I want Jesus to change lives through me!

So here is another thing I am learning :)...a big secret that up until yesterday I did not know and that most Christians, once they hear it say "oh of course" but don't know :). In this blog I am processing so please forgive me if it's disjointed. If you would like to hear this presented in a much clearer and concise fashion here is the link (there are 2 sermons)

http://www.libertychurch.org/streaming/video/index.php?id=264

http://www.libertychurch.org/streaming/video/index.php?id=259

Here goes :

Shaun and I have been studying Isaiah 53 through a sermon series on-line. For us, it's real meaty stuff...no infant food for the soul here...which as I 've been a Christian for 28 years that is likely a good thing :). We are on Isaiah 53:5-6 Which say this, " But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." oh there is so much to say and so little time...OK let me start by saying that verse 5 talks about what sin does...the consequences of it...that is what Jesus took on for us at the cross...the perfect lamb of God took on all the sins of the world and he was pierced, crushed, punished, wounded, and so on. There are 4 secrets about sin that I don't think I've ever heard preached. I will hit on the 1st and then mostly the 4th one in this.

1) Sin takes away your ability to THINK! (just ponder an angry person...they believe that their anger will make them stronger, people will respect them more, and their homes will be more stable if they control it with anger...is that what a thinking person believes?)

Here are some scriptures for that II Corinthians 3:14 says, "But their minds were made dull..." it goes on to talk about what sin does to you. Ephesians 4:18, 19 says, "They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more."

2 Peter 2:10, 12, 17-19 says, " This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature[a] and despise authority...But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. " The Message Translation puts it this way, "10-11God is especially incensed against these "teachers" who live by lust, addicted to a filthy existence. They despise interference from true authority, preferring to indulge in self-rule. Insolent egotists, they don't hesitate to speak evil against the most splendid of creatures. Even angels, their superiors in every way, wouldn't think of throwing their weight around like that, trying to slander others before God...14These people are nothing but brute beasts, born in the wild, predators on the prowl. In the very act of bringing down others with their ignorant blasphemies, they themselves will be brought down, losers in the end. Their evil will boomerang on them. They're so despicable and addicted to pleasure that they indulge in wild parties, carousing in broad daylight. They're obsessed with adultery, compulsive in sin, seducing every vulnerable soul they come upon. Their specialty is greed, and they're experts at it. Dead souls...17-19There's nothing to these people—they're dried-up fountains, storm-scattered clouds, headed for a black hole in hell. They are loudmouths, full of hot air, but still they're dangerous. Men and women who have recently escaped from a deviant life are most susceptible to their brand of seduction. They promise these newcomers freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, for if they're addicted to corruption—and they are—they're enslaved."

To sin one loses all of their cognitive reasoning...we need that! Those are just 3 of the passages from the Bible of what sin does for us...death!

The next secret that was covered so far is this and what I really wanted to post about today... The one thing that is MUCH more addictive than Sin???? The only craving in the human soul that is much stronger , is much more passionate, and much more satisfying than the cravings for pleasure??? The craving for PURPOSE! 2 Corinthians 5:5 says this, "Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." I'll get back to that whole purpose thing in a minute but here is something...Asking for God's blessing ...when you say , "I want Jesus to bless me" we are guaranteed to forever fail...ego centrism is not a God thing. When we say "I want Jesus to change lives through me" That is what Jesus teaches. How God designed us to be. We are to serve someone else without recognition Jesus said in John 15:13 "greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for a friends" The Message puts that passage like this (with context) "11-15"I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father "1 John 2: 4-6 says this, "4-6If someone claims, "I know him well!" but doesn't keep his commandments, he's obviously a liar. His life doesn't match his words. But the one who keeps God's word is the person in whom we see God's mature love. This is the only way to be sure we're in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived. " Galatians 5: 16 says, "16-18My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?" There is nothing in there about "me" being the centre of the equation...

