Stewards of the mysteries of God

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Bible, Christ, Christianity, grace, joy, prayer, Religion, spirituality, Stewardship

I have been reading and reflecting upon the first letter to the Corinthians lately.  Last night this is what caught my eye:

Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.  1 Corinthians 4: 1

Stewards of the mysteries of God…. what does that mean, and what would it look like?

I started to think about what stewards do.  How their job seems to be to  facilitate things in order that people will receive what they need (or desire).  In a way they are like servants, but they have a greater responsibility, they can act on their own initiative in order to accomplish what the Master needs done, but also to serve those whom the Master has given him or her responsibility for.  

That started me thinking about Phillip, head steward for the Lido and pool deck of a cruise I took through the Panama Canal.  

While on the cruise I joined a group of people who participated in the early morning wake up in the pool.  It was designed as a programme of light stretching, but it also involved a lot of laughter and considerable amounts of tom-foolery.  

Every morning as we were in the pool Phillip came down to greet us, and make note of who was there that day.  Then, when the grueling and exhausting workout was done, we would emerge from the pool to be greeted by tables set up for us.  At every place was a fresh towel.  There was fresh hot coffee made to our liking (mine was always milk, not  cream) the juice of our choice (orange) and the pastry of our choice (freshly baked currant bun).  After the first day Phillip never again asked what we would like, he simply remembered and brought it.

What a treat, after that cold dip, to be able to relax with just what we needed and desired, and to be able to relax together and enjoy one another’s company.

So what about me as a steward of the mysteries of God?  How do I see that calling fulfilled in my life?

I think that for me, as a minister this is a two-fold calling.  

1. As a leader among leaders I have a responsibility to encourage and empower others in the gifts and graces of their calling.  That means passing on what I have learned, meeting their needs for knowledge, information and inspiration.  It means setting an example, and showing others how the mysteries of God make a difference in my life.  It means being aware of each person’s unique gifts and skills and giving them what they need and desire.  It means building a relationship with them and making it possible for them to develop relationships with those whom they are called to serve.  
2. All of us are stewards of the greatest mystery:  GRACE.  As stewards of grace we are called to share the good news of Christ, crucified and risen.  What people in this world need most of all is to know that God loves them and that God forgives them.  The mystery of the gift of Jesus in his death and resurrection is the foolishness of the cross that confuses the world.  It is our task to reveal the love, the deep deep love of God, that makes that foolishness the best gift ever given.

Is being a steward of the mysteries of God a big job?  Yes.  Is it an insurmountable job?  No.  In fact I think that it is a  job  that has many benefits and rewards, and a great deal of joy.  Additionally, I believe that as we are faithful to this task that even greater mysteries of God’s grace will be revealed to us.

I believe that I am capable of fulfilling this task.  AND I believe that you are capable of fulfilling this task.  Reveal the mystery and know God’s joy.  .  

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The Curator of Bliss

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abundance, Chrisitanity, God, joy, Peace, Power, prayer

There is a magazine advertisement that is currently running on television.  It asks the questions what if there was a curator of……fun, color, must do’s, etc.  One of the questions is “what if there was a curator of Bliss?”  And everytime, even though I know the answer is of course this magazine…..I respond, I know the curator of Bliss, it is God.

This ad always makes me ponder on the wonderful blessing of God, the ways in which he fills my life with purpose, meaning, peace, joy, friends, opportunities, gladness, comfort, guidance.  What is that overabundance of blessing if not bliss?

Blessing is bliss.  Bliss is blessing.  God is the source of my bliss.  God is the source of my blessing.  

Every time I view this advertisement I am renewed in my gratitude to God for all he has done and all that he is  doing.  It is a time in which to express my gratitude to God.  As I was pondering this bliss and blessing I noticed on my desk a prayer that a friend had given me.  This is one of the prayers that he uses in the healing ministry at the church where he worships and it seemed to me as I read it again that this prayer points to all the avenues of bliss and blessing that are uniquely God’s.

