Why Be Happy?

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happy-clients

“Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God” – Psalm 146:5

Why? Why are those people happy? This verse indicates that it’s because they know that God will answer them or come for them. Their hope isn’t a false, hollow hope, it’s a sure thing; an assurance. They are happy just knowing that God hears them and answers their prayers even when He doesn’t answer them the way they were hoping He would.

That isn’t us anymore. We are happier when God answers us the way we want, than we are simply knowing that He hears us and always gives us an answer. This is because we have lost sight of God’s glory and magnitude. We focus more on our own achievements than on the great, mighty, glorious and wondrous works of God. Things we could never do like live outside of time itself and create an infinite and ever expanding universe. We can’t do that. We can’t create birds out of nothing. Stars do not sing for us and we did not give the stars their voices.

But let’s face reality, we live in a craptastic world right now. The world has gone mad. Some people want to blow us up just because they don’t agree with how some Americans live and behave. The underlying worldview for more than half of the world is “if it feels right to you, then it’s true for you”; truth has become more feeling and opinion than fact. Many marriages no longer make it to the 5-year mark before deciding on divorce. Making a fool of yourself on national television is all that’s required to be a celebrity now. And watch television if you need proof, people are actually less intelligent than they were 15 years ago. Adults, no matter your job, should have basic speech and grammar skills.

There’s casual sex and violence and illness and bullying, etc. and it doesn’t seem like things are getting any better. We sacrifice our time, our families and even ourselves to the altars of entertainment, technology, sex and vulgarity. Face the reality people, there’s absolutely NO reason that God should care about anything we have to say.

But He does care.

He listens when we call.

Yet instead of being grateful that He answers us at all, we get angry or petty when He doesn’t answer us our way. Our focus is to much on us and not enough on Him; or we would realize the great privilege it is that the Creator of the air we breathe hears our insignificant murmuring. And not only that, He hurts with us, is sad with us, sits with us when we’re lonely and stands there and takes it when we’re angry and we take it out on Him.

He loves us anyway.

That should make us happy. That should be enough even when God doesn’t give the answer we want.

Is God enough to cause a change in your life? Is God enough?

Potential Problem of Recognizing Potential

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potential

I see potential everywhere and in every one. Since you also encourage others, I’m sure you see potential all the time as well. People and situations are full of potential. Here’s the problem with seeing potential everywhere…

Sometimes it can get frustrating.

Imagine knowing someone with amazing artistic talent. They love art, it’s their passion. Their natural ability for art would rival some of the masters of the art world. Then one day you find out that because they don’t believe that their art will provide them with economic security, they’ve decided to give it up in favor of a business degree and an office job.

Wouldn’t your heart break for such a person?

The frustrating thing about seeing potential in people and places is that there’s always someone right there to explain why the risk isn’t worth taking.  Why you should have a back up plan. Living up to your potential means taking risks and encouraging others means convincing them that the risk will be worth taking.

In my other career as a youth pastor, I spend a lot of time with teenagers and college students. I see a lot of potential. I also see a lot of plans. Talk to a teenager about their plans for the future sometime, you’ll find that many of them have their futures mapped out and many of these plans don’t take into account their individual potential.

Why don’t teenagers take their potential into account?

One word: Security. From a young age it’s drummed into children that what they should want is a secure future. Parents and teachers tell them that to have future economic security, they must be successful and have a secure job. Throughout history the jobs considered most “secure” are in business and administration and those seen as least “secure” are artistic. If we’ve learned anything from our recent economic mess, it’s that there’s really no such thing as an economically secure life.

Nowadays potential gets beaten down in most people from an early age. I got lucky, I have great parents. They might worry about me from time to time, but when I decided that I wanted to write and be a pastor, they were completely supportive even though neither job comes with much security. I see so many people daily who’ve given up their potential for greatness before their lives have really started and they mostly give up out of fear.

That’s why the world needs encouragers.

People need to be encouraged to take risks. They need to know that at least one person will be with them along the way, cheering them on and believing in them when things get hard. Maybe you know parents  who need to be encouraged to let their children live out their dreams. You might know an adult who feels miserable in their economically secure job and regrets not living up to their potential, well it’s never to late.

Encouraging others is frustrating, I’m not going to lie. Sometimes fear gets the best of people and they shy away from greatness or change and that will frustrate you. Sometimes people  will try to embrace their potential, but you’ll stand by and watch opportunity after opportunity denied to them and you’ll know that if they’re given just one opportunity they’ll succeed. Potential scares a lot of  people and those who embrace their potential scare other people, I’ll discuss why this is in a future article.

