Beth and I are spending the week in a beautiful condo on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When we entered the area we stopped by the local informatin center for brochures. The helpful lady reminded me that it will take a day or so to get used to "Outer Banks time". She said it's a little slower down here than most folks are used to. I liked hearing that. But it reminded me of my life the rest of the time.
Are you part of the “instant” age we now live in? Iphones, blackberrys, instant messaging, and facebook are part of our culture that will not soon fade. With each new invention we become more accustomed to immediate access to information regardless of its relevance to our lives (i.e. most postings on Facebook or Twitter). We want our food fast and our information immediate. For many, not having instant access to information or other people creates stress and anxiety. No one would argue that the pace of our society is faster today than ever before. Time is most often used to measure inefficiency. For this generation there seems to be little value in things taking time to develop. The reality is that time is most valuable in many areas of our lives, in particular the process of healing.
Christian counseling is directly involved with the healing of emotional wounds. Biblical truths are shared to shed light on the lies that have been perpetrated by our Enemy. As the truth of God’s love and purpose are revealed in our lives, new attitudes form and behaviors change. However, the effects of living for a period without the truth leave emotional wounds. Anyone who has experienced childhood abuse can testify to this. Early traumas become imbedded in our thought patterns and become “our truth.” The reversal of these patterns is not an instant process. With all of our progress as a society, there is no pill to speed up the healing of emotional wounds. The healing of emotional wounds begins with renewing the mind with the Truth of Jesus Christ. By faith, the wounded begin to live and think according to the perspective of God, replacing old lies with new ways. While information brings light to the situation, transformation is a process that is worked out over time. In effect, “the Truth” must become “their Truth”. New life and power come through this transformation as the new reality becomes more real than the former lies. This is only accomplished with time. In fact, “instant” healing of emotional wounds is potentially superficial and short lived.
If you are working through the healing of some emotional wounds or trying to counsel those who are, remember the value of time. The process of healing is creating a new foundation for life. Whether the wound is lifelong (abuse, abandonment etc.) or circumstantial (loss of a loved one), time is your ally in recovery. Be patient with yourself and others who hear counsel, yet don’t take immediately to its application. It can be a frightening process to change the foundations of your thinking and feeling. Recall the patience of our Lord Jesus as He works with you. We are all in the process of healing in some way or another. The good news can be found in the bible,
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil 1:6, ESV)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Yard Sale Anyone?
Sitting on my front porch watching folks attend neighborhood yard sales is always entertaining. They rush into the area desperate to find a parking spot on the local street. They quickly make their way to the site hoping to find that “special deal”. It makes me smile to see them return to their cars with that satisfied look of accomplishment. They are holding a new “treasure”. They are so pleased with the acquisition. Then they are on to the next sale. And it starts all over again. I have only experienced the yard sale from the selling end. I am just as pleased to sell my stuff as those buyers are to make the deal. All this reminds me that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. It’s all about perspective.
Jesus didn’t show much interest in collecting stuff. He collected people. He still collects people. In fact, He seems to show a particular interest in collecting the treasures that society treats as junk. I’m thinking of the poor, the addicted and the lost. The people who society is often ready to throw away are the people that Jesus deeply loves:
“..Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:6-7)
If the church of Jesus Christ exercised the same energy and passion toward saving the lost that we put toward the Saturday morning yard sale (6am start time..really?), the “junk” of our society would become the treasures of the Kingdom.
Jesus didn’t show much interest in collecting stuff. He collected people. He still collects people. In fact, He seems to show a particular interest in collecting the treasures that society treats as junk. I’m thinking of the poor, the addicted and the lost. The people who society is often ready to throw away are the people that Jesus deeply loves:
“..Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:6-7)
If the church of Jesus Christ exercised the same energy and passion toward saving the lost that we put toward the Saturday morning yard sale (6am start time..really?), the “junk” of our society would become the treasures of the Kingdom.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
This morning I walked around my neighborhood listening to praise music for about a mile and a half. This is certainly nothing to brag about, yet six weeks ago I could not stand without help. Walking a few feet with aid completely exhausted me. After some time in the hospital and gallons (it seems like it!) of antibiotics, I am on the mend. While in the hospital, some friends and family jokingly called me Lazarus as I began to heal. I’m sure I looked like a man who was dead for several days trying to walk again. But the comparison drew a deeper meaning for me.
