September 30, 2011
September 29, 2011
September 28, 2011
September 27, 2011
Encouraging Words-Who Are You?
Zephaniah 3:17: The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" (NIV)
Hebrews 13:5: He loves us so much that, He will never leave us or forsake us. (NIV)Who are you?
No, I’m not asking it like an inquisitive six-year old or screaming it at you with obscenities like the Who song in the 70’s. it’s a question I’m asking because it’s one we ask ourselves many times over the course of our lives. I believe there are three sources we use to answer this question. Two of them often mislead us, the other never does but we often forget to ask.
The first source is other people. This starts from our earliest memories, a parent’s warm embrace tells us we are worth loving, while not being chosen for the basketball team shows us we don’t measure up.I’m 52 years old and I still have tapes playing in my head of events that happened to me growing up that can still stir some deep emotion. They are mixed, times I was praised by teachers in school and loved by my mother, but also scorned by schoolmates because, well, I was kind of a dork, and berated by my mother.
As I’ve grown older, the stakes have only gotten higher. I’ve received performance awards and pink slips at work. I’ve been blissfully happy in marriage and been divorced. I’ve been distanced from what’s left of my family yet felt deep love and acceptance from my ministry family. The one thing that is consistent throughout is the inconsistency of people. The best example that comes to mind from my life was the gushing praise I received from the Treasurer where I worked, only to have him turn around and get me fired a few months later. Oh yes, that was at a church where I was a member—try and wrap your arms around THAT mixed message. If we gauge our value as a person from what others think of us, we’ll only succeed in twisting ourselves up into an emotional knot and waste a lot of energy trying to untie it throughout our lives.
The second source is ourselves. One of the lessons I learned from my mother was how to be really, really hard on myself. This charming trait has made it very difficult for me to really enjoy the satisfaction of doing something well (“you could have tried harder Junior”) or to relax and enjoy doing nothing at all (“why are you wasting time when there’s work to be done?”).
Unfortunately, I know other people who have the opposite problem. They have accepted as fact that they don’t have any special skills or gifts and just plod along in life. They settle for mediocre jobs, mediocre relationships, and mediocre if any faith because they just don’t think they deserve or can attain anything better.For those of you my age or older, you have probably heard the quote from the old “Pogo” cartoon strip where he said “We have met the enemy, and it is us.” He meant “ours.” But that twisted cliché can carry so much truth in our lives. We can set up filters so think around our brains and hearts that anything positive and encouraging someone says or event that happens to us can be negative. Big bonus at work-“Look at all those taxes they take out.” Interest from someone you would like to date-“Boy, they must be desperate to give me a second look.”
Okay, now to the encouraging part. The best source of answering the question “Who are you?” comes from our Lord and Savior. You are a child of the Most High God! So maybe you came from a poor or dysfunctional family (didn’t we all?). Maybe you didn’t get high SAT scores and couldn’t hit a baseball sitting on a tee. That is all secondary to the fact that you are a child of God!
You are not an accident. You are not worthless. You are not unloved. Many of us have heard some or all of those words from people who deeply hurt us, but in the grand scheme of things those words are lies! Our heavenly father created us and has a plan to prosper us and give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Our Lord, who cannot lie, tells us throughout His word, from Genesis to Revelation, how much He loves us and what value we have in His eyes. In light of this, does it really matter if our knucklehead boss doesn’t like us if our Lord loves us? The correct answer is no.
So at the end of the day, who do we believe? Do we take our parents’ word for it despite the emotional scars they accumulated before we ever came on the scene? Do we accept the verdict of our schoolmates who are struggling with their own self-esteem issues? Do we buy the verdict of our employers who may be pursuing their own agenda at our expense? Or do we accept the word of the one person who loves us perfectly, unconditionally, and eternally? Personally, I’ll go with the latter choice and encourage you to remember to do the same.That’s the hard part, isn’t it? We can sooooo easily get caught up in the constant flurry of activity in our lives that we just get swept away and lose focus on the only person NOT demanding anything from us. Isn’t that ironic, as I find so many things are about God. The one who could demand everything from us doesn’t. He waits patiently with open arms for us to seek Him out.
It’s in those arms that we can truly find out who we are and be who our creator intended for us be. Let’s make time to spend there this week.
