Once there was a little tree in a garden. It had been planted years ago by the Gardener Himself, Who then gave the responsibility of care taking to His apprentice gardeners.
The little tree was rarely without attention. The apprentices had great ideas about gardening, and as soon as it had branches the size of your pinky, stretched the little tree's branches upwards and out and tied them to stakes for stability. The little tree continued to grow, but it's branches twisted and writhed around the stakes, and the fruit it bore was bitter.
One day the Gardener visited the little tree. What He saw made His heart very sad. It was very small and sickly, it's leaves yellowed and withered, and it's fruit diseased. "What happened to you, little tree?" He asked. Two great, sparkling tears fell from His cheeks and splashed onto its leaves.
The little tree shuddered from agony and joy. It had been so concerned with it's pain it barely heard the Gardener's voice, but oh, it felt His tears. They burned, hot and deep.
The Gardener began to dig. All around the base of the tree He dug. Until finally, the little tree's roots were exposed. "I see the problem." He said. He clipped and pulled; stretching the root bound tree apart. He found little grubs and killed them. Then He began to replace the earth around it; gave it fertilizer and water. All the while, He spoke.
"I know the plans I have for you, little tree. Plans to grow you. Plans to challenge you. I have a beautiful future in mind; I love you. Life has been hard, so just rest. Rest."
The little tree ached and wept. It's roots had been exposed. They had been cut and pulled and stretched. Everything had been brought to light, and the pain was dreadful. But the little tree also felt something else.
Hope.
Time passed and the tree was obedient. It rested. Then something happened; something altogether amazing. What had looked like death not long before now had signs of life. New roots dug deeper, new branches stretched higher. The leaves grew big and green. And then the most splendid thing happened; it flowered.
The care takers were amazed. "What happened to you, little tree?" They began to study the tree. As the little tree began to bear fruit, the care takers examined the fruit. Some they recognized. "This is marvelous!", they rejoiced. "Well done, little tree!" But some they did not recognize. "What is it?", They asked. "Is it good for food?" So they tasted it and then spit it out. "How awful!", they cried. The little tree shuddered. The caretakers began to prune again; selecting branches that bore sweet fruit to live, and cutting the branches that bore the offensive fruit. The little tree burned with shame.
The next day the Gardener approached and was aghast. "Little tree, what has happened?" The little tree quavered and cried, but soon the Gardener had heard it all. He quietly began to untie the stakes that still bound the branches and gently place His hand on it's trunk.
"Little tree, I designed your seed. In it I placed all my plans for you. My caretakers love me, but they have never seen you before. There is no other tree like you. My caretakers are amazing, but sometimes they only love the familiar."
As He removed the last stake, the little tree felt very strange. "Don't I need those?" It asked. The Gardener laughed softly. "No. Trust your roots; I have planted them in good soil. They will remind you Whose you are."
In time it grew into a mighty, sheltering tree. The Gardener guided his caretakers and gave them new wisdom. The mighty tree grew both sweet and bitter fruit; but when used together, would both cauterize and heal the most grievous wounds. Many found rest under its branches and on a quiet day, some would hear a song reverberating from deep within.
A song of rest, of hope. Of majesty.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Revelation 22:2 On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Jeremiah 17:8 For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Right and Wrong
No matter how we try to spin it or avoid it, we all have a deep innate need to decipher right from wrong. For myself, I see right and wrong coming from three sources; what God says is right and wrong, what society says is right and wrong, and what I think is right and wrong. This seems entirely harmless until we also recognize that we like to reward 'good', and punish 'bad'. This is the core of why disagreements can be a big deal; we are trying to reward or punish based on different sets of values.
Even within these sources of proposed morality is even greater divides; what I think about how society should be ordered is almost guaranteed to be different from yours. What I think about God, even if we both agree He exists, can differ from yours. Just try to compare the doctrine of Calvin and Wesley, two very passionate men of God, and you'll see how disparate their experience and thoughts are.
