Carpet Cleaners and God
June 26, 2014
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God… Isaiah 43
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It has been so long since I have written. So much has been going on and so much more churning in my heart and soul, so I haven’t had the time to write, or the ability to put into words what I have been thinking about.
It seems to me that life has no real pause button. And it also doesn’t have a commentary that helps us making total sense of everything that happens. So much is so cloaked in mystery. I know some people believe that life is a random series of events- both joyful and tragic- and I know that some people believe that life is so carefully orchestrated that every single step is ordained and governed by God- both joyful and tragic. I not sure I am convinced of either viewpoint.
But I do believe that God is good. Even when I don’t feel it. Even when I am tempted to believe he is capricious and callous. Even when I am pushed toward fear. Even when I bone-tired, soul-worn… like I am today.
The Intercessors
June 5, 2014
One of the gifts of this season in my life is that I have been able to be part of and attend various other traditions of faith- see how other denominations function, coach pastors who live in a different system, be part of churches that have been in existence for years or baby churches just planted, sit on the other side of pulpit learning what the attenders see and hear and desire and respond to, and experience the spirituality and practices and theology of other churches. It has been rich and I have learned so much more than I ever could staying in my own little world. In fact, some of my dearest friends in this season come from different denominations.
On Tuesday, I got to experience something I had never known before. We attended an Intercessory Prayer service. I had been to healing services before. I had even led a few. And of course, I had watched TBN’s flashy, fancy, and “I-wonder-if-that-is-staged-but-I’m-not-sure” healing services. This was not like that. It was not like what I had led. It was not like what so many evangelicals call healing services. We went for my son. And God showed up big. Read the rest of this entry »
The Next Right Thing
June 1, 2014
One of my most faithful friends often says, “You just have to so the next right thing. That’s how you get through.”
I think she’s right.
Another friend of mine shared a poem recently that spoke about the things you do in the dark. It is a beautiful poem, with my favorite line (for today) being, “Find the path by walking it.”
Then my mother posted on Facebook an excerpt from the writings of Ozwald Chambers, which speaks about learning to listen to God’s voice in the darkness.
Also recently I spoke with a man who is active in a healing prayer ministry and he told me that I should pray through Psalm 91 regularly right now. In that Psalm, the writer speaks of resting in the shadow of the Almighty and so my prayer at night has been, “Cast your shadow over this home so we may know you are nearby tonight.” Read the rest of this entry »
ordinary sacred 