There's a Reason 10-25-10

“The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; He looks to see if there is even one with real understanding, one who seeks for God.” Ps.14:2

God does not place people in our lives for no reason...God purposes each individual in our lives for a reason. 
And if God purposely places the individuals in our lives for a reason, then what do we do when a particular person in our lives causes us pain?

What would God have us do when someone says or does something to us that makes us feel like we’ve been hit by a mat truck, and now, figuratively speaking, we find ourselves being rushed to the hospital with a smashed pelvis, broken ribs and fractured skull...facing surgery, and then the arduous healing process? (~Remember, God uses both believing and unbelieving people to fulfill His purposes in our lives. (e.g.: Is. 45:13))

Well, we have a choice. As we heal, we will either choose to get bitter or to get better. If you are like us, you’ll choose to ‘get better’. And regardless of how long or short our personal healing process is, as we heal there are 4 questions we are wise to ask God:
 

1.     What are You trying to teach me about You ?.. (Lord, help me to know You better...who You  are...what You feel...how You felt  when this  same thing happened to You...Your perspectives on people and life...Your understanding and love for others)

2.     What are You trying to teach me about myself? ... (Lord, what are You trying to change/refine in me?)

3.     What are You trying to teach me about this person and people in general? ... (Lord, please give me increased understanding and love for others; give me Your eyes for the people in my life...Your enlightenment into the very soul of others)

4.     What is “truth” in what was said/done to me, intended by You to make me better, and what is from the devil, meant to steal, kill and destroy (Jn. 10:10)?  To this end, Lord, will You help me identify and learn from these truths, yet at the same time, will You help me identify the lies and cast them to hell...never to be recalled to my mind again?

God does not delight in seeing us in pain, He delights in creating something new in us...a bubbling spring that now flows through us, and spills over onto souls around us. And when understanding and love are woven into the tapestry of lives around us, we get a taste of the mystery of God...and it makes us yearn for more.

Much love this week,                                              
Shaun and Betsy
P.S.: ~Think you’ll enjoy this art Betsy & I prepared for the current marriage series we’re doing at CCSB.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=WViN2yOEDhk 

Embracing Pain 10-18-10

"Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips... Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged." Is. 6: 5-6

Upon seeing a vision of holy holy God, Isaiah became acutely troubled. Truth had made Isaiah acutely aware of his own wretched state. ~~And just as sun melts wax and hardens concrete, truth either compels or repels its recipient. For Isaiah, Truth was compelling. Scripture is silent about what exactly happened when the burning coal touched Isaiah’s mouth, but in our summation, that must have HURT!!!!

My Shaun and I were musing about this today as we continued to discuss a painful event that happened to us recently. (Many of you think we are always the Rock of Gibraltar...but no, we too shed tears.) As we mused about Isaiah’s story, we began to see this painful occurrence in our life as a “burning coal tool” that God wants to use to purify and mold us for His purposes (rather than a tool of Satan purposed to bring us down).  And although the process is heart wrenching, we are sorting out truths from lies, tossing the lies and learning from the truths. And as we avail ourselves to this cleansing process and seek God with all of our heart, the neat outcome is that God actually trusts us with more revelation of Himself and His ways.(1Cor.4: 1-2; Ps. 25:14; Jer.33:3; Heb.5:14) Pretty cool, huh?

So let’s get personal: What in your life is likened to a hot burning coal painfully touching your mouth?  What pain or thorn in your life could God be trying to use to purify you? (It “feels” like it’s from the devil, but it is actually from God who’s trying to get your attention.)

Yesterday, we kicked off a 5-week marriage series at Calvary Chapel SB. One of the topics discussed is the power of our words. Make no mistake, words are powerful. They have the ability to build up and to destroy. Check out these verses:

• Prv. 18:4 A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.
• Prv.12:18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
• Prv. 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. 

