completely lost in her relationship with God. If you think that she is placing her hope in you, RUN. RUN FAST, RUN HARD, just RUN. She is not ready and you are going to fail her hope. God must be her only hope. If her IDEAL of marriage has become an IDOL, then she will treat you like an IDOL until you fail her or disappoint her. Then she will seek to break you down or try to get you to act like her image of her IDOL that she has set up in her mind and emotions.
How to tell if they are NAKED before God?
A Man.
When the Apostle John met Jesus in His glorified state, he feel at His feet like a dead man. Too scared to move. Have you seen the man you are interested emotionally naked before His God like that? Then be very cautious. Test his repentance, test his forgiveness. The man who has "seen" God will be humble in forgiveness and quick in repentance. A man not lost in Christ will always be found by the world and the flesh, ALWAYS. Now it may be churchy flesh (the worst kind) but it will still be the same flesh.
A Woman.
When a woman has met God the most noticeable thing will be her mouth. She will be quick to hear, slow to speak. Her hope will be completely lost in her relationship with God. If you think that she is placing her hope in you, RUN. RUN FAST, RUN HARD, just RUN. She is not ready and you are going to fail her hope. God must be her only hope. If her IDEAL of marriage has become an IDOL, then she will treat you like an IDOL until you fail her or disappoint her. Then she will seek to break you down or try to get you to act like her image of her IDOL that she has set up in her mind and emotions.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
God wounded me
I rode my first motorcycle when I was about 12 years old. Thousand upon thousands of miles on mini-bikes and motorcycles.
I don't do a lot of things for myself, ie, golf, hunt, fish, bowl, etc. But I did ride motorcycles. I could breathe on my bike. It was a great place to be.
God allowed an accident in November of 2007 and I have not ridden since. OUCH. That hurt. Though my injuries were minor, the bike was totaled.
I trust God for the every day details of my life. I did not begin this walk of God to have Him be a part of my life, but rather for HIM to be my life, my love and my reason for living. Our walk together is intimate, powerful and ever growing. And YOU allowed me to be thrown off my bike and it totaled. YOU are sovereign. YOU are God and there is no other. OUCH. That hurt.
I realize now that YOU did not hurt my heart but rather my soul. My mind, my emotions, my will. Perhaps my soul treasured my riding too much. I know that is the place where IDOLS are created from IDEALS. I still trust YOU. YOU are still my life, live and reason for living. I trust YOU completely.
The thought of the pain of my family if I wrecked and was hurt causes a fear in me I have never known. Perhaps a concern, that would make it valid. Either way, I am quiet and still before YOU, hurt in my soul, trusting YOU it was for my good, for OUR good for YOUR good.
YOU are good. YOU in me is good. A part for YOU I am not good. Without YOUR revelation in my life I am wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
I am confident YOU hurt me for good. YOU can do that again, if it is necessary. I would rather it pass but it is very, very effective at getting me to pay attention to YOUR things and to YOUR heart. So bravo! I rejoice in YOUR present love. OUCH.
I don't do a lot of things for myself, ie, golf, hunt, fish, bowl, etc. But I did ride motorcycles. I could breathe on my bike. It was a great place to be.
God allowed an accident in November of 2007 and I have not ridden since. OUCH. That hurt. Though my injuries were minor, the bike was totaled.
I trust God for the every day details of my life. I did not begin this walk of God to have Him be a part of my life, but rather for HIM to be my life, my love and my reason for living. Our walk together is intimate, powerful and ever growing. And YOU allowed me to be thrown off my bike and it totaled. YOU are sovereign. YOU are God and there is no other. OUCH. That hurt.
I realize now that YOU did not hurt my heart but rather my soul. My mind, my emotions, my will. Perhaps my soul treasured my riding too much. I know that is the place where IDOLS are created from IDEALS. I still trust YOU. YOU are still my life, live and reason for living. I trust YOU completely.