The Blessing of Shalom
May you be whole in body, soul and spirit as a result of being in harmony with God’s will and purpose for your life.
May His peace be your covering, you heart know His fullness, and by His mighty power may you know victory over the enemy. 
May He bring to pass the deepest desires of your heart.
May you know the healing power of his presence, and the restoration of every  broken relationship.
Through His sufficiency, may every need that you face be met with His limited resources.
May his covenant promises be fulfilled in your life and your family.
May he bring you the greatest measure of contentment and the deepest satisfaction that your heart can possibly know.
                                                                                  Roy Lessin

Oh yes, I know the curator of bliss; the creator of peace, the bringer of contentment and satisfaction.  

Oh yes, I know the curator of bliss: the harmony bringer, the purpose giver, the power giver.

Oh yes, I know the curator of bliss:  the healer and restorer.  In him I have everything I need and the desires of my heart are granted.

My God, the creator of heaven and earth is the curator of bliss.  Glory be to God forever and ever.  Amen.

Inspired by a friend

Tags

Acrostic, Christianity, God, holy spirit, Jesus, prayer, spirituality

The love of family and friends is one of the greatest blessings God has given me.  I am reminded daily that I have been blessed in abundance.

One night last week I was out for supper with a friend.  It was a perfect evening, good food, good wine, and delightful conversation.  As we talked my friend told me how inspired she had been by the posting about acrostics.  She said that she had gone to bed and was thinking about it, when she started to work on one in her head.  Then, because she had no pen and paper at her  bedside, she had to get up so she could write it down.

(It means a lot to my that my thoughts and ramblings inspire your prayer lives.  I’m not sure that I want to disturb your sleep and have you get out of bed, but then again, that’s between you and the Holy Spirit.)

As a part of the conversation she asked me if I had written any other acrostic prayers.  So last night, as I lay in bed, (yes I am aware of the irony of this) I started thinking about that conversation.  I wondered if I were to write another acrostic prayer which of the attributes of God would I want to pray through.  Since I am at  a time when I am choosing to give God all the glory and place in Him all of my trust, I considered, “Majesty”.

Mighty Lord, Eternal Trinity
Awe inspiring God,
Jesus, Savior and Lord,
Every day I thank you for your grace.
Spirit, powerful and strong,
Together, Father, Son, Spirit, you have given me abundance.
You have blown into my life and it has never been the same.  Amen.

This Sunday is Pentecost.  May the Holy Spirit blow into your life and may you never again be the same, but rather, be all that God has created you to be.  Peace to you all.

a prayer shelter

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Acrostic, Ann, Ann Voskamp, prayer

http://annvoskamp.com/

One of the bloggers whose wisdom speaks to me is Ann Voskamp, who writes A Holy Experience.  In her archives I found an Acrostic that she has turned into the planks of a prayer shelter.  It was found in the blog called,

How to Build a House of Prayer

This acrostic captures in a few words the profound words she has about the habits surrounding a prayer shelter.  What follows is her acrostic.

To Build a SHELTER of Prayer:
S-Short
H-Helps
E-Establish a Place
L- Lists
T- Together
E- Establish a Time
R- Reminders

I hope you find this as thought provoking as I did.

Being trained by God

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Christianity, Church, Discipline, God, holy spirit, Jesus, Listening to God, Obedience, prayer, Religion, Silence, Spiritual Growth, spirituality

I have been reading a book called 30 days to a more dynamic prayer life.  In my typical style I did all the exercises for days one and two in an afternoon while sitting in the shop waiting for my car to be repaired.  Then the book sat on the passenger seat for a week, and then a corner of my desk for a week.  

This morning, I looked at it, and looked at the theme for Day 3…. This is what is listed as the implications for prayer:

1. Prayer is about you listening to God more than Him listening to you.
2. It is important to practice what you are learning and sensing in your prayer time.
3. Seeking to understand God’s ways (how He works) needs to be a significant priority.
4. Prayer isn’t always warm and fuzzy but often requires a life response.
5. There will be a growing connection between your prayer time and your daily life.

                                                               John Franklin

If this is only day 3, things can only go deeper from here.  This list tells me that despite the work I have been doing on prayer I still have a long way to go.  And that’s okay with me, after all I am still this side of heaven, and I have time to keep developing my  relationship with God.

