Jim Mather

The Performance Trap

2012-02-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

Life is demanding. Most of us in live in societies where more and more is expected of us in every dimension of our lives. Often we have little control of the expectations of others on our lives. We have to work to 'make a living' and learning how to balance the expectations of our employers, teachers, friends and families is extremely challenging.

In the context of meaningful relationships we can become 'driven' by the need for acceptance and love in our lives and compelled to live in unhealthy and unsustainable ways. When we struggle with insecurity in our souls, we often yield to unhealthy demands upon our time, resources and personality. When we are feeling our marriage or friendships being threatened, we are often tempted to 'crank up' our workload and just work harder to succeed. The challenge is we might be racing toward a cliff called burn out and breakdown.

People cannot function long term without their relational needs being met in healthy and sustainable ways. We can 'hide' for periods of time and withdraw from relationships in the short term....but not for too long. The natural reflex after a painful breakup or challenging time in our relationships is to abandon the quest for intimacy. We tend to move in extremes between enabling and abandoning and neither is an effective or healthy way to live in relationship.

When fear of rejection drives you, love will always elude you. We need to learn how to set healthy boundaries and expectations in our relationships. At the center of all our relational lives, we need to have the love of God at the foundation of our inner world. Let me call that relational center the "Grace Place" of unconditional love and acceptance. You were created for satisfying relationships and you are perfectly loved by the God who created and shaped who you are. Our human relationships are distorted and broken by our own tendency toward selfishness and sinfulness. When we embrace the amazing love of God we begin to be healed from the inside out. We are being called by God to receive his forgiveness and his transforming grace. When we know his love.... when we know who He is, we begin to discover who we really are. There is something powerfully life transforming when you understand the reality of being loved forever and forever by the God of the universe. You are not an accident.... your personality, your desires, your dreams, your appearance are all aspects that God loves right now. The spirit of our broken world demands you become something other than you are and then perhaps maybe..... just maybe you might be loved. The performance trap of a fickle world is unsustainable to the point that it becomes unattainable.

Today, God is calling us to a place of acceptance and love where we will never be left....never forsaken. God's love is faithful and not fickle. He loves you right now....and invites you to come to him and receive healing and hope for all your relationships. It's when we begin to know his love that we can begin to really love ourselves and others in healthy ways that won't destroy us. It's time to get set free from the performance trap. You were not born to live trapped on the treadmill of others sinful and selfish expectations. Healing in our lives often begins when matters of the heart are set free. I encourage you to find a place by yourself in prayer and let God reveal his love to you today. Hear his whisper to you, "I love you right now."

"For God so loved the world, he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Jim

The Danger of Insecurity

2012-02-16T12:37:00.000-08:00

Security can be defined as being relieved from the exposure to danger: to put beyond the hazard of losing or of not receiving. An insecure person is always sensing danger and will order and structure their lives to minimize or remove that sense of danger. What or whom we base our security in or upon will either set us free or lead to further pain and suffering.

One of the most fundamental needs of human beings is security in relationship. We desperately need and desire to be loved for who we really are. In a perfect world, we would be raised in healthy and safe environments where our parents would model and mentor for us what unconditional love looks like. When we are raised in an environment that is unsafe and toxic, we take on an inner sickness of the soul that taints and poisons our realities at every conceivable level. Our fundamental sense of who we are (our identity) is marred by this pathology.... this often deposits a deep sense of insecurity into our inner sense of self.

You have been created by God with a unique physical, emotional and spiritual self. Our uniqueness is meant to be celebrated, nurtured, encouraged and guided in healthy ways. When we have mentors who receive us as gifts and celebrate who we are and shape us in healthy ways, we become secure. When we have dysfunctional parents or mentors who reject or even abuse us, we become insecure and fearful... and our behavior and attitudes react to somehow rectify this rejection in our own strength. You were meant to be loved simply for who and how God created you. Take a look at how God looks upon your first days, "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." (Psalm 139: 13-16)

When we are received as the gifts that God has created us to be in an atmosphere of nurturing love we grow into our prophetic destiny. When we are rejected or abused and mishandled by toxic people we can often take on deep layers of insecurity, pain, anxiety and confusion. When we know who we really are we are free to move seamlessly into the places prepared for us in life. (Ephesians 2: 8-10) From our loving God's perspective, you are a treasure of inestimable worth and value. You are a unique mosaic that God desires to paint through the lives of family and friends who recognize your worth and value as far beyond gold and rubies. From God's perspective there is nothing more valuable than a human soul.

Are you struggling with insecurity? Do you feel loved for who you are....right now? So many of us are caught up in an endless cycle of performance and striving to become someone that others will accept and receive....we feel a need to 'earn' approval and love. The absolute truth is that you are deserving of love right now in every dimension of your life. You are a unique and precious person created body, soul and spirit to be celebrated, enjoyed and loved right now for who you are presently. Until and unless we are able to connect with God in that fundamental and foundational way, we are bent into unhealthy forms that are bound in the chains of false expectations and conditions.

The gospel of grace reveals an amazing love that reaches into the world and loves us right where we are...with our imperfections... and liberates instead of enslaving.... that heals instead of harms. You don't need to live with insecurity and fear. You can be loved in a community of faith, hope and love that issues from the grace of God... it's based on the powerful love of Jesus Christ. To be free of fear....fear of rejection and the prison of conditional love. God has created communities of grace based upon what Jesus has done in freeing us from brokenness and sin. We don't become injured in isolation... we become injured in the context of pathological relationships. We also don't get healed in isolation. God's love and forgiveness call us out of the prison of dysfunction into healthy communities of grace. My prayer is that God will give us all the courage to walk out of the prisons of unhealthy relationships into what God has prepared for us. He whom the Son sets free is free indeed! (John 8:36)

Jim
www.allnationsmobile.org

A Present Love

2012-02-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

When you're sure, When you're certain
When you're pale, When you're broken

There's a presence and and a love
Always near, never far

He knows your name, your broken frame
Heals the pain, Adds no shame

Reaching deep, Calling out
Changing us from the inside out

Constant love, healing steep
Finding hurts, searching souls

What I need, what I want
Deepest desire, found its match

No games, No plays
Just Pure love calling me by name

Present love, perfecting me
Never left alone again
Finding who I really am

JM

Learning to Wait

2012-02-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

We don't like to wait. We want everything NOW! Our desires often act as tyrants to our mind, bodies and emotions. We demand satisfaction RIGHT NOW. When forced to wait we become convinced by a series of lies that time is being wasted. The reality is that life is a continuous cycle of preparation, action, waiting and completion. Most important and signficant desires and life events demand extended periods of waiting. We can either waste the wait or dig deep into our will and emotions and GROW inwardly. There are no shortcuts to maturity.

Isaiah the prophet of God tell us that waiting is never idle time when we wait on the Lord. (Is 40:31)
"But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

When you find yourself frustrated and your desires and dreams delayed you can either fret or you can wait with the One who is allowing the delay. Do you know that your character is more important to God than your comfort? Time spent waiting is meant to be invested in relationship and the growth of trust. Intimacy demands time and so when we embrace the wait, we are saying yes to relationship.

The fruit of a life lived independently from God is weariness and internal discord. Peace can't be manufactured by men or women. Your circumstances are ever shifting but God remains a pure and reliable source of strength in our lives.

The next time you begin to 'freak out' while waiting, turn your heart home to your heavenly Father. When you touch the heart of your loving God, your time of waiting can become a time of renewal, peace, and pleasure. He's waiting for you....

Jim

The Way of the Pilgrim

2012-02-01T12:52:00.000-08:00

To follow God.... to know a life of relationship with an unseen reality takes a real and vibrant faith. To live a life of faith demands a willingness to leave the known and worn paths of those who have gone before us... to blaze a new pathway through adversity, uncertainty and risk. Because of my work with international students at the University of South Alabama I have met many young people in search of a life of meaning and purpose. Many sense the call....but sadly few want to pay the price of the way of the pilgrim.

Making a difference in a world defined by mediocrity and compromise demands both boldness and a commitment to something bigger than yourself. What marks the character of the 'trail blazer' and sets them apart from the 'average' person. Trail blazers (pilgrims) are willing to take risks and have a certainty that failure is not the ultimate enemy of life's dreams.

We can't seriously think we will make a significant difference in our world if we are imprisoned by insecurity and unbelief. The New Testament book of Hebrews give us a clear and resolute view of what it takes to make an impact in our world....faith. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

What do you want to see changed in your life.... your world? There is something that you were born to do... something you were born to change and impact in our broken world. If you are not moving in the direction of making a difference....of confronting what is in need of change....then you could become a part of the problem.

Do you seriously think you were put on this planet to watch reality shows and be a professional 'consumer'? What a horrific waste of a life that would be. No, you were born to a 'world changer'. To take your gifts, abilities.. your entire life and to offer them up to God to direct and empower you as a change agent in a very broken world.

Instead of being a spectator and drugging your search for a meaningful life with media and consumption....why not live a life of faith and trust in a God of love and hope? The world awaits people who will see a significant need and not shrug it off.... who will care when others have deep needs and become willing to serve and depend on God and his people to meet that need. Faith is not just a mental assent to a statement of belief. Faith is also a verb that demands movement and a response to the reality of both this world...and the next. Are you willing to be a pilgrim walking the way of faith in this life?

Often we lack direction in life because we ignore the realm and reality of the unseen spiritual world all around us....which begs us to open our hearts to the realities of the heart. There are 3 things that last forever and none of them are for sale at Wal Mart. Faith, Hope and Love are 3 eternal realities that come to us as a gift from God. When we begin to walk in the direction of relationship with God...we have begun to really live. Take a risk.... open your heart today....and begin to walk in the way of the pilgrim. You were born for this.

Jim

Going Home

2012-01-28T16:36:00.000-08:00

An inner peace, A certain place

A glancing look, A presence felt

Within these walls of broken bones

Your presence comes and makes new flesh

It's you I want and not your gifts

I've had the world and left the rest

The breath of grace has touched my face

It's built the bridge called trust and faith

I'm sitting still and holding on

My eyes and ears are fixed on you

It's all of me and nothing more

The door swung open, I'm coming in

I've found the place we all call home.

Jim

Finding your Way in a Lost World

2012-01-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

Life can be very confusing at times. There are certain basic requirements and demands that we all must follow along life's journey. We are all sent to various schools for prescribed periods of time. School offers structure, knowledge and hopefully the development of useful life skills. But what do we do when we get that diploma? What about the in between places of life. There are often significant periods of time when we are waiting for the next thing to happen... the job, significant relationship, moving to a new location.

Just how am I supposed to make the right choice? What or who is meant to guide me in this world of choice and uncertainty? The Old Testament book of Proverbs is a special kind of instruction offered to our world as wisdom for life. Written by King Solomon and inspired by God these proverbs have stood the test of time and offer an amazing foundation to learn and be guided by truth.

I have a confession to make. The first Bible that I seriously read I stole from the Air force hospital chapel at Elmendorf Air force hospital in Anchorage, Alaska. A young lady I worked with named Paula Zimmerman knew I was in trouble in my life and invited me attend the chapel with her. While the chaplain was talking I was intrigued by the Bible sitting in the pew. As I slipped out of the service I grabbed the Bible and walked out with it. I thought it would be nice to have a Bible and this seemed to me at the time a good way to get one. Probably not a good idea to violate one of the ten commandments to get a Bible but such was the state of my life at the time!

Months later during one of my very long 16 hour shifts working at the hospital lab I brought my 'stolen' Bible to work with me. I would have long periods when the lab was not too busy and I used this time to read books. I opened the Bible and was drawn to two sections of the Bible in particular. One was the book of Proverbs and the other was the book of Psalms. Proverbs was offering me amazing insights into life through practical statements of wisdom. Psalms was offering me amazing poetry of the soul... reading my emotions and offering honesty and a spiritual connection I desperately needed.

I was 20 years old and very much a lost soul. I had a good job. I had a good family. But I was lost on the inside and the emptiness was killing me. I had a lot of fear in my life and I was desperately seeking for something to guide my life going forward. As I read the book of Proverbs, I was confronting truth but I needed something more. This morning as I write this I want to help you to find your way in a 'lost world'. Many people have all the tools for success right in front of them and yet stumble in making those critical decisions and relationships that are so key in getting to the place they were meant to be in life. I want to share briefly with you a Proverb that can open a door into One key relationship that will guide you into that place of meaning and contentment we all seek after.

Proverbs chapter 3 and verses 5 and 6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And he will direct your paths."
I read the entire book of Proverbs during those long nights in Anchorage, Alaska. I knew it to be true. It resonated deeply in my mind... and yet knowing that it was true offered no real transformation in my life. It offered me some solace and some temporary peace... but I was still the same on the inside. I needed something more and yet I had no clue what that was. What I was in need of was relationship. I needed a relationship with the author of those powerful truths being revealed to me in scripture. I needed to open my life up to the only one worthy of my full trust and surrender.