Sin always comforts quickly. I have heard (and at one time was apart of this group) many people say (who have been around Christians long enough) "I have been really hurt so I'm not ready to trust " The pastor that gave this sermon said..."when you say that you are assuming, in your egocentric world, that these people's only purpose is to bless you" (and as a side note if you are a Christian saying that about "the church" well...you IS apart of the church...we are one body. you can't bisect a body) I found that VERY true! Some people want both "me" and to bless others. No one can have both. We will all be tested with pain. God sets it up that way...to those He loves He disciplines (Hebrews 12: 5-11...it's quoted at the bottom) Sin will come in and comfort and say, when you're cold, "Let's just take a little break from serving others and then you can come back" you never come back or if you fight through and do it will be MUCH harder. When you want comfort your heart is cold and you know what makes your heart warm? Serving...you are in the race running, the more you serve, pray, run the race the warmer you get and sin doesn't need to warm you. When you serve others it will hurt and burn. But it will burn away the sin. (again that is from Hebrews 12:1-3)

Life and death are constantly moving. I have to choose which one I will be moving with. I have heard it asked and I have asked "Shouldn't I get my own life together before I serve others? Getting your own life together is meant to be a by-product! And how we have the least amount of pain in this serving thing? Find a team...don't do it alone...Find mentors and people who are walking this path as well. Ephesians 4:11,12 " It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" The church is a team...

I think Peter said something along the lines of if I give to someone and it hurts and God is requiring it of me then I give it gladly but if I suffer because I was stupid then I suffer in vain. Don't have pain for no reason... :) Galatians 2:19-21 says, "What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. " So a really good question to ask to see where you are in this whole thing is this: "Who depends on you?" I mean for encouragement, for growing in the word? To help them along in their Christian faith? The answer to that is the sum total of our lives. Pretty powerful statement!

Hebrews 12:1-11 says this,

"1-3Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
4-11In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children? My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be crushed by it either. It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects.God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. " That is the fat we should be worrying about...the sin-fat :).

Jesus live through me for others! I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live...I live to give. This is what I am learning :).

Racing with warmth, Tama

Mining

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. There has been so much that I have been learning that I honestly didn't know where to start...here is just a little tidbit that I thought I would pass along :).
Shaun and I have been soaking up the word of God. just SOAKING! You know it's amazing what it says. I heard someone say recently that the Bible is pretty grey or doesn't have much to say about a lot of things...I have found that statement to be incorrect. The more I study the Bible (and believe me I'm just starting) the more I realize that the Bible has a lot to say about most things and very adamantly.
You know though to find those things you have to be willing to dig and search and KNOW the word of God. I heard this analogy recently. "The word of God is a treasure to be mined." When you are miner you get scraped knuckles. You work hard every day and you don't find treasure every day...if you did it wouldn't be treasure. But you keep working and digging through the dirt and blasting through the rocks...then when you do find the treasure it is precious.
Memorizing the word of God is powerful. You know why? There are 2 words used for the "Word" in the New Testament. One is Logos and the other is Rema. Logos is the already written word that you have memorized and it is inscribed on your heart...when you have been drink the word. Once it is inscribed on your heart it brews in your soul so awhile and that is when Rema happens. Rema brings the word alive ...it's the voice of the Lord speaking to you after you have the Logos in you...drinking the word. I have experienced this over and over throughout my life. You know when you read a passage of scripture and you know when God says "this is for you right now". Paul (the apostle in the Bible) he quoted so much of the Torah. Do you know why? He had the whole Torah memorized. By the time a rabbinical student was 12 years old they had ALL 39 books of the Torah memorized...MEMORIZED! You know Peter the Disciple...the fisherman that I've always thought of a probably a bit uneducated?...how many he had memorized...he was a non-rabbinical student as a child and he had 1/2 that number memorized. There is much to be said about that.
Psalm 119:11 says, " I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
in the Message it says, " I've banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won't sin myself bankrupt. "

Deut 6:5-9 says this, " Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!
6-9 Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates. "

Another thing that I have been learning is that before I say "I believe..." (as believe means conversation over this is my conclusion) I need to see what the whole word of God says about something. Not just one or two passages...the WHOLE word. Paul summed up his life in Acts 20 the last in the last verse (Acts 20:27) "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. ". I am learning to have a systematic theology on the complex subjects that God talks to us about. It will take me at least 20-30 years to come to the place where I can say ..."I believe..." If I do not do that I have unbiblical assumptions and am not a student of the word of God and there are consequences for that.
I HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN!!! I am looking forward to it...there is no other pursuit more worth pursuing

