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In the Midst of the Valley

Picture courtesy of PD Photo

In the Midst of the Valley is about being in the midst of so much stuff it's hard to see the sky. Ever feel like that? What we don't realize, sometimes, is that there are incredible treasures to be found in the valley! This blog was started because I beleive that the greatest potential for spiritual growth is in the valley - not on the mountain top. These are lessons God has taught me as I go through the valley season of my life. May He use them to minister to you. Mike

Friday, August 19, 2005

No One Beyond God's Grace!

Sorry I haven't posted anything all week. I have been with the rest of our staff on staff retreat. While we laughed a lot, we worked extremely hard. My mind was pretty mushy when we left. NO COMMENTS ABOUT MY MUSHY MIND!!

During one of our sessions early in the week our pastor shared this thought, "No one beyond God's grace." We talked about that all week. It kept coming up and we kept going back to it. During one of the sessions, or lunch, or while we were walking, . . . or sometime during the week it hit me, if no one is beyond God's grace, then that means even valley experiencers are not beyond God's grace. And if no one is beyond God's grace, then the flock ought to pursue valley experiencers with a passion so they may experience God's grace through the flock. Hhhmmm!!

Now there's a thought - grace extended through us to those who need it the most! As I thought about it I kept coming back to the thought this applies to me as I run into rude waiters, or people who don't know how to drive, or frustrating people in my life, or the woman I look at in a condescending/judgemental manner.

It also means that as a valley experiencer, I'm not beyond God's grace - his blessings, he riches, his heart, his eyes, his covering of my life. It means that even in the deepest parts of the valley I cannot hide from his grace. WOW!! I don't know about you, but that has got to be one of the coolest things about God. I can't even try to hide from his grace. It's there. . . always . . . covering me, empowering me, moving me forward.

Remember, you, too, are not beyond God's grace, neither is your neighbor, co-worker, family member, parent, child, husband, wife, friend, or stranger. Also remember that grace is to flow through us not just to us.

Here's a great question a friend recently asked, Are a cup or a pitcher?

Covered in God's Grace,
Mike

Thursday, August 11, 2005

What would it look like?

What would it look like? What would the modern church look like? Would we be able to recognize, even call it "church" if a group of freely gathered believers began connecting and caring, if they started a revolution of love - not the '60's kind of eros love, but koinonia love? The kind of love that sent Jesus to the cross to become our sacrifice so that we may have an eternal relationship with our Heavenly Father.

On Bible Gateway I found 10 references in the New Testament where Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John tells us to "love another." Jesus, himself, says, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34 NIV). So let me get this straight, we are supposed to love each other - koinonia love, not just "Hi, how are ya?" love? Not just stale donuts and bad coffee love? Not just a smile and handshake love? It sounds like a lot more - as a matter of fact, it is a lot more.

To get to the kind of love Jesus and the NT authors are talking about it takes time, effort, and contact - face to face, eyeball to eyeball, heart to heart contact. It takes living life together. It means letting others in on what's going on in my life and investing in the lives of those God brings to me. Ohhh, it get's in the way of my life, my desires, my agendas, my schedules, and a host of other "my's" but it's not about us, remember? It's about being and doing all God wants me to be and he wants me to do.

It's about connecting and caring. It's about connecting~reaching out to those around us to help, for help. It's about caring~caring enough that I get out of the way and allow God to use me to minister, encourage, love someone else.

Valley experiencers . . . imagine a being with a group of people who were sincerely and genuinely interested in your valley, your pain, your journey? Flock . . . imagine what our flock would look like and how healthy it would be if we joined experiencers in their journey. Imagine the joy WE would experience on the other side of the valley? I've been there with those who have come out on the other side. I know exactly what it feels like!! You could, too.

Now, if both experiencers and flock learned to love one another as Christ and the early church fathers envisioned us doing what the church would look like. Do you think it would even look like what we have come to call "church"? Don't think so.

Close your eyes. See the vision. Have you got the picture? If not, stop for a moment and ask God to help you see what His church would like if we came together and truly lived life together ~ connecting and caring. Picture in your mind the people God would draw to His church through you.

Goose bumps!! Goose bumps!!

Join me in the dream!
Mike

Monday, August 08, 2005

It Takes a Flock?

I viewed a movie this weekend called Joshua. Joshua is a modern day parable of what happens to people when they encounter Jesus. I won't go into the movie itself. Check out the link and look it up for yourself. I must say, though, that the movie is well done and correllations could easily be made between the characters in the movie and characters in the Bible - probably even in our own lives or people God has put in our lives.