Do you have a sense that you are being guided in life? Do you feel the presence of a living God in your daily life? Do you know what it means to trust in God.... really? Your understanding and knowledge no matter how refined and developed will always be incomplete. There is a God who knows you better than you know yourself. Why walk alone when your creator stands ready to guide you and steer into your preferred destiny?

A relationship with God is not as complex as we imagine. When you get to the place of humility and openness you can begin to experience the presence of God through invitation.... just opening your heart and mind in surrender. The humble shall hear.... and be glad. We often hear things better when we stop thinking we're so smart and in control. Today, I encourage you to open yourselves up to a living and loving God who wants to guide you in life. You're not alone... at your point of need there is a loving God calling you to a place of inner peace and contentment. Let him take away that fear and uncertainty. God is speaking and his first word to us is to trust him. There is a new kind of life that begins with a spiritual birth of trust in God. Why don't you begin your day with a simple prayer, "God, I am not sure what my future holds.... I am struggling to believe.... to trust , to hope.... but God I need something beyond myself.... someone beyond myself to help me and guide me.... help me to begin to believe.... to begin to trust you. Amen."

Praying with you;
Jim

Depth Perception: Seeing with the Heart

2012-01-25T06:06:00.000-08:00

On December 9th I had surgery to implant a radiation plaque into my right eye. Doctors left the radiation in place at the back of my eye for 4 days. Now several weeks later my right eye is suffering some of the effects of that radiation beyond the goal of killing the melanoma tumor. My vision is now quite poor in that eye. One of the surprising impacts on my vision is that my depth perception has been reduced.
Depth perception is the visual ability to see in 3 dimensions and to perceive correctly the distance of an object. Shortly after returning from Birmingham I realized that my depth perception was deeply impacted by the poor vision in my right eye. Mary was driving me to a dinner date when I falsely perceived that we were about to hit something in the road.... I screamed out to Mary to avoid something that was not as it appeared! It takes binocular vision (2 eyes) to accurately perceive the distance of an object. Now with one eye's vision markedly reduced, I have to relearn how to perceive both depth perception and sensation. We all desperately need accurate vision to live in this world.... and the next.
You might not have a physical vision problem. You might have excellent vision and not even require glasses or other assistance to see clearly. Be grateful for the ability to move around in your environment without danger or fear. Vision is a great gift and a complex physical phenomenon that requires so many things to work together perfectly to enable you to see clearly. But there is another kind of vision that we also need to be aware of. There is a spiritual vision.... a vision of the heart that can be damaged by the sin in our lives. Jesus addressed the need for a 'clean heart' that would enable us to see the matters of the heart accurately.
In the gospel of Matthew chapter 5 and verse 8, Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." In a world of spiritual darkness and desperation there is another kind of vision we all need.... we need to see the invisible and eternal things to get the 'depth perception' we need. There is a 4th dimension that most of us never see or perceive. It takes faith.... it takes a second birth to see into the forever reality of God. Our physical senses can't take us where we were born to live forever. We need spiritual eyes.
There is a surgery of the heart that God performs when we come to the place of conviction of our own brokenness and need of him. Right now my physical vision has been damaged by a cancerous tumor. I am believing that God is healing the physical damage caused by that tumor and the radiation treatment designed to kill it. At the same time that my physical depth perception has been reduced my spiritual perception has been increased. I am seeing God in so many ways ..... with a depth perception of the soul. I am seeing more with my heart than I ever have. My prayer is that I would see what God sees...feel what God feels....hear what God hears. It's often when we're hurting in some way in our lives that we have the unique opportunity to gain compassion and concern for others beyond ourselves. It's in those moments that we can experience a vision of things previously unseen....I want to see with my heart the things that really matter. Open the eyes of my heart Lord. I want to see you.

Jim

Pursuing your Dream

2012-01-22T11:57:00.000-08:00

In our pursuit of our dreams it is vital that we understand the reality of process. A dream is a destination we move toward in the direction of the future. The dreamer is a person who becomes someone capable of living out the dream. No one who sets out to 'live the dream' begins with all the ingredients necessary to fulfill it. We become who we need to be as we move in the direction of our dream. A person without dreams is someone without a future. You must dream! Your humanity cries out for something more and you must respond! But what about the things that get in the way of fulfilling our dreams? How do we deal with the dream killers in our lives?

Every dream killer is a test of the dreamers character. A dreamer is always a leader. Leaders see the future and bring others with them into the 'not yet'. However, if your character is deficient you forfeit the ability to obtain the promise of the dream. Joseph in the Old Testament book of Genesis was given an amazing dream at the age of 17. The dream showed that God was going to use him greatly in leadership in his family and nation. The dream was so great that it instilled jealousy and disbelief in his own family. Joseph was relegated to a period of slavery in Egypt. His dream seemed conquered by circumstances. But God was at work making Joseph into the man needed to deliver on the dream. Even with favor and gifting, the fulfillment of our dreams and visions for life are not an automatic reality. Many men and women of immense talent, training and intelligence never receive the ultimate fulfillment of their dream.

Joseph had a relationship with God. This becomes apparent as we read through the Genesis account. It says repeatedly in chapter 39 that the Lord's favor was upon his life..... and thus he received blessing and increasing responsibility. Joseph has something vital to the fulfillment of his God inspired dream..... integrity. Joseph was the same whole (Holy) person on the inside and outside. His words, his lifestyle and his commitments all flowed out of a deep commitment to God.

The reality is that we don't know who we really are on the inside till we face real temptation from the outside. In our broken and fallen world that temptation frequently appears in the sensual/sexual area. God has created us with strong desires for intimacy and love. When those desires are kept within the God given boundaries detailed in scripture we remain blessed and safe. When we step outside of marriage for sexual fulfillment we face a world of hurt, brokenness, disease and death. Joseph was given 'free reign' to lead and administer the household of his master Potiphar in Egypt. However, Potiphar's wife lusted after Joseph sexually and tried to force him to meet her desire. Joseph resisted successfully, however the spurned woman wound up falsely accusing Joseph. Joseph winds up in prison and it seems as if the dream will never happen!

Delay is not denial in God's timing. While we are 'purpose driven', God is relationship directed. While we want to get things done, God wants to see us become. Joseph was sovereignly being directed by God to places where he could become the man who would fulfill the dream. It all comes down to relationship and trust. You are not a robot removed from the need for intimacy with God. A man or woman only known by their achievement is not truly a success from God's perspective.

What priorities are relationships in your life? Are you investing time in developing your relationship skills? How is your E.Q? (Emotional intelligence). To what extent are you surrendering your circumstances to God in prayer? What might God be saying to you in this time of 'in between"?

If you don't know where you're going, you're lost. Being lost isn't fatal except when you're not willing to admit it. Dreamers sometimes get lost on the way to where they are meant to be. Keep pursuing God and keep pursuing the dreams he has birthed in your heart and life.

Jim

The Foundation for Lasting Intimacy: Trust

2012-01-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

We get the pace and timing of intimacy all wrong. As the rock & media anthems blare out into our culture, "we want it all and we want it now".... The two sexiest words in the English language have nothing to do with the sexual act but they lay the ground work for sustainable relationships: RESPECT and TRUST. Doesn't sound very "sexy" does it?

Respect implies a duality of humility and a desire to learn who the "other" really is. It's an attitude that goes way beyond judging a person by what can be seen on the surface. When you respect a person you make a major assumption that the real value lies much deeper than the visible surface. The idea of pacing in relationship applies a certain sense of the artist in getting to know others. If I respect people, I will make an effort to know them by listening, studying, embracing the difference and responding in step with a shared rhythm of pace. Lust demands immediacy, while love and intimacy demand measured and careful responses. You certainly don't respect someone when you leap to conclusions and demand someone become what you want them to be..... that is hatred without varnish.

Trust is so fundamentally needed to develop and sustain intimacy that we could write for days on its meaning and essential qualities... but we won't. Let's cut to the core understanding. Trust is in the context of human relationships a response to honor and respect. It's a byproduct of someone who shows care, sensitivity and selflessness in relationships. Trust develops from ongoing deposits large and small of acts of love, goodness, kindness and shared joy. When trust is betrayed in a major way the relationship of intimacy is stripped down to the foundation and must be rebuilt... over time and through consistent deposits of character based acts of love. The real aroma of love is not fundamentally based on romantic imagery alone (though it helps a great deal!). When someone can be trusted and respected over time, the intimacy of conversation, emotional and sensual connection deepens to levels that last a life time. Revolving door relationships result from rushing into and depending on sexuality as glue without really first "knowing" the person in their inner selves.
Sexual pleasure is one of life's greatest experiences but its not meant to be wasted or spoiled by selfishness or lack of respect and trust. When we go into relationships through the back door of control or impulse we miss the full extent of joy and pleasure prepared in God's timing and design. When we trust God enough and respect others enough we begin to see the blueprint of sustainable love and move beyond selfishness and abuse of others whom we say we love.

The Process of Intimacy: From the Inside Out

2012-01-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

We our fixated on what we can see, feel, taste and touch. Our senses cry out for attention and we often become slaves of our appetites. The power of temptation to sin lies in the deception that once we satisfy our immediate desire (hunger, lust, thirst etc..) we will be at peace. Funny thing about sensual desire without the guidance and control of our inner selves (Spirit).... its NEVER satisfied.
Because of sin, our ability to control desire has been damaged beyond self repair. We need an appetite/desire SAVIOR. Our soul needs to be cleansed and reborn just as much as our Spirit. You must be born again is a command that needs to be applied in our hearts, minds, souls and bodies. If we are not yielding every dimension of ourselves we are walking relational time bombs ready to go off at the worst possible moments (often as we approach intimacy).

We live in a time when people are diagnosed as commitment phobic. Books have been written and movies scripted with titles like, "He's just not that into you". People recognize a timing device inside of them attached to a 'soul bomb' that they desperately don't want to go off... no one wants to see themselves splattered all over someone else.... we are afraid to fail. When we look in the mirror and compare the images of who we think we are, compared to the societal "norm", we become afraid and disilllusioned.. no amount of gym workout time can ever substitute for what God can do as you receive his unconditional love. You and I were NEVER meant to live in relationships with others apart from an ongoing, vital & intimate relationship with God. If God is not first in your relational priorities, I assure you sin is crouching at the door of your life.

The process of healthy and satisfying intimacy begins on the inside and works itself outward. When your heart is at rest and satisfied in its relationship with God you are at the starting line of a great life of intimacy and love.

Isaiah 55, "Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not SATISFY? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live....

Question for you, Is your soul alive?

You can't buy intimacy, you can't become someone else to make others love you.... intimacy begins and ends at the feet of a loving Savior..... if you're hurting today because of enslaving yourself to bread that can never satisfy you... God is NOT condemning you.... he knows about desire .... he created it and wants to give you something that will yield everlasting satisfaction and bring healing to your heart, mind, soul and body.... the road to healthy and pure intimacy can begin afresh today.... I am praying with you for healing, hope and a life of love to be yours both now and forever!

Jim

The Land Between: Surviving the Challenge of Transition

2012-01-18T05:57:00.000-08:00

To be a follower of God is to be a pilgrim. We are all together on a journey with and toward God. He is leading us.... calling us onward in a pilgrimage of faith and transformation. The challenge of transition is most acute in the 'land between' ....from where we have been to where God is calling us.

Transition is the place of danger... and also the place where we either grow and mature or regress and falter spiritually. (See Numbers chapter 11 in the Old Testament of the Bible for the references in this short article)

When we're 'on the road' with God the issue of provision (having what we need) is always paramount in our minds. The journey from the known to the unknown is fraught with the temptations peculiar to the 'not yet' of every faith journey. Faith always grows deepest in the dark room of the unknown places God calls us to walk through. The people of Israel were slaves in a futile and hopeless land.... they were working for another king and kingdom. God was calling them out to freedom in worship and onward to a life of promise and blessing. But the journey out was hard. The challenges of moving into the future must be met head on. Let's look carefully at what must be overcome.

When God has us in transition we often find ourselves overcome by the temptation to complain. In Numbers chapter 11 and verses 4-6, we hear the people complaining about God's provision of food. God was miraculously providing "Manna" from heaven but the people grew weary of this amazing miracle. The truth is we don't like change. It takes faith and trust to move forward into the unknown of new circumstances, jobs, relationships and ministry. Everything changes when God calls us out with him to the land between.

Often our sense of identity is not wrapped around our relationship with God. Instead we identify ourselves by other markers: our work, church life, wealth, possessions, hobbies, family life and relationships. In times of transition we have to guard our hearts against an attitude of ingratitude and false expectations built on a falsely glorified past.

In verses 11-15 of Numbers 11 we see that the land between of transition is fertile ground for an emotional breakdown. Moses begins to doubt God's wisdom and faithfulness to him. He is emotionally distraught and ready to quit...borderline suicidal..... saying "Kill me now!". He begins to doubt the promise of the place where God is taking him.

