Clinging to God in Solitude

Clinging to God in Solitude

"When we enter into solitude to be with God alone, we quickly discover how dependent we are. Without the many distractions of our daily lives, we feel anxious and tense. When nobody speaks to us, calls on us, or needs our help, we start feeling like nobodies. Then we begin wondering whether we are useful, valuable, and significant. Our tendency is to leave this fearful solitude quickly and get busy again to reassure ourselves that we are "somebodies." But that is a temptation, because what makes us somebodies is not other people's responses to us but God's eternal love for us.To claim the truth of ourselves we have to cling to our God in solitude as to the One who makes us who we are." Henri Nouwen

Koren's Story

I HIGHLY suggest you peek at the link below (Koren's Story)....afterwards also click on the Time For Living link...ENJOY!

http://www.vimeo.com/5397986


Koren's Story
Let your guard down, look beyond the surface...and be wonderfully surprised

Source: www.vimeo.com

Take 'dem trainin' wheels off

This summer, at Windy Gap, I watched a sixteen year old girl learn to ride a bike. Her Young Life leader was right there beside her teaching her how. Back and forth they went. Shaky knees; fists clenched tightly around the handgrip. The teenage girl kept saying, “I can’t do this; let’s just forget it.” I think she was more embarrassed that a crowd had gathered to cheer her on; now they knew she had never learned to ride a bike as a kid. No one had ever taken the time to teach her.

But this day, on a 80* summer day at Windy Gap, her Young Life leader kept whispering over and over to her. “You can do this. I am right beside you. We are going to learn how to do this. I am right here; I am not going to let you fall. I am not going to leave.”

And so an hour later; she was riding by herself; her leader along with twenty or so teenagers clapped and cheered! I won’t forget that day I watched the story play out.

It is the story of what we do in Young Life. We walk beside kids in life. We show up. We stay; and we whisper in the ears of high school and middle school kids, “You can do this. I am right beside you. We are going to learn how to do this. I am right here. I am not going to let you fall. I am not going to leave.”

We walk beside them so that they might know Jesus; so they can understand the incredible and faithful love of God. Young Life leaders are out there beside kids, teaching them how to ride bikes, and teaching them how to walk with Jesus.

M stands for meeting

They said I needed an new alternator for my truck. Since I don't know jack squat about repairing a truck, I gave them $355 to fix it. So this morning, I picked it up; and it works. Wish I still had my $355 bucks, though.

My wife and kids went to West Point Lake to ski with an old YL club kid from LaGrange...she has a boat; obviously. Meanwhile, I went to three meetings. After the third one finished about 4pm, I decided, that M doesn't stand for ministry, it stands for meeting.

That's about all I have done lately. Meet this person to plan this. Meet with this person to ask them to help with this. Meet with this person to organize this. Meet with another person so we can plan the meetings that will birth more meetings. I sometimes think that if it wasn't for all the meetings, I might be able to do some ministry, which is why I jumped into all this in the first place twelve years ago.

I am coming to understand that perhaps the meetings are ministry. Instead of looking at them as obstacles keeping me from ministry, perhaps they are the very ministry, in an odd way, that the Lord is putting before me. Since I tend to be so set in my ways and my way of thinking, perhaps I should be a little more open to where Jesus wants me to be, instead of where I think I need to be.

I read this in Acts tonight:

"And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them." Acts 16:6-10

So, I am trying to be aware that ministry may not always happen in the shape and form that I want it to. Perhaps it comes in other ways. Perhaps it comes disguised as a meeting. Ehh??

my faith has never caused a riot / Sunday Aug 2

Another reason Facebook irritates me sometimes: I recorded the Braves / Dodgers game on ESPN, sat down to watch it, flipped on Facebook. Some dingdong posted the score of the Braves game during the bottom of the eighth. I flipped off the TV. I flipped off Facebook.

Ventured off to the early worship service at Cornerstone Church. 9a.m. I am not a fan of getting up that early on Sunday, but am glad once I get out and realize it's only 10 o'clock and you have the whole day to play sabbath.

My kids have made friends with a little boy and girl in our neighborhood. We invited them and brought them along with us; don't think their family is a part of a church. It felt sort of good to love on some people that live a few houses down; people who live right in front of our face. Too many times I find myself going to do ministry in far off places when there are people confused and desperate for life right in front of me. It irks me to think of walking over dying people to go to a distant land to help...dying people. Saves gas to love the people who live next door. I find there are plenty of "dying" people all around me; don't even need a car....just need to be aware enough to walk across the street.

Read Galatians today and Romans 12. Trying to understand what Paul is saying when he says not to conform to the world. It's so much easier to conform to the world, especially when so much of the world is conforming to the world. It's even easy to be a disciple and be luke warm; that won't be too hard either. I'm thinking that being lukewarm and conforming to the world are pretty similar; not much difference between 'em. I pray Jesus will transform me by changing the way I think, that he will renew my mind and make clear to me his will. And if he changes me enough, I won't be much like the world and I won't be lukewarm. Perhaps I'll be different enough to be like the disciples in Acts. There were always riots everywhere they went; people trying to kill people who had come to faith in Christ; opposition and enemies and riots everywhere they went. I don't think my faith in Christ has ever caused a riot. In fact I'm not sure I've ever seen a riot as a result of the actions of any church I've been to...people are trained to be too nice... not sure we're that much of a threat.

tabitha

"In Joppa, there was a disciple named Tabitha, who was always doing good and helping the poor." Acts 9:36

...always doing good and helping the poor...
what a great way to be described; what worthy things to be known for!

what are you known for? Not necessarily how you would answer or what you would say about yourself, but what would those closest say about you?