September 26, 2011
September 21, 2011
Encouragement For Living Fellowship 9/25/11
If you are seeking a place where you can freely worship God in an open and affirming environment, connect with other people, sing praise music, and live anywhere near Damascus, MD, I encourage you to visit our next home fellowship gathering.
We are NOT a church. We do NOT have a set order of service. We do NOT have a budget to meet. We will NOT make demands of you.
We WILL get real about drawing closer to and understanding the Lord. We WILL encourage you to discover and use your spiritual gifts. We WILL have opportunity for people to share or ask questions. We WILL try our best to love you and show you how much Jesus loves you.
If that sounds like something you need, whether you are already a believer, a seeker, or a skeptic; grew up Baptist, Catholic, Pentacostal (or any other denomination), or athiest, we invite you to visit our fellowship.
Things get started at 11:00 AM, but people start showing up around 10:30 for coffee and snacks (feel free to bring something yourself). Some folks might even stick around afterward and watch a little football.
We would love to see you on September 25. Drop us a note for directions at encouragementforliving@gmail.com
We are NOT a church. We do NOT have a set order of service. We do NOT have a budget to meet. We will NOT make demands of you.
We WILL get real about drawing closer to and understanding the Lord. We WILL encourage you to discover and use your spiritual gifts. We WILL have opportunity for people to share or ask questions. We WILL try our best to love you and show you how much Jesus loves you.
If that sounds like something you need, whether you are already a believer, a seeker, or a skeptic; grew up Baptist, Catholic, Pentacostal (or any other denomination), or athiest, we invite you to visit our fellowship.
Things get started at 11:00 AM, but people start showing up around 10:30 for coffee and snacks (feel free to bring something yourself). Some folks might even stick around afterward and watch a little football.
We would love to see you on September 25. Drop us a note for directions at encouragementforliving@gmail.com
September 20, 2011
Encouraging Words-We are ambassadors!
2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV): We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
Do you ever feel like you are in a dead-end job with little important responsibility and ability to impact the world around you? I have information that can cure you of that, but you’ll have to read further down to find out what it is. Queue dramatic background music….
The organization I work for is very involved in the diplomatic community, so at the annual fundraising dinner I attended last week, there were numerous diplomats in the audience. Through the magic of assigned table numbers, I wound up sitting next to an ambassador from the country of Sri Lanka, a small island nation off the southern cost of India. She was a very pleasant lady, and we attempted to engage in some small talk, but a white-bread American like me didn’t have much in common with her.
We did share one characteristic, however. We were both at the dinner as representatives. She was, of course, representing her nation, while I was representing my organization. Anything either one of us said or did had the potential to impact how others felt about those we represented. Since the ambassador was only the second native Sri Lankan I had ever been aware of meeting, if she had wiped her mouth with the tablecloth or told off-color jokes, a portion of my brain would have attributed those characteristics to her entire nation. As it was, we were both pleasantly engaged with one another and probably left there with a good impression of those the other person represented.
This is exactly the point that Paul was making to the Corinthian church.
The cure for insignificance that I mentioned above is the realization that we are representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ! Those of us who live near the Nation’s Capital understand the respect that ambassadors from other nations receive. You’ve probably heard of “diplomatic immunity.” Well, we have that with God, and it’s called salvation. We are immune to the rule of Satan in our lives because we are covered with the blood of Jesus at the cross. The devil can’t touch us, just like our laws cannot touch those representing other nations.
More important than what’s in it for us, though, is the opportunity we have to impact the lives of others. One of the key functions of an ambassador is to influence others on behalf of those he represents. When we are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, we can share that love and the power with others so they can also be blessed. Sadly, though, Christians often have just the opposite affect and chase people away from wanting a relationship with Jesus. I would have reflected poorly on the organization I represented at our dinner with obnoxious behavior, but even worse, especially if I had shared anything about my faith in the process, my obnoxiousness would have been an embarrassment to my Lord.
I encourage you to remember what I call “the gospel of Spider Man.” In the comics and the movies, he is motivated by the phrase “with great power comes great responsibility.” He didn’t use his power to catch a crook and his beloved uncle was later killed by that same crook. He didn’t use his power responsibly, and others suffered. When we don’t use the power of the Holy Spirit to positively influence others, we are not upholding our responsibility as God’s ambassadors.