Lazarus was raised from the dead by the call of Jesus to the Father (John 11:31.) The Lord was moved with compassion by the weeping of the people (vs 35), yet we know that the intention of Jesus was to show the glory of God by resurrecting Lazarus even before he made the journey (John 11:11). The sovereign plan of the Father was carried out at the same time Jesus was emotionally moved by the cries of the people.
What does Lazarus have to do with me? Well, I was overwhelmed this morning with the realization of how many Saints were praying for my healing. While the illness and recovery have been a sovereign move of the Lord, I am convinced that the prayers of the Saints had influence on the Lord’s work in my life. I can’t explain how all that works together, but I believe the words of E.M. Bounds when he wrote,
” If we believe God’s Word, we are bound to believe that prayer affects God and affects Him mightily; that prayer avails, and that prayer avails mightily “
(Wonders of God Through Prayer, Pg 207)
Thank God for His compassion that even in the midst of His sovereign plan, He hears the prayers of his people (James 5:16). Thanks also for caring Saints who cry out on behalf of others.
Lazarus was raised from the dead by the call of Jesus to the Father (John 11:31.) The Lord was moved with compassion by the weeping of the people (vs 35), yet we know that the intention of Jesus was to show the glory of God by resurrecting Lazarus even before he made the journey (John 11:11). The sovereign plan of the Father was carried out at the same time Jesus was emotionally moved by the cries of the people.
What does Lazarus have to do with me? Well, I was overwhelmed this morning with the realization of how many Saints were praying for my healing. While the illness and recovery have been a sovereign move of the Lord, I am convinced that the prayers of the Saints had influence on the Lord’s work in my life. I can’t explain how all that works together, but I believe the words of E.M. Bounds when he wrote,
” If we believe God’s Word, we are bound to believe that prayer affects God and affects Him mightily; that prayer avails, and that prayer avails mightily “
(Wonders of God Through Prayer, Pg 207)
Thank God for His compassion that even in the midst of His sovereign plan, He hears the prayers of his people (James 5:16). Thanks also for caring Saints who cry out on behalf of others.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Joy in the Trial
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4
Fully understanding this passage has always been a challenge for me. The word joy makes me think of exuberant and energetic happiness. I have never connected the facing of a trial with this definition. I have experienced a feeling of satisfaction when the benefit of a trial was revealed , but this was usually long after the trial was over. I have seen God’s purpose in the trial after the fact, but never experienced joy during the trial. That is until recently.
My recent battle with a nasty staph infection allowed me to experience many new things. There was a point about 4 days into my hospital stay that brought me deeply into the Lord presence. The doctors and nurses offered no answers to my severe pain and 103+ fever. This was my first time in a hospital as an adult and I was getting little help from modern medicine. The Lord spoke gently into my spirit late at night as I cried out to Him. He told me that this was not “unto death, but there was more pain to come.” I cannot describe to you the joy and peace that came over me that night. The chills and pain were still severe, but my Father told me that I was going to live. From that point on, I was at peace because He was still in charge. For the next 5 or 6 days, I opened my eyes and ears to the people around me who might need to hear the gospel or an encouraging word. If this wasn’t going to kill me, then the trial must have a purpose. The remaining days in 2 different hospitals revealed several “God moments” with doctors, nurses and other patients.
I understand now that there is a joy that can only come when faith allows us to rest in the Lord. The trial has changed me in ways that I am still learning. There is a joy, a confidence that only comes when God Himself brings you through a tough time. His grace allowed me to experience the joy of His sovereignty during the trial. I pray that your next trial yields fruit that will build your faith.
"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." (Job 8:21)
Fully understanding this passage has always been a challenge for me. The word joy makes me think of exuberant and energetic happiness. I have never connected the facing of a trial with this definition. I have experienced a feeling of satisfaction when the benefit of a trial was revealed , but this was usually long after the trial was over. I have seen God’s purpose in the trial after the fact, but never experienced joy during the trial. That is until recently.
My recent battle with a nasty staph infection allowed me to experience many new things. There was a point about 4 days into my hospital stay that brought me deeply into the Lord presence. The doctors and nurses offered no answers to my severe pain and 103+ fever. This was my first time in a hospital as an adult and I was getting little help from modern medicine. The Lord spoke gently into my spirit late at night as I cried out to Him. He told me that this was not “unto death, but there was more pain to come.” I cannot describe to you the joy and peace that came over me that night. The chills and pain were still severe, but my Father told me that I was going to live. From that point on, I was at peace because He was still in charge. For the next 5 or 6 days, I opened my eyes and ears to the people around me who might need to hear the gospel or an encouraging word. If this wasn’t going to kill me, then the trial must have a purpose. The remaining days in 2 different hospitals revealed several “God moments” with doctors, nurses and other patients.