Mining, Tama

Our eldest

Yesterday I took Mercedes to the optometrist (the eye doctor) for her first check up. They recommend taking them in sometime in their third year...so I was just doing that. WELL Mercedes has 60/20 vision in her right eye and 30/20 in her left. That is a +4 prescription in the right and a +2 in the left. She is far sighted. She needs to wear glasses, likely, until 12 or 13 years old. For the next year or 2 we are to patch her left eye for at least 4 hours a day...to strengthen the right eye. The optometrist said that it was really good we brought her in now. There were not any really strong clues that there was anything wrong with her vision. Her left eye has been doing all of the work. Kids are very good at using only one eye. But she looked straight at you with both eyes. She has no trouble tracking etc. Eyes grow a lot from years 3-5 or 6...so I am really glad we did the check up. I would have never thought of eye trouble in a million years...I guess that is why we pray for wisdom, from God, as parents. She got her Disney Princess glasses today. She looks very cute!

I have to say she handled everything really well. They dilated her eyes to get the full prescription and the optometrist said she would cry a lot when the drops were put in but she didn't. I was so proud of her. I on the other hand was a wreck (I didn't show it) On the inside I was in near tears. I felt so much guilt for not having brought her in almost a year sooner. She has complained off and on about headaches and she would blink her eye funny sometimes, but not always. I should have clued in. "should have"...you know guilt trips are not from God and neither are "should haves". I have been reminding myself of that for the past 2 days. I am thankful that we live in a time when these things are not a big deal.

I also took her to the dentist today because she had been complaining about her gums bothering her for about 2 weeks. So I took her in and they said that she has been grinding her teeth. Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...needless to say it's been an upward battle to get to the point to believe that we have been decent parents at all.

We are in a battle. We are consumed with defeating our foe. And the great thing is that the big picture is...WE WILL WIN!

Tama

Attacks

It seems that when you put yourself out there and say "these are the lessons that God is teaching me"...then Satan goes "oh yeah???" And wham you are under heavy spiritual attack. I have been battling this for about a week and a half. It's TOUGH. Yet again Ephesians 6:10-12 says, "God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels."

You know I would prefer that this WAS an "afternoon athletic contest" instead of a life long fight, in some ways. But in other ways I am glad that that this is on going. It forces me to depend on God. When things are good it is more of a challenge for me to remind myself that I do desperately need God. But the reality is I always desperately need Him no matter what is happening in the spiritual realm. If you don't believe in God I imagine that "the spiritual realm" sounds like a really bizarre thing to believe in. But trust me it's just as real as everything that you can physically see.

Do you know what I am just learning? Satan has a defence for everything but one ...doesn't mean He will win if we fight the good fight, as it were, it just means that he knows his time is short and he is trying every trick in the book to derail everyone he has a legal right to derail. The one thing that Satan has no weapons against is THANKFULNESS! So in James 1 when it says "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides." you realize that that is amazing advice. And something that I need to take to heart in quickly.

I am trying to teach Mercedes about thankfulness...especially at meal-time. She is a pretty picky eater. She doesn't like this and that. There are times when I get so frustrated because I see the bigger picture (which she does not yet) that there are so many people who would love to be in her place surrounded by so much plenty. And you know it's not just my 3, almost 4, year old. I do this as well. I moan and complain about so many things...this is one of the many things I am working on and now I have more incentive. Satan cannot possibly win the THANKFULNESS battle. There is a story that I heard recently about this. There is a pastor and his wife, in the states, that that had a son and then their second son was a still-born. He was born on a Tuesday and that Sunday they got up in the pulpit and for the whole service read from a list that they had made of what they were thankful for. I find that absolutely AMAZING!

You know in the storms, when we praise God, there is still joy and grace to get us through that storm . God doesn't promise we won't have hard times He promises us that He will be there, He will provide everything that we need to get us through. Thankfulness in the midst of hardship is all about praise and trust. "my yoke is easy"...

And then there is always the whole "getting a different perspective" thing :)...You know like there are a whole lot harder situations to go through. I find it gives me much empathy and compassion. There is always a reason.

doing battle on my knees, Tama

the gift of having fun :)

Today at M.O.M.'s Group (a group some friends and I started at church for mom's with young kids) we made soap. We laughed and talked...shared similar experiences about life with children from a mother's perspective. It was great. I had fun. While in the middle of making soap I teased one of my friends and we smiled. And then it struck me this friend and I hadn't just had fun most of the winter. We had a blast while the sun was shining but then we have been trying so hard to not get cabin fever and get the kids out and about that we forgot to have fun and laugh together. Hmmmmmmm...I shall have to purpose to have fun, more often, with my friends :). It's good for the soul.