So how am I doing on this list……gulp

1. Listening to God.  That’s still difficult.  I am much better at talking to God than listening to him.  But I learned years ago that we can natter at God so often and so long about something that we can begin to believe that what we want is God’s will.  So I work at trying to be silent and listen, and trying to understand what Scripture is saying to me.  And if it is a really big issue I ask others to pray which helps me to listen better because my will is not blocking my ears.  
2. Practice what you are learning.  I am learning that I need to be more consistent.  (Given the opening paragraph of this day’s reflection, I really need to practice being more consistent.)  But being consistent to me isn’t about a book or a method, but about spending time with God and allowing God to direct how that time will be spent.  Will it be silence at the lake?  Will it be a time reserved for intercessory prayer?  Will it be a time of praise and thanksgiving?  Will it be time meditating on what I have read in Scripture or an inspirational book?  Whatever the shape prayer takes, it will be regular and consistent, as I set aside time daily….
3. Seeking to understand how God works.  This I think will be the work of a life time.  God never ceases to amaze me and surprise me…. and that’s a good thing because those moments of amazement are very faith-building.
4. Prayer isn’t always easy and always requires a response.  I have said that I believe that prayer is “conversation between me and God about what he and I are thinking and doing together.”  That definition alone demands that I get involved in what we discuss.  I  need to be prepared to work for the things that I pray about.  This means that I need to work on listening to the Holy Spirit so that I can be more faithful with the follow up to my prayers.
5. Prayer and life will be connected.  I think that will come more readily as I become more of a partner with God, but I also think that it happens when prayer happens spontaneously through the day as God brings things to mind.

All in all, I do think that I will be challenged as I work my way through this book.  I pray that the growth will be evident in me as I become all that God created me to be.  

 

Powerless

Tags

calling, Christianity, gifts and skills, God, holy spirit, Power, prayer, Religion, spirituality

Yesterday would have been my sister’s birthday.  I was thinking about her, which led to thinking about my brother-in-law, so I made a phone call.  He wasn’t home.  So I started to leave a message.  All I got out of my mouth were a few words when with a clap of lightning and a boom of thunder, the power went out.  There I was, phone in my hand, disconnected from the power to be able to speak the words on my heart.  I shrugged, put the phone down and went on with my day.

Later that evening my brother-in-law called demanding to know what I thought I was doing by leaving a two word message.  We talked and joked for a while about the power of God, spoke of what was on our heart and then engaged in a thrilling discussion about my grandsons, whom we had both visited recently.

This morning I found myself reflecting on the state of powerlessness.  When the power went out I really had no choice but to give up on the call, after all what was I going to do, open the door and shout, “HI, IT’S ENA, JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU TODAY.”  Like that would have been an effective way to communicate with someone from halfway across the country. (And I couldn’t use smoke signals it was pouring rain.)

Last night I was reading the book You’re already amazing, by Holly Gerth.  She was reflecting upon the ways in which we drain ourselves of energy, and cut ourselves off from the source of our power,  by doing too many things.  She writes:

I explore, tentatively, how I feel God is calling me to a new season–of living entirely differently than before.  … I question, “God, don’t you want me to be busy all the time?  Don’t you want me to push myself to the limit for you and others?… And isn’t that what it means to love?”  It seems my heart hears a whisper in response, “Daughter, I did not come to give you a full life.  I came to give you life to the full.”  And suddenly everything changes.

She continues throughout that chapter to explore the way to have power in our lives and ministry.  We have that power when we do what it is that God has called us to do, and (this is big) only what God has called us to do.  She talks about the importance of discerning and using the strengths and skills that God has developed in us to minister with the people he has called us to serve.  

I  am at a point of transition in my life.  During this time, it is very important to me that I listen to God, and discern correctly what it is that he is calling me to next.  To be able to hear this correctly I need to be connected to the power of God.  I need to be immersed in God’s word.  I need to be consistent in prayer.  I need to spend enough time with God that I know when it is his voice that I hear whispering.

If I go off on my own strength, choosing a path because I think it is something that I will like, without giving any consideration to what God is calling me to, then I might as well be trying to communicate across the country without a telephone.  The only thing I’ll get from that is strained vocal chords, and a whole boatload of stress.  What matters in my life right now is

thinking and praying more intentionally about how God wants [me] to express love through [my] life.