When we head to work tomorrow, whether it’s as an executive or as a clerk, we have great power to impact the world around us if we have Christ. I encourage you to use it. Represent!
Do you ever feel like you are in a dead-end job with little important responsibility and ability to impact the world around you? I have information that can cure you of that, but you’ll have to read further down to find out what it is. Queue dramatic background music….
The organization I work for is very involved in the diplomatic community, so at the annual fundraising dinner I attended last week, there were numerous diplomats in the audience. Through the magic of assigned table numbers, I wound up sitting next to an ambassador from the country of Sri Lanka, a small island nation off the southern cost of India. She was a very pleasant lady, and we attempted to engage in some small talk, but a white-bread American like me didn’t have much in common with her.
We did share one characteristic, however. We were both at the dinner as representatives. She was, of course, representing her nation, while I was representing my organization. Anything either one of us said or did had the potential to impact how others felt about those we represented. Since the ambassador was only the second native Sri Lankan I had ever been aware of meeting, if she had wiped her mouth with the tablecloth or told off-color jokes, a portion of my brain would have attributed those characteristics to her entire nation. As it was, we were both pleasantly engaged with one another and probably left there with a good impression of those the other person represented.
This is exactly the point that Paul was making to the Corinthian church.
The cure for insignificance that I mentioned above is the realization that we are representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ! Those of us who live near the Nation’s Capital understand the respect that ambassadors from other nations receive. You’ve probably heard of “diplomatic immunity.” Well, we have that with God, and it’s called salvation. We are immune to the rule of Satan in our lives because we are covered with the blood of Jesus at the cross. The devil can’t touch us, just like our laws cannot touch those representing other nations.
More important than what’s in it for us, though, is the opportunity we have to impact the lives of others. One of the key functions of an ambassador is to influence others on behalf of those he represents. When we are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, we can share that love and the power with others so they can also be blessed. Sadly, though, Christians often have just the opposite affect and chase people away from wanting a relationship with Jesus. I would have reflected poorly on the organization I represented at our dinner with obnoxious behavior, but even worse, especially if I had shared anything about my faith in the process, my obnoxiousness would have been an embarrassment to my Lord.
I encourage you to remember what I call “the gospel of Spider Man.” In the comics and the movies, he is motivated by the phrase “with great power comes great responsibility.” He didn’t use his power to catch a crook and his beloved uncle was later killed by that same crook. He didn’t use his power responsibly, and others suffered. When we don’t use the power of the Holy Spirit to positively influence others, we are not upholding our responsibility as God’s ambassadors.
When we head to work tomorrow, whether it’s as an executive or as a clerk, we have great power to impact the world around us if we have Christ. I encourage you to use it. Represent!
September 6, 2011
Encouraging Words is back!
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:3-7 (NIV)
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Luke 22:42-44 (NIV)
Hello again everyone. It is a pleasure to be visiting your e-mail in-box again with Encouraging Words. Unless you no longer want to receive these, you can again expect one from me on a weekly basis. Brenda and I are emerging from a time of study and preparation for a new season of our Encouragement For Living ministry, and I’ll share a bit more about that at the end of this note.
I return to this aspect of ministry sharing the above scripture because humility has been lesson #1 the Lord has been teaching me over the last few months, and I think it is one we can all benefit from reviewing.
A few months ago, I had several goals that I felt squared very nicely with what I discerned the Lord’s plan was for me as an individual and for Brenda and me as a couple. Funny thing though; those goals were never reached. Attracting traffic for my Encouragement For Living blog and the Facebook and Twitter pages—not so much. Changing the culture in my workplace to one of cooperation and accountability for financial results—not even close. Achieving technical computer certifications—nada.
After a while, it got really frustrating. Sure, perseverance is a Godly trait and I was trying to do that, but sometimes failure to achieve objectives means you’re not seeking the ones that the Lord really wants you to have.
Then I ran across the text from Luke, and it just hit me right between the eyes—had I truly surrendered myself to God’s will? Even though everything I was striving for matched up very nicely with a good Christian life, was it really, really, what God wanted me to do?
As I kept studying the Gospel, I came back to the concept of servant leadership—developing the vision and setting the large goals for a team, then coming back behind and equipping people to achieve them. I found where I was falling short of that—I was still too focused on equipping ME and not nearly enough on others.