I understand now that there is a joy that can only come when faith allows us to rest in the Lord. The trial has changed me in ways that I am still learning. There is a joy, a confidence that only comes when God Himself brings you through a tough time. His grace allowed me to experience the joy of His sovereignty during the trial. I pray that your next trial yields fruit that will build your faith.
"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." (Job 8:21)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Voice of Truth
And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor." (Judges 6:12)
Here’s a man who was alone beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. His people would plant crops only to have invaders come like locusts and steal the harvest. Gideon and the Israelites had lost hope that God would save them. They were reduced to hiding in caves to avoid detection. These were God’s chosen people who had not obeyed His voice (vs 10). But God, rich in mercy, called Gideon out through an angel of the Lord. He used Gideon to save His people.
When God’s voice first calls out to a man, it sounds foreign and misplaced. To be called a “man of valor” while hiding away in fear and hopelessness sounds foolish. Yet we know that God sees the heart and the finished product of a person long before the work is completed. A person caught in repetitive sin can only see their failures, not their future. They have lived in disobedience, fear and shame for so long, they lose hope that God is willing to intervene. For Gideon and his people, God was willing to use a willing soldier to restore order and righteousness. For those caught in sin, He is willing to restore if we are willing to surrender. Gideon had to surrender his fear and doubt. We must do the same.
The Casting Crown’s song says that “the voice of Truth tells me a different story.” God’s voice in our lives comes in many forms. We hear Him through the Word, fellow believers, prayer and circumstances. His voice is Truth. It is the sound to follow in the darkness until we can begin to see light in our tribulations. Hear it, believe it, trust it, live it! As we follow this path, we become the person He called us to be…even a might man of valor who saves his people. Who has God called you to be?
Here’s a man who was alone beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. His people would plant crops only to have invaders come like locusts and steal the harvest. Gideon and the Israelites had lost hope that God would save them. They were reduced to hiding in caves to avoid detection. These were God’s chosen people who had not obeyed His voice (vs 10). But God, rich in mercy, called Gideon out through an angel of the Lord. He used Gideon to save His people.
When God’s voice first calls out to a man, it sounds foreign and misplaced. To be called a “man of valor” while hiding away in fear and hopelessness sounds foolish. Yet we know that God sees the heart and the finished product of a person long before the work is completed. A person caught in repetitive sin can only see their failures, not their future. They have lived in disobedience, fear and shame for so long, they lose hope that God is willing to intervene. For Gideon and his people, God was willing to use a willing soldier to restore order and righteousness. For those caught in sin, He is willing to restore if we are willing to surrender. Gideon had to surrender his fear and doubt. We must do the same.
The Casting Crown’s song says that “the voice of Truth tells me a different story.” God’s voice in our lives comes in many forms. We hear Him through the Word, fellow believers, prayer and circumstances. His voice is Truth. It is the sound to follow in the darkness until we can begin to see light in our tribulations. Hear it, believe it, trust it, live it! As we follow this path, we become the person He called us to be…even a might man of valor who saves his people. Who has God called you to be?
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
What motivates you?
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:12-14) NIV
Like the rest of us Paul had a life before Jesus Christ became the focus. For Paul, he had a prideful pedigree of education and accomplishment to recall. He also could recall overseeing the brutal beatings of Christians simply for believing that the Messiah had come in the flesh. I think he wrote this passage in Philippians because he knew the power of the past to draw us away from the pursuit of Christ. We can be tempted to think highly of our former accomplishments or to be tormented by depth of our depravity. Neither serves us well in keeping our focus on the future.
So what motivates to us to “keep up the good fight” (2Tim 4:7) as Paul did until the end? While the darkness of our past can be a reminder of the grace of God, it fails to motivate us consistently in moving forward. A person is best motivated by a vision of his future that reaches beyond the failures of his past. If we focus on the failures, our new life is based on a platform of guilt and shame. We can’t simply overcome the guilt of our past with new works. That system leaves us under the law as before salvation (Rom 4:2). Jesus offers something better than redemptive works to make up for our past. He offers us new life that is based on grace, not works (Eph 2:8-9).
The “straining” toward the goal is rooted in keeping my mind on Christ, not on my past accomplishments/failures. The person I was is not who I am (2Cor 5:17). Jesus has a vision and a destiny for my life that goes beyond my imagination. He has one for you as well. As we receive His forgiveness and grace and stay focused on Jesus, He reveals the prize..