Doubt and emotional turmoil are not unusual in times of transition and turmoil. They are signals of our absolute dependence upon God to fulfill his word in us, to us and through us. We simply cannot go where God is taking us without an ongoing,absolute and total surrender to the Holy Spirit. Moses felt the crushing weight of disappointment through the cries of the people... the opposing spirit of worship (complaining) was too heavy for him to bear alone. He needed shared and empowered leaders to help him take the people where God was going.

In verses 16 and 17 of Numbers 11 we see that the land between is fertile ground to receive God's provision. We need to keep our hands open to receive from God. When we're angry due to a sense of loss of control we close our fists to protect our "stuff"....symbolic sometimes of a hardened heart toward God and others. We need to pray for a spirit of contentment during times of change. We need supernatural grace to deal with the elevated stress levels we undergo when we leave the familiar to embrace the next place God has for us.

In verses 18-20 and 23 we see that God sometimes has to discipline us when we rebel and resist the path God places before us. Discipline is one way that God shows us his committed love to us as his children. Discipline can be defined as "inflicting pain for redemptive purposes". Holiness and spiritual maturity don't come automatically. It's in the wilderness that we learn to pray and depend utterly on God alone.

Question to test ourselves: Are you throwing yourself completely on God to meet your every need? (Body, Soul & Spirit)

A final challenge: Our heart is in danger in the land between!

Don't believe the deceptive lie that time heals all wounds. It does not. Over time, some people heal while others become embittered and hardened. The land between usually forces us one way or the other. The habits of the heart we develop in this space---our responses and reactions---will determine whether the land between results in spiritual life or death. Complaining and a spirit of complaining resists eviction. Complaining and trust cannot live in the same house. They are incompatible and double minded roommates.

I believe we are living in a time of forced transition of unimagined magnitude. There has never been a time of such intense and rapid change in every sector of our lives. We are all in some way leaving what we know. But not everyone who transitions will make it to the land of God's promise and provision. We are meant to learn from the lessons of the people of historical Israel. They were called to the 'land of milk and honey', but sadly few made it.

I am praying we will make the right choices necessary to make it out of the land between and into the place of God's promise. He is waiting for us and calling us forward in love.

Jim

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Identity: Finding the Real You

2012-01-14T15:56:00.000-08:00

Do you know who you are? No, I am not talking about your name, your birthplace, your social security number or other pertinent facts you might be asked by a police officer if you are caught speeding on the highway. I am asking a deeper philosophical question about the core of WHO you are. In our search for meaningful lives, if we leave the fundamental question of identity unanswered, we will never get to where we were meant to be in life.

The most difficult questions to answer in life are at their root spiritual ones. They cut to the core of the meaning of life. Why am I here? For what purpose was I born? What does it really mean to be loved? Who am I anyway?

We develop a sense of identity by the culture and environment that we are born into. We are shaped spiritually and emotionally by the words spoken to us in our childhood. We hear things said about us, even while our own ability to speak is being formed and developed. The power of words spoken over us and to us, shapes our identity and expectations of life. Our view of ourselves and our world can either be accurate or inaccurate depending on the reliability of those given access to our minds and hearts as children.

When we are born into a home where we are loved, nurtured and cared for in a healthy environment, we are more likely to discover who we really are. The ability to think for oneself, to discover, to explore and to know ourselves is a gift of immense value and magnitude. We must know who we really are before we can find that sense of inner contentment and peace on the inside. When you don't know who you are, you'll strive to be someone else. And in that striving we torment ourselves and ultimately hurt others as well.

We were born for love. Jesus told us clearly that relationship and purpose are deeply intertwined. In the gospel of Matthew (ch. 22 and verses 37-40) Jesus was challenged by the religious leaders of his day to answer what was the most important moral law in life. Instead of commenting on any specific behavior, Jesus answer challenges our own views of religion and morality, Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and prophets depend on these two commandments."

Man made religion fails to understand this absolute and fundamental truth: Life is all about relationships.... and relationships to be healthy need to be honest and permeated with unconditional love and acceptance of one another. We cannot discover who we really are until we have been loved unconditionally.

People were born for love and we will search for it inexorably until we find what we're looking. The challenge in life is to find the real deal before the false and substitutes either kill us or injure us severely. Our soul in its striving for unconditional acceptance and love will sometimes get sucked into the lies and traps of lust and relational abuse. When we don't know the way to love, we'll get lost on the journey toward knowing who we really are.

Fortunately for us, God in his mercy is on a rescue mission to help us find his love.... and ourselves. In an amazing display of the unconditional love and acceptance we all long for he came to us and showed us the way home. In the gospel of John he tell us , "For God so loved the world in this way: He gave his One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." The reality is none of us fully know who we are until we know on a personal level that deep and nearly unfathomable love of Jesus. (John 3:16)

The love of the world is deeply marred by conditions, expectations and limitations. I will love you if....... The superficiality of the world's love is easily observed by the content of our media and entertainment. We are told who can or cannot be loved based on appearances: waistlines, facial features, skin colors, wealth etc..... the conditional love of the world creates a schizophrenia and uncertainty that frustrates and mars the human soul. We cannot find what we're looking for when the world keeps changing the measuring rod of who we're supposed to be.

The beauty of grace and love brought to us in Jesus Christ is that you get to be yourself.... and still be loved. When you falter (and you will) you're still loved and fully accepted. Jesus does not toss you out with the garbage of your own failures and sins.... he goes out and gets you and brings you home. And in that love and acceptance you become who you were born to be.... and you find out who you really are. You are a son or a daughter of a loving God. Born for love.... and to be loved forever. Welcome home!

Jim

The Process of Healing

2012-01-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

In late October during a routine eye exam I found out that I had a medium sized cancerous tumor growing in the back of my right eye. The Doctor estimates that I must have had the tumor in my eye for a long period of time, but I was not aware of it. I felt well and had excellent vision. But at some point the tumor pressed up against the retina and caused the surrounding blood vessels to bleed and I became aware that I had a serious problem. It appeared that I had 'suddenly' become ill...but in fact the cancer growing in my eye was a process...which had developed over time.

Too often we look at both sickness and healing as sudden occurrences. As soon as I found out the seriousness of my eye condition, I wanted to get the tumor out of my eye.... I wanted to be well immediately! As I have learned though, healing is more often a process of gradual changes than it is an instantaneous reality. As a Christian, I am praying for God's healing to be manifest in my life. Many of my friends and family are praying with me. ( I am deeply grateful!) The Bible is replete with instances of instant and dramatic healing of physical illnesses. We were made by God to be whole and well and when we're not it's normal, natural and indeed 'healthy' to seek for healing by any means possible. We pray and we seek medical help in faith that God does indeed want us well. But the reality of our lives is that often healing does not come according to our plan and timetable.

We cry out to God..... heal me! And sometimes God graciously answers our prayers quickly, if not instantly. What a grace that is! But sometimes the illness or affliction lingers and our faith can begin to waver. Does God really hear and answer prayer? Delay often brings doubt. In my own case, the thought of having a tumor growing in the back of my eye has at times left me feeling frustrated and wanting both an easy and instant solution. I have had many prayers for healing and yet so far the tumor has not been removed. Waiting for healing and for the process that God ordains for it to take place takes both faith and patience. Healing has three separate but seamless elements in our lives. God has made us body, soul and spirit beings. I could have the tumor removed or healed and still not be well in another dimension of my life. Our physical bodies are just one part of our whole self! Our soul involves our inner selves.... our emotions, our minds, our will. So many people have no physical reason for being unwell, but are deeply broken in the soul....wounded on the inside and untouched by medicine or surgery. Our spiritual selves are the deepest parts of who we are and designed and created to relate to God in the eternal realms of faith, hope and love. True wellness goes far beyond the healing of our bodies to penetrate the inner person of soul and spirit. God's greatest desire is to make us well forever through an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ.

God is taking me on a journey of healing and wellness. My soul and spirit are strong and full of joy and peace. My body is undergoing a process of healing that is taking time. To be perfectly honest I didn't want to step onto the pathway this is taking me. I did not want to have surgery. I did not want to have radiation placed into my eye. I was hoping that perhaps I would be healed prior to the surgical and radiation treatment. I was prayed for in that regard. And yet God is healing me in a way that involves process and relationship with people. Even as I write this the healing is ongoing and full of mystery and the unknown. The vision in my right eye is blurry. The radiation has caused the tumor to bleed.... and yet even that reality brings hope. The healing is taking place....over time and in a way that I must trust and release to God. I don't know how God heals exactly. I just know that he does. I know why God heals.... because God is love. I choose to release the timing and methods of how God wants to work in my life to him. God is love and knowing that makes everything else going on in my life make sense. I am not trusting in my circumstances. I am not ultimately even trusting in the medical interventions taking place on my behalf. My ultimate trust is in the character and person of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is so good!

Even as I write this I have a deep and abiding peace on the inside. My soul and my spirit have been healed. My body is being healed by his grace and love. I'm walking with the healer in a life I would not trade for anything. I encourage you to allow God to heal you as well in a journey of faith and wonder. I choose to enjoy the journey no matter where it takes me.... for my eyes are fixed and focused on the Lord of the journey.

Jim

The Journey of Faith

2012-01-13T04:47:00.000-08:00

One of the life's greatest ongoing challenges is to have the proper sense of direction and purpose for every stage of life. It's not just the young who feel the stress of answering the questions, "So, what do you do?", "Where are you going?", "What's your purpose?", "What are you living for?"

Life is a series of passages and destinations. What we believe to be our ultimate destination is often just a transit station on the way to somewhere else. People are pilgrims. Our journey in life is meant to have guidance and direction that brings an inner sense of completion and satisfaction. Human beings are created by God to walk with him in an amazing adventure of satisfying relationship and accomplishments inspired by love. But why do we get lost so often?

At birth our inner spiritual antenna (our inner person) is broken. We bear an image of our creator marred by original sin (think Adam & Eve). Our whole sense of who we are: our desires, gifting, sense of self etc.. is dependent on the influence of family and friends. Those with stable home influences and friends often develop a healthier understanding of direction and purpose in life. When we are born into chaos we suffer serious consequences. Behind the scenes, God is not absent but working in and out of circumstances to bring us back to himself (redeem us).

We were created with a deep need to know and love God. Our sin (moral failure) has deeply affected our ability to hear God's voice clearly. At times we sense our need for him. Loneliness, depression, fear, anxiety and confusion are often a clarion call that something is not right...something is indeed missing. No one is immune from inner turmoil. The rich suffer equally with the poor from spiritual emptiness and struggle. No matter where we are on the planet, we're searching for our real home.... for a love that can only be fully known in Jesus Christ.

Scripture proclaims our worth and value in stark and striking terms, "For it was you (God) who created my inner person, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well." You are not a mistake. There is nothing random about your life. Both your successes & failures have a purpose...to draw you closer to the one who created you. Psalm 139 goes on to declare, "Your eyes saw me when I was formless, all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began."

Prayer is meant to be conversational and not an exercise in begging. God put you on the planet and he knows you are in desperate need of his voice and help. But the key to finding direction in a lost world is not primarily based on telling God what you need and desire. The greatest acts of intimacy are always born of listening. Listening implies trust. Listening implies respect. Listening implies rest. And listening allows for love to deepen. It's not about getting what you want anymore. It's all about knowing your lover more. The God of the Bible loves people. Jesus loves you....right now. Listen for his voice above all others.

Even in the midst of our sin, brokenness, imperfection.... our lostness..... God came.... to bring us back home....with him.
A self centered and self directed life is a very wide and confusing road. It's a crowded and yet lonely road. The way to God is narrow....not because God is narrow.... no far from it. God's road is narrow because it's a two lane path. Room for you and him. He is calling you to walk with him in a unique and meaningful way. He wants to place his arm around you and whisper in your ear, "This is the way, walk with me." Every pilgrim has a unique pathway but the same Savior and God. The tyranny of comparison and jealousy is erased when we finally realize just how profound and precious God's love is. He's crafted a pathway of intimacy for you and him.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. If you're lost.... if you're seeking direction, purpose & meaning in this journey we call life....it's time to be still and listen for the voice who will not only make a way for you....... He will be your way in a lost world.

Jim

Failing Forward

2012-01-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

Failure. It's a word we dread. We don't want to confront it, talk about it or be defined by it. But failure is a reality we will all experience on our journey of life. How we respond to failure will in many ways define how we respond to its counterpart: Success. Failure is an inability to perform to an expected outcome.... at its root it is a fracturing of who we are ....under stress. We break down and we are unable to complete what we are assigned, called to or expected to achieve. To fail at something we deeply desire leaves us feeling broken at every level: relationally, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

To achieve, to attain and to complete is a very human reality and desire. We don't exist to survive....we exist to create, to build, to relate and to change our world for good. But along life's journey we don't always get to where we want to go, when we want to get there and with whom we would like to travel. We are not as in control as we would like!