So what does this all mean if it means anything at all? Well, we all want to know who is right, and I hope it's me. ;) That is, we all hope it's ourselves. For those of us that believe that God exists, we know we will find out eventually...and that can be an exciting prospect. (or terrifying) For those that think that God doesn't exist, well who cares who is right or wrong? Your chosen morality only affects your current experience.
I have a pretty high justice value. Which means my need to reward or punish is very intense. I've been trying to pull myself back from that because in the process of experiencing how our morality butts heads, I lose my peace. I get upset. So, I'm in the middle of learning how to express myself and not lose my peace when someone else loses theirs. ;) Dang it's hard!
Steps to not lose it:
1. Realize that I can only control myself. If I get offended it's because I chose to, not because someone made me. I have power over myself, and I'm not conceding it to another.
2. I can't control other people. I can try to be sensitive, but at some point or another I will offend. It's inevitable. Again, I can only control my response.
3. I don't know everything. Someone may have a perspective or more knowledge or wisdom than I do. Honor dictates that I respect everyone, because I believe that we are all made in the image of God.
4. My experience dictates that there is something greater than all of this.
A good friend told me this today; "When you find people not accepting you, God is happy to have you to Himself." I don't always have it right, and that's really not important anyway. I am loved, and it's my privilege to be a much-loved child. God originally wanted to give us Life, and we chose knowledge of good and evil. It's a fight that never ends, because we can never find the answer within ourselves. The answer starts with Death, and ends with Life.
“It means,” said Aslan, “that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward."
Even within these sources of proposed morality is even greater divides; what I think about how society should be ordered is almost guaranteed to be different from yours. What I think about God, even if we both agree He exists, can differ from yours. Just try to compare the doctrine of Calvin and Wesley, two very passionate men of God, and you'll see how disparate their experience and thoughts are.
So what does this all mean if it means anything at all? Well, we all want to know who is right, and I hope it's me. ;) That is, we all hope it's ourselves. For those of us that believe that God exists, we know we will find out eventually...and that can be an exciting prospect. (or terrifying) For those that think that God doesn't exist, well who cares who is right or wrong? Your chosen morality only affects your current experience.
I have a pretty high justice value. Which means my need to reward or punish is very intense. I've been trying to pull myself back from that because in the process of experiencing how our morality butts heads, I lose my peace. I get upset. So, I'm in the middle of learning how to express myself and not lose my peace when someone else loses theirs. ;) Dang it's hard!
Steps to not lose it:
1. Realize that I can only control myself. If I get offended it's because I chose to, not because someone made me. I have power over myself, and I'm not conceding it to another.
2. I can't control other people. I can try to be sensitive, but at some point or another I will offend. It's inevitable. Again, I can only control my response.
3. I don't know everything. Someone may have a perspective or more knowledge or wisdom than I do. Honor dictates that I respect everyone, because I believe that we are all made in the image of God.
4. My experience dictates that there is something greater than all of this.
A good friend told me this today; "When you find people not accepting you, God is happy to have you to Himself." I don't always have it right, and that's really not important anyway. I am loved, and it's my privilege to be a much-loved child. God originally wanted to give us Life, and we chose knowledge of good and evil. It's a fight that never ends, because we can never find the answer within ourselves. The answer starts with Death, and ends with Life.
“It means,” said Aslan, “that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward."
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
The Little Cross
Nothing reminds me more of my shortcomings than motherhood. Three children with three disparate personalities and three sets of needs, all of which I can't begin to fill. Surprisingly, or perhaps not surprisingly depending on who you are, I find it easy to excuse myself.
I'm tired. I didn't have my needs met when I was a kid. I lived in poverty. The list is never ending. Whatever they need in order to become fantastic, whole adults...I don't have it. But, they really need it.
Many of us have heard our parents make excuses too, and this is usually what keeps me from going down that path. Their excuses served us not at all.
I think, for the most part, that people have an intense dislike for responsibility. No, make that a stark fear. We are breathtakingly afraid of seeing where we fall short, afraid that to carry it would break us. Few want to turn their easy judgement of others selfward. In the end, we run away. To find a fig leaf. Like an excuse will make it all ok.