If you know that you’re meant to incite others to greatness, it’s important to know that you may not always be successful and that the job is both joyously fulfilling and at times extremely frustrating….

But the calling is a worthy one and the world needs more people to accept it.

God Lit a Fire

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images

I started reading from Ezekiel today. I don’t really know why, it’s just been on my heart to read lately so I did. I read the first 10 chapters and understood very little of what I was reading.

If you’ve ever read one of the prophetic books of the Bible you might recognize that feeling.

However, in chapter 3 God says something to Ezekiel that is not difficult to understand in the least.

“Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from Me, warn people immediately. If I warn the wicked, saying ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved your life because you obeyed Me.” – Ezekiel 3:17-19, NLT

If I can be blunt (and I can because it’s my website) God lit a fire under Ezekiel’s ass right here.

Let me give you the gist of God’s deal with Ezekiel. If Ezekiel delivers God’s messages to the people as soon as he receives them, every thing’s good even if the people don’t repent. If Ezekiel fails to deliver God’s messages, then Ezekiel is responsible for the deaths of God’s people – i.e. Ezekiel becomes a murderer.

I often both encourage and empathize with those that God has called to be prophets because that job sucks. It really does, go read the prophetic books…

  • Jeremiah was shunned by his people and watched his home get destroyed
  • Daniel was offered to a lion for it’s dinner
  • Hosea married a prostitute who continuously broke his heart and God ordered him to still show her love and forgiveness
  • Jonah was swallowed by a giant fish and had to travel like that until he became fish vomit on a beach
  • Ezekiel has to deliver urgent messages or else he’ll be guilty of murder, sees visions that put modern day sci-fi to shame (example: dry bones in a desert that start re-growing muscles and skin, etc.) and he spent quite a bit of time acting like a mute, crazy person while sitting outside his home and playing toy soldiers in the dirt to act out a prophecy of a siege on Jerusalem. That’s just a few things God asked of Ezekiel

The message of consequences in Ezekiel 3-17-19 seemed mega-harsh to me at first. I mean really? What if something important or unavoidable happened and Ezekiel simply couldn’t get his message out in time? Then he’s essentially guilty of murder?

Then in that way He has, God spoke to my heart, reminding me of His priorities,

Is there anything, more important to Me than the hearts of the people I so lovingly create?

There’s only one right answer to that: NO.

No, there’s nothing more important to God than our hearts. The hearts of those who believe, the hearts of those who don’t and the hearts of those who have yet to hear.

Of course there are other things that matter to God. There are other things that are important to Him, but there’s nothing that is more important than hearts.

Recently I heard a radio host ask this question:

If you were trapped on an elevator with Jesus Christ and you knew that you’d be in that elevator for 3 hours, what would you want to talk to Him about? What would you ask Him?

I didn’t have to think about my answer very long, I would ask two things, the first is personal and involves some guilt I’ve been struggling with but the second is this, “What do you want us to work on next?”

I would ask Jesus what, in my life, He wanted me to submit to Him next so that we could work on it together. You see I know that my heart isn’t everything that God wants it to be yet. I know that because I’m not in heaven yet. I know that I’m not done, His work in me isn’t finished yet.

Is God’s work in your heart finished?

Are you sure?

If you’re ready to acknowledge that God’s work in your heart isn’t finished yet then I invite you to take a step of faith and courage and pray the following prayer.

God,

I know you’ve done some great things in my life. I also know that You aren’t finished with me yet. I know that there are still things You want us to work on together. So I’m asking You Lord, to show me what area You want to work on next and to give me the strength to submit that area to Your rule as the King of my heart. Amen.

If you feel comfortable, please share what area God wants to work on with you, in the comments section below so that we can encourage and pray for each other.

Here Comes Trouble

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I’m a troublemaker.

I’m the kind of person with whom, by virtue of my personality combined with certain particular gifting’s, people try to avoid making eye contact or engaging in deep conversation.

Don’t feel sorry for me. I came to terms with myself (mostly) a few years ago and learned to appreciate the person that I am; the person I was created to be. However, I wasn’t always as comfortable with myself as I am now.

What makes me a troublemaker?

Troublemaker (n.) a person who often causes trouble, especially by encouraging others to defy people in authority.

To understand what, in particular, makes me a troublemaker you’re going to need a little more information.

Trouble (n.) difficulty or problems.

effort made to do something.

a cause of worry or inconvenience.

public unrest or disorder.

a situation in which a person is likely to be punished or blamed.

Trouble (v.) cause distress or inconvenience to someone.

So which one of those is the sort of trouble I cause? Hmm…well all of them actually. I was raised by people who grew up in the 1960’s and 70’s, encouraged critical thinking and respectful debate and taught me to take a stand when necessary. Those are the parts of my personality that make me difficult, but they’re only part of what makes me a troublemaker.