Our deepest human need is relational. When we have satisfying, intimate and meaningful human relationships we have inward peace. When we FAIL in our relationships, our soul suffers an almost inconceivable level of pain and discomfort. We were born for love and not hatred. When things don't go well in our relationships, it can begin a series of responses and reactions that only confuses the sense of direction and purpose in our lives.

Peter was one of Jesus closest and most trusted friends. Peter was a risk taker.... a leader whom others admired and respected. But Peter was deeply flawed on the inside. Peter achieved much due to his boldness and willingness to literally 'get out of the boat'. But boldness is no subtitute for knowing our places of weakness and vulnerability. Jesus knew where the 'stress points' were in Peter's character. He loved Peter so much that he warned him in advance of Peter's greatest failure in life. At the time of Jesus greatest need for support relationally, Peter denied knowing Jesus. Peter remembered the warning too late and failed his Lord.... and his friend. Later, Peter was restored to relationship with Jesus because he knew deep within there was nowhere else to go with his failure. Peter failed forward in the direction of relationship. He fell back in love with the Jesus who came looking for where he knew he could find him....fishing. We were made to do certain things in life. We are shaped, formed and prepared to accomplish 'certain' things in this life (See Ephesians chapter 2 vs 8). But we are not meant to do them alone....or for our self aggrandizement or glory. Everthing we do well is meant to reflect well upon him who made all things and called them good. When we falter, when we fail, when we deny and when we betray, there is a God of love who proves his great mercy and love by taking us back into relationship. The cross upon which our Savior died is proof for every one of us that failure need not be final. We can be restored back to relationship. Peter's great denial did not mean that Jesus would deny him....instead Peter became what his name called him to be the great rock of testimony..... Jesus saves, Jesus forgives, Jesus restores.

In contrast to Peter's restoration is the life of Judas. Judas was also one of Jesus closest confidantes. He walked with Jesus during all of his active ministry. He saw the miracles and the amazing love of Jesus at work on a daily basis. He walked with Jesus and knew him intimately. But like Peter, Judas was deeply flawed on the inside. Judas had an agenda that was unspoken but ever present. Judas wanted to WIN at all costs. Judas had a destiny in mind for himself. He was tired of 'taking it' from the Man (Rome) and wanted to turn the tables on his oppressors. He wanted it all.... and he wanted it RIGHT NOW. He admired Jesus the revolutionary, but was deeply concerned about his heart for the poor and the broken. It would cost too much to care for all the destitute. Judas wanted to make sure he 'got his share' and finally grew sick of all the talk of a cross. If Jesus wasn't going to get aggressive with his agenda perhaps he could sell out and at least get something from all his 'devotion' and effort on Jesus behalf.

30 pieces of silver later, Judas woke up and realized that money would not satisfy him. He threw the blood money away but alas fell backwards in failure. He fell on top of the lie that he could not be restored to Jesus. He forgot that the cross was meant for even the worst sinners.... those who would ultimately deny and betray him. Judas like all of us failed miserably at a crucial point in his life but unlike Peter, Judas fell backwards upon himself instead of in the direction of grace, mercy and forgiveness....forward facing Jesus.

Have you failed? All of us will at one point or another in life will fail miserably. Perhaps right now you have deep regrets because of broken relationships. I urge you to fall forward into the embrace of a God who won't just forgive you... he will restore, use you and ultimately fulfill his purpose for your life.... don't give up. Let his love cover your broken places. He's calling you back to himself...back to relationship....back to your destiny. Don't give up, fail forward.

Jim

Running the Right Pace for Life

2012-01-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

For the last several months I have been preparing and planning to run the First Light Half Marathon in Mobile. When I found out I had a melanoma tumor in my eye needing surgery, I had to cut back my running and adjust my plans. At first I thought I might not run at all. Jeri Stroade, my All Nations Community Church teammate, suggested that I consider 'pacing' her for the second half of the race. Since our church had volunteered to serve at a water stop at the 7.2 mile marker it made it easy for me to consider jumping into the race at that point.

Jeri had never run a half marathon before. She had been training with my son Joshua and our mutual friend Carrie Tucker. Running 13.1 miles is hard work! Knowing how to run the right pace is very difficult. Running, like life, demands we make critical decisions regarding how 'fast' we run and how we balance the demands put upon us by our responsibilities. Life is more like a marathon than a sprint and we need to make good decisions about how we 'run our race'.

In order for me to really be of help in Jeri's half marathon I needed to really listen to her. What was the pace that Jeri wanted to run? How did Jeri want me to encourage her? We all receive and understand encouragement differently. Jeri was very clear and comfortable in telling me how to encourage her. I ran the last half of the marathon beside Jeri listening and watching her carefully for what she needed. Our strides matched almost perfectly. We were marching toward her goal pace with every step and at times I had to restrain myself from trying to run a different pace. To really help someone we often have to let go of our own goals and comfort zone. To march in step.... in unity with others... means leaving behind my own personal agendas, goals and priorities.

I was amazed at how much easier it felt to run in step with Jeri during the race. There seemed to be a synergy as we communicated and ran the race together. In other half marathons I have run, I remember feeling disconnected and mentally discouraged. There was an amazing strength having someone right beside me on the journey to the finish line. You don't have to be running a half marathon to realize the powerful truth of the need for partnership in life. Whatever aspect of life you are challenged by, we all need others to 'run the race' with us to really make a difference in our world. The temptation to run too fast or quit before the finish line faces us all in our dangerous and challenging world. Who are you running the race of life with? Every significant and meaningful achievement in life is born of significant and committed relationships and partnerships. Don't try to run your race alone. Search for people who would love you enough to help you find the pace you can handle. The synergy born of teamwork is found in a commitment to selflessness and the learned skill of listening and hearing those we 'run with' in life.

Are you running the right pace for your life? We discover the answers to those questions in communities of love and faith. We need one another. If you haven't found your community yet, I encourage you to talk to God about it. You were born for love. You were born for relationship. Don't run the race of life alone!

Jim

Finding Satisfaction in Relationships

2012-01-10T05:09:00.000-08:00

To be loved for who you are is the most essential human need. The development and growth of intimacy in our relationships demands maturity and selflessness. It's difficult to find deeply satisfying relationships, but easy to have shallow and frustrating 'friendships'.

Due to our own insecurities and fears we often resort to ineffective and fatal behaviors in our relationships. Perhaps one of the most fatal of all is the manifestation of a controlling spirit. True love inspires, enables and empowers freedom of choice. All true love is rooted and grounded around the ability to move forward and maintain the relationship based on freedom and trust.

When we try to take control of another persons choices in relationship, we ensure the death of any possibility of true intimacy. A spirit of control closes the human spirit and damages the soul. We were not born to be 'controlled' and manipulated....we were born for real love.

The worst form of counterfeit love and intimacy is rooted in a horrific mutation of love known as narcissism.... the pathologic love of self. The narcissist doesn't love the other... he or she seeks to smother...to suffocate....to shape the other into whatever brings the ego the greatest pleasure of the moment. The root cause of a controlling spirit is the worship of self. The controller must be satisfied above all else...above all others. The partner of a controller is a slave of whatever they want: sex, attention, adulation, conversation, money or someone to hurt deeply.

The tragic end of someone dominated by a controlling spirit is the destruction of all their relationships and ultimately themselves. When we don't allow others to be free to love or reject us.... to set up boundaries in relationships based on trust... to that extent we enslave ourselves to faux relationships based on lies and deception.

The more we attempt to squeeze others to conform to what we want....the more we dishonor them. People are made in the image of their creator who describes himself for us with three simple words, "God is love". God's image in us is honored and respected when we allow others to choose in relationship. God's great love doesn't demand a response....it wins a response through proving his love. You can't love someone you don't trust. You can't be intimate with someone who seeks to use you for his or her own selfish desires.

Intimacy demands freedom. Do you seek for deeply satisfying relationships? Begin today to set others free in your life. Stop demanding what you want and start giving who you really are... no strings .... no chains. Real love is both a choice and a gift. You can't demand it...but you can give it and receive it from a God who is true love personified.

Don't Quit!

2012-01-06T05:03:00.000-08:00

Ever feel like quitting? Every significant commitment to succeed in life will at one point or another face the temptation to quit before achieving it's goal. As I look back on my life I can specifically recall moments where part of me wanted to give up and another part of me wanted to hold on.

When I was 14 years old I joined the outdoor track team as a freshman. My father and uncle were both very good runners in school and they had taken me to track meets since my early childhood. I knew I wanted to run but I had no idea how much training and pain were involved! A day or two into the season my legs hurt so badly that I could not walk down the stairwell in our home. I had to go down the steps backward to lessen the excruciating pain in my calf muscles. As I went out the door on my way to school I informed my dad that I would quit the track team that day. My dad had a very serious look on his face as he gave me this advice, "If you quit now you might regret it the rest of your life. The pain is temporary. Hang in there and you'll make it through." The pain spoke very loudly but my father's words rang true. I didn't quit and went on to run all 4 years of high school and developed a life long love of running that continues to this day. What if I would have quit?

When I was 17 years old and fresh out of high school I signed up to join the United States Air- force. At several points during my 4 year commitment I wanted to quit. But the Air-force doesn't just let you quit. I learned through the discipline of the military a lot more about commitment and working through very hard times. After 3 years in the Air-force, I surrendered my life to the gospel of Jesus Christ. What if I had tried to quit the military before that time? I would have lost the opportunity to experience the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ meeting all my needs during some very dark days.

When I was 34 years of age I was living in Taxila, Pakistan seeking to gain 'hands on' experience working at an eye hospital. Prior to opening the eye hospital in Gilgit, we needed experience and advice from people in Taxila who had been operating their eye hospital for decades. Our experience turned out to be less than ideal and we were not treated well by some of the staff there in Taxila. During one long dark night of doubt I had tossed and turned unable to sleep. I woke up Mary in the middle of the night and told her I thought we should quit in our efforts to continue to establish the hospital. Mary challenged me to really pray and surrender to God. I needed to face my doubts and surrender afresh to God's strength. I needed to hold onto faith and not surrender to fear and doubt. Over time I have continued to have to face down the overwhelming desire to quit many times and in many places in life.

What are some keys to overcoming this spirit of quit? First we need to recognize that as human beings our soul is prone to both emotional highs and lows. There are times when we feel like we can do anything and often at the beginning of a major challenge we are 'high as a kite'. But those times of emotional exuberance and excitement do not last forever. There are also times when we feel like we can do nothing! The key in dealing with our emotions is to recognize them but not necessarily surrender to them. There are many reasons why our emotions swing so much.... some of them are physical (lack of sleep, poor health, mental illness etc...) We should not ignore how we feel. We need to own our emotions but not be enslaved by them.

When we are feeling overwhelmed by our commitments we need to recognize that God calls us to himself in relationship as a way to share our burdens with him. Jesus said this, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28) When you surrender your commitments to God in prayer, you enable a supernatural strength to be activated in your life. The temptation to quit doesn't evaporate but there is a new found internal strength available to those who simply ask for it in faith.

Along with the unique important empowerment of strength we can receive from God, there is also tremendous help available from people who love us and are called to help us in life. We need help in the journey of life from others who can help us refute the temptation to quit before we achieve our destiny.
Hebrews chapter 12 offers us some sage advice about the importance of faith and endurance in achievement. In verse 1 we read, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Our modern society is shaped by the message that more is better and now is the time. The concept of waiting for fulfillment and enduring suffering to yield a higher call is not something we are comfortable with. We want it all and we want it now! However, the culture of the kingdom of God calls for the surrender of the temporary to obtain the forever. If we are to overcome the spirit of quit we must recognize that the truly valuable things in life are never truly easily obtained. The next time you face the temptation to quit think hard and long before doing so. You might miss what you really want in the temptation to escape temporary pain. Before we arrive at our God ordained destiny you can be assured you must overcome the temptation to quit. You need God's help. You need the help of committed friends. You need to understand that pain and discomfort are part of the cost of getting to where you really want to go. Count the cost and move in the direction of your destiny! Don't quit.

Jim

Pray it Anyway

2012-01-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

Had an encouraging time of prayer with the Liberty Church family in Pensacola last night (www.libertychurch.net). We spent about an hour praying about various aspects of our lives. Before we began to pray Pastor Buford Lipscomb encouraged us from Daniel chapter 10 to persist in prayer even when it seems like nothing is happening. To talk to God about our problems takes faith. We can't see God .... and often we feel as if we're not being heard. The reality of our human condition is we often pray with more sincerity and fervency when we are in crisis. And when we are in crisis we would prefer our requests be handled on a 'priority' basis. But God's sense of timing is not necessarily ours. There are many factors that have to come into play for us to get our prayers answered.