Like the rest of us Paul had a life before Jesus Christ became the focus. For Paul, he had a prideful pedigree of education and accomplishment to recall. He also could recall overseeing the brutal beatings of Christians simply for believing that the Messiah had come in the flesh. I think he wrote this passage in Philippians because he knew the power of the past to draw us away from the pursuit of Christ. We can be tempted to think highly of our former accomplishments or to be tormented by depth of our depravity. Neither serves us well in keeping our focus on the future.
So what motivates to us to “keep up the good fight” (2Tim 4:7) as Paul did until the end? While the darkness of our past can be a reminder of the grace of God, it fails to motivate us consistently in moving forward. A person is best motivated by a vision of his future that reaches beyond the failures of his past. If we focus on the failures, our new life is based on a platform of guilt and shame. We can’t simply overcome the guilt of our past with new works. That system leaves us under the law as before salvation (Rom 4:2). Jesus offers something better than redemptive works to make up for our past. He offers us new life that is based on grace, not works (Eph 2:8-9).
The “straining” toward the goal is rooted in keeping my mind on Christ, not on my past accomplishments/failures. The person I was is not who I am (2Cor 5:17). Jesus has a vision and a destiny for my life that goes beyond my imagination. He has one for you as well. As we receive His forgiveness and grace and stay focused on Jesus, He reveals the prize..
Thursday, August 5, 2010
How Wet is Water?
“ I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:10)
What God says He will do, He will do! Sometimes as situations in life appear to be moving away from God’s intention, I am tempted to question the sovereignty of God in all things. Several nights ago while laying awake thinking about the day’s events, this question popped into my mind. God, how sovereign are you? It felt like an odd question at the time. I am convinced the Lord put this question on my heart in order to give me an answer that was much deeper than my stewing about the day. Just for reference, my “stewing” about the day usually involves remembering some of the challenging situations I have encountered in counseling and wondering what my next move should be. This time God just went straight to the heart of the matter. He put my concerns in the form of a question that only He could answer. Before I could consider a clever biblical response to the question, God proposed another question that referred to the first one. How sovereign are you God?.....How wet is water? Wow, I really had to think about that one.
Water is completely wet. Every part of water can be described as wet. If fact, when you try to describe water, you can’t avoid using the word wet. The two are inseparable. Water is a lot of things, but in all uses, wet! I think you see the connection God was showing me. He is many things, yet sovereign in all things. The degree of His sovereignty cannot be measured in any situation. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28). I need to remember that God is working for THE good and MY good in all circumstances. He is completely sovereign in the big picture of the world’s turmoil and in the little picture our individual lives. For the people I care about, their struggles are evidence of His working out His will and His pleasure in each of us (Phil 2:13). The struggles we face today are for the same purpose as those faced by ancient Israel, when God said,
“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction (Isa 48:10)
God is completely sovereign in all things, for His glory and for our good! God is sovereign like water is wet…I’m good with that.
I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:10)
What God says He will do, He will do! Sometimes as situations in life appear to be moving away from God’s intention, I am tempted to question the sovereignty of God in all things. Several nights ago while laying awake thinking about the day’s events, this question popped into my mind. God, how sovereign are you? It felt like an odd question at the time. I am convinced the Lord put this question on my heart in order to give me an answer that was much deeper than my stewing about the day. Just for reference, my “stewing” about the day usually involves remembering some of the challenging situations I have encountered in counseling and wondering what my next move should be. This time God just went straight to the heart of the matter. He put my concerns in the form of a question that only He could answer. Before I could consider a clever biblical response to the question, God proposed another question that referred to the first one. How sovereign are you God?.....How wet is water? Wow, I really had to think about that one.
Water is completely wet. Every part of water can be described as wet. If fact, when you try to describe water, you can’t avoid using the word wet. The two are inseparable. Water is a lot of things, but in all uses, wet! I think you see the connection God was showing me. He is many things, yet sovereign in all things. The degree of His sovereignty cannot be measured in any situation. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28). I need to remember that God is working for THE good and MY good in all circumstances. He is completely sovereign in the big picture of the world’s turmoil and in the little picture our individual lives. For the people I care about, their struggles are evidence of His working out His will and His pleasure in each of us (Phil 2:13). The struggles we face today are for the same purpose as those faced by ancient Israel, when God said,
“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction (Isa 48:10)
God is completely sovereign in all things, for His glory and for our good! God is sovereign like water is wet…I’m good with that.
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