But it doesn't, and it can't. And that's the whole point. My personal history is real and valid, and is much of the reason my cup is too empty to pour out. But my spiritual poverty just makes me more vividly aware of my need for Him.
For most believers, the theology of the Cross is simply thus; Jesus died and took the punishment for all our sin.
This is true; but to leave it at that is to make the enormity of the Cross into something small. If the propitiation of the world's sin could be seen as small.
Jesus died for way more than covering our asses so we can get into Heaven. He was fully God, fully man, lived and died and rose again to place us back where we were at the beginning; man and woman as Sons and Daughters of God. Poised to take over the entire Earth, to regain our lost ground and to become a Bride without spot or wrinkle.
If I simply use Jesus' sacrifice to keep my nose clean, that's like only requiring my kids to just keep their room clean for the rest of their lives. The work of the Cross, of suffering for Him, of resisting the onslaught of the Enemy...these things project us into maturity. We are supposed to be taking ground, not just holding onto our little plot of soil.
Our responsibility isn't to carry our failure; our responsibility lies in being willing to see it and then saying 'yes'.
I can't do it Jesus. I'm weak. But I want You more than anything, and I want Your dreams to be fulfilled for me more than I want my own comfort.
This is what I know: He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me. Because that is Who He is.
I'm tired. I didn't have my needs met when I was a kid. I lived in poverty. The list is never ending. Whatever they need in order to become fantastic, whole adults...I don't have it. But, they really need it.
Many of us have heard our parents make excuses too, and this is usually what keeps me from going down that path. Their excuses served us not at all.
I think, for the most part, that people have an intense dislike for responsibility. No, make that a stark fear. We are breathtakingly afraid of seeing where we fall short, afraid that to carry it would break us. Few want to turn their easy judgement of others selfward. In the end, we run away. To find a fig leaf. Like an excuse will make it all ok.
But it doesn't, and it can't. And that's the whole point. My personal history is real and valid, and is much of the reason my cup is too empty to pour out. But my spiritual poverty just makes me more vividly aware of my need for Him.
For most believers, the theology of the Cross is simply thus; Jesus died and took the punishment for all our sin.
This is true; but to leave it at that is to make the enormity of the Cross into something small. If the propitiation of the world's sin could be seen as small.
Jesus died for way more than covering our asses so we can get into Heaven. He was fully God, fully man, lived and died and rose again to place us back where we were at the beginning; man and woman as Sons and Daughters of God. Poised to take over the entire Earth, to regain our lost ground and to become a Bride without spot or wrinkle.
If I simply use Jesus' sacrifice to keep my nose clean, that's like only requiring my kids to just keep their room clean for the rest of their lives. The work of the Cross, of suffering for Him, of resisting the onslaught of the Enemy...these things project us into maturity. We are supposed to be taking ground, not just holding onto our little plot of soil.
Our responsibility isn't to carry our failure; our responsibility lies in being willing to see it and then saying 'yes'.
I can't do it Jesus. I'm weak. But I want You more than anything, and I want Your dreams to be fulfilled for me more than I want my own comfort.
This is what I know: He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me. Because that is Who He is.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Soul Garden
One of my favorite books as I was growing up was the Secret Garden. I don't want to summarize the story, just that there's a secret walled garden with much of the contents dead or asleep. The reason it was shut up and lost to time was because of a tragedy at the center; a tree that broke and caused an untimely death.
Our hearts are like that. Walls around it, some larger and impassable. Some crumbling. The contents dead or alive depending on how we tend to it. Sometimes our hearts are so secret we can't even find them.
Jesus isn't content to leave our hearts in disrepair or anonymity. He breaches our walls with His passion, and gently breathes life into the devastation. The results are breathtaking. What was dead or dying comes alive with ravishing splendor. Because we learn that He is safe and our entire being rests in His love, our walls become transparent and permeable and the beauty within starts to spill out, encroaching into our surroundings.
