"The supreme ethic that God has given to us is the ethic of love..."
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Paradigm Shift for this Gal
Oh man....last night's class (Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind) was really convicting for me. There was so much balance and truth in it...and it totally pushed on some difficulties I've had in trying to make sense of or make peace with some of the challenges of life.
One of my biggest weaknesses when encountering a particularly difficult experience...sigh...is turning my focus to what it seems God ISN'T doing or what I can't see Him doing.
Staying in that place so often leads me to judgment and anger...which impacts my view of who God is...which directly impacts my sense of who I am in the situation...and usually takes me out of the equation of being fully present to the situation and potentially having a positive role of impact.
Sigh, sigh, sigh....
It's not that we should live in denial of the pain, grief, frustration and confusion. Feeling is so very important. It's more that, as the teaching suggested, we need to pull our hurt close and then sit in the reality of who God really is and has been in our history with Him. In that moment, we offer Him praise. Truly, it settles our hearts in His hands and places us in the position to receive shalom-peace. We are then, as an automatic implication of embracing His true nature, reminded and/or released into a deep sense of who we really are in (and to) the situation. Empowered to fight the enemy well...to finish well.
Quite a challenge for me. Man, I need to sit in this for a long while.
God is so good.
One of my biggest weaknesses when encountering a particularly difficult experience...sigh...is turning my focus to what it seems God ISN'T doing or what I can't see Him doing.
Staying in that place so often leads me to judgment and anger...which impacts my view of who God is...which directly impacts my sense of who I am in the situation...and usually takes me out of the equation of being fully present to the situation and potentially having a positive role of impact.
Sigh, sigh, sigh....
It's not that we should live in denial of the pain, grief, frustration and confusion. Feeling is so very important. It's more that, as the teaching suggested, we need to pull our hurt close and then sit in the reality of who God really is and has been in our history with Him. In that moment, we offer Him praise. Truly, it settles our hearts in His hands and places us in the position to receive shalom-peace. We are then, as an automatic implication of embracing His true nature, reminded and/or released into a deep sense of who we really are in (and to) the situation. Empowered to fight the enemy well...to finish well.
Quite a challenge for me. Man, I need to sit in this for a long while.
God is so good.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Evaluating...
My career goal was not always education. I actually started out wanting to work in the medical field. During a chemistry course in college, a professor suggested I investigate the teaching profession because he liked how I tried to explain course content to my lab partner in different ways. All it took was one school placement in my first educational course to confirm my love of kiddos and the classroom. I changed my major to science education and was hired at a public high school upon graduation.
After a few years in the classroom, I decided to head back to college to earn a master's degree in Educational Leadership. "Who we are" started to become more intriguing to me. Don't get me wrong...I absolutely love the wonder in science instruction. I just found the deeper truths of our identity and destiny and how we are mentored and released into those things of greater importance. As such, I accepted a job as the principal of a Christian school. Not a brainwashing facility...it was a place of whole-person investment. It's been my focus in the 15 years since.
But now I stand at that crossroads...
Administration just isn't what I'm interested in anymore. Investing in and mentoring the whole person is still a primary passion, but I'm not sure "principal-ing" is the avenue for it anymore. At least, not for me...
So, I'm evaluating...
I definitely still want a classroom...but I think I'd like other types of classrooms in addition to my science one. Places of investment in people who want more release into the deeper things...adult classes, retreats, speaking events, studies...
Hmm...we shall see, we shall see... :)
Friday, February 19, 2016
Infusion
I've decided to view my prayers as an infusion. If it really is true that I am a "house of God" (temple of the Holy Spirit) and that I am actively partnering with God in bringing heaven to earth, then I bring something...I declare something, release something of God...into the situations I encounter.
I know that we often find ourselves in a position of request..."God, give me..." but I wonder if we need to consider the opportunities we are missing to impart something into our circumstances...
Agreement with God's nature...His goodness, His faithfulness, His power...infused into the impossible.
Agreement with God's purpose that stands in the face of and obliterates the impact of the obstacles in the way of His will being done...truth infused where there are lies.
Infusion...the weight of my partnership-humanity.
Yep, I'm going to be much more of a "declarer" than I ever have been.
May it be so. :)
I know that we often find ourselves in a position of request..."God, give me..." but I wonder if we need to consider the opportunities we are missing to impart something into our circumstances...
Agreement with God's nature...His goodness, His faithfulness, His power...infused into the impossible.
Agreement with God's purpose that stands in the face of and obliterates the impact of the obstacles in the way of His will being done...truth infused where there are lies.
Infusion...the weight of my partnership-humanity.
Yep, I'm going to be much more of a "declarer" than I ever have been.
May it be so. :)
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Monday, February 8, 2016
So Tired of Owned Shame
Hmm...some negative encounters lately have me wondering...how possible relationship actually is with some people.
I know, I know...every one of us is a wounded soul of some sort. You can't live this life and not have some sort of heart damage. But some...well, just are wounded so deeply, are completely unaware of it (or denial?), or are quite content to own their shame that they are ruled by their brokenness.
What does this mean??? It means their "grid" through which they view and analyze others and their interactions with others can be so heavily influence and skewed that relationship may be...unrealistic if not impossible.
Victim 101 always. It permits them to equate their past experiences fully with any unpleasant interaction or disagreement. Following that?...commence justified judgment and "poor me" manipulations. Ugh...no accountability to question whether the past is still the past and if it justifies seeing the worst in others...
I'm so sick of it. So, so sick of it.
Realizing that we can't fix what we refuse to see...doesn't have me very hopeful for any improvement.
I refuse to see the worst in others, but it's very tempting to judge in return. Going to have to maintain some self-discipline with that. I also refuse to be co-dependent, so perhaps it's a season for better boundaries and a guarded heart.
What to do...what to do...Sigh. Can't see it getting better...not before it gets worse.
I know, I know...every one of us is a wounded soul of some sort. You can't live this life and not have some sort of heart damage. But some...well, just are wounded so deeply, are completely unaware of it (or denial?), or are quite content to own their shame that they are ruled by their brokenness.
What does this mean??? It means their "grid" through which they view and analyze others and their interactions with others can be so heavily influence and skewed that relationship may be...unrealistic if not impossible.
Victim 101 always. It permits them to equate their past experiences fully with any unpleasant interaction or disagreement. Following that?...commence justified judgment and "poor me" manipulations. Ugh...no accountability to question whether the past is still the past and if it justifies seeing the worst in others...
I'm so sick of it. So, so sick of it.
Realizing that we can't fix what we refuse to see...doesn't have me very hopeful for any improvement.
I refuse to see the worst in others, but it's very tempting to judge in return. Going to have to maintain some self-discipline with that. I also refuse to be co-dependent, so perhaps it's a season for better boundaries and a guarded heart.
What to do...what to do...Sigh. Can't see it getting better...not before it gets worse.
The Word for 2016
Well...here it is. Kevin reminded me that we hadn't officially chosen the new word for the year (see previous posts). Reminiscing about other years and how last year's was a twist of "kingdom" that I hadn't expected, I realized that this year has already been initiated into the new word. Situations, lessons...already inviting us into an exploration. It is another facet of "kingdom" which is something I hope to have expanded for the rest of my life.
EMPOWERMENT
I am so excited!!!
Already, we are finding God calling us up to new ways of seeing and responding. There is truly an upgrade/empowerment available through the Holy Spirit.
Cannot wait.
EMPOWERMENT
I am so excited!!!
Already, we are finding God calling us up to new ways of seeing and responding. There is truly an upgrade/empowerment available through the Holy Spirit.
Cannot wait.
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