Daniel was a prophet of God. Daniel had every reason to expect that God would hear him and take his prayers seriously. But there is an unseen realm of spiritual reality that impacts our prayers. God is not deaf and he's not too busy to attend to your deepest heart needs. Listen in to an amazing vision and angelic encounter that Daniel had in response to his prayers and fasting.
"I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. So I was left alone and saw the great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. Then I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.

And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you." And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days."

Daniel was seeking answers from God about what was happening in his world... and what was going to happen to the people he was called to serve and love. God heard Daniel.... from the first day he prayed, God began the process of answering...but there was a delay. There is a spiritual battle going on in our world and our faith needs both endurance and patience to gain the victory in this life. The things that you pray about aren't always answered in the way that you desire... and when you desire them, but God hears your words..... he hears your heart and is at work doing what is best for you and for the world that you live in.

Are you frustrated and discouraged? Have you stopped praying? Have you stopped hoping? Be assured that God hears you.... that he loves you and that he will do the right thing in response to your crying out to him. That prayer you've almost given up on saying..... pray it anyway. And watch God do the right thing, at the right time, for you and those you love.

Jim

Preparing for the Tests of Life

2012-01-03T16:15:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had the feeling that something very difficult was coming your way? There is this unusual sense of anxiety and uncertainty that is pressing in on your soul. You don't know what it is.... you can't say for sure what is happening but you just know you are about to be tested in a very deep and profound way.

Is there a way we can be prepared for the trials, tragedies and temptations of real life? I live next door to the University of South Alabama. The students who excel live disciplined lives of study and activity based on their desire to succeed. They find the balance between work, relationships and academics. Put simply, they are prepared. However, the tests of the 'real world' are often less obvious and don't always come with warning signs like "Warning! Major Test ahead, GET READY!" Most of our warning systems are internal and too easy for the faithless soul to ignore or downplay as insignificant.

In the gospel of Luke chapter 22 we have amazing insight from Jesus of how to prepare for life's greatest trials and difficulties. Jesus had developed the discipline of prayer. He took time to open up to the Father about what was going on in his mind and heart. Let's take a look at the 'heart preparation' that takes place in communion with God. (Luke 22:39.....) "And he came out and went, as was his custom to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

Jesus was about to face the gravest test of his earthly life. Within minutes he would face the test of betrayal of one of his closest friends. Shortly thereafter he would face the test of rejection and abandonment of another of his closest friends. Inside of his soul everything was screaming to quit.... to abandon his life's purpose. Any resemblance of inner strength was literally draining out of his body. He had no recourse other than to connect with his Father in heaven in prayer. God was near and answered in a miraculous way.... sending an angel to deliver special strength to endure the trial of body, soul and spirit. His example is our guide to how we too must endure life's battles.

Sadly, those closest to Jesus ( us included) often miss the call to prayerful dependence on our Father. As Jesus ended his prayer, we see the disciples failure, "And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."

I don't know about you, but I've been there......overcome by worry, fear, sadness and depression. I just want to sleep.... turn out the lights and pretend that what I'm facing will just go away. Trials don't disappear because we want them to. Trials often linger and haunt us....unless and until we get down on our knees and into the place of surrendered prayer to a God who loves us enough to hear our sincere and honest conversation.... "the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results."

You are either in a trial, headed towards one, or just coming out of one. The wise person prepares for the tests of life.... and draws near in prayer to a God whose presence is more than enough to take us through and bring us to a place of deep love, hope and trust in him. Are you prepared?

Jim

Insecurity

2012-01-02T16:32:00.000-08:00

Insecurity Keeps us in a prison of our own making.

An insecure person is one of the most dangerous people on the planet...to themselves and to anyone around them. That is a bold statement to begin a brief note about the topic of insecurity. What does it mean to be insecure? An insecure person is someone who is not confident or sure....uncertain....not firmly rooted, fastened or fixed. Insecurity flows out of identity confusion. When you don't know who you really are as a person, it's impossible to feel secure in oneself. Symptoms of insecurity include fear, anxiety, jealousy and envy.

An insecure person is someone who spends tremendous effort in hiding who they really are. They tend to spend money and time looking and acting like others in their peer group. There is a a tendency to focus on appearances and not on deeper issues of character and commitment. Emotionally and relationally, insecurity breeds a tendency toward holding on to what should be released or rejected. An insecure person ironically has great difficulty in receiving affirmation, forgiveness and acceptance.

When insecurity steers your soul, collisions and conflict are inevitable. Insecure people tend to have revolving door relationships and friendships. When you don't like who you are, you inevitably don't believe that others are capable of liking you either. This leads to the development of relational schizophrenia. You become adept at developing multiple personalities that you 'wear' depending upon who you are with at the moment. Conflict in relationships for the insecure is inevitable because all relationships demand some level of honesty and transparency. When people begin to unravel your masks, you react and strike back out of your your own inherent anxiety and fears. The result is the tendency to withdrawl and abandon... and start the same unhealthy cycle all over again. A lot of people know your name... but no one really knows you. Insecure people are deeply lonely and isolated no matter how busy their social calendar. Since insecure people are seeking for acceptance and love using artificial and ineffective methods, they frequently act out to reduce their inner pain. The acting out can involve sexual promiscuity, abuse of drugs or alcohol or physical and emotional abuse. An insecure person feels a lack of control over their lives. They can't stand being alone, but because of self deception and the wearing of masks they always feel alone. No one really know a truly insecure person.

What is the way out of relational prison for an insecure person? The foundational principle in all of life's inner healing is this: God cannot fix something that we deny is broken. The first step to healing is always to admit and reveal our broken places. Jesus profoundly tells us of a progressive healing of the soul that comes when we apply truth to our lives, "You shall know the truth... and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32) God wants to transform us into who we really were born to be. He does this by changing the way we think about ourselves. "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. (Romans 12:2)

People get lost physically because they don't know where they are. People get lost spiritually because they don't know who they are. God's word provides the answer regarding our identity issues to all who will be humble enough to ask, seek and knock.

You were born to be loved.You have to know who you are before you know what to do. In an atmosphere of of love, acceptance and forgiveness we become who God created us to be. Insecurity dissipates over time when we know we're loved for who we really are. We can lay aside the masks and self deception and for the first time experience the power and pure joy of relational intimacy. You can be healed of insecurity..... you must be healed. Let's walk into the light of God's love, acceptance and forgiveness together....welcome home...welcome to love.

Jim

Resolving to Change

2012-01-02T06:37:00.000-08:00

Watching and waiting
I whisper your name
Striving and straining to somehow bring change

The changes I'm needing, won't come from within
I'm needing your Spirit to rattle my cage
Shaken and broken, I'm ready to yield
My first and my last prayer is simple and plain

I need transformation, I need a new life
Please come Lord inside me and bring heaven's rain.
I'm breathing you in now, I'm feeling the burn
The old and the broken, are leaving the room

Resolving to change hasn't helped me at all
The new things I'm needing aren't made on this earth
But your life has come and made everything new
Jesus your power has created the hope

Breathing you in Lord, I'm alive deep inside
I'm ceasing to strive and beginning to live
Worship is real now, I see you who you are
You're my everlasting, My Father, My Lord

Jim

The Grace of Forgetting

2011-12-29T06:32:00.000-08:00

The Grace of Forgetting

As we prepare to begin a new year one of the possible obstacles in receiving the new things God has prepared for our lives are our own unhealed memories. For most aspects of our lives, our ability to remember is a vital skill so necessary for success. But there are times when the things we remember and how we interpret them can paralyze us and hinder our growth and progress. Today I would like to look at the scriptures and how they instruct us about what I would like to call the 'grace of forgetting'.

It doesn't take long for us to accumulate experiences, relationships and failures that we would like to forget. But often those mental images we would like to erase stick to our souls and cause us to despair and lose hope for our lives. We need something beyond ourselves to move forward from our places of hurt and disappointment. We need the grace of forgetting.

A Transformed Mind

I am not saying we need a spiritual 'lobotomy' or the complete removal of our memories. What I am talking about involves something deeper and more profound than a physical reality. When grace is at work in our minds it involves both transformation and translation of our memories into a kingdom perspective where God can rule over our pain and brokenness. "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is." (Romans 12:2)

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah spoke to the nation of Israel about not losing hope for the future. They were living in a foreign land and had lost the ability to hope for the promises God had given them. God had to lay out the hope of the future for them again and it began with a command to forget! In Isaiah 43:18, "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise."

Letting go of Painful memories

We often don't want to yield and surrender our painful memories to God. Soul pain is rooted deep and nourished by our repetitive remembering of what others have done to us.... what we have done to ourselves. We build altars over our injuries and participate in the false worship of our pain. God through the prophet Isaiah clearly calls us to forget the former things.... the old things of our past. We are being called to welcome and discern the new thing that God is actively wanting to bring into our lives. The question needs to be asked, 'do we perceive it'? The ability to discern what God might want to do in our lives is hindered by the inability to open our minds beyond what 'has been' to 'what will be'. There is a difference between tolerating evil and harm to ourselves and wallowing in the memory of what has been done to us. The grace of forgetting does not enable or discount the evil that has been done to you or through you. When we receive the grace of forgetting we are looking beyond ourselves into the throne room of heaven and saying to God, "I need your grace to go on!" I need you to breathe into me the hope and truth of your promises for my future life. I can't go on without hope! Soul pain runs very deep into our minds and emotions. Only God can make a way in the 'wilderness' and 'desert' of our souls. When he pours out a 'fresh word' of hope into our minds and hearts it's like a river bursting forth in the driest desert. My prayer for all of us as we enter 2012 is that we will enter the new year with an openness to the new thing God wants to do in all our lives. I want all of us to be empowered with the supernatural grace of forgetting.

Leaning into the Future with Grace

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul who had once been a religious terrorist and prideful bigot knew the grace of forgetting. While in the natural he had so much to 'brag about' in his own religious and cultural heritage and past he made a willful and wise decision to firmly leave his past behind. In Philippians chapter 3: 13 we read, "But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." The grace of forgetting is meant to take us deeper than we have ever gone in a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is so much 'impossibility' wrapped around the unforgiveness deeply embedded in our souls. Often the hardest person to forgive is ourselves.... and those closest to us... who have the ability to get close enough to hurt us so deeply.

A New Year and a New Opportunity

Every new year, opportunity, relationship and life direction demands both a 'letting go' of the past and an openness to the new. God wants to soften you on the inside. He wants your soul to be tender enough that he can take his finger and write upon your heart a new chapter... a chapter of hope, restoration and healing. The things that have been stolen need to be replaced.... the things that have been lost need to be found. Are you willing to receive the grace of forgetting? There is a very real and costly choice involved. You will have to be open and trusting to an unknown future. You will have to believe again. You will have to nurture and develop your relationship with the God of grace and love. You will have to let go of cynicism and a critical spirit. But it's worth it to have that fresh water of life flowing over your soul. As the new year dawns, its time to open your life to that cleansing stream of life that flows from the river of God's love. Welcome 2012 with hope and expectancy! God has good things in store for us all. Let the dreams inside of you out into the open. Dreamers believe and believers dream!

Jim

Soul Satisfaction: Intimacy with God

2011-12-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

What we seek for in a relationship can determine it's depth and intimacy. There is real danger in our seeking to know God that our search for more facts and information leads to a false sense of 'knowing' God. We can know many facts about someone without really knowing them. Some aspects of knowledge are limited to the 'public domain' but intimacy implies that the real essence of a person is shared in the context of commitment and trust.
You can know facts about God but not be on 'speaking terms'. Many attend religious ceremonies, say prayers and do various religious acts without ever hearing God speak to them in a personal way. Intimacy at its root is an inner knowing of one another to the point of total satisfaction. When you really know God in the place of intimate friendship, there is an inner satisfaction and fullness that keeps one safe from other false lovers. You aren't tempted toward spiritual adultery once you have tasted the all sufficiency of the perfect Lover, Savior, Friend and Lord.
Are you satisfied in your soul? Do you find yourself falling prey to sensual temptations? Perhaps its because your soul has not fed sufficiently on the greatest lover of every soul, Jesus Christ.
Our prayers, our reading of scripture, our service on behalf of God when separated from the gracious call to sit at the feet of the loving Savior lead to dissatisfaction, frustration and confusion. We must first rest in his presence before we can act on his behalf. There is a progression in our relationship with God that can never be violated. First, we sit in his presence and marvel at his finished work of salvation. Then in the light of his risen SON we walk hand in hand with him and live the life he has given. Finally, in the shadow of his presence we stand and do battle against evil in our world.
The minute I stop embracing God is the minute I begin to lose the essence of life itself. Apart from him... his love, his word, his ongoing grace and care... I die.... slowly, inexorably, my life is totally dependent on Jesus Christ... the way, the truth, the life.... and the love of my life.

