“There’s something different about you Tim, your not like most people around here… more people should be like you, a fighter!” I learned a long time ago that encouragement is one of my gifts from God. So comments like this shouldn’t amaze me but they always do. I struggled to find the right words as a neighbor shared this over coffee last week, and all I could come up with was “thanks.”
I would like to take credit for the times people see me as a power house, source of strength or what have you, but the truth is that strength is not my own. Psalm 121:2 says:
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!
I have a couple “friends by book” … I guess they are more appropriately “friends through circumstance,” who share the same scenario as mine last week. One of these friends is Joni Eareckson Tada. Being asked the same question she often shares this story:
“After my husband, Ken, leaves for work at 6:00 a.m., I’m alone until I hear the front door open at 7:00 a.m. That’s when a friend arrives to get me up…While I listen to her make coffee, I pray, ‘Oh, Lord, my friend will soon give me a bath, get me dressed, sit me up in my chair, brush my hair and teeth, and send me out the door. I don’t have the strength to face this routine one more time. I have no resources. I don’t have a smile to take into the day. But You do. May I have Yours? God, I need You desperately.’ I turn my head toward her and give her a smile sent straight from heaven. It’s not mine. It’s God’s. And so,” I said, gesturing to my paralyzed legs, “whatever joy you see today was hard won this morning.”
One of my newer “friends via circumstance” Nick Vujicic says, “Anything good that you see in me, is not me as a Christian, its God being gracious and showing up in me.”
I too echo the words of my comrade’s. My life isn’t always a bed of roses. I have days where I get down in the dumps and go through the motions, just waiting for the day to end. In my life its true, any strength or encouragement you see in me, does not come from me. It’s God using me in the moment. The reason and how fore is meaningless. Your strength or encouragement is all that matters.
The last few days I’ve encountered a number of inspirational quotes that have stimulated my thinking. So I thought I might share them. Maybe they will inspire you and stimulate your thinking as well. So here they are... Enjoy!
Faith in God's revelation is a way of grasping reality, without necessarily comprehending all the steps that may be involved. - Ray Stedman
As Moses laid aside the prerogatives of royalty for the sake of his God-given mission, so we must throw off whatever may hinder faith even though it may be right for others… Each runner must honestly judge what hinders faith for him or her and resolutely lay it aside, even though others seem to be unhindered by the same thing. - Ray Stedman commenting on Hebrews 12:1-2
Don’t think of me as a perfect Christian because I’m not. Anything good that you see in me, is not me as a Christian, its God being gracious and showing up in me - Nick Vujicic
It is essential to care about human rights - that ultimately is the bases of our existence. The responsibility to protect does trump sovereignty. If a sovereign does not take care of his or her people, the international community has a responsibility to protect." - Madeleine Albright
GRACE...God's Real Actions Compassionately Expressed - Erik Freiburger
Mine the things that make you angry and find the core values you can use to tell a great story - Don Miller
What makes you angry or think that “things” need to change - Erik Freiburger
The remedy for every tribulation is found in the cross. For obedience to God is found there - Thomas Aquinas
In the last 6 months I’m finding I’ve become the occasional fan of the television ministry 100 Huntley Street. This is surprising to me as I’ve been quite bitter about any sort of television ministry. Maybe it’s because of questionable televangelists like Benny Hinn Jim Baker or Jerry Faliwell. Regardless of who or how it started, I’ve always been a tad bitter toward these types of ministries. Still there are times I find myself interested in what shows up on my TV through 100 Huntley Street.
Capitalizing on Canada's hosting of the 2010 Olympics, those behind 100 Huntley’s cameras decided to send one of their reporters to the Olympics to highlight the church’s involvement in the games. In a piece called buying sex is not a sport, they profiled a ministry standing outside a strip club in Vancouver in a picket line on protest.
The people behind the protest represent REED (Resist Exploitation, Embrace Dignity). It exists as an avenue to eradicate prostitution and help victims of the sex trade. In the beginning of the video, REED’s founder says the reason for the ministry is to help the marginalized people of society. Doing so emulates Jesus’ actions and attitudes toward the marginalized of his day; which is a charge to Christ’s followers of 2010. I agree with what REED stands for and applaud them in their efforts to reach the lost and forgotten of our world. But I question the medium used to communicate their stance. Something similar happened a few years ago in Calgary.
Approximately every 6 months those hungry for anything spiritual across Canada’s prairies flock to Calgary in anticipation of the next Body Soul Spirit Expo. A few years ago, some of Calgary’s church community mimicked REED’s actions and led a protest outside the walls of the event. It resulted in anything but something positive as the protest lead to burned bridges with the expo organizers, leaving them with a bad taste of the local church in Calgary.
In September 2008, the church community once again made itself known to the expo; this time with a more astute approach. A joint effort of two worship communities, Canyon Creek Christian Fellowship and Expressions Community, offered the expo’s attendees a place to sit relax and pray, if they so desired. This had a far better impact then the previous group standing outside protesting the event. In the aftermath of the sit relax and pray booth at the expo, it’s been mentioned that some healing began between the Expo’s organizers and their view of the church.
A few days after REED was profiled at the Olympics, Moira Brown interviewed Sandra McIntosh as she shared about her efforts in Thailand rescuing women out of the sex industry. Carrying the same mandate as REED, NightLight seeks to help women leave the sex trade. Instead of standing outside buildings in a picket line, NightLight’s volunteers go into strip clubs befriending the women who work there. After establishing a rapport with these women, the NightLight volunteer offers a way out.
For those that want it, an avenue out of prostitution is provided through various classes offered by the ministry. Some of these include computer training, financial management, and the entrepreneurial venture of selling handmade jewelry.
Two separate ministries with the same mandate promoted through differing mediums. One is tarnishing the light and hope the church brings through political protest, while the other is advancing the Kingdom of God through relationship. Which one has more impact? I honestly can’t say, for God may be using both in their own unique ways, but it still leads me to wonder what is the most effective way to minister to the hurting world… by protest and getting in your face about their cause, or through relationships and seeking opportunities to share your heart? For myself, I prefer the latter. What do you think?
I’m reading through another book once recommended by a friend called This Beautiful Mess. In the opening pages, the Author tells he is a pastor. He says the primary tools are a bible, prayer, a crowd of people and a dinner platter filled with bread and wine. He then compares his process to that of gardening. The soul is his soil and he gets his hands dirty by sifting natural fertilizer (AKA manure) into the dirt. Pulling weeds and watering the crop is added to his profile of gardener for the Kingdom of God as his thinks about the best ways to yield a full harvest at the right time. I thought it was an interesting metaphor for the "job" as a pastor. (It definitely takes away from the age old theory that the church needs no volunteers because the pastor can do everything... but I digress); especially when Adam's primary role before the fall was that of a gardener. I’ve yet to be a pastor somewhere so I can’t speak to the truth behind the analogy... but I wonder if there is any truth in the comparison... what do you think?
One of my newer “friends via circumstance” Nick Vujicic says, “Anything good that you see in me, is not me as a Christian, its God being gracious and showing up in me.”