Anyway. . .when the movie begins you see Joshua coming upon a church that had been battered and destroyed by a storm. A huge tree had fallen on the church. As the story progresses you see the community - different denominations, races, and ages - coming together to rebuild the church.

Here's where a thought hit me - when the storms of life, the valleys of life, hit us does it take a flock to rebuild our lives? I'm under the impression it does. I do not believe God ever intended for us to do it alone or to be a lone ranger. Often times, especially if you're a guy, we think, "We can handle this," or "I don't need anyone." BUNK!!

We need eachother - Paul tells us to encourage, comfort, and build each other up. I can tell you from my own valley experience that because of some incredibly encouraging and comforting believers I have been built up! I know, without any doubt, that I am able to keep moving forward because of the love, time, and energy these fellow sheep shared with me.

Here's another thing - flock, you need to step up and come alongside these in the valley. They need you and you need them. Some of you are wonderfully gifted to encourage, invest, and build them upl I honestly beleive that if we, the flock, came around more people we would take our eyes off our own petty needs, there would be less territorialism, and less fall out from members of the flock fading away and being devoured by the enemy.

Yes, I need these people in my life - now, but as God uses them to minister to me, He is also using me and my situation to minister to others. Sometimes this happens without me even knowing it. For example: Because of their willingness to invest in me, God is using me - through this blog - to minister to others. I get emails and comments from people I don't even know who say that my expereince and the lessons I have learned over the last several months have ministered to them.

So, where does this leave us? Great question. Here's where I am on this whole thing.

1) God has called us to live in community with one another and expects us to minister to each other in that community

2) If you have experienced a storm or valley in your life you need to allow others to encourage, comfort, and build you up - you cannot do it alone.

3) If you are a valley expereincer realize that no one can help you if you don't share your experience with someone else. Don't expect there to be a flood of help when you keep it to yourself. TELL SOMEONE!!

4) Flock, encourage someone. It's hard sometimes. It can be time consuming. Life's messy, but so is yours. It's what we're called to do. Do it and you'll reap benefits you haven't yet imagined.

5) Valley experiencer - don't be a sponge. God can and will use you if you let him. To be honest, if all you do is receive the flock will grow tired of giving and you will never know the blessing of being used by God to encourage and minister to someone else. Take your eyes off of you - It's not about you (heard that a lot over the last couple of years, but it's still true).

Hope this helps.

Being built up,
Mike

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Which Path?

As we travel through the valley we come to those times when we must make a decision - which way do we/I go? What path should I follow?

I don't know about you, but I have run across this often. One thing I have learned as I have traveled through the valley of life is the fact that the real question is not which way do I go, but to whom do I look for direction, whose map do I use in determining which way I should go. It's easy to think that all I have to do go the way that makes the most sense, or is most comfortable, or seems to lead where WE want to go. Well. . .doesn't it?

This morning I was reminded of a passage of Scripture that God continues to show me while I'm on this journey. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells me, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths" (NLT). Did you pick up on what God is saying to us? It is so simple. It's right there in front of our eyes. God is saying that if you and I will trust God completely (that's called faith), seek him out, and STOP depending on our own wisdom and understanding then HE will direct our paths.

Hhhmmmm. Seems like I heard this before. . .

Matt 6:24 - You cannot serve two masters.
Philippians 2:8 - Jesus, in human form, humbled himself and became obedient to a cross-like death.
Luke 9:23-24 - If you are going to follow Jesus, then we must let our own desires and agendas go and commit to follow Jesus.
Exodus 20:3 - You shall have no other god(s) except the God of creation.

This doesn't seem like rocket science to me - now. What about you? What I often find is that I want God to draw me a map, but as he drawing and giving me directions I keep reaching for my own map. It just won't work. He will not provide direction UNTIL we stop looking at our own map. If we want to truly experience God's faithfulness and roadside assistance through the valley, then we've got to STOP depending upon ourselves. We must resist the temptation to go the easy way, the familiar path, the shortcut, or the direction everyone else is going.

Flock, help those in the valley, but do it by seeking God, loving him completely, and allowing him - and him alone - to draw the map.

I like maps. But when it comes to God's map, I don't always follow it to the tee. I get lost, keep trying another turn here and another road there until I'm thoroughly lost. FINALLY, I stop and ask God for directions. I learning to love God's map. . .if I would just fold mine and put it back in the glovebox.

What about you?


Cruisin',
Mike