Each of us is affected by words, both positively and negatively. But it’s the negative ones that bite and tear at us. Have you ever thought that with some hurtful words, perhaps God is trying to help us by using His holy sandpaper in our life to sand off our rough edges, in hopes that He can make us more compassionate, kind, and long-suffering? (And yet some of the negative words are from the pit, meant to harm us and need to be cast out of our minds WITHOUT DELAY...no dwelling on these lies!) If you’re experiencing a ‘war of words’ or the silent treatment with a spouse, family member, friend or boss, what might God allowing for His use and ultimate good in your life?

We can learn A LOT from this kind of introspection if we humble ourselves ask God these 2 questions: What is this pain I’m feeling teaching me about You, Your will and Your ways? And what in this pain are You trying to teach me about myself and how I relate to this world?

In addition to introspection, over the years Shaun and I have found a neat way of dealing with difficult topics that we’d love to share with you. When we find ourselves becoming a bit “too passionate” regarding a certain topic, we have disciplined ourselves to:
1) recognize quickly when we are functioning in the flesh (Jms.4:1-2; Prv. 29;11; 2 Cor.13:5; Eph.4:29-32)
2) then ‘step away from the heat’ for a mutual break to collect ourselves and to seek God individually (Jms, 3:17; 1Pet.5:7-8; Prv. 15:14)
3) later, pick a time and schedule a meeting...a mutually agreed upon time where we will come prayed up and prepared to discuss the difficult topic. (Prv. 26:20)
4) at this “meeting”, come together with a focused thankful heart towards one another, vocalizing some kind of praise to one another beforewe discuss the difficult topic (Ps.100:4)
5) discuss the topic asking God to direct our words. (Ps.139: 4; Gal.5:22; Jn.16:12)
6) and if there is still an impasse, seek 3rd party counsel. (Prv. 12:15; Prv.18: 15)

So, if we experience heartache, do you think it’s possible that God is allowing it to function as His divine “hot coal of cleansing” in our lives, to purify us as His chosen vessels? We do. Let’s choose embrace this cleansing and allow Jesus His way with us this week.

Much love this week,                            
Shaun and Betsy

The Freedom of Commitment!...not from commitment

The Freedom of Commitment!

Real Life 10-11-10

“He did it to teach you that people need more than bread for their life; real life comes by feeding on every word of the LORD.” Deut.8:3

Isaiah records that the people of his day were ‘ever-hearing’ but never understanding...’ever-seeing’, but never perceiving...hearts calloused, ears dull, eyes closed to truth. Likened to society today, they thought they were truly living life, when in fact they were truly missing it. Ever feel like you are “missing it” in this life?

~~We all have expectations for our lives, and as little kids we had starry-eyed hopes and dreams for our futures. But somewhere along the way, many of us have lost this wonder and hopeful expectancy. What’s happened?

Have you ever paused to think that Jesus has expectations for our lives? Starry-eyed hopes and dreams for each of us here and now? If so, what do you think they are? (Recall Eph. 2:10; 4:1)

My Shaun and I have once again been exhilarated by the word “life” this week, and what this has meant in our daily living through the years.  Take a look at these verses and promises that depict different meanings of the word “life”...perhaps you too will blessed as you meditate upon them!

“chay”: means reviving; active; flowing; fresh

• “Don't lose sight of my words. Let them penetrate deep within your heart, for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning.” Prv. 4:22
• “These instructions are not mere words--they are your life!” Deut.32:47
• "Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between prosperity and disaster, between life and death.” Deut. 30:15
• "Yes, God often does these things for people. He rescues them from the grave so they may live in the light of the living.” Job 33:29-30
• “Fear of the Lord gives life, security, and protection from harm.” Prv. 19:23  

“chayah”: means to have life; sustain life; revive; preserve; continue in life; remain alive

• “Look now; I myself am He! There is no god other than Me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one delivers from My power!” Deut. 32:39
• “LORD, sustain me as you promised, that I may live! Do not let my hope be crushed.” Ps.119:116
• “Leave your foolish ways behind, and begin to live; learn how to be wise." Prv. 9:6
• “Come back to the LORD and live!” Amos 5:6
• "Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked; but the righteous will live by their faith. Hab. 2:4