That realization has led to several significant revelations which have moved me away from the goals I stated earlier but have led me to ones even better. I yielded to the understanding that it is not God’s goal for me to be widely read in print or on the Internet, nor is it to achieve great notoriety at work and gain more technical marketability…yet. That may or may not happen down the road, but now is the time to not focus on myself—it is to focus on others. Rather than only writing encouragement, I need to make a greater effort to give it in person. Rather than focus on my own career management, it is time to be a positive influence and help those who work for me (17 at last count) grow in their careers and add value to our organization in the process. He’s already show me steps to take toward both goals.
Jesus is the ultimate example of humility—the greatest person ever to walk the earth who allowed himself to be treated like the worst because he put our salvation ahead of his glory, comfort, and His very flesh. I believe it is extremely helpful to keep that in mind when we feel our spouse isn’t meeting our needs, our friends aren’t attentive enough for us, or we don’t believe we are receiving the appropriate amount of respect in the workplace.
Are we putting others ahead of ourselves and not resenting the act of doing so? Jesus took that approach, in part, to show us how to. If He wasn’t too good for that, I know I’m not and I’m pretty sure you’re not either. I encourage you to start your day tomorrow with the intent of walking that out in your own life. Even if you don’t hold a formal leadership position, there are still ways we can all reach out and unselfishly bless others. The really cool thing is, we are the ones who wind up receiving the greatest blessings, as we always do when we live like Jesus.
If you live anywhere near Damascus, MD, Brenda and I invite you to our home on Sunday, September 11 to participate in the Encouragement For Living Fellowship. We sing, we praise, we worship, we study, and we, well, fellowship. Oh yes, we also eat. We’ve been doing this once a month whenever Apostle Dale Jarrett is in the area to lead us in worship music, but we’re now adding a second fellowship every month. Our next one will be on Sunday, September 25. People usually start arriving at 10:30 AM, and we get started around 11:00. We don’t have a program, we just allow the Holy Spirit to flow and encourage everyone to use the gifts of the spirit. Our friends Sharone and Erica and hoping to start another fellowship in Northern Virginia soon. I’ll let you know when that gets started.
Brenda and I are also gearing up for some travelling on behalf of ARC Ministries. Like us, ARC has been quiet in recent months, but that is changing. We will be attending the Healing Rain Conference hosted by Raging Fire Ministries in Bluefied, WV from October 7-9. We’d love to connect with you there!
I’m glad to be reengaged in this ministry. I hope you’ve been encouraged by this note. If so, please pass it on to someone who needs an encouraging word.
Philippians 2:3-7 (NIV)
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Luke 22:42-44 (NIV)
Hello again everyone. It is a pleasure to be visiting your e-mail in-box again with Encouraging Words. Unless you no longer want to receive these, you can again expect one from me on a weekly basis. Brenda and I are emerging from a time of study and preparation for a new season of our Encouragement For Living ministry, and I’ll share a bit more about that at the end of this note.
I return to this aspect of ministry sharing the above scripture because humility has been lesson #1 the Lord has been teaching me over the last few months, and I think it is one we can all benefit from reviewing.
A few months ago, I had several goals that I felt squared very nicely with what I discerned the Lord’s plan was for me as an individual and for Brenda and me as a couple. Funny thing though; those goals were never reached. Attracting traffic for my Encouragement For Living blog and the Facebook and Twitter pages—not so much. Changing the culture in my workplace to one of cooperation and accountability for financial results—not even close. Achieving technical computer certifications—nada.
After a while, it got really frustrating. Sure, perseverance is a Godly trait and I was trying to do that, but sometimes failure to achieve objectives means you’re not seeking the ones that the Lord really wants you to have.
Then I ran across the text from Luke, and it just hit me right between the eyes—had I truly surrendered myself to God’s will? Even though everything I was striving for matched up very nicely with a good Christian life, was it really, really, what God wanted me to do?
As I kept studying the Gospel, I came back to the concept of servant leadership—developing the vision and setting the large goals for a team, then coming back behind and equipping people to achieve them. I found where I was falling short of that—I was still too focused on equipping ME and not nearly enough on others.
