Service – why, what, how ?

Principles:
Christ set the example of service, and calls us to the same.

God gives specific gifts to each individual.
Romans 12:6-8 1 Cor 12:4-11

The Holy Spirit, our might Counselor is given to all believers.
John 14:26 John 15:26 John 16:7 Romans 8:26

Combining God’s gifts, with Holy Spirit guidance results in effective action, which feels good to us and gives the glory to God.

Commit your way to God and He will do this.
Psalm 37:5-6

So, wadayathink: truth, too-good- to-be-true, what are you smoking?,......

Prayer - what's the point?

The Center of Learning the Great Task

• "Prayer is not simply an important activity, but the very center of the new life."


• The result of prayer is to "Learn to listen to the guidance of Him who prays in us."


• "It is our great task to stand firm to the end, to proclaim the Good News to the world, and to hold on to him who rose victorious from the grave."

Are these statement by Henri Nouwen naive,"churchy", too literal or ...

Fretting - or not?

In some recent meetings, we've been talking about how to understand and apply Psa 37 in our day-to-day struggles. In particular:
** Psa 37:1 "Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;"
** 37:8 "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;do not fret—it leads only to evil."
Looking at the promises in Psa 37 led us to John 15:4

** John 15:4 4 "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

I was left with the 'take away" of "Great idea, I like the promises, but how do I do that?"

Psa 37
John 15

Your thoughts?

ryan said...
do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes... do not fret- it leads only to evil.

This is hard to do. When I see people in power making stupid decisions, its hard not to worry about it. Romans 13 comes to mind. "The authorities that exists have been established by God." We are supposed to submit to the governing authorities and if we don't then we are rebelling against God. Whaohhh! thats why i thought it was cool what McCain had to say after he lost the election. He was very respectful, accepting and even submissive of his new President Obama. That was big of him! maybe he knew that it was God's authority that he was submitting to.


Mark Polhamus said...
Yes, God established the authorities and intended them to govern in a Godly way. He also gave us all free will - so if the authorities call us to break God's clear commands we say "no".

Fretting - what about your personal fretting and worry?

Ryan said.......
"My personal fret and worry is a lot of times measured to what others think of me.
Do other people approve of what I am doing? Do people in my core think I am a good Core leader? Do they enjoy their one on ones? I know its silly but I guess a lot of my worry comes from how others view me or approve of me as a person."

If satan is alive

"6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
1 Pet 5

If 2 Tim 3:16 is true, and this verse conforms to it’s claims, how do we respond to what it says about satan? Some responses I’ve encountered or personally tried include:
- Cover the eyes – I don’t see Satan, he can’t hurt me.
- I see Jesus, nothing else matters.
- I’ll deal with that later.
- Satan is alive and incredibly dangerous, devious and enraged at all Believers (see fallen agels passage in Revelations 12:7)

If we assume the last stance, as I recently have, then how are we to respond?

Questions:
Q1: This passage begins with "Humble yourselves therefore..". Why humble and what is the "therefore" referring back to?
Q2: If satan is constantly prowling around, looking to devour/harm us, is there ever a time we get to relax, let down our guard?

Stepping into A Jordon

Lessons observed in reading Joshua 3 & 4 : Believe, Step, Miracles, Evidence.

3:5 Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."
** Joshua knew the character of God, and expected ‘amazing things’ from Him.

3:8b When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.
** Step into what looks impossible or doesn’t seem to make sense, obedience leads faith

13:5-.. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon…the water from upstream stopped flowing.
** God will pick times and situations which accentuate the impossible, to confirm His great power and to glorify Himself.

4:5 Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder…... And they are there to this day.
** All of history records God’s presence – every physical event in the Bible left real evidence. There are thousands upon thousands of “to this day” in Israel.


How have you experienced God in any of these four, or other ways?

The Batte Field

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Pet 5:8

Where we find ourselves today is much like a World War I battle field. The phosphorus flares would go up over the trenches, and expose with glaring starkness, the brutal reality. The light reveals a wasted landscape, death, destruction; and a fierce enemy who has crept close under the cover of darkness.

There are three kinds of men on a battle field who are no longer a viable part of the story:
- Those crawling away, thinking only of themselves
- Those hiding in holes, heads down and trembling
- The dead

There is a fourth group, those still willing to fight. These are the men who pause, look at the carnage and danger, take a deep breath, and step onto the field. What they do will vary; some to save the wounded, some to encourage, some will take the battle to the enemy – all depend upon the Captain of the Hosts to provide direction and the resources they will need.

Which group are you in, how have you experienced 1 Peter 5:6-9 recently?

The Phosphorus Flare
The harsh glare of the phosphorus flare,
Exposing horrors once clothed in dark.
Dead men hanging in barbed wire,
Torn landscape in violence broken.

The enemy close, poised to strike from dark safety,
Absolutely committed to the death of the King’s child.
Rise up, strike back, surrender not,
By the might of Sword of Truth slay the foe.