“zoe”: means absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs of God; an active, vigorous and blessed life, devoted to God

• “Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” Jn. 1:4-5
• Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst.” Jn. 6:35
• “You have shown me the way of life, and you will give me wonderful joy in your presence.” Acts 2:28
• “...if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.” Rom.8:6
• “The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” Jn. 10:10

What does this mean to us? In this life (from birth to death) we can have abundant life (a spanking new energizing life) as we look forward to eternal life with Christ, all because our Savior gave His life as a loving sacrifice to redeem us to Himself. ~~We each are God’s masterpiece, and as we get to know Jesus better and beseech Him to make us wise with spiritual wisdom, Christ’s divine power gives us understanding and everything we need for living a godly life. (Eph. 2:10, 2 Pet. 1:3 and Col. 1:9) In short, when we lean, glean and obey, God blesses our socks off!!!!

Who doesn’t desire more of this kind of life? So here’s the question: If we want more of this kind of life...how have our attitudes and actions lined up lately?

God bless you this week! ~And for those of you near Santa Barbara, please join us at CCSB this Sunday at 9am for “The Freedom of Commitment!” 5 week series!
Shaun and Betsy

For those of you near CCSB, please join us! (Singles welcome!)

Calm in the Storm 10-4-10

“God is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…” Ps 46:1-2
 

Distraught and exhausted, 14 yr old Shannon asked, “Mom, what are we going to do?” It was 11:15pm in NYC and we still did not have a place to lay our heads for the night. Our flight was cancelled, all hotels were booked and the airport terminal was closing at 1am.  As Mom responded, “Pray”, the phone rang. It was Shaun asking us what was happening. Answer: “We don’t know, God hasn’t shown us yet, but as long as I stay awake, we’ll be ok…”.

~~Enter God and divine encounter #1: An enthusiastic, “I FOUND one!” interrupted our phone conversation. Management had been working for 2 hours to find us a place to stay, and this manager had discovered a hotel room vacancy…but it was located in a very sketchy part of NYC. ~~What to do?...(A mom alone with her 14 yr. old daughter at midnight in a ‘NYC not-so-safe suburb’?)  We did some research and decided to trust this messenger’s lead. She called a cab and we were on our way.

Divine encounter # 2: Our cab driver emigrated from Ghana to the USA some years ago after witnessing the horrific event of seeing his bother decapitated by a drunk driver, and the subsequent lawlessness of the courts and governmental systems in his country. Intrigued by his peaceful presence, I asked Harr why he was not bitter… conversation ensued and ended with us sharing the Lord with Harr, and praying for salvation.

The next morning we awoke and went down for breakfast before heading back to the airport. Divine encounter #3: In the hotel lobby a couple from Nigeria caught our eye, and we struck up conversation. Lengthy story short, what resulted IS the answer to a 12 year prayer of ours. ~~Simply astounding.

Yes, God had personally engineered inconvenient and fearful circumstances for us to overcome so that He could lead us to a place that we would have never ventured to on our own, in order to bless us (all of us). Isn’t this so God?!  Is. 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways My ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

Amidst wearisome, daunting, intimidating, or difficult circumstances, God is trustworthy and faithful. ~What an awesome example we have in Job’s personal story. Staying faithful to his faithful God, even when circumstances and relationships demanded differently, Job declared, “I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted.” Jb. 42:2   And in the end, God bestowed on him amazing blessings: “The Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before…The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.” Jb 42:10,12.

Amidst our trials, may we follow Job’s example and pray like the psalmist, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. … My soul finds rest in God alone.” (Ps.28:7; Ps. 62:1)  This week let’s determine to face our fears and our unknowns in faith, beseeching and trusting God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength for the outcomes.

God bless you!Shaun and Betsy