Jim

Belonging and Believing

2011-12-28T08:37:00.000-08:00

The first call from God is not to a system of belief or to a religious organization. The first call from God is always to himself. Belief is meant to flow out of divine love and relationship and not the logic or systematic flow of depersonalized truth. Truth in its purest form is always personal and deeply embedded in the personhood of God himself. Jesus said it this way, "I am the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6)
Allow me to share some scripture to help you understand my thinking on this subject. From Mark's gospel chapter 1 and verses 14-17, "After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the good news of God 'The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near, Repent and believe in the good news! As he was passing along the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, Simon's brother. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen.
'Follow ME," Jesus told them, 'and I will make you fish for people!" Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Going on a little farther, He saw James, the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in their boat mending their nets. Immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him."
The kingdom of God's primary work is the calling of men and women to the King's service. A life of intimacy, satisfaction and deep meaning... and challenge. Following the King's call to establish something that will last forever! Nothing else will ever totally satisfy the man or woman who has by the Spirit heard the voice of Jesus calling him or her to "Come and follow me.!"
God's call to himself is a call to relationship.
God's call to himself is to a life of service and worship.
God's call to himself involves a transformation of relationships and priorities.
In the security of intimacy and belonging to God all other relationships and commitments find their proper place and order.
Another place of belonging: The call to covenant relationship with other Christ followers.
1 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 1, "Follow me as I follow Christ." Other translations render this verse as "Imitate me as I imitate Christ" and "Pattern yourself after me, as I imitate and follow Christ."
Because of our own insecurities we often don't call people to follow Christ in us as Paul did...but there is no 'Plan B' to Christian disciple making. When you substitute anything in place of the biblical pattern you're no longer building the kingdom of God. Many more people are being called to 'church' or a religious experience or institution than they are to a life changing encounter with the living Christ.
Jesus Christ cannot be reduced to a program or a sermon outline. His life must be demonstrated in real relationships and life experiences and not held hostage to the 'safe' confines of church auditoriums or Sunday school classrooms. It's time we let God out of the 'boxes' made by human hands.
Jesus command to "Come follow me" is still echoing outward into our present day world. Even as you read this blog if you listen for the voice of God's Spirit you can hear him calling you to himself in relationship! What will be your answer to the Lord? Are you willing to leave the security of your own 'nets' and 'families' to simply follow him wherever he may lead?
The massive changes which are coming into our world in the coming years will either destroy us or drive us deeper into the realities of a Kingdom which cannot be shaken or destroyed. The voice of our loving, holy and sovereign King is calling us to himself. Jesus knows exactly who we are and still he welcomes us to belong to him and to use us in his grand plans of calling others to believe and belong.
Today, even as you read this, the Lord 'sees you' in a deep and intimate way. He knows exactly where you are in every sense of your being: body, soul and spirit. His word to you today is a radical and liberating call to himself...not to resolve to be a 'better person' in your own power and strength....but to surrender to the love that will change you from the inside out.
It's love that liberates, changes and transforms. Jesus first and last call is always to himself. Come and follow Jesus as I follow him. Together in a community of belonging and believing, real life truly begins!
Jim

Preparing for 2012

2011-12-27T06:28:00.000-08:00

One of the constants in modern life is change. The rapid pace of change in every dimension of life causes stress and anxiety for many people. Change is often viewed as an enemy in life. When we resist change and avoid it, we only postpone the inevitable. Change waits for no one because it is a harbinger and guide into the future. Change is not an enemy, its a friend, calling you into the future.

When we resist change we ignore the spiritual realities of life. At the center of the universe is a spiritual being.... God. God has created not a static universe but an ever expanding reality. You can't bottle up time...it marches on and only those who embrace change are in step with where history is taking us. When we ignore spiritual reality and don't relate to our creator in relationship, we get disconnected from both who he is and where he is taking us.

People with a real and dynamic faith should not only embrace change.... we need to anticipate it and plan for it. Learning to adapt and embrace change becomes easier when we know both the plan and person of God. Yes, God has a plan and history is not meant to be a random series of events. God tells us plainly in Romans 8: 28, 29, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."

There is a purpose and more importantly a divine person behind the events of history and in our present day reality. When you are in relationship with God by the Holy Spirit you can hear a voice and discern a presence to the change that comes into your world daily. You are not meant to have a sacred/secular division in your life. Everything and everyone that comes into a believers life has significance from God's point of view. The last thing we need to be doing as people of faith is hiding in Bible studies or church ghettoes from the realities of every day life. Truth not juxtaposed into the middle of everyday challenges quickly devolves into fantasy and myth. The world is waiting for men and women of real faith who walk with God in the midst of rapid and seemingly unpredictable change.

God wants to breathe into you and me an expectation and an excitement about the change that is upon us. When your faith is a real and vibrant trust in a living God, you are not a victim of circumstance or change. You are an active participant in God's plan for your life. When you get your direction and guidance from the author and finisher of life's great reality, you can have confidence and faith in the future instead of fear and hopelessness.

Remember, change is not your enemy, it's the voice of a friend.... your God and creator, calling you into a future prepared for you before the foundation of the world!

Jim

Searching for Inspiration in 2012

2011-12-26T07:57:00.000-08:00

Inspiration is a word whose root meaning flows out of the physiology of the body. Inspiration at its root means to "breathe". To take in oxygen by inspiration and to remove carbon dioxide (the waste products) by expiration enables physical life to go on. Without a fresh supply of oxygen you will die within minutes.
Life is dependent on an ongoing intake of "new" air both to energize and supply the body but also to remove that which is no longer alive.... The new thing DEMANDS the removal of the old. If we hold onto Carbon Dioxide too long we will also die.
As it is in the physical realm so it is in the spiritual realm. Our financial provision flows out of an exchange in time and energy... When what we do brings added value to the world in which we live we are compensated/rewarded for that exchange. When the world changes suddenly and what we do no longer adds value, the compensation either diminishes or is eliminated. This is how the world works. When we fight against this we are wasting time. The world rewards a fresh supply of life and responds accordingly. When we live in the past we can count on diminished returns and lack. God allows us to hunger and thirst and even suffer to some extent so that we will embrace the new things he is trying to do in the earth. Let's reflect on the powerful word from the prophet Isaiah 43:18 and beyond, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. ....".
When we hold onto last year's provision, profession, idea or memory we deny God the opportunity to provide for us with fresh creativity and inspiration and we ensure our personal lives, families and communities will become a wasteland. God wants to restore, refresh and bring life to barren souls and communities but first we have to take a risk... open our hands and grasp the new things from God. Turmoil breeds distrust and paralysis. Risk apart from knowledge of God's will is futile and foolish. But when we cry out to God and he "impresses" our hearts and minds with a vision and plan we MUST MOVE with him into his future... the only secure place on the planet. Are you willing to move with me as I follow God? God wants to inspire your heart and mind in the coming new year of 2012. Open your heart and let him breathe fresh air into your soul!
Jim

Learning to Embrace Weakness

2011-12-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

While the world teaches us to boast about our strengths and hide our weakness, the kingdom of God teaches us to be humble about our strengths and transparent about our weaknesses. Following Jesus Christ involves such an intimate relationship of honesty and dependence that we can rest and relax in openness. It takes a lot of energy to be 'always on' in terms of creating and maintaining masks and images. We want to be seen in the best light but often create our own false idolatry of image.

We are more than the sum of our talents and gifts. The fact is that we all suffer from some measure of weakness and brokenness. Scripture teaches us that we are all guilty of imperfection and failure to some degree. We need a Savior..... and we need one another. When we aren't honest about our failings, weaknesses and needs, no one gets healed.... and we continue to suffer lack in key areas in our lives. Healing and growth flow out of relationship.... with God and with one another. When we don't reveal who we really are, we all suffer.

An early leader in the church (Paul) had a series of amazing miracles and visions take place in his life. Despite these experiences, others who knew him rejected him and challenged his leadership and authority. Instead of bragging and boasting about his qualifications, Paul learned some foundational truths about where real strength lies. In 2 Corinthians 12, he makes some amazing statements about the power of surrendered weakness. Paul has an ongoing weakness in his life that he seeks God to deliver him from. Three times he begs God for deliverance. God's responds with a profound revelation of truth, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness."

Pride is the great grace killer. When we gaze too long in the mirror of our gifts and abilities we lose perspective on what life is all about. The world does not revolve around us! Self worship and self centered lifestyles ultimately end in dissatisfaction. We need a vital and real relationship with God. Pride and arrogance burn the bridge of dependence we need in relating to him.

Real lasting strength for life flows out of relating to Jesus Christ and his power. Paul boldly states,"So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me......for when I am weak, then I am strong."

Traveling the road of humility is not an easy path. The world will mock, persecute and ridicule the humble pilgrim. The road that leads heavenward is narrow and often misunderstood. The surrender of self glory and a focus on God's glory is the mark of a true follower of Jesus. The power of weakness is a transfer of your own limited and futile strength for the resources of the creator of the universe..... and the Savior of a broken world. His power is perfected in weakness...it's time to get real..... to be open.....and to live a transformed and powerful life, for his glory.

Let the weak say, I am strong....in him.

Jim

Preparing for the Dream

2011-12-23T08:31:00.000-08:00

Dreams offer us an opportunity. They give us a picture of what could be.... what might be....what should be for our future. But dreams offer no guarantees. Dreams offer a doorway for the man or woman to respond to either in faith or in disbelief. Dreams are a call to relationship and partnership with the grand originator... our creator God. But relationship to God is not passive and it involves a give and take of communication and responsiveness. When we initially receive the inspiration of a 'life dream' or calling, we need to follow up with the discipline of preparation, training and the changes that our dream calls for us to make. Athletes get this. I was raised in a family of runners. My father was a sprinter. My uncle was a long distance runner and professional coach. My uncle would get up early in the morning and run 10 or 15 miles on a daily basis well into his 50's. Even into my teen years I could not defeat my father in a sprint race. There was always an expectation that I would be a runner like them. One year I went out for the cross country team in high school. I had run sprints the previous year in high school (my freshmen year) and had done pretty well. Cross Country season is in the fall. I had not done much training in the summer and when I went to the first few practices I was exhausted and quit the team. The following year I spent the entire summer running twice a day workouts. I had a deep desire born of initial failure to succeed. My senior year of high school I won an award for the 'most dedicated' runner given by the team to the hardest working athlete. I wanted the dream of being a runner to be mine... but I learned the lesson of preparation and training. Many talented people depend solely on their talent to take them to places of prominence and success in their dreams. But talent alone will often only project us forward to the first phase of our dreams. I have often heard it said that talent cannot take you where your character won't keep you. You see talented people can fail in very dramatic and painful ways. You are more than the sum of your talents. Your identity goes far beyond what you are good at! You are a human being...made in the image of God...born to know God and born to love him in a real and vital relationship. When you ignore that divine and eternal reality you are setting yourself up for disappointment and real and lasting failure.
Are you preparing yourself for lasting success or temporary success? Awards, records, personal victories are important but short in significance and satisfaction. What are you preparing for? What are you disciplining yourself for? How are you defining yourself? How would you define success? Ultimately, why are you on this planet?
The content of your dreams and your ability to discipline yourself to achieve those dreams is deeply connected to your spiritual beliefs. So many 'successful' people are ultimately unable to enjoy their achievements because they choose shallow goals and selfish means to accomplish them. Every achievement and dream demands great sacrifices of time and the surrender of some aspect of choice in life.
To be a follower of Christ is an amazing life of blessing and satisfaction...but it is also a life of surrender and obedience to a real and personal God. Jesus described the ultimate priority for those who would follow him, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." When you achieve things apart from being rightly related to God, there will always be an empty place in your soul. Dreams are great but they are not meant to achieved in isolation or apart from loving relationship with God... and with the people that he has put into your life. When our relationships falter, achievements mean little. We should be asking ourselves some big questions all along the journey toward achieving our dreams. Why am I doing this? What will happen to me If I achieve this dream? How will this impact my relationships? Who will get the glory if I achieve this? How will this impact my soul? I encourage you to 'go for your goals' but to also be thoughtful and count the cost before you set out on life's journey of faith and adventure. Remember what Jesus said about achievement, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Dream...prepare for your dream. But remember dreams are not meant to separate you from your Creator...they are meant to draw you nearer to him than you've ever been. Dreamers believe.... and believers dream. It's all about relationship.

Jim

Our Dream: Jim & Mary

2011-12-21T17:42:00.000-08:00

As a child growing up I never wanted to be known as a 'dreamer'. I wanted to be known as someone responsible. Someone who made correct decisions with little risk. I wanted to live my life in the 'sure thing' realm. Get a decent job. Make average or better money. Live somewhere in the middle of 'middle America'. When I heard the word dreamer it conjured up images of irresponsibility. So at the age of 17 with no money for education, I did the responsible thing and joined the military. I would work hard, stay out of trouble, and save money for my education. And about 3 years into my sojourn of responsibility, my world became undone. I found myself in trouble on the inside. I had achieved a measure of success in the military.... graduating with honors in their medical laboratory training schools. I worked hard.... and saved every dime I could. I wanted to be safe. But the safety of a savings account did nothing for my soul. I was flat out empty and going into a danger zone emotionally and spiritually. I needed something more than a respectful safe place. I needed love.