The thought of the pain of my family if I wrecked and was hurt causes a fear in me I have never known. Perhaps a concern, that would make it valid. Either way, I am quiet and still before YOU, hurt in my soul, trusting YOU it was for my good, for OUR good for YOUR good.
YOU are good. YOU in me is good. A part for YOU I am not good. Without YOUR revelation in my life I am wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
I am confident YOU hurt me for good. YOU can do that again, if it is necessary. I would rather it pass but it is very, very effective at getting me to pay attention to YOUR things and to YOUR heart. So bravo! I rejoice in YOUR present love. OUCH.
Trust
Trust is two hearts exchanging hope.
Trust is two hearts breathing together.
Trust is two hearts hurting together because of one's sin.
Trust is the result of joy that has matured together from grief shared.
Trust is years of shared joy from deep grief.
The deeper the grief - the higher the joy - the more powerful the trust.
Soul trust and heart ARE NOT the same.
Soul trust is of the mind or the emotions or the will.
Heart Trust is an exchange of essence.
Beauty
I attended the funeral of a beautiful woman last week. There was a lady who comforted the family with her attempts at speaking and sign language. Some may have felt challenged by her looks but God graced me to see something in her eyes. She was confident in her beauty and comforted the family in her confidence and love for the deceased. The message of her life was loud: I can't hear what you think or say about me. I have spent so much time in His presence, your words do not influence me any more. I know what He thinks about me and that is all that matters to me now.
Wow, she was free. I was at a very influential and wealthy church but she did not care. I was supporting a family well known for their ministry and influence but that did not influence her, not in the least. She wanted to bring comfort to the family and she had comfort to share.
She humbled me in her beauty.
Wow, she was free. I was at a very influential and wealthy church but she did not care. I was supporting a family well known for their ministry and influence but that did not influence her, not in the least. She wanted to bring comfort to the family and she had comfort to share.
She humbled me in her beauty.
Friday, June 21, 2013
God's Rights
Andrew, my oldest, was telling me about mirrors. The car mirrors are to tell where the other cars are. But some people have their mirrors adjusted so that they can see how other people see them. I remember our daughter taking a thousand pictures of herself so that she could see what she would look like from any angle.
God says, "Before I formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you." Jeremiah 1:5
He says, "I know who you are. Your parents do not know who you are. They may grow to learn you but only I know who you are. I reserve that right to be the only one who truly knows you."
I knew you before you became material. I knew you heart to heart before I placed you in the vehicle you walk around in now. I knew you before you were tall or short, young or old, white or black. I knew you before you were your mother's child or your father's offspring. I know you. They may know about you but I know you.
PS. You don't know you unless I tell you. So get to know ME to get to know YOU.
One mirror. What do You see God, when You look at me? Let me forget everything else and only KNOW that.
God says, "Before I formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you." Jeremiah 1:5
He says, "I know who you are. Your parents do not know who you are. They may grow to learn you but only I know who you are. I reserve that right to be the only one who truly knows you."
I knew you before you became material. I knew you heart to heart before I placed you in the vehicle you walk around in now. I knew you before you were tall or short, young or old, white or black. I knew you before you were your mother's child or your father's offspring. I know you. They may know about you but I know you.
PS. You don't know you unless I tell you. So get to know ME to get to know YOU.
One mirror. What do You see God, when You look at me? Let me forget everything else and only KNOW that.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Want and Needs
I asked the 10 year old young men to repeat a prayer for me. "I want my mom to be at my wedding but I need God."
Very simple request. At this time most young men are very, very tender toward their mom. It is only in the next couple of years do they buck against her "bossiness". Most of the young men would NOT repeat the prayer. They said that they needed their mother to be there at their wedding. Then I said that they were treating their mom like an idol.
They got it. They all said the prayer. One special young man said it with tears.
What do I need today? When we allow things to become needs our soul grabs onto them and they always, always, and always become secret IDOLS in our life. Almost all of our IDOLS come out of our God-given IDEALS that He wrote on our hearts.