I’m also gifted

I’m something called an exhorter.

Many people define the gift of exhortation as encouragement, but without further explanation, that definition gives a false sense of what it means to be an exhorter.

Exhort (v.) to urge, advise, or caution earnestly; to give urgent advice, recommendations, or warnings; strongly urge someone to do something.

Ever tried to advise someone on a difficult decision? Ever had someone ask you for counsel, only to ignore everything you say and end up in a worse place than the one from which they started? Ever watched a friend in a bad relationship until you couldn’t stand it anymore, but when you finally say something, your friend ends up angry with you? Have you ever come into contact with a business or ministry strategy that needed to change, but your attempts to help improve the strategy were either ignored or met with resistance, skepticism, misunderstanding or anger?

Well that’s a glimpse into my world all the time. If that sounds like your world or the world of someone you know, then this is the place for you.

We’re exhorters, encouragers, catalysts for change.

We. Are. Troublemakers.

What’s Going On?

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billnted

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” (adapted from Robert Burns’ poem To a Mouse)

I’m aware that my last article was January 28 of this year – over 2 weeks ago! I promise I haven’t been messing around.

billnted

I’m actually writing this as, for the second time, this obnoxious cold tries to take root in my body. So far I’ve managed to come out ahead but the fight is really tiring. There are other things going on besides dodging colds though. I’m sure you’ve noticed the change in appearance of the His Work in Progress site, the new appearance is simpler and more streamlined because that is what I’m doing to the entire site – streamlining.

I started His Work in Progress last year with so many ideas that I just wanted to do everything! I wanted to create a site where people could get almost any information they were looking for. I wanted to help in every aspect of people’s lives. Then something hit me recently, in the midst of some difficult circumstances, I’m only one person. I’m one person with approximately 16 hours each day to do what I need to get done; that’s not a lot of time.

So I’m streamlining. I’m turning this into a devotional site. I’ll be posting devotional articles, articles about theology and resources you can use to further your own knowledge of the Bible and of yourself; for now, those will be the main things you can expect to find here at His Work in Progress because that is what I have time for.  I’m also working on my first book, launching another site associated with that and working on curriculum and program development for my church.

I have a lot going on and I want to make sure that I’m giving my best to these things which means narrowing my focus in certain areas. It may take a couple of weeks for me to figure out a regular posting schedule that works so check back often and when I’ve settled on a posting schedule I’ll let you know.

That’s the update for now.

Check back soon!

Soul Dehydration

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desert.jpg

desertImagine being, not on a deserted, tropical island but, on an island that is all desert. Alone. There is no water for drinking. The only water is the salt water from the ocean that surrounds the island. Our bodies cannot drink salt water, it hastens dehydration among other bodily consequences. Drinking it will lead to death. That is what following false prophets/messiahs/gods is like. It might look pretty much the same as fresh water, but it isn’t. It might sound like a good idea to drink but it will kill you.

I have been mildly dehydrated. It was the single most miserable experience of my life. Headache and vomiting. Completely sapped of all strength, it was everything I could do to get from the bed to the bathroom to throw up. I couldn’t rest because my body was in such constant misery.

O God, You are my God, I seek You, my soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.—Psalm 63:1

My dehydration didn’t occur because I drank no water. It occurred because I wasn’t drinking ENOUGH water. My sister tried to warn me to increase my intake of water (I was in Hawaii visiting her on Oahu at the time) but I didn’t increase it enough. I’ve never experienced a more awful feeling.

That’s what it’s like for our souls when we aren’t spending enough time with God. We think that simply because we are getting SOME water, that we are getting ENOUGH water. SOME does not equal ENOUGH. The result of not enough fresh water for our bodies is dehydration and if left unchecked and unresolved long enough, physical death; the same is true for our souls.

Is your soul getting enough living water?

God’s Masterpiece

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I just wanted to upload the audio of this awesome sermon on the work that goes into creating a masterpiece. My opinion is a little biased because my husband David preached this sermon and the skit audio is from The Skit Guys. Nonetheless, I hope this blesses you as it blessed our congregation.

Enjoy!

God’s Masterpiece

One Thousand Gifts Challenge: Exhaustion, the Weekend and Random Thoughts

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bookI am exhausted! I feel like I’ve been going non-stop since last Sunday.

Four students in our youth group have January birthdays along with my husband and one of my sisters. So there’ve been a couple of parties to attend over the last week. Add to that a re-visioning and re-structuring of some things at church, school, building a new church website and my normal jobs of pastoring and writing and you’ve got a very busy week. It’s the good kind of busy but it’s still busy; I actually forgot to eat until about an hour ago.