Sometimes it really really hurts. He comes in with a shovel. Or a backhoe. He uproots evil, uncovers wounds, and gathers up the death and burns it. This is unavoidable and inescapable if we want wholeness. Pain is necessary; but it's more the pain of labor than the pain of rape. There is beauty and joy on the other side.
This is better and more glorious than anything you can imagine. This is the reason we were created. The process of intimacy, of knowing Him. If this is the goal we unreservedly pursue, how would this change the face of the Bride on the earth?
Our hearts are like that. Walls around it, some larger and impassable. Some crumbling. The contents dead or alive depending on how we tend to it. Sometimes our hearts are so secret we can't even find them.
Jesus isn't content to leave our hearts in disrepair or anonymity. He breaches our walls with His passion, and gently breathes life into the devastation. The results are breathtaking. What was dead or dying comes alive with ravishing splendor. Because we learn that He is safe and our entire being rests in His love, our walls become transparent and permeable and the beauty within starts to spill out, encroaching into our surroundings.
Sometimes it really really hurts. He comes in with a shovel. Or a backhoe. He uproots evil, uncovers wounds, and gathers up the death and burns it. This is unavoidable and inescapable if we want wholeness. Pain is necessary; but it's more the pain of labor than the pain of rape. There is beauty and joy on the other side.
This is better and more glorious than anything you can imagine. This is the reason we were created. The process of intimacy, of knowing Him. If this is the goal we unreservedly pursue, how would this change the face of the Bride on the earth?
Friday, September 20, 2013
Prayer for today
Jesus, be near me.
I need to feel your presence.
My children are loud and needy,
and my own strength failing.
I fight for my breath.
I fight for my space.
I fight to speak my feelings.
Now the warrior is tired and I need to be held.
Jesus, hold me.
Let me feel your embrace and sense your Mind.
I'm anxious for your touch
like my son is anxious for mine.
I'm a mother and a wife and a friend,
but my dearest self is your child.
Speak to me, Father
Tell me who I am
Show me your Presence in my timeline
Touch my mind and help me dream again
Heal my heart and give me rest
Spirit, come nearer still.
You comfort and lead.
You silence my storm
You speak through the rain.
You wrap me in love.
Don't let go. Don't let me go.
I need to feel your presence.
My children are loud and needy,
and my own strength failing.
I fight for my breath.
I fight for my space.
I fight to speak my feelings.
Now the warrior is tired and I need to be held.
Jesus, hold me.
Let me feel your embrace and sense your Mind.
I'm anxious for your touch
like my son is anxious for mine.
I'm a mother and a wife and a friend,
but my dearest self is your child.
Speak to me, Father
Tell me who I am
Show me your Presence in my timeline
Touch my mind and help me dream again
Heal my heart and give me rest
Spirit, come nearer still.
You comfort and lead.
You silence my storm
You speak through the rain.
You wrap me in love.
Don't let go. Don't let me go.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Scream for Icecream
Have you ever wondered why God wants to be in us? After all, there is nothing good in us apart from Him. I'd think He wouldn't want His Presence diluted with all our weaknesses, immaturities...much less sin.
I got a great analogy the other day while eating ice-cream. In the beginning, God designed an infinite amount of flavors. Each one amazing, because each was a little bit of Him. Even a little bit of God is infinitely fantastic.
Well, fast forward a bit and we have Jesus. Jesus held back His Godness to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and to show us how to do it. As He looked at the Father for direction, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the result was...magical. Out of this world. God on earth.
So today God wants to do the same thing with us, and together we make something incredibly wonderful. God is like ice-cream. He is looking everywhere for someone that wants to fully submit to Him, learn His voice, follow His lead. And when He fills that person, WHAMMO! We have a tremendous example of God's presence on earth, in a remarkably unique flavor.
You.
Tasty goodness. :)
I got a great analogy the other day while eating ice-cream. In the beginning, God designed an infinite amount of flavors. Each one amazing, because each was a little bit of Him. Even a little bit of God is infinitely fantastic.
Well, fast forward a bit and we have Jesus. Jesus held back His Godness to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and to show us how to do it. As He looked at the Father for direction, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the result was...magical. Out of this world. God on earth.