In the clear light of the Son, a gathering,
The saints gather around the warmth of His fellowship,
A safe, warm place of rest for the weary.
Sharing what we have seen the Captain of the Hosts accomplish.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!

You must be kidding!

.. or "I should have known"

I was recently talking with an acquaintance about how we receive guidance from God, which happened to follow one of those humbling “I should have known” type experiences.

The (short) story: I had asked the Lord to show me who was to be on the Board for the ministry I am forming. One name was missing, so I wondered if I had not heard the Spirit correctly, or mistook His guidance, or…..? Later on, in talking with the “missing” man, his not being on the board made perfect sense; I should have known to trust the Holy Spirit’s voice.

The Holy Spirit is indeed our Wonderful Counselor and we can trust Him. Following are links to some verses referring to the Holy Spirit as our Counselor. The texts below each link are my thoughts or responses to each.

I’m interested in your experience of receiving guidance from God – please use the “Comment” link below.

John 14:26
I love how the Spirit has a perfect memory, and brings to us what we need to hear and remember.

John 15:26
There is Truth in the world, the Holy Spirit; Truth in application is modeled in Christ.

John 16:7
You must be kidding! What could be better than having Christ with us in person?

Romans 8:26
The one who knows us the best, and loves us perfectly, prays to The Father for us.

The Father’s heart ..

..for the father’s heart

I recently had a familiar experience where the Lord prompted me to pray for one our children. I am so thankful that when our children are far from home, the Lord shows me to see a small bit of their physical location, some of their emotions, and then leads me in prayer for them. In this particular case, he showed me our son Ben as he stood on a dock in Alaska, looking across a bay at the far hills. The day was dark and cloudy, and Ben was feeling a bit gloomy as well. Following is a copy of the email exchange I had with Ben.

To Ben: What I thought I saw was you looking out into the bay, perhaps feeling a little down as you looked at the grey weather and the water. The Holy Spirit had me pray you would not see mere clouds and water, but recognize the mighty hand of the one who made all that you can see, and stands next to you now.

From Ben: Hey Dad! Good to hear from you! God is truly good and amazing your prayer was dead on... I was looking out at the water and clouds the other day and I saw the greyness but then I could see something much more beautiful and amazing then I can see. I feel His presence up here closely and I have been spending time in the Word daily.


I would like to hear how the Lord leads you in prayer, and shows you how to pray – some of us receive words and no pictures, others receive understandings of spiritual activities around them, etc.

Awesome strength..

..and wisdom of faith.

Intro: I recently felt led to begin reading Daniel. I am not sure why, and do not have a specific topic I am asking Father about. And so I’ve started, anticipating the wonderful way the Holy Spirit uses His Word to clarify, encourage and humble me I was immediately struck by the following:

“God gave these four young men knowledge and skill in both books and life.”
Dan 1:17

• Knowledge and skill come from God – often we must make a difficult choice to first obey what God has directed, by faith, trusting He will provide the means. Daniel chose to take the path of Biblical obedience in an atmosphere of secular conformity. He not call God’s directives “Old Testament” or legalistic – he chose to obey. Following the choice to obey, God provided the wisdom. What situational ethic will I face today?

“..But even if he does not,.."
Dan 3:16-18

• God has promised to never leave us – and we have no guarantees that following His Son will result in good or easy things. Christ obeyed to the point of death. These three men were committed to obedience and the promise of death, not a safe compromise. The result was the immediate miraculous, Christ joining them in the midst of the flames – the bonds were burned off, freedom appropriated. What if He had allowed them to die?

"..a man full of the divine Holy Spirit."
Dan 4:8

• The Holy Spirit has been, is now, will always be the Mighty Counselor; His presence can be recognized by all; Old Testament kings, co-workers and all the rest.

“.. and look after the needs of the down-and-out......"
Dan 4:27

• God’s heart for His children is so consistent – we are called to do, and the greatest of these do’s is love. I think it is no coincident that The Father encourages us to immediately start living for others as we stop a particular sin; stop serving the king of this world, start serving the only true King.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, I usually find following my own thoughts on applying Scripture difficult. Often, God will use those I am in relationship with to help me, and them, apply His Word. I believe I am going to be in this piece of Scripture for awhile, and hope to learn with you together.

Stepping into following

Leaving the Stanford celebrations: From the sumptuous receptions at night by the fountains, the enormous and extravagant Commencement ceremony, the small and intimate department awards, quiet conversations in shady groves,.... and heading back to my job with the County. What a study in contrasts! From the highly motivated and youthfully optimistic in the California sun to the basement of the Courthouse pulling staples. As I asked the Lord how to accomplish this transition gracefully, I received the following.

“Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
Mark 1:17

• “If you will give God your right to yourself (Rom 12:1), He will make a Holy experiment out of you. God's experiments always succeed.”


