Tag Archives: endurance

Meet Jesus: The Series

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logoblackandblueIn 2001 it impressed me to spend some time every day answering this question, “What would be my impression if I met Jesus doing what Matthew recorded?”  Well, there are over 400 devotions that came from that adventure.  You will be able to access them over time on this site.  Thank, Brandon.  He is a new friend, who asked me about the series.  So I am putting them here for him and others who really want to Meet Jesus .

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Meet Jesus: Interventionist Matthew 1:20

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Matthew 1:20: But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

 Meeting Jesus means submitting to God’s intervention.   He is not interested in your failing.  He is not interested in your making the wrong decision.  He will intervene.  Though Joseph had a good plan for protecting Mary, God had a great plan for placing Joseph in the key position of caretaker and raiser of His son.

Joseph took time to contemplate, and God intervened. Being around Jesus is like that.  God wants to help the situation turn out for good.

ACT!  Let God intervene in your situation.  Lay it out.  Contemplate.  Think about where He might step in and act.

 PRAY!  You, Father, are full of power.  I open my situation to Your intervention.  Take a step in, Father of Jesus, and make my life different.

El Punto De Cambio – The Point of Change

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“Bring to me what You have spoken of me.”         “Bring me to what You have spoken of me.”

Genesis 18:19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

“Bring to me, God, what you have spoken of me.” That is my prayer. I want what Abraham had. For first few weeks of 2013 and the last few of 2012, this has been my prayer.  It is designed to bring healing to some scars in my soul.  Over life and time and relationships we all encounter betrayal and disloyalty and lack of gratefulness.  It hurts.  As a father of a family and a community initiative and  a business invention, I thrive on “thank you” many times more than others do.  A real father gets up every day looking to build those for whom he cares.  When they take advantage of that, he is happy.  At least if they are grateful and express it, he is happy.  No healthy person likes to be “taken advantage of”.  That is imbalance.  Imbalance is painful and unhealthy.

The other side of that prayer is important also.  “Bring me, Father, to what you have spoken of me.”  Yes, bring it to me and bring me to it.  I need to change to be more like the Father every day.  As a father I need to be brought to the point of change, el punto de cambio.

Over these last few weeks, we’ve launched a definitive and irretrievable thrust into the community of Oklahoma City and the world.  Sometimes you take steps in full assurance of faith that God will meet you on the path.  Along that path are many points of change.  You will encounter el punto de cambio, the point of change.

Creating Chaos

Change creates chaos.  Make no mistakes on that measure.  Introduce change to settled situation and watch the chaos.  The more impact the change is designed to create, the more chaos you can expect in the beginning.  “Why did we do this?”  “Are you crazy?”  “This won’t work.”  All comes crackling back like a hot fire touching dry weeks and thistle.  Those flames will singe and scar.  Do it.  Embrace “el punto de cambio”.

Shifting Alliances

Note who stays and who goes and who supports and who decries.  Yes, change means changing partners. Those that have walked with you just might disappear like a scissor-tail flycatcher slipping away from a fast diving hawk.  In a flash and a flurry the hawk finds himself quite lonely and so does his prey.

The plus side of the equation is the new partners.  Yes, when you commit to uncharted territory, there will be new partners. They can be loving and kind and supportive.  Remember, they might leave you at the next “el punto de cambio”.  This season they are with you .  This season they are on the path.  Many may stay for many weeks and even years.  A friend of mine has worked with insurance brokers for decades.  He advised me once, “Phil if you have 3000 brokers it means 1000 are staying, 1000 are going, and 1000 are coming.  Out of the 1000 staying, 200 are producing.  You just have to find out which is which.”  His wisdom applies to most ventures.  Not without pain.

Finding 200

Gideon took thousands and reduced the count to 300. Each “el punto de cambio” reduced the numbers until he found the committed.  Of course he started with himself and an angel. Then he gathered a few friends and family. Then thousands jumped on board at the first signs of success and retreated at the first signs of scars.

About nine months ago, I was working with a group on a business invention.  At the most critical “el punto de cambio” some of the backers jumped ship in a surprise move.  Wow!  We had walked together for years, and then for some undisclosed reason they lost heart and vision.  Maybe another “el punto de cambio” came at them from another direction and swayed loyalties.  Some shifts come and you will never know.  You just carry the scars.  Now I am working with a completely new team on the concepts and beginning to have fun again.  Now I am working with another completely new team on a related concept and beginning to have fun again.  Not without pain.