Children laugh all the time. Have you ever noticed that? There is a statistic about that out there. And the jist is that children laugh a WHOLE lot more than adults.

That made me think of 2 verses in the Bible...

5For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. What's more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it's the same as receiving me. (Matthew 18:2-5) and "A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired." Proverbs 17:22

child-like, Tama

My Sword shall lead me to VICTORY!!!

Yesterday was an interesting day. There was a battle fought in the spiritual realm over circumstances in our life. Ephesians 6:10-12 says, "10-12And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.". But Shaun and I, for the first time, took the WORD OF GOD and used it in that battle. We did not get derailed or thrown off course. God says this, Matthew 11:28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." I learned what this means yesterday. It was (as Oprah says) a light bulb moment. There is a reason why we are to read the Bible every day...why we are to saturate ourselves with the Truth. It is so that when we face difficult things in life we will come out on the other side with LIFE. When (and it's not an if? It's a definite WHEN) trials come into our lives we will have the weapons and the tools. God gives us His word as a weapon to use...but we have to be the ones to know where to find the tools...so that His living is EASY come what may! James 1:2-8, 12, 16-18 says this, "2-4Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
5-8If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believing, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open...12Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life... 16-18So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures. "

Another word picture is one I just heard this morning. It is the difference between reservoirs and canals.

"If then you are wise, you show yourself rather as a reservoir than as a canal. A canal spreads abroad water as it receives it, but a reservoir waits until it is filled before overflowing, and thus without loss to itself [it share] its superabundant water."

-Bernard of Clairvaux-

The Bible talks about storerooms in Matt 13:52 (52He said, "Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it." ) and Luke 6:43-45 ("You don't get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds. ". ). God also gives out of His storerooms or reservoirs. It says in John 1:16 from the fullness of His grace we have received one blessing after another." The Message puts that verse like this, "We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift. We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, This endless knowing and understanding— In Ephesians 3:16 Paul says "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you"...the Message put the same verse this way "And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. "

It is beautiful to see the word of God come alive...

Adventuring,

Tama

An answer to a soul prayer

On Monday Shaun and I were reading the Bible together and he started reading Psalms 127. It says this:

1-2 If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks.

If God doesn't guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap.

It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone.

Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?

3-5 Don't you see that children are God's best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior's fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth.

Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children!

Your enemies don't stand a chance against you; you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.

Now since starting this business we have been asking God to show to us how exactly He wants His business run. He has shown us that He is the boss and we are His stewards. We have been struggling with how exactly to balance work and family. That is really hard to do when you are starting a new business. I had had several conversations with people who said that it is not possible to have a balance. As I listened to that I couldn't settle with that answer. Shaun had been struggling with it as well. To the depths of my soul I was agitated and knew that this, for us, was not the answer. When Shaun started to read this I listened intently and then I just started crying. God had answered our prayer in the most profound of ways. It was as if He spoke directly to us. What a relief. There were 2 things in that passage that struck Shaun and I. One was that we don't have to strive for this business. He will lead us to what is profitable and we will work efficiently. The second thing is what our GREATEST gift is...our children!!! NOTHING ELSE. They are our priority. God has been really showing us that since this is His business He will take care of things. We are to be diligent but not strive. He will provide. Now this is TOTALLY contrary to our cultural philosophy on how to succeed in business. So...we are looking forward to seeing many unexplainable things in our lives :). This week we have really seen God work when we spend time studying the Bible and singing praise to Him...He has given us back the time and we have accomplished so much more than if we had simply gone to work.

You know the more I read the Bible I see it say the same thing over and over again basically the same thing...seek God and follow God, He will provide for you and bless your life. It says that throughout the Bible. Deut 6 and 8 has been on Shaun's heart. Matt 6 has been on my heart. They say basically the same thing. We were created to worship God. That's it! Everything else lines up if that is what we focus on.

Another thing that has really been reinforced to us this week is most of our hard work is done on our knees in prayer. So much more gets done. We've seen it even in this week. That is our testimony for this week.

thank you Jesus...

being diligent in Him,

Tama