Incarnate Life

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

It is so amazing to reflect on the thought of God, in flesh, walking, talking, living here in this world. The more I meditate on this marvelous truth the more I come to understand the multifaceted dimensions of the ‘why’. It was easy for me to simply put it under the heading that He needed to come so He could accomplish salvation on the cross. But, the more I thought on the ‘why’ the more I came to realize the smallness of this view. He was born into this world to accomplish more than this final act, even as I am born again to accomplish more than going to heaven. And then I am faced with the question, Do I truly want to allow the Living Word of God dwelling in me, to become flesh? Do I want to live my faith, this new life, in such a way that when people see me they see the glory of God, and when they see my actions they sense the grace and truth of my holy Abba Father? What would an incarnate life look like for me, today, in our culture, ?

The Global Ministry

At our church this morning the Global Ministry Pastor shared our church's vision to be a part of ministering in partnership with the global church. It was exciting to hear all the current plans, partner relationships already established in South Africa and Kenya and the possibilities for the future. The message came on the heels of teaching a Global Ministry doctoral class last week, having a new student in the class from Ukraine ministering in Kazakhstan and the opportunity last wednesday evening to share language learning ideas with the team that will be ministering in conjunction with believers in Kenya this summer. And, to top it all off, remembering our graduation last month when we had students from Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ukraine, and India graduating from our doctoral program. I praise God for the opportunity he has given me both to participate in the ministry and to learn from these men from around the world.
And my heart is challenged when I think about how to share this incredible blessing with churches all over the US. Somehow we must come to the realization that the old model of missions with 'us' sending and 'them' receiving must come to an end. But, are we ready to admit that believers and churches in the global church are truly our peers, and God has called us to mutually give and receive out of our abundance, whether it be material or spiritual?
Wanderer101

Power Questions

Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
An observation that a person’s sense of morality lessens as his or her power increases. The statement was made by Lord Acton, a British historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

I find sadness fills my heart when I see the struggle and hurt that has come from ‘power’ questions in the church. The desire to be ‘in charge’ seems to run deep within humanity and the struggle for power or control has plagued the church over the centuries. Often it is clothed in the seemingly respectable garments of desiring to establish or preserve purity in the body by first establishing uniformity [as defined by a person or group, those who feel they have the ability and skills to read and comprehend the Word of God], and then enforcing that model on the other members of the body.
But, what if the statement by Lord Acton is an axiom that does have validity? What if the ability to understand the Word of God and to hear the voice of the Spirit does tend to decrease as the desire for power increases? Would this mean that the church must learn to listen to those that are perceived to be simple followers of Christ? What if the first shall be last and the last shall be first in God’s kingdom?
As someone once said, "The drive for purity, when defined by uniformity, will kill the church."

Walking by Faith

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

As I have been reflecting on this issue of faith and what it means for my daily life I fear it comes in direct contrast with my desire to control many aspects of my life. The writer of Hebrews seems to be contrasting faith with a high degree of certainty as he talks about ‘things hoped for’ and ‘things not seen.’ As I look at this moment in my life I find a great desire to know what will happen in the following moment and the one after that and the one after that. But, what if I really did know all the joys and sorrows that would come to me in this journey, could I survive the immensity of the emotions I would feel?
And, so, back to the issue, what does faith look like for me in my journey. Is the reality that God has shielded me from the future one of His great blessings. Can I learn to be content to simply walk in faith as Paul challenged the believers in Cornith?
As the writer continues in this chapter with a multitude of examples of ‘by faith’ I find that faith is at the very core of my walk and life.
Wanderer101

The Journey

In the last few years I have come to understand in a much deeper way the reality that life is a journey I am sharing with the children of God. We are all at different places on the journey and each has brought a wide variety of helpful provisions and heavy burdens. But the more I comprehend the depth of this truth, the more I am confronted with the fact that my Father has called me to share this journey and to be engaged in a love relationship with the other pilgrims on the path.
While the reality of this truth has given me the freedom to engage the other travelers in meaningful dialog it has also helped me understand that I must enter into their journey and share with them in the sufferings and joys of the path.
As I contemplate the depth of this truth I wonder at the implementation. Can I be truly moved with compassion as I look at those fellow pilgrims who have wandered far from the path and have found the pain and sorrow of this world overwhelming them? Can I step into the depth of their agony and bring healing and comfort to the brokenness?
My prayer is that God would allow me to weep over those who are as sheep wandering in the wilderness and be the shepherd of God to them.
Wanderer101