That realization has led to several significant revelations which have moved me away from the goals I stated earlier but have led me to ones even better. I yielded to the understanding that it is not God’s goal for me to be widely read in print or on the Internet, nor is it to achieve great notoriety at work and gain more technical marketability…yet. That may or may not happen down the road, but now is the time to not focus on myself—it is to focus on others. Rather than only writing encouragement, I need to make a greater effort to give it in person. Rather than focus on my own career management, it is time to be a positive influence and help those who work for me (17 at last count) grow in their careers and add value to our organization in the process. He’s already show me steps to take toward both goals.
Jesus is the ultimate example of humility—the greatest person ever to walk the earth who allowed himself to be treated like the worst because he put our salvation ahead of his glory, comfort, and His very flesh. I believe it is extremely helpful to keep that in mind when we feel our spouse isn’t meeting our needs, our friends aren’t attentive enough for us, or we don’t believe we are receiving the appropriate amount of respect in the workplace.
Are we putting others ahead of ourselves and not resenting the act of doing so? Jesus took that approach, in part, to show us how to. If He wasn’t too good for that, I know I’m not and I’m pretty sure you’re not either. I encourage you to start your day tomorrow with the intent of walking that out in your own life. Even if you don’t hold a formal leadership position, there are still ways we can all reach out and unselfishly bless others. The really cool thing is, we are the ones who wind up receiving the greatest blessings, as we always do when we live like Jesus.
If you live anywhere near Damascus, MD, Brenda and I invite you to our home on Sunday, September 11 to participate in the Encouragement For Living Fellowship. We sing, we praise, we worship, we study, and we, well, fellowship. Oh yes, we also eat. We’ve been doing this once a month whenever Apostle Dale Jarrett is in the area to lead us in worship music, but we’re now adding a second fellowship every month. Our next one will be on Sunday, September 25. People usually start arriving at 10:30 AM, and we get started around 11:00. We don’t have a program, we just allow the Holy Spirit to flow and encourage everyone to use the gifts of the spirit. Our friends Sharone and Erica and hoping to start another fellowship in Northern Virginia soon. I’ll let you know when that gets started.
Brenda and I are also gearing up for some travelling on behalf of ARC Ministries. Like us, ARC has been quiet in recent months, but that is changing. We will be attending the Healing Rain Conference hosted by Raging Fire Ministries in Bluefied, WV from October 7-9. We’d love to connect with you there!
I’m glad to be reengaged in this ministry. I hope you’ve been encouraged by this note. If so, please pass it on to someone who needs an encouraging word.
September 5, 2011
Encouragement For Living Fellowship 9/11/11
If you are seeking a place where you can freely worship God in an open and affirming environment, connect with other people, sing praise music, and live anywhere near Damascus, MD, I encourage you to visit our next home fellowship gathering.
We are NOT a church. We do NOT have a set order of service. We do NOT have a budget to meet. We will NOT make demands of you.
We WILL get real about drawing closer to and understanding the Lord. We WILL encourage you to discover and use your spiritual gifts. We WILL have opportunity for people to share or ask questions. We WILL try our best to love you and show you how much Jesus loves you.
If that sounds like something you need, whether you are already a believer, a seeker, or a skeptic; grew up Baptist, Catholic, Pentacostal (or any other denomination), or athiest, we invite you to visit our fellowship.
Things get started at 11:00 AM, but people start showing up around 10:30 for coffee and snacks (feel free to bring something yourself). Some folks might even stick around afterward and watch a little football.
We would love to see you on September 11. Our next fellowship will be on September 25. Drop us a note for directions at encouragementforliving@gmail.com
We are NOT a church. We do NOT have a set order of service. We do NOT have a budget to meet. We will NOT make demands of you.
We WILL get real about drawing closer to and understanding the Lord. We WILL encourage you to discover and use your spiritual gifts. We WILL have opportunity for people to share or ask questions. We WILL try our best to love you and show you how much Jesus loves you.
If that sounds like something you need, whether you are already a believer, a seeker, or a skeptic; grew up Baptist, Catholic, Pentacostal (or any other denomination), or athiest, we invite you to visit our fellowship.
Things get started at 11:00 AM, but people start showing up around 10:30 for coffee and snacks (feel free to bring something yourself). Some folks might even stick around afterward and watch a little football.
We would love to see you on September 11. Our next fellowship will be on September 25. Drop us a note for directions at encouragementforliving@gmail.com
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