FootHolds

Each “point of change” has footholds.  There are lessons to learn and take to the next “el punto de cambio”.   At a recent gathering of a small group, more support was committed in a morning than all the folks to whom I have been giving for ten years.  You read that right.  Those that have been receiving for free have less commitment than the new.  Maybe I should drop the old and embrace the new?  Hmmmm…. A new foothold.  Maybe I should begin a sorting process and whittle down to the 200?  Is that a new foothold I see?  Would my energy revitalize?  My base is bigger now.  Ten years ago it was 500.  Now it is 7500.  Let’s see, do the math. 2500 are going.  2500 are coming.  2500 are staying.  Let the going go with blessing.  Welcome the coming.  Find the 500 in the staying and run shoulder to shoulder with them.

Healing in All

All of this has a point.   You can live in the scars or you can live in the stars.  There is a balance.  Let the stars heal the scars.  Let pains slip away.  You flitted off the fence post and the hawk missed.  Land among healthy friends.  Don’t run alone.

Prayer: Well, Father, You are amazing. Again, you have touched my soul in a most amazing moment.  You bring healing with every light and lesson.  Thanks.  I am grateful for You.

Powerful Healing: Living Large in Boundaries

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Psalm 16: 6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. KJV

You make my life pleasant, and my future is bright. CEV

The boundary lineshave fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. NIV 1984

Boundaries

Along with every gift comes a set of conditions and expectations.  Giving a BB gun to a nine year old comes with conditions that it is only used with Dad.  Giving a wedding ring to a spouse comes with promises to love, honor, and cherish.  There are boundaries.  There are definitions of the blessing and how to enjoy and conditions to limit and protect and fulfill purpose.

Every job comes with a set of conditions and expectations.  Overlooking a contract arrangement it impressed me I might have to take extra time to really understand how to make this new relationship work.  Conditions and clauses limit and liberate my abilities with the group.

Every call of God comes with promises and extensions.  The call to do something helps define our path and helps us to understand obedience in the path will result in extended boundaries.  Resistance to path will result in confusion and possibly greater limitation in order to get us back to the path.

Limiting Boundaries.

Some boundaries are limits.  Gravity is a limiting boundary.  Jump off a 20 story building and the limiting boundaries of strength of your physical body coupled with the limiting boundaries of gravity will pound your body into death.  Expect it.  Those limits allow us to define actions in a safe and full living manner.

Liberating Boundaries

Some boundaries are liberation.  A grant for an education is meant to expand our knowledge and ability to do more in life.  It is a boundary, but it has an intention to liberate.  It may be restricted to a certain university and course of study, but there are liberties all along the path.  The same would work with an employment contract.  The employer may give us latitude to work and make commissions within a certain product and service.   The boundary can be liberating.

 Healthy Boundaries

God given boundaries always lead to life and health.  Understanding, acknowledging, and living inside them bring us greatness in life, health in our bodies, blessing in our minds, and peace to our souls.  Defining the boundaries of envy, jealousy, strife, and contempt keeps us peaceful with our fellow humans and enjoying our lives.  Defining the boundaries of the power of God focused toward us, righteousness in Christ, full salvation,  and the fruit of the Spirit brings incredible liberation and blessing to every step we take.

Recognize

The smart and healthy and balance Christian sees the right boundaries of call and position in life and uses them to good for themselves and others.  Boundaries can be stretched when obedience is engaged.  Boundaries can be tightened with disobedience is the norm.   It is our choice to study, recognize, acknowledge and activate the boundaries.

Short Story

A friend challenged me on some of my activities.  His best knowledge of me was my gift of organization and administration.  Since I am more active today in birthing and building and developing new works and businesses, he is confused.  How can I be going outside my boundaries and hope to succeed?  The answer is simple.  My boundaries have been stretched through obedience and fulfillment of call.  What fell to my lot before is much bigger today through study, acknowledgement, acceptance, and obedience. 

Had I simply stayed safely in the middle portion of my boundaries and never explored them fully to the outside edge, I probably would have no understanding of the build components God had in my future.  My friend would be right to tell me to stay in my older boundaries.  But the boundaries have been expanded and there is much more life and abundance to be enjoyed.  The boundaries of my future need not be the boundaries of my present experience.

Where Are You?

Struggling with health issues?  Struggling with emotional distress?  Struggling with bad relationships?  Sometimes our best strategy for healing is to acknowledge our present boundaries and begin growing them into future boundaries through prayer, action, and engagement.  The boundary I have today provides a safe place in which to grow and expand and become healthier.

Prayer:  Father, it really can be hard to understand life.  You want us full of health and life and living.  You want us complete in Christ.  Yet, we must grow in grace and power.  We must acknowledge the present and grow into the future.  We must seek You first and Your kingdom to understand how we are protected and given room to grow.  Grow us safely, in good season, and with ever increasing faith and results.  What a Good God You are.