On August 2nd, 1980 I prayed a prayer that lasted no more than 5 seconds. I cried out to God on the gym floor of a Baptist church for help. I can't recall the words of my prayer but they were probably nothing more than, "Help, I am screwed up!" Help came. My life has been an ongoing relationship with God who continually challenges me to walk with him to places I would never go alone. By nature I want to hide.... hide from people, hide from danger, hide from myself. But God.... is love... and he won't let me alone!

Over the last several years I have been dreaming backward.... let me explain. My fears of becoming known as a 'dreamer' stem from observing that many dreamers never seem to amount to anything at all. Their dreams are fanciful, naive and frankly often crazy. But when you walk with God (and this sounds...excuse me...dreamer like) and he speaks to you through scripture it can define your life and change everything. I was reading in the final book of the bible known as Revelation. (Warning.... don't read this book at home alone...it could permanently alter the course of your life) I was specifically reading Revelation chapter 5 and verses 8-10. It describes a magnificent and hard to comprehend scene from heaven. Jesus is at the center of the picture, "When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and four gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals; and you redeemed people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth."

This vision of the future in heaven has defined my reality.... and my dreams for the last 15 years. While praying in December, 1997 in Gilgit, Pakistan, God spoke to me two words, "International Students". I spent the next several months praying what those two seemingly disconnected words meant to me and my life. Previously I had told God while I enjoyed living and working in Pakistan I wanted to if possible to serve among people "all over the world". Long story short I wound up in Mobile , Alabama where for nearly 13 years I have served the international students at the University of South Alabama. Since the summer of 2009 I have also been developing along with a team of friends an international church known as "All Nations Community Church". I have become a 'dreamer'. But unlike most dreams I am dreaming backwards. God has revealed the future to me.... well in fact to all of us... who choose to believe it. He has shown me the future and I want all of my decisions, plans, priorities and purposes to be defined by that future reality which I see by faith.

I am building a house of love that goes beyond ethnic boundaries to cooperate with a future God has promised us all. I am living among a community of people defined by gratitude and worship of a God of love. We are wrapped together in a garment of many colors.... a rainbow of grace. I am no longer able to be that middle of the road man who won't take any risks. I have been transformed by a God who heard my cries for help three decades ago and will never be the same. Where he goes I go.... what he says I say. I'm dreaming backwards.... into a future....filled with love.

Jim

When Dreams Delay

2011-12-20T08:03:00.000-08:00

Dreams are a vital part of connecting the 'what is' with the what 'will be' in our future. Our interior being was meant to actively engage and interact with our dream world. A man or woman with an active faith life will not easily dismiss the power and purpose of dreams in their lives. God uses dreams to paint broad brush strokes of hope onto our souls. They can act as a catalyst or ignition device to move and act in a specific direction or purpose requiring both discipline and risk taking. A dreamless life is a faithless life. A dreamless life is a symptom of a soul that has lost its ability or even desire to be fully human.
Perhaps you have found yourself struggling to pursue your past dreams. Maybe it's been a very long time since you've thought about an earlier time in your life when so many possibilities ran rapidly through your heart and mind. Perhaps somewhere along the way you were beaten down by some mistakes or failures in your life. Someone might have told you that dreamers are irresponsible and that you needed to get a 'responsible' plan together and forget about the deepest desires in your heart.
The challenge for many of us who receive a very real dream and vision for our lives is not its validity or possibility. The biggest challenge for dreamers is that there is a 'time between' what we see with our souls and what we see with our eyes. Dreams are really 'faith vision'. Dreams enable us to see the future before it happens. They are real....they are substance and yet they are 'not yet'. The Bible is largely an unveiling of God's will and purposes into the earth....dreams being released into the heart and minds of people willing to walk by faith into the future planned in advance. The grand adventure of all our lives is so magnificent that when we stop imagining, stop dreaming....we cease to really live as we were meant to. There in the land of the 'time between' we often falter and lose hope about our dreams ever coming to pass. We stop hoping, stop believing, stop dreaming....and slowly and painfully begin to die on the inside.
In my own life I've had to learn that just because my dreams are delayed does not mean that they are in anyway denied or invalid. There is a purpose and a plan even in the delays to physically seeing a spiritual dream become a reality. One of my early life dreams was to live and work in Asia as a medical missionary. In 1989 I began talking with an Ophthalmologist in England about preparing to help establish an eye hospital in Pakistan. What began as broad brush strokes of purpose and mission over time became a finely detailed painting of faith enmeshed in my soul. I believed in it long before I saw it in reality. All along the journey there were specific points of testing and trial that threatened to undue the faith vision I so desired to live. Many times I thought of quitting and giving up on the dream. Every great dream requires a corresponding great faith to accomplish it. Great faith is not born out of ease and comfort. Great faith is born out of adversity, resistance, testing and trial. When I initially was exploring going to work in Pakistan as an eye nurse, I was an officer in the United States Navy Nurse Corps. I had served in the military for seven years and was making a 'good living'. I had wanted to perhaps do work overseas while still keeping my good job and career....security. But God clearly and dramatically (I'll tell the full story later) told me I needed to resign from the military and serve him full time. I left the U.S. Navy in the fall of 1990 after completing my term of service. I then worked in hospitals in Pensacola as an ICU staff nurse. I was supposed to be 'raising support' to enable me to serve as a missionary overseas. In other words I needed to somehow convince people and perhaps churches to pledge monthly financial support to enable me to work and establish the hospital in Pakistan. I honestly had no idea how to do this and faltered for many months. One day I received a call from our mission agency director on the phone. The call was brief, frank and discouraging, "Jim, I think you are not going to make it as a missionary. You have not raised support. You might want to give up and move on." I hung up the phone. I told my Mary what my director had said and then I fell onto the couch in our living room in despair. I went into a deep sleep and had a dream that I will never forget. In the dream I was standing by a rail road track with a slow moving train going by. I was watching the cars go by and noticed that there were loads of fresh fruit on the insides of the box cars. I felt like I wanted to get onto the cars... I wanted to get on board...but I felt a strange and dark presence lurking nearby resisting me...not allowing me to get onto the train. I felt this huge inner struggle going on and then I woke up in a full sweat on the couch. I woke up and then I understood some things about my future and my dreams. I understood that there is a battle for our future... for our dreams and that I must be willing to fight for my dreams... in prayer and in faith. A turning point erupted inside of me that day. I began to believe in my dreams at a deeper level and also began to understand more fully the cost of those dreams. The cost of pushing through... the cost of resisting discouragement....the cost of believing when others disbelieve. There will still more delays to encounter but all of them were not meant to deny the God born future I desired.... no they were meant to do a deeper work in me... shaping my character, preparing relationships, forging partnerships and softening hearts. You see, our dreams are not isolated from a much bigger reality we all need to embrace. God is big....and we are small. When we look up at the sky and see the immense beauty of a star lit night it should humble us and also encourage us. Each star has its purpose...its place and its light in the sky. It got there on purpose and its destiny is assured. It will burn and it will enlighten exactly that portion of sky it was created to. So it is with you and me. Today, I encourage you to begin dreaming.... or dream again. The dreams for your life might be delayed but in God and by faith they will come to pass. Don't lose hope for your dreams connect you with a loving God and a beautiful humanity waiting on the dreamers who won't quit before the night ends.

Jim

Infidelity and Betrayal

2011-12-19T06:37:00.000-08:00

For some reason in American life this has been the year of the 'affair' in married public life. One after another we see a man standing before cameras announcing his sexual sin in front of a cynical and sickened public. Typically, it's a male 40 or over who in spite of professional 'success' just threw his family life in the trash can. Just what form of stupidity causes a man (or woman) to throw their family life under the proverbial bus? The seduction of sexual infidelity is a powerful lie that appeals to our own pride and ego like nothing else. All sin flows out of the lie that we deserve something better than what we already have. To not "take" that something would leave us feeling dissatisfied.
When we leave our commitments to faithfulness and respect for marriage vows behind something inside of us dies. To betray our husbands or wives has a domino effect on children, parents, friends and society that leaves us all less whole. We would do well to remember the Proverb that tells us, "Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished."
The cost of pursuing sexual pleasure outside of God's boundaries is injury and death to the soul. The real you lies inside and the scars of betrayal impact both the guilty and the innocent. Only God can forgive and heal the broken heart. When we don't allow for that healing and even pursue it, we guarantee more injury, destruction and death. What we seek in adultery, pornography and other sexual sin is often a much deeper need that momentary pleasure can never satisfy. To be whole and healed of the emptiness in our hearts is a gift of grace and love that only God can satisfy. When we can't control our appetites, the answer lies outside of having more of what we crave.
We are all capable of infidelity and betrayal. We are human and thus imperfect sinners in need of a Savior. But today we can make a choice to let God heal the broken places in our lives. Today let's examine our hearts and our steps to see in which direction we are walking..... toward sin which would destroy or toward faithfulness which heals and preserves.

Jim

Finding Intimacy in a Lonely World

2011-12-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

It's funny how the things we need the most in life are almost always the most difficult to obtain. Of all the most needy places to be; its the souls need for meaningful relationships that creates the most trials and confusion along life's journey. I am the least likely person to address the topic of intimacy in relationships as my own journey in relationships was extremely stunted and immature until I was challenged in nursing school to do something about it. The word intimacy in and of itself is layered with all sorts of misunderstanding and innuendo. In a sensual and sexually overloaded culture like America the word intimacy instantly conjures up images portrayed in the media of a strictly physical experience.

But as I've prayed and thought about this topic I awoke about 5 a.m. this morning with a few words in my heart that are helping me define intimacy in a new way. Here's my new definition for intimacy that came to me as I awakened: Intimacy is the ability to reveal who you are without regret.

Because of sin, brokenness, fear, abuse, disappointment and misunderstanding, we seldom let others see and know the real US. We constantly are hard at work trying to become someone we aren't. This takes tremendous energy and ensures we will be FOREVER lost on the journey for meaningful and intimate relationships. Intimacy demands many things but foremost is the ability to be true to oneself.

Every culture on earth has defined the essence of beauty in distinct ways that set up boundaries that define attraction, bonding, courtship and the movement toward intimacy. If we don't know who we really are or are not willing to express that we become shaped by externals and betray our inner selves. Confusion, mental illness, anxiety and depression about relationships all have at the root the most grievous of all sins: SELF BETRAYAL. If we have to become someone we are not, a cycle of personal schizophrenia begins that ends in NEVER BEING SATISFIED OR INTIMATE. For if you don't reveal who you really are... you can only live in a place of tormenting regret.

Relational satisfaction begins and ends with the ability to believe you are not a mistake. Your appearance, your personality, your dreams, your desires are all worthy in and of themselves. You are created to love and be loved not as an imitation of someone else but as yourself. To share intimacy with another begins with the ability to know some essential truths revealed by God about you:
1. You are not an accident
2. You are loved by God
3. Even in your broken places and failures, God still loves you

The interesting thing about intimacy is that God started it all. When we are connected in a relationship with the God of Love we have a foundation in which to grow and sustain healthy and satisfying relationships. But what happens when we have been poisoned by relational failures of our own or others making? Intimacy is disrupted, damaged and too often deleted from our lives.
We run out of the garden that God has prepared for us to live. We substitute serial relationships of increasing toxicity and we hide from people who we really are. It's in a return to the place of trust in God that we can find satisfaction for this our DEEPEST and most fundamental need in life. You can be cut off from food or drink for a time... but when you are cut off from meaningful and intimate relationships, your death is very near... for death is not primarily a biological word.... it's relational. When we die... we are separated not from what we eat, drink or consume as much as we are separated from those with whom we are meant to share ourselves... without regret. Truly, life is all about relationships.

