The Unlikely Route to Joy

My story

 

"It was not fair at all", I said to myself. One of my student's in our youth ministry called me to let me know that he had been offered a job with the same company I worked for. God had provided me with a great job during my last 3 years of Bible College with a large national janitorial company. My assignment was to clean several local banks in the evenings and early mornings. It was a great job for a student as I could come and go anytime after the banks were closed. It was not necessarily a fun job, cleaning ash trays, toilets and other mountains of trash left behind from careless tellers. But it was a source of a good wage and met our need as a newly married couple.

My immediate supervisor was an ex-military man who, for some reason, thought the best way to motivate me was to yell and holler, leave me nasty notes, and treat me like the trash I picked up. My relationship with the supervisor and the company was tempestuous and filled with conflict. I always felt like I was just a moment away from being fired.

The next day after our friend Norm got a call to hire him, I received my "pink" slip, and actually I think it was red. It was an incredibly difficult time. How was I, as a young married husband, going to be able to go home and share this news with my bride? I felt like a total failure, worthless and empty of any vestige of self-esteem. It humbled me to a place I had never been before. I did my best to fight my firing. I contacted several of the managers of the banks I worked in and got them to write wonderful letters about my quality of work. It was to no avail. I was officially unemployed for the first time in my young life.

I remember distinctly complaining to God about how unfair this was. "Dear God, what have I done to deserve this?" "I have been such a hard working Christian, why did YOU not protect me." God did not seem to care at that point. I had to just keep focused, looking for work anywhere I could find it. Within a few months, I was asked to fill in, on a temporary basis, at a vacancy on staff at Bethany Bible College. I became the Director of Financial Aid and soon accepted a permanent assignment to the college staff. That was the beginning of a wonderful 15+ year ministry at Bethany. In looking back, it now is apparent, that God had to get me fired to prepare me for the work he wanted me to do. The temporary job at Bethany was less than I was making as a janitor. I would never have taken a temporary job if I had not needed something!

I learned a great lesson about real faith and confidence in God at that difficult time of my life. It is easy to say we believe when we don't have to believe. It is another story when we are required to have faith when we do not understand or see the end from the beginning. James says it this way, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds". Here are some questions to ask yourself.

1. What is the very first thing I think when facing a crisis, troubling time, and difficulty?
   
2. Who gets the blame?
   
3. Is this perhaps an end to a means for God's plan for my life?
   
4. Am I committed enough to the process to submit to the pressure and direction of the Potters Hand?
   

SHAPES- Finding Your Place in the Church

SHAPES

Finding Your Place in the Church

I am not a puzzle kind of guy, but somehow I get pulled into the annual Christmas puzzle project. It is sort of a tradition that during the holidays a puzzle is pulled from its high shelf in the closet, dusted off, and placed on the table. Glenda usually starts the project working on it by herself while encouraging us all to join her. Slowly the family is drawn by some mysterious force to the jumble of pieces spread out on the table.

Everyone has their own strategy on finding matching pieces. I always look for the edge pieces to start working on the frame. The process drags on for what seems an eternity. Each successful match is celebrated with glee and each failure is accompanied by a groan. The most frustrating moment comes when there is an "almost fit" moment. It is perfect except for the pointing corner that should be a rounded edge. There is a temptation to just force it to fit. The danger is that you will damage the piece, and at some point there will be another piece that does not fit!

The church, the body of Christ in the local setting, is a lot like that. As we begin the process of putting together a healthy, growing, dynamic church, it is as if the pieces of the puzzle have just been dumped on the table. Each piece has its own unique shape and color. Each piece has its place in what will be a beautiful earthly picture of a heavenly design. Here and there a few pieces are connected almost accidently by shared passion and interest. Some pieces have been sort of forced into relationship because "someone had to do it." We thank God for those who have stepped forward to do what needs to be done.

Now is the time to take a macro view of the table and the pieces. It is time to study each piece thoroughly through the filter of the Bible. Who has what gifts? Are there groups of people who have like passions? How will the uniqueness of each personality fit together to create that powerful force called the local church that will always result in men and women and boys and girls being drawn to God?

