Refreshing Authenticity 7-27-10

“These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1Pet. 1:7


Throughout the 4 gospel accounts, we see Jesus model a perspicacious life of transparent authenticity. ~~And there’s not much that is more refreshing and endearing than a person who is secure enough in knowing he/she is cherished by God, that he/she lives with a spirit of winsome openness void of guile. Know people like this? They’re magnetic! And one just feels “good” being near them…probably because a person like this is not characterized by ‘living to impress others’, but by ‘living to make a loving impact in lives around them’.

 

Hearts are drawn to transparent authenticity. ~~When we live to impress others, we may “wow” them and win them over to “our power team”, but we won’t make friends. As the saying goes, “to have a friend, one must be a friend.” And generally speaking, true friendship necessitates transparent sharing of lives … the transparency of a child. (“Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, "Let the children come to Me, don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn’t have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.” Lk. 18:16-17)

 

Think for a minute about someone in your life that is refreshing to your soul…perhaps someone who is perhaps going through a tough challenge of some sort. Someone who, rather than becoming bitter and bemoaning their present circumstances, is living out his/her challenge in transparent honesty before others with child-like faith. Got this person in mind? What draws you to him or her?

 

For us, we believe that we humans are a whole lot more alike than we are different, and it is refreshingly restorative and inspirational to witness how another soul deals with the highs and lows of this life as he/she lives authentically before us…Jesus Himself being our finest example (check out the gospel accounts). ~~And through His example, God now exhorts us:

• “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” Jn. 13:15
• “Follow God’s example in everything you do, because you are His dear children.” Eph. 5:1
• “This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your  example. Follow in His steps.” 1Pet. 2:21

Life is hard! And no one gets a hall pass… (1 Thess. 3:2b-3). So if you are presently experiencing a difficult “desert place“, God is with you as He was with His people in the desert of Egypt. Be encouraged and remember “…the Lord your God leads you all the way in the desert…to humble you and to test you in order to know what is in your heart, whether or not you will keep His commands. He humbles you, causing you to hunger and then feeds you with manna…to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord….For these trials are only to test you faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold…and your faith if far more precious to God than mere gold.” Deut. 8:2-3 and 1Pet. 1:7

 

With child-like faith, let’s determine to live out the highs and lows of this life as Paul did with the Thessalonians, “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well.” 1 Thess. 2:8

 

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

Soar on Wings like Eagles 7-19-10

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Is.40:31


In this life, we simply cannot inoculate ourselves against pain and heartache. Whether its relationship difficulties, health issues, employment challenges, pain someone we love is experiencing, or flat out mental and emotional depression, many of us could use a little “soaring on eagle’s wings” right now.

In redeeming this world to Himself, Jesus desires each of us to not just know of Him and His ways, but to intimately know Him… And unfortunately for us (with our fallen human nature) this kind of intimacy with our Savior is generally realized in times of adversity and heartache rather than times of prosperity and pleasure. In 2Cor. 4:7-9; 16-18, Paul shares about his own trials: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day…Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