So today God wants to do the same thing with us, and together we make something incredibly wonderful. God is like ice-cream. He is looking everywhere for someone that wants to fully submit to Him, learn His voice, follow His lead. And when He fills that person, WHAMMO! We have a tremendous example of God's presence on earth, in a remarkably unique flavor.
You.
Tasty goodness. :)
Friday, September 6, 2013
Without Spot or Wrinkle
Evidently there is some theological debate on whether Jesus 'restrained His Godhead', or 'veiled it'. I say, who gives a rats patoot. It's pretty much the same thing. Except that one thread has greater implications for us as Believers.
Are we supposed to be followers of Jesus, or are we supposed to be Jesus? Yes.
I think Jesus restrained His Godhead, only did what the Father did, and allowed the Holy Spirit to move through Him in power. If He only came to die for us and offer salvation, then salvation is the end deal.
But I don't think it is. I think Jesus is coming back for a Bride that is like Him, a Body that is in equal proportion to her Head. If we actually think we are going to be marrying up, then that would imply that Jesus is marrying down. And I don't think that's at all His intention.
I think that it is the Father's desire to grow each of us in a little Christ; a human being with godly character and moving in power, bringing the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth. After all, that is what Jesus bought and paid for. Anything less would not be enough for the Lamb of Glory.
Some church bodies think it is easier to grow believers in godly character. Fruit of the Holy Spirit, vs. the spiritual gifts. I actually think it is harder.
Our culture already esteems certain qualities; patience, kindness, goodness and the like. These are things trained into many of us, but it doesn't mean it has been grown by the Holy Spirit. It has been grown by outward control, not inner change. And who can tell by looking at a person which it is? Often we ourselves don't know until we are tried by fire.
Spiritual gifts on the other hand, are given. But many of us don't know what to do about them. How do we get them? What do we do when we have them? What will it look like? What if we make a mistake?
The Father knows all this. This was the purpose of Jesus walking with the Holy Spirit; to show you how to do it. He isn't afraid of your sin, your mistakes or your ignorance. He just wants a 'yes'.
I challenge you to invite Jesus in to prepare you for Himself. He wants you to be whole, inside and out. He wants you to be walking in all the freedom and confidence as He did. You don't need permission to start looking like Him. Just ask. And then jump. :)
Are we supposed to be followers of Jesus, or are we supposed to be Jesus? Yes.
I think Jesus restrained His Godhead, only did what the Father did, and allowed the Holy Spirit to move through Him in power. If He only came to die for us and offer salvation, then salvation is the end deal.
But I don't think it is. I think Jesus is coming back for a Bride that is like Him, a Body that is in equal proportion to her Head. If we actually think we are going to be marrying up, then that would imply that Jesus is marrying down. And I don't think that's at all His intention.
I think that it is the Father's desire to grow each of us in a little Christ; a human being with godly character and moving in power, bringing the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth. After all, that is what Jesus bought and paid for. Anything less would not be enough for the Lamb of Glory.
Some church bodies think it is easier to grow believers in godly character. Fruit of the Holy Spirit, vs. the spiritual gifts. I actually think it is harder.
Our culture already esteems certain qualities; patience, kindness, goodness and the like. These are things trained into many of us, but it doesn't mean it has been grown by the Holy Spirit. It has been grown by outward control, not inner change. And who can tell by looking at a person which it is? Often we ourselves don't know until we are tried by fire.
Spiritual gifts on the other hand, are given. But many of us don't know what to do about them. How do we get them? What do we do when we have them? What will it look like? What if we make a mistake?
The Father knows all this. This was the purpose of Jesus walking with the Holy Spirit; to show you how to do it. He isn't afraid of your sin, your mistakes or your ignorance. He just wants a 'yes'.
I challenge you to invite Jesus in to prepare you for Himself. He wants you to be whole, inside and out. He wants you to be walking in all the freedom and confidence as He did. You don't need permission to start looking like Him. Just ask. And then jump. :)
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