Then all of a sudden, WHAM! If exhaustion is a train, then I just got run over by it, and here’s your random thought for the day…

Why does digestion make us so tired? Before I ate, things were humming along just fine. I was clear and focused, a little hungry but still able to focus fine. Then I have some food and now I can barely keep my eyes open and trying to think is like digging through mud.

In spite of all the busyness of the weekend, I have been trying to keep my eyes open to the gifts God has placed in my life. So, here we go…

Friday, I’m thankful…

42. For dates with my husband to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for tea lattes. We’re making it a Friday morning tradition.

43.  For classes that make me think. Honestly, I’m super lazy so I don’t much like schoolwork but I also dislike easy classes. I like classes that challenge my intellect.

44. Sweet text messages from my youngest sister. She texted me this evening to “be happy” because I am “an awesome big sister”. Makes a girl feel good, thanks Chris!

Saturday, I’m thankful…

45. For YouVersion reading plans. I’m going through one based on readings from the Book of Common Prayer right now.

46. That I finished my homework a day early! Long nap on Sunday? I think so!

47. For the blessing of a home cooked meal that I didn’t have to cook. One of our youth lives with her family in the same apartment complex as us and she texted to ask if she could bring something over. Something turned out to be two huge plates of food and a plate with a pretty big slice of cake.

Sunday, I’m thankful…

48. For the long nap made possible by finishing homework early.

49. For the sound of teenagers praying.

50. That I can read and write web code (HTML, CSS, PHP, etc.). It’s something to fall back on when money gets tight.

New random thought…I think I want waffles. I wonder if I can make them before I fall asleep…

One Thousand Gifts Challenge: It’s Late

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bookIt’s late and I’m writing from my iPad as I get ready to go to sleep but I didn’t want to leave without at least writing up my list of gifts for Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday, I’m thankful…

36. For Facebook messages from my friend Annie. She’s beautiful, fun and very loving. I miss her and it was good to hear from her.
37. It isn’t Spring yet but the hummingbirds are zipping by my window again! I adore hummingbirds.
38. For soft things. It doesn’t matter what – blankets, shirts, the fur on my cats…anything soft.

Thursday, I’m thankful…

39. That I get to help lead worship with my friend Scott.
40. For the writings of C.S. Lewis; he’s my favorite theologian, though he would never have considered himself as such.
41. For the meal that breaks a fast. That first meal after a time of fasting is concluded is always amazing, because you’re finally having food!

I know this is short but I’ll have more for you tomorrow…

What is the Point of Grace?

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Grace

GraceNo, I’m not talking about the band. I’m not even talking about the moment at which we fall under the weight of our own sin and finally look up only to realize that God has been there waiting with His hand outstretched the whole time.

No, I mean what is the purpose of grace?

For many Christians,grace is that moment when God says, “Your sins are forgiven” and the realization that every sin committed from that moment on is met with those same words, but those Christians have forgotten something. When the Bible records these sweet words of Jesus, they are followed by “Go. From now on sin no more” (John 8:11)

“Go. From now on sin no more.”

This is the point of grace: to bring us face-to-face with the full weight of our sin in the light of God’s brilliant perfection. You see, in the shadows the dirt of our sin doesn’t look so bad. Have you ever had a white shirt that you took really good care of but when you hold it up next to a brand new white shirt, you realized how faded and dirty your old white shirt had become? That’s what it’s like to view our sin in the light of God’s perfection. At that point, God extends a hand offering to wipe all of our dirt and grime away and transform each of us into a reflection (mirror image) of His son, Jesus Christ.

That is the point of grace, it’s purpose is transformation.

The point of grace is to force us into confrontation with ourselves. We’re stripped completely bare and confronted with who we truly are. All of the hidden motives, white lies and best intentions laid out for us to see without the comforting rationalizations we usually cover them with. Once we see who we really are underneath the lies we tell ourselves and we see the truth of who God really is we can’t help but desire to be more like Him and less like us.

A word of caution…

Once we accept His offer and take His hand we make a commitment to the transformation He offers. We commit to the true purpose of grace.

If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

Do you see the amount of change God requires? Turning away from wickedness, humbling ourselves, praying and seeking His face; this is a call to transformation from a wicked people to a people who seek after God with whole hearts.

Transformation isn’t a one time event. Transformation is a continual process. As much as it pains me to say it, a Christian living a life without consistent transformation is not a Christian at all. You can’t affect real change in the world if you are unwilling to allow change within yourself.

Are you allowing God to transform your life or have you been missing the point of grace?

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