This is not just a message about me, it is a truth for all of us.  Each one of us was gifted by the Holy Spirit, with gifts that are uniquely meant for us.  Then, each one of us is called to use those gifts to reach out in love through our lives.  When we relax and allow God to lead us then, we will be walking, loving, ministering, and living in the power of God.  We will be connected to the power of God.

Just contemplating that makes me sigh in contentment.  All I have to do is to give my life over to the power of God, and use  what he has given me to minister in what he has called me and my life will be filled with his power. May it be so.  Amen.

Blessed

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Blessed, Blessings, Christianity, God, grace, holy spirit, Jesus, Kindness, Obedience, prayer, Servant

I was reading a book last night on becoming the person God created you to be.  I think it will provide me with much wisdom and insight in the nights to come.

Last night what caught my attention was that the author wrote that 29% of North Americans don’t have even one person that they can confide in.  That statistic makes me very sad.  Imagine going through life, with everything that life throws at you, from human betrayals to serious illness and there is no one you trust that you can talk things over with.

What is even sadder is that if we don’t have those human relationships in which we can confidently place our trust, how then will we ever come to know God in such a way that we learn to trust him with our burdens.

As I pondered the loneliness of those 29% of  the people, I realized that God has blessed me and blessed me richly.  I started counting  the people whom I  trust.  People whose commitment to confidentiality is so strong that what I tell them will not go anywhere; and even more importantly people whose faith will compel them to pray for me.  Just off the top of my head, I named 12 people.  Imagine that, 12 people.  And each of those people are Godly people.

I not only trust them with my deepest fears, sins, problems and life issues, I trust them to pray.  This in turn increases my confidence in God who has blessed me so richly.

Last night as I drifted off to sleep the only thing that I could say to God  was thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

As I reflect on that today, I wonder at how  very richly blessed I am and it renews in me the desire to be the person that others can trust with their burdens.  And it causes me to  wonder, do I know any of the 29% of  the people and if I do. how can I be open to God’s prompting to provide for them the safe place to share their pain.  I wonder that because I know how often I simply don’t hear the Holy Spirit speaking, and sadly how often I hear the Spirit and ignore the message.

There was one time in an airport, while waiting for a flight that I overheard a telephone conversation of a woman somewhere behind me.  She kept repeating no, no.   And then she burst into tears.  The Holy Spirit said to me, “Go  and talk to her.” and to my shame I said, “NO”  I reasoned that I was tired, I didn’t want to get involved.  I hauled out excuse after excuse, and the Holy Spirit kept saying, “Go and talk to her.”

Finally I fled the Spirit by going to the washroom.  It was empty.  Empty.  This was a big airport and the washroom was empty.  I should have known  something was up.

The woman from the phone call came running through the door sobbing.  When she saw me, she stopped short and apologized.  With a deep resentful sigh, I asked her, “Are you okay.”

Her sobs returned as she poured out her story.  She was travelling to see her grandmother and had just had a call that her grandmother had died.  She poured out her story, I listened, offered sympathy and then asked her if she would like me to pray for her.  We prayed, she hugged me and went on her way.

That event is one I reflect on often.  It reminds me to be humble.  It reminds me to be aware of what God is asking me to do.  And today I wonder about those 29% of the people with no one to talk to and I pray that they will find a compassionate soul who will listen to God’s urging and offer to talk with them.

If I am blessed with at least 12 people who will hear my concerns and pray for me, then I should be prepared to shoulder the burdens of others, even of those whom I do not know.

“For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required.” — Luke 12:48

Back at the lake

Tags

Burdens, Christianity, faith, God, grace, How great thou art, Jesus, Majesty, Power, praise, prayer, Trust

Yesterday afternoon I found myself back at the lake.  This time it was not because I needed the refreshment of enjoying God in the beauty of his creation, but because I needed to be reminded of the awesome, fearsome, and tremendous power and majesty of God.  If God has the power to create all that I can see, then God has the power to carry the burdens  that I needed to place before him.

A few days before I had volunteered to be a burden bearer for a friend.  I know the joy and blessing of having people do this  for me and it is a small thing that gives such big gifts of grace.  Therefore I am honored to be able to do that small thing for another person.

The truth about being a burden bearer is that it is a small thing.  In fact when you are a burden bearer you simply are a delivery person.  None of us are meant to carry burdens, at least not heavy ones.