This week, Betsy celebrated a milestone birthday, and amidst all the “Betsy-story-telling”, family and friends were once again reminded that it’s been in high and low shared experiences (vs. isolated personal experiences) that we have forged the deepest bonds with one another and with God. And it’s been in the toughest times that we have grown the tightest and matured the most with one another and with Christ.

~~~ So, in honor of 2 milestone birthdays, Shaun took Betsy and son, Conner, for a small taste of ‘heavenly soaring’… (soaring to the likes of jumping out of an airplane that is!) ~What a thrill, and with no fear (no joke). We were so calm! Perhaps it was the fact that we didn’t actually jump and were pushed out of the plane J? No, we were without fear because our master jump instructors, Randy and Chris, seemed 100% confident and in control, and we chose to rely 100% on their expertise, implicitly following their instructions.

After the jump, we got to thinking…If we so readily entrusted our lives to two expert jump instructors, why do we ever question or fear ‘jumps of faith’ in life when our Expert Life Instructor is Jesus Christ Himself, Who IS in 100% confident and in 100% sovereign control? ~~Remember what Jesus said in John 16:33? “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” What confidence and hope this gives us!

Storms of life are going to happen, but it’s when we go through a storm utterly dependent upon Jesus, and not ourselves, that we overcome. And it’s in our ‘overcoming’ that we mature in character; we gain greater clarity on the purpose of this life’s “vapor”; we see Jesus in better HD; and God uses our “overcoming and enduring” experience as an illustration to encourage others in His body of believers, thus building unity within His church, and strength within it’s members (us!). Too cool.

So, God bless you this week as we determine to be “over-comers”, enduring to the end!
(Please feel free to join us for our final 2 weeks Proverbs 1-4 study… 3 international scholars joined us last week; what a joy!!!)

Much love,
Shaun and Betsy

Tool for Navigating Life and Love 7-12-10

“Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial…I will not be mastered by anything….Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial…not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” 1Cor. 6:12; 1Cor. 10:23-24

 

The combination of these 2 verses is the primary tool we Cleary’s use daily living decisions. Questions like “Do we…

• go or not go to a particular movie? Read or pass on a particular N.Y. Best Seller listed book?
• make a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision on the job today?
• say something to my friend, or keep my mouth shut?
• buy that car or motor cycle? New or used? …OR wait?
• drink or not drink alcohol with tonight’s dinner? Pork, vegetarian or steak main course?
• do or not do “this or that” in bed with my spouse? (…yep, thought this’d get your attention)

God gives us such freedom to live and love! And we’ve found this freedom through the application of these 2 verses above (as we try our best to live out Mk. 12:30-31, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…and love your neighbor as yourself.”) Oh sure, it’s much easier to live in a legalistic rule box, where everything has a yes/no answer…but that’s not true freedom. Nor is it where we find deepest intimacy with our Lord.

 

For us, deepest intimacy with God happens when all perceptions all my past experiences are held out with open hands to Jesus…when every little tiny decision in daily living is worked out with God and becomes likened to breathing…when we ask His advice into everything and everyone we encounter, and fully expect that there will be areas where God says, “NO!”. (In our intimacy with God we understand that these “no’s” are something to be embraced because they’re for our protection, freedom and joy ~~not skirted as if God’s trying to keep us from ‘real fun’ as the devil wants us to think.)

 

Question: Regarding the above Corinthian verses, what is meant by “permissible”? Answer in short: Anything God has not recorded in His Word as a “no”. Stated differently, if God doesn’t say “no”, He is saying that it is permissible…but perhaps it’s not beneficial and/or constructive (vertically or horizontally).

 

This is the first step. If the question at hand passes the first test (is this permissible?), the next questions are:

•  How does this affect my relationship with God? How does this affect the other person(s) walk with God? (vertical relationship)
•  How does this affect my relationship with my friend? My friend with me? (horizontal relationship)
•  Is this beneficial to our relationship? (vertical and horizontal)
•  Is this constructive to our relationship? (vertical and horizontal)
•  Is this going to produce any negative “triggers” to myself? To my friend?
•  Am I mastered by this? Is my friend struggling with being mastered by this?

 Based on the answers to these quick questions, we get either a green light or a U-turn sign. And when we choose to obey this sign, our intimacy with God then skyrockets, and He throws inexpressible freedom, joy, adventure, love and abundant LIFE to boot!

 

We’ll expand on this in future messages, but pray this helps you as much as it’s helped us through the years! Love to each of you.

 

Shaun and Betsy

Gain Understanding 7-6-10

“But it is the Spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.” Job 32:8

 

Have you ever wanted enhanced insights into ‘what makes so-n-so tick’? To discern and navigate a tricky situation from God’s perspective? Crave divine understanding of this crazed world? To truly know Jesus and not my idea of Jesus?

 