• “It is God who engineers circumstances, consequently there is no whine but a reckless abandon to Jesus.” (Excerpts from My Utmost for His Highest, June 13)

God is not asking me to give Him my gifts; God is asking me to commit wholly to Him where He has placed me, to follow His Son.

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:4

Into a new land

What a wonderful three days it has been with Aaron here at Stanford; entering into the just praise and frequent celebrations of all he has accomplished in the oh-so-brief 2 years here. As I asked the Lord to show me how to best participate in this, his final day at Stanford, and the culmination of an amazing chapter in Aaron's life, I received the following:

“who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions” Heb 11:33

• Aaron has by faith done all of these things, and his faith has grown by the repeated choice to step into, to choose, and to do, really difficult and dangerous things.


• The Lord will trust him with similar acts of faith at Oxford as he continues to live at the intersection of his heart's desires, God’s gifts and life.
  

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Cor 16: 13-14
This is the blessing and the call as Aaron follows God’s call into a new land, a land he has not seen and where he must trust God to make a way, keep him safe, guide and direct him as he is a part of forging God’s kingdom on earth.

God alone can...

..predict the future.

Aaron and plaques: In 2003, when still in high school, Aaron was invited to apply for a special scholarship to Stanford. After months of working on the scholarship, and then being asked to fly down for the final interview, we were told Aaron was not selected. But as we walked past the fresh plaque for the 2003 graduates and we stopped to pray, we each had a unique resonance about this spot, a sense we would be returning. We have, the end plaque to the right is for Aaron’s graduating class.

Halls of learning: “Do I belong here, do I have what it takes?”, are questions Aaron asked frequently in his first year. The resounding answer is Yes! As we walked around today, we talked to and “ran into” a number of profs who affirmed Aaron. As I am typing this note, Aaron is rehearsing his acceptance speech for this evenings induction into Phi Beta Kappa. This fulfills a prophecy which I received, and prayed over Aaron, on March 18, 2004.

The celebration: Tomorrow night Aaron will walk across this stage and receive his degree from Stanford, with Honors. It is a long way from being thrown out of Middle School; God is forging a very good story. The journey is just beginning…..

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
1 Cor 1:9

All sin can do is..

All sin can do is threaten us with death

“All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn't, and doesn't, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that's the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.” Rom 5:20-21

“Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us.” Rom 6:6

As I was walking through Stanford’s campus yesterday evening, I was struck again with how resource rich this institution is. There are almost no limits to what a student can strive for and experience. And this stirred up old longings and regrets for what I did not experience and accomplish. As I asked the Lord to meet me in this place, sitting in the early morning quite of campus, He led me into the above passages, explaining that in our children, He has broken the grip of sin, and is forging a new “foundation of faith”. A new family line which will not be resource constrained, but will live in the miraculous resonance which occurs when believers join their will with His gifts, being guided by the Holy Spirit as an integral part of forging His-Story.

All sin can do is threaten us with death… God is forging a new story, and so we can live free from regret; asking "what next Abba?"

Thank you Lord for "the aggressive forgiveness we call grace".

Why God?

Sunday early

I’ve been looking forward to going for a long, easy weekend bike ride for over a month. The anticipation heightened by having spent three weeks in down town Seattle, getting my exercise by running up and down Capital Hill in rush hour traffic – the anti thesis of biking around Lake Whatcom in the early morning light.

So, I finally get on the bike his morning, and with the first turn of the crank, the entire drive train locks up. I experience an immediate rush of anger, frustration, why me God, how come, etc. Ultimately, I ask God “why are you doing this to me?” Following are some notes from the book “Cry of the Soul” which addresses this well.

Our desires consistently extend beyond our needs. But we live in a world with limited resources, and the universe is not equitable. Some people have greater wealth, greater joy, greater relationships….. this leads to our feelings of envy and jealousy.

• Envy is wanting what others have, jealousy is a desire to protect what we do have and fear others may take away from us. P. 110


• At their core, envy and destructive jealousy arise from the perception of loss or the fear of abandonment - especially the abandonment of God. P. 118

Some days I feel exactly like David did in Psa 88. I cannot see from here how He will meet me, or how I will get a chance to glorify Him in this, but I believe that I will. Stay tuned.

Just the way you promised

I've been thinking about what I believe to be true about God and trying to reconcile that with my feelings of embarrassment, frustration, humiliation, anger etc. which I encounter frequently. I understand from John 15:1-4, and the entire Book, that I am designed to abide in Christ, to live in a much freer, deeply satisfied fashion, and I long to live this way. As I was asking the Lord to help me understand, what I understood was His encouragement to get to know Him. As I asked "How Lord", the following portion of Psa 119 came to mind.

With your very own hands you formed me;
now breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you.
When they see me waiting, expecting your Word,
those who fear you will take heart and be glad.
I can see now, God, that your decisions are right;
your testing has taught me what's true and right.
Oh, love me—and right now!—hold me tight!
just the way you promised.
Psa 119:73-76

Just the way you promised, which includes...

Learning to learn from the heart,
Mark