Jesus says:  My yoke is easy and my burden is light.  (Matthew 11:30)

If what we are carrying is heavy we need to pass it off.  And God is the one to whom we pass our burdens.  After all that is why he gave us Jesus.  To bear our sins, yes; but also  to bear our worries, concerns, dilemmas, and burdens.

So I found myself back at the lake, to encounter the fearsome and powerful majesty of God and give him the burden my friend had trusted me with along with a few other burdens I had picked up along the way.  The concerns of other friends.  The painful issues we had prayed about at Presbytery.  The people I know going through health issues.  And I gave them to all to God.  Then, immeasurably lightened, and profoundly grateful I left  with praise on my lips.  

For me, one of the great blessings about engaging in prayer is that we learn that we can trust God to take care of those things that we give to him.  As I turned my feet toward home, I knew that those burdens were safely lodged with the only one who had the power to work on each of those issues, and to give each individual the gift of grace that they needed in each situation.   

God is awesome.  God is grand.  God is more than we can ask or imagine.  The hymn truly says it all.

O Lord my God! when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hand hath made
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

 Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Praying together

Tags

Christ, Christianity, Church, God, holy spirit, Jesus, love, prayer, Religion, spirituality

I am blessed.  Very blessed.  I have had the opportunity twice this week to pray together with other people, and in each incident the movement of God’s Spirit was profound, and even though in each case we prayed together about deep and serious matters at the end of the prayer sessions I felt refreshed and as if the burden had been lifted.

The first time was with my covenant group.  We meet together monthly to study scripture, discuss a book on ministry issues, to talk about our own journey in ministry and prayer and then we pray for each other and for the Presbytery.  The honest sharing, and the love filled prayers are surely a glimpse of the church as it can be.

Then last night at the Presbytery meeting, during announcements, people started asking for prayer about certain individuals and situations.  The level of trust was high, painful situations were shared, and as we paused to pray together and as each person lent their voice to the prayer it was as if Jesus himself was there.

I don’t know how to say it any better, the words seem inadequate, but it was as if Jesus himself was there.  So often we gather in meetings  and it is as one of my friends says, “We pray for Jesus to bless our meetings and then we ask him to wait in the hall until the meeting is over and we ask him back in to bless the decisions we have made.”  That wasn’t the experience last night.  Jesus was there, not just in the little moments when we acknowledge him, but truly there.  

When we come together in love, and treat one another with the respect each deserves as one of God’s children, and are open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, then Jesus is there.  Trust is extended.  Pain is spoken of.  Love is shared.  Real concerns are covered in prayer.  I am indeed blessed that I have known this in my life, and I am grateful to God for the ways in which he has blessed me through the community of prayer.

It is  my prayer, that in the church we will all be open to the Spirit and enjoy the presence of Jesus as we meet together for worship, study, prayer and all those inevitable meetings.  May we all be people through whom the love of God flows.  Surely this is  what God intends his church to be and those glimpses of when we get it right make me hopeful that we can do so more often.

Upstairs, Downstairs

Tags

Christianity, Devotional reading, God, prayer, Religion, spirituality

Over the years I have evolved the habit of what my daughter calls upstairs reading and downstairs reading.  Never mind the fact that she can’t understand how I can read 2 or 3 books at a time (that’s only when I’m on vacation, at home its often  more than that, I have downstairs books, upstairs books, at my desk books), she is mostly amused that I don’t take a book  that I am really enjoying up to bed with me.  

For me it’s fairly straightforward, downstairs I read novels–sheer pleasure reading.  Upstairs I read devotional material, so that I end my day by reflecting on God and his goodness and then pray before I go to sleep.  

This time when I came back from vacation, I wasn’t finished my downstairs book and when I unpacked I threw it on  my bed.  The last week I have been reading that book at night, and I have discovered that I really need that inspirational reading to feed my prayer life.  When I read something that causes me to reflect on God, then when I pray the thanksgiving and praise flows much more freely, and then it is also easier to pray for the concerns that are on my heart.  This last week I have started prayer time with immersed in the problems of the protagonist in the novel and it has been difficult to connect with God.  I think that it is time to go through my bookshelves or the bookstore and find a new upstairs  book…after all that which nourishes my soul, also  nourishes my relationship with God.