What does God’s word say about spiritual understanding? Here are a few gems:

 

• “To God belongs wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His.” Job 12:13
• "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding.”    Ps. 111:10
• “The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Ps. 119:130
• “Turn your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding.” Prv. 2:2
• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding.” Prv. 3:5
• “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” Jam. 3:1 

 

 

Ok, these are great verses, but how do I apply them to my relationships and circumstances right now? Here are a few practical ideas that we’ve personally practiced this week:

 

• When discussing relational concerns with a confidant, make sure that my goal is to seek understanding rather than rehearse and nurse my grievance.
• When trying to navigate a complex business concern, get up early, pray and spend t-i-m-e with the Master…then bounce ideas with that business associate.
• When conflicted by societal pressures to conform to its standard, trust what God has revealed to me in my quiet time and obey His promptings.
• When confused (or confident) about my idea of God and His ways, be open to a fresh revelation from His Word!

 

Hope you’ve had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!!!

 

God bless you,

 

Shaun and Betsy

Let the Discerning get Guidance 6-28-10

“Let the wise listen and add to their learning and let the discerning get guidance.” Prv. 1:5




Solomon, son of King David and Bathsheba, and author of Proverbs has quite a lot to share with us … if we will chose to listen. The wisest man ever to live, raised by a deeply flawed father (but of whom God describes as “a man after my own heart”), could have asked for anything he desired from God and chose to ask for WISDOM, but nonetheless succumbed to the very sins he now warns us against. This man of authority, both worldly and spiritually, addresses us from transparent personal experience. We are wise to listen and assimilate his advice into our lives. (For a quick back ground on this dude, check out 1 Sam. 12:24; 1Chr. 2-10; 2Chr. 1:11-12; Deut.17:16-20; and 1Kings 11:4).



Solomon’s recorded words are extracted from a personal life filled of contrasts. And who better to have taught Solomon in addition to God and his own experiences? DAD. From to David’s successful war crusades, to living in caves as he hid from murderous King Saul, to his palatial life in Jerusalem, David lead a life full of both physical and spiritual contrasts. One cool thing we continue to learn from David’s example is that despite changes in his physical and spiritual environment is that his heart remained supple in God’s hands until his dying breath.



This same theme of ‘contrasts and dependence’ upon God has been rather profound in our lives these last 2 weeks as we’ve ventured from 2 cabins on a lake at 11,000ft. in Colorado to the Palazzo Hotel on the Vegas strip. ~Simplicity, peaceful solitude and grandeur to…well…the Las Vegas strip. Yet despite the difference in temperature (figuratively and literally), one theme remained the same: “listen, add to your learning and get guidance from the Master Creator Himself despite our surroundings”. (~And our peaceful state actually continued as we hung out by the oasis pool and found that if we entered the hotel on the 2nd floor we missed all the ching-chinging and got ourselves great free massages at the Brookstone store. ;-))



In Vegas we were tested with obvious “Vegas stuff”, but back in Colorado, despite the peace and grandeur of our surroundings and an extended family that is incredible and very loving, we dealt with the very real interpersonal dynamics of A LOT of family living in tight quarters. (And in a family where most individuals are “chiefs”, living in tight conditions can be tricky and sometimes feel like navigating a mine field in a foreign land!) It’s in these times of interpersonal relationship that Shaun and I become UTTERLY dependent on God’s guidance. ~And sadly, shame on us for not being “this” reliant 24X7x365.



There is no doubt: we ALL have “a dark side”, whether or not it’s “expressed outwardly”. Iniquities modeled for us in our childhood are often the same sad iniquities we continue to discover in our own humanness. ~~The cool thing is that S&B are learning to much more readily identify our own personal “ET” behaviors, and call them out by name. (We give them acronym names to better help us readily recognize them without insulting one another, thus making matters worse.) ~~Although we’ve been married a while now, and one would think we should have this rubbish “wired”, both of us continue to discover new manipulative/selfish ways that reside within our own personal flesh nature! But the beautiful thing is, God is doing some amazing things in us as we call these ugly areas out for what they are, ask for forgiveness and for the strength to do better next time.



What’s equally encouraging to us is that from Solomon’s and David’s writings we learn that these men struggled with the same kinds of stuff. Even better, they’ve recorded their struggles, insights, and practical applications for us to learn from! On printed pages both men share their hearts transparently and actually plead with us to learn from their experiences. Shaun and I pray that our own hearts will remain supple in God’s hands until our dying day. We pray yours will too!



Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

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