What do I need today? By faith I have God. I have His care, His provision, His protection. Even though I ask for it, by the blood of Jesus and by His sovereign choice it is already mine.
The only thing I need to do today is to thank Him for everything He has given me. There are a lot of things I want today, some good and another things not so good but I need to give Him thanks. My heart needs to breathe, exhale the joy that is not natural to my soul. My heart must exhale into an atmosphere that despises joy that comes through faith. Yet I must let my heart exhale its great joy. Even though it hurts and stirs up deep grief hidden deep within my soul. I must breathe.
Very simple request. At this time most young men are very, very tender toward their mom. It is only in the next couple of years do they buck against her "bossiness". Most of the young men would NOT repeat the prayer. They said that they needed their mother to be there at their wedding. Then I said that they were treating their mom like an idol.
They got it. They all said the prayer. One special young man said it with tears.
What do I need today? When we allow things to become needs our soul grabs onto them and they always, always, and always become secret IDOLS in our life. Almost all of our IDOLS come out of our God-given IDEALS that He wrote on our hearts.
What do I need today? By faith I have God. I have His care, His provision, His protection. Even though I ask for it, by the blood of Jesus and by His sovereign choice it is already mine.
The only thing I need to do today is to thank Him for everything He has given me. There are a lot of things I want today, some good and another things not so good but I need to give Him thanks. My heart needs to breathe, exhale the joy that is not natural to my soul. My heart must exhale into an atmosphere that despises joy that comes through faith. Yet I must let my heart exhale its great joy. Even though it hurts and stirs up deep grief hidden deep within my soul. I must breathe.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
The Eyes
Had a great conversation with someone today about the eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul. We need to be very, very careful about who we let look in and we need to be very careful about whose windows we look into.
It is very powerful and necessary for a relationship to grow for there to be HeartTalk through the open eyes. The heart talks freely when you are looking into someone's eyes. It is important to get the mind and the emotions out of the way of the heart and let the heart's talk. Can you get still enough to hear the other person's heart? It is powerful to be able to sense the being of another person.
It is very powerful and necessary for a relationship to grow for there to be HeartTalk through the open eyes. The heart talks freely when you are looking into someone's eyes. It is important to get the mind and the emotions out of the way of the heart and let the heart's talk. Can you get still enough to hear the other person's heart? It is powerful to be able to sense the being of another person.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
DANGER
I was talking with a counseling intern the other day and I spotted something wrong with their training. Though there was a Christian influence upon the training, the training focused on the fact that human's are a materialistic people. Not like Madonna sang but that the essence of their being is material. What you can see, what you can touch.
Danger Will Robinson!
Very dangerous.
We are NOT material beings. We are spiritual beings having a material experience. Our essence is spiritual. Humanist and evolutionary psychological scientists study what they can see and touch. They focus upon the material. What they observe about the material is valid and helpful. What they interpret about the same is often wrong and can do serious damage to their clients.
I am a wound specialist. The reason for my success is that I go to the root of the issue - the core wounds that affect who we are, damage to our being, the spiritual. Our solar system was not understood until we understood that the sun was the center. Material counselors can help with superficial issues but not deep heart wounds.
A material counselor must take a journey that we all have to take: a journey to the center. Once that understanding is achieved and the personal relationship with God and Christ is understood as primary, then the counselor can apply the science of the material to the application but not before.
Some are saying we need to have more mental health money to stop these shootings. It would help but not solve the problem. Most of the shooters were involved with counselors. There has not been an objective look into the counselors published that I know of. What can we learn? What can we stop and what is beyond us?
Danger Will Robinson!
Very dangerous.
We are NOT material beings. We are spiritual beings having a material experience. Our essence is spiritual. Humanist and evolutionary psychological scientists study what they can see and touch. They focus upon the material. What they observe about the material is valid and helpful. What they interpret about the same is often wrong and can do serious damage to their clients.