That is what this journey called networking is all about. Each of us needs to yield to the rigors of intense study and to be open to self-examination. God will reward our determination to find our shape and use it for his glory. The greatest moments for WAG are just over the horizon. The most powerful moments of reaching out to the community are coming and coming soon. Join with Glenda and me as we reaffirm how it is how God has shaped us for ministry.

Jesus said in John 9:4, "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." The time has come. LET US DO IT!

Be Still

The Other Side of Prayer

Glenda and I had this great friend some years ago who loved to talk. She could go on for hours without seeming to take a breath. Conversation revolved around her life, where she had been, where she was going, the trouble she was having with so and so, the difficult boss, blah, blah, blah! It was a rather interesting time, and we learned a lot about her. She would always end by saying, "It's been great talking. Next time let's get caught up on what is happening in your life." Of course, that never happened.

It is not appropriate for me to be very judgmental toward my friend because I am a lot like her. I am glad that my conversations with God are not recorded. It would be very embarrassing. I do all the talking. It is all about me, my troubles, my problems, my concerns, MY LIFE. Now Jesus is very patient with me, but I wonder if He sometimes feels like I do with my friends. "I hope Paul with take a deep breath and be quiet for a while so I can talk."

A conversation is all about speaking and listening; it is about communicating ideas back and forth between two people. To have a good and healthy conversation with God means that I need to spend time listening to him. That is tough because I love to talk, especially when I am caffeine powered. The times I am able to restrain myself and just listen, I am truly nurtured and energized by my heavenly father.

I love the verse of scripture that says, "Be still and know that I am God!" Psalm 46:10. What wonderful things God is just waiting to share with us about himself if only we would shift to the listening mode. Here are some suggested practices.

1. After you have prayed for a period of time, practice silence. Start with being quit for 60 seconds; then over a period of time extend that to 10 or 15 minutes.
   
2. Discipline yourself not to wander mental from the point of the conversation -- getting to know God better.
   
3. When you are finished with your time of silence, write down in a journal what you hear God saying to you.
   
4. At some point go back over your journal to see the thread of what God is saying to you. You will be surprised to find an amazing constancy of his message to you.
   
5. Share what God is saying to you with a trusted friend.
   

Let God enjoy the conversations as much as you!

 

He Makes Me Lie Down

Psalm 23:3

Sunday, September 02, 2007

"Warp speed, Mr. Sulu." There is this sudden surge of power and through the Enterprise and all aboard are thrust into the canopy of space to a destination where certain adventure awaits them. Stars turn to blurs like a time exposure photo as the vessel explodes into deep space.

Fast food, fast cars, 15-minute workouts, and a variety of other "time saving" devices and behaviors are meant to help us do more in less time. No one has yet found a way to create a 25^th hour. It is a useless and overwhelming attempt to live at such speed that we burn up like a piece of space junk on reentry. What is the frenzy all about? Why are we driven to such a dizzy pace? Is there a better way?

YES, YES, YES! The shepherd boy David penned these words in Psalm 23. "He makes me lie down in green pastures."
Rest and nourishment are key to having a healthy relationship with God and physical health. The shepherd MAKES the sheep lie down. Have you ever had a time in your life when the Good Shepherd had to make you lie down? Perhaps it was a health issue, or work layoffs, or even a mental breakdown. The shepherd cares about you, and sometimes he just says, "Paul, just lie down and be quiet!" Quit your frenzied pace, stop changing the world's dream of more in less time. You need your rest.

Here are some questions to answer.

1. When was the last time you took a real vacation where you relaxed and let the spring unwind?
   


2. Do you have a quiet time each day without conversations with anyone, no TV, no radio, no iPod, no reading, just you and God and quietness?
   


3. Does quietness make you nervous?
   


4. Do you honor the Sabbath (i.e., a day of rest with no agenda but God)?
   

It may sound a little strange, but you and I honor God when we rest. It is his way to restore your very soul. Maybe tonight it would be a good time to go outside after dark, under the great canvas of God's artwork, and look up! Those are the same stars and the same moon that moved David to pen the words to Psalm 23. "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul."
Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)

Go to http://www.windsorassembly.org/ to listen to the lesson.