I am a wound specialist. The reason for my success is that I go to the root of the issue - the core wounds that affect who we are, damage to our being, the spiritual. Our solar system was not understood until we understood that the sun was the center. Material counselors can help with superficial issues but not deep heart wounds.
A material counselor must take a journey that we all have to take: a journey to the center. Once that understanding is achieved and the personal relationship with God and Christ is understood as primary, then the counselor can apply the science of the material to the application but not before.
Some are saying we need to have more mental health money to stop these shootings. It would help but not solve the problem. Most of the shooters were involved with counselors. There has not been an objective look into the counselors published that I know of. What can we learn? What can we stop and what is beyond us?
Confusion
The heart is NEVER confused. Where the presence of Christ is there is peace. In our heart of hearts there is perfect peace. If there is confusion it is because I have doubted what God has already whispered in my heart , or I have disobeyed something He has already told me, or I am not still enough to hear Him.
He is always speaking, always. If it seems that He is silent it is because I am not still and quiet enough to hear Him. The mind and emotions are never still unless told to be still. If there is confusion it is because the mind is trying to figure something out without letting the heart speak.
Be quiet.
In your quietness learn how to be still.
In your stillness learn how to rest.
In your rest learn how to listen.
In your listening learn how to reflect what He says without editing anything.
Then teach and proclaim what you know.
Friday, June 7, 2013
The Discipline of Repentance
I have been a Christian since 1977. I boldly came into the kingdom of God with profound and wonderful repentance. I have been humbled by God again and again and every time responded with my heart and repentance.
Pastor Carter spoke about how important repentance is to any relationship. I looked up some Scriptures about repentance. The Word challenged and humbled me. It is easy to get hard to the Holy Spirit and not maintain that tenderness of heart that comes from walking humbly with God. A walk with Christ is a joyful walk of repentance from the world and the flesh and a constant turning toward Him.
19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Revelation 3:9 NASB
Pastor Carter spoke about how important repentance is to any relationship. I looked up some Scriptures about repentance. The Word challenged and humbled me. It is easy to get hard to the Holy Spirit and not maintain that tenderness of heart that comes from walking humbly with God. A walk with Christ is a joyful walk of repentance from the world and the flesh and a constant turning toward Him.
19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Revelation 3:9 NASB
Thursday, June 6, 2013
The Life God delights to Bless
There are two types of Christians
1. The ones who live life enjoying the life God allows. They live life chasing the desires of their own heart and try to stay close to the will of God.
2. The ones who live life focused on what God authors. They marry the one they believe God brought into their life. They seek the profession God desires for them. They are careful to speak the words God authors in their heart. They are quiet, gentle and powerful. God delights to bless their life and it is seen in their children. They are surprised by the consistent grace of God but those close to them are not. They are very aware of the brokenness that they delight to live with.
To know what God authors takes time and effort. You have to know His book and let His book know you. You have to know His people and let His people know you.
Breaking A Curse
If you are dealing with a generational curse it is going to take two generations back to back to break the curse.
A Mom (Tami) came in with her daughter (Maria). The mom exhausted herself not being her mom (Esther) who abused her horribly. All of her energy was focused on her not being like her mom so that her daughter would not know her pain.
Her daughter Maria, suffered because Tami, her mom was disconnected from her as she was pushing against the pressure of being like her mom, Esther.
It will take the mom, Tami and the daughter Maria to work together to break the cycle of the curse. If the mother and daughter do not work together the curse, in another form, will be passed down.
A Mom (Tami) came in with her daughter (Maria). The mom exhausted herself not being her mom (Esther) who abused her horribly. All of her energy was focused on her not being like her mom so that her daughter would not know her pain.
Her daughter Maria, suffered because Tami, her mom was disconnected from her as she was pushing against the pressure of being like her mom, Esther.
It will take the mom, Tami and the daughter Maria to work together to break the cycle of the curse. If the mother and daughter do not work together the curse, in another form, will be passed down.
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