More to come;
Jim

Covenant Marriage: The Vows

2011-12-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

As a father, husband and more recently as a Pastor I have been thinking a lot about the state of marriage in our world... in my world. On December 31st, I will be conducting a marriage ceremony for two dear friends, Richard and Nivi who met here in Mobile as international students. In spite of the intense and satisfying experience of romantic love that is a universal phenomenon, marriage as an institution appears to be 'on the ropes' and declining rapidly in both numbers and quality. As my two dear friends from India prepare for their wedding I have been spending some time trying to communicate the concept of commitment to God and with one another in marriage. The word covenant comes to mind... a solemn agreement.... a serious and absolute agreement to do what one says in the context of a life long relationship. For the Christian, the idea of covenant relationship flows out of grace and the character of God. Without the vertical dependence on God we will inevitably stumble and fail one another in our desire for a covenant marriage. Right now, Mary and I are reading and teaching our way through a book on marriage with a radical premise. The book is called, "Sacred Marriage" and it is written by Gary Thomas. The subtitle for the book says a lot, "What if God designed marriage to make us Holy more than make us happy?" We live in a modern culture saturated with the 'search for happiness'. I can honestly say that in our marriage I have been a very satisfied and blessed man. But I have not always been 'happy' and much of my 'unhappiness' was very important and well placed in making me a better person.... a better husband and a better father to my children. Sometimes happiness is overrated.
Over the last couple of months my own marriage covenant has been tested by pressure placed upon one of our marriage vows. On June 29th, 1985 Mary and I stood before God, our families and friends to establish our covenant of marriage. We repeated vows that I believe are both biblical and deeply human. Being young and deeply in love the words we spoke carried both excitement and intimidation... the pledge of life long fidelity and commitment seemed somehow overwhelming and difficult to comprehend. One vow struck me hard as I took a deep breath and repeated it publicly, I made a pledge.... a vow to love Mary, "in sickness, and in health..... till death do us part." As I gazed across at my magnificently beautiful wife Mary who was a picture of radiance and excellent health I had difficulty imagining any sickness ever coming our way. Some day perhaps in the long distant future we might have some illness but..... I repeated the words, but knew deep in my heart that the vows which came so easily to my lips would be much harder to live out when the time came...when the test came....when the temptation came.....when our bodies, our souls and perhaps our minds might fail us.
Two months ago sickness rocked our world suddenly and without warning. Suddenly my wife and I faced a test of our covenant..... of our love for one another. The vision in my right eye was damaged by a serious form of cancer that could end my life. At some points over the last few weeks I have had to literally lean on my wife to walk me down the road....in sickness and in health has come to our door as a reality far weightier than simple words repeated in a formal wedding ceremony. Mary's vows to me (and mine to hers) have been proven to be true. Our love has matured, deepened and grown since that nervous ceremony 26 years ago. Each test of the vows we spoke verbally has served as a basis for something much deeper than we could ever imagine. My hope....my prayer and my deepest desire is to continue to walk in covenant love with Mary Victoria Schiavoni Mather.... a woman whose virtue, passion and love make life so rich for me and so many others. In sickness.... and in health.....till death do us part.

Jim

Operation Birmingham

2011-12-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

I just returned a few days ago from the Callahan Eye Center in Birmingham, Al. It had been a challenging time of waiting and preparation prior to the surgery on Friday, December 9th. Dr. John Mason inserted a large radiation plaque into the back of the right eye with the presence and assistance of Dr. Kim, a radiation oncologist. The operation itself only took about an hour. For the next 4 days I was confined to my room to let the radiation dose begin to work on the melanoma tumor. On Tuesday of this week they went back into the O.R. to remove the plaque. Almost immediately after the surgery I got into our car and drove back to Mobile. I have been feeling like an old boxer the last few days. I feel like I have taken a couple of pretty strong punches to the head!
On the way to the hospital on Friday morning for the initial surgery, Mary asked me, "How do you feel?" I had a very distinct feeling that I could only describe as being 'carried' on a wave of prayer. I had slept the night before the surgery better than I could have expected and went into the operation with complete peace and rest. What a huge blessing knowing that so many have prayed and stood with our family during this medical battle. The results of the surgery will not be known for several months. The Doctor will do an exam of the eye in May to check to see if the radiation has shrunk or killed the tumor. In the meantime we continue to believe in God's healing presence and power in our lives. We were blessed to have several visitors with us during our time in Birmingham. Thanks to Pastor Bruce Terry and Liberty Church Birmingham for allowing us to stay Thursday night in their 'mission house' next to the church. Buford and Ann Lipscomb were able to visit and pray with us before and after surgery. We also had visits from Julie Mehta and Faith Mugeta (former students) and my good friend from Mobile, Steve Weller. We felt so loved and cared for. There is so much healing in sharing your presence with someone going through a trial! Small acts of kindness carry great benefit and power when done in love.
During our time in Birmingham we also sensed God had a purpose beyond my own physical healing. Somehow the staff of the hospital including nurses and doctors had heard our life stories of helping establish an eye hospital and working in an international church in Mobile. Each night at around 10 p.m. just before getting my vital signs and medicine I would have a 'visitor' who would come by to open his or her heart about what they were seeking for in their lives. I went into the hospital to obtain healing of a 'vision' problem but found myself daily dispensing a prescription of spiritual.... heart vision. Every person I talked with was in what I can only describe as a significant life transition. As they stood by my bedside to give care they had open hearts and ears to what God put on my heart to share with them. I felt the presence of God as I shared my own personal story with those assigned to care for me. I just felt God saying, "I made you a Pastor, right now this is your congregation, love them and speak my words." To be honest, I would prefer not to have 'church' in a hospital! I would prefer not to having my eye operated on to thwart the growth of a cancerous tumor in my eye. But I am not God and I trust that he knows what he is doing when he gives me an assignment like "Operation Birmingham".
When you speak, act and move as directed by God, you feel his love and presence in powerful and meaningful ways. I went to Birmingham in search of healing and have come away with a renewed love for God and people.... and that's the best healing I could ever imagine.

Jim

The Power of Surrender

2011-12-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

I am a couple of days away from having surgery on my right eye. The Doctors will put me to sleep and operate in a delicate procedure to treat a cancerous tumor known as melanoma. When I found out I had a problem with my eye, my first thought was one of denial.... I don't want to deal with this! I just wanted to carry on as usual and go to Nepal as I had planned. I even thought about postponing going to see the Doctor and not tell anyone I had experienced loss of vision. I didn't want to lose any sense of control in my life.
We all have plans and vision for our lives and seldom does it include pain, disappointment, brokenness and illness. We have been discipled by movies and television with neat plots and happy endings. When we come face to face with imperfection, our first tendency is to turn away..... this is not happening..... is it? No amount of denial can take away the reality that we live in an imperfect world and that the illusion of control needs to be confronted and addressed.
Let me say this plainly, you are not GOD. The world does not revolve around you! The purpose of life is not for you to live comfortably and experience unending pleasure. That stark fact is not meant to discourage you...it's meant to orient you to the real God who created you, shaped you and formed you for his pleasure and purpose in the world. When we yield control to the God of love we experience a power far beyond our understanding. Our destiny and our dreams are not meant to be separated from a willful surrender to God in relationship. Do you begin your days with a plan or a conversation? When you pull yourself out of bed do you consult your calendar or your creator? I had a plan for the fall of 2011. Nothing wrong with planning I assure you. We need to think ahead and plan our tomorrows. But in all our planning and thinking we need to remember the importance of yielding full control of our lives to the God who transcends time and place. There is a plan and a purpose to our lives. That plan is meant to be born out of places of connection and intimacy with a real God of love. For many of us prayer is less about intimacy and surrender than control and manipulation. We want God to do what we want.... or else we forsake him and abandon the relationship. We have affairs with those we can control and manipulate for our own selfish ends. It's not real intimacy but at least we think we are in control...it's a lie.
Tomorrow morning Mary and I will drive to Birmingham. My heartfelt prayer is that I will continue to yield my heart and my life to God in full surrender. I have been prayed for and loved in so many powerful and meaningful ways over the last several weeks. I want you to know that those prayers are worth so much to me and my family. The love that is transmitted to others as you hold them before God is the most powerful form of communication possible by people. I don't know what the future holds exactly... but I am ok with that. I know who holds the future and I know he has nothing but plans of love for my life. I am lifting my hands and heart in renewed surrender. I am weak but he is strong. I am in need but he has all I could possibly ever need. I have a Father who will never leave me, never forsake me. I am choosing to remain fully surrendered to the God of love. Will you join me?

Jim

The Bridge of Trust

2011-12-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

Love builds the bridge that trust learns to walk on. To yield yourself fully to another person is an act of faith. Intimacy and complete satisfaction in relationship are uncommon. No matter how much we seek to rely on outward beauty and techniques of emotional, physical or intellecutal bonding, we still fall far short of achieving true intimacy.

Love in all its richness and depth is built over a lifetime of quality materials: patience , kindness, selflessness, hope, endurance, forgiveness and a strong foundation of TRUST. Trust is the ability to fully disclose all of who you are to someone without fear of betrayal, deception or denial of affection. Trust is the profound experience of allowing yourself to be known in totality: all your goodness, successes, dreams, failures, weaknesses and fears.

Trust is something that is built over time. It demands consistency and reliability. The love that satisfies is not built on fantasy or image. No amount of 'makeup' or wardrobe changes can alter a defective character. You don't love the mirror image of a person.... which can be easily manipulated or 'air brushed'. You can only love a real person whose character is revealed by how they treat themselves.... and how they treat you.

Do you want to experience true love? Do you long to be known and to know another in truth and pure love? Are you worthy of another's complete trust? Are you reliable? Are you a man or woman of your word? Does what you say match up with how you treat those closest to you? A love deficits root cause is most often a character deficit. We attract and draw people to us who are most like us. Are you looking to obtain and 'get what you want' in relationships? Are you a TAKER? Then most likely you are a magnet for other self centered and immature people.

Satisfaction in love is founded on becoming who you were born to be, before demanding what you think you want. We need to be transformed on the inside ......we must be born from above by God's grace. The bedrock stone of trust is found in knowing our Savior Jesus Christ. He proved worthy of trust by giving everything in dying for our sin....our inner brokenness. Are you a giver? What are you willing to sacrifice on behalf of the one you claim to love?

When you're changed on the inside, you can become satisfied on the outside. Relational intimacy is rooted in inner transformation. Are you at peace with yourself? Are you at peace with others? Are you at peace with God?

Love trusts...... and trust loves. It's time to start believing.... and its time to start loving. That's where life begins and that's the life you know you want.

Jim

The Call to Create

2011-12-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Everything we see, know and experience is an outcome of the created acts of God. Creativity is at the center of life itself. When God created people he proclaimed, "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves."

To be made in the image of God is a high calling that enables us to have relationship with God. It also deposits within us both an ability and a desire for creativity. To create simply means to bring into existence. God has invested into our souls the ability to bring things into existence which are first 'seen' within our minds and hearts. The ability to imagine and then bring the unseen into the realm of reality is a treasure of immense magnitude. It's a reflection of the deepest values of being human.

As the Pastor of a newly formed church known as All Nations Community Church, I am in the dreaming and creative phase of church development. Being a part of a church family of immense diversity has brought me face to face with the desire to create something that reflects God's beauty and glory. Just being around people from all over the world you can sense the depth of God's creative glory in times of prayer in various languages and song. But there is something deeper.

There is a story of stories that carries God's love around the globe. Story is the narrative that God so loved the world that he both created, redeemed and called us to himself forever. It's such an intense drama of unfolding love that the arts of writing, drawing, drama and music are necessary to carry the full weight of his glory. In history, we can see the creative power of the soul unleashed on the Sistine chapel ceiling. We listen transfixed to the powerful music of Handel's Messiah. We read the amazing writing of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy unveiling the battle of good versus evil. And yet deep inside we know that there is more creativity yet to be unleashed into the earth.

I believe God is wanting to call artists back home to himself. There is sadly a huge gulf between the modern art world and the story of stories that art is meant to proclaim. We need a new renaissance to awaken our world to the beauty of God. I am actively praying and believing God that All Nations Community Church will be an oasis for artists to develop and share their creative talents with the world around them. Every community of believers has a varied deposit of grace held within them. It's a mosaic of varied artistry that if called upon will speak in agreement with the words of scripture that God exists.....and he is love.

What if artists felt the freedom to be loved and honored within the family of God for who they are as creative talent? I believe that art can become a viable means of communicating grace in forms that we often ignore and deny. The spoken word of scripture is the foundation stone of revelation. The truth of God's word informs and guides all forms of creative release.

At present I am encouraging our worship team to write and perform original music. I believe God is writing a unique story of love and grace in our midst. But I believe God wants to do so much more in our midst in the area of creativity. I believe we will see new books and plays written. I believe we will see a literal community of artists call All Nations Community Church their spiritual home. I believe we will see paintings, sculpture and other forms of art being created to communicate the message of God's love for the nations.

The most fundamental of revelations about God are also the most profound. God is big and we are small. And yet even in our smallness we remain a reflector of God's magnificence. By writing this I am proclaiming something that is not yet.... as though it will be..... with a few words I am calling something the future into existence......faith. The deposit of God in my soul enables me to dream.... to believe....to hope .... and to love. And with that dream there remains a yet unknown cast of characters.... of artists who will join me in this calling to create. Perhaps you are reading this and searching for a spiritual family who will embrace who you are..... in your talents, dreams, desires and yes even in your weakness and brokenness. I have good news, welcome home. Come and be a part of the mosaic of life we call All Nations Community Church.

www.allnationsmobile.org

Jim

Dreams: Journey into the Unknown

2011-12-01T06:08:00.000-08:00

Dreams can be so vivid and powerful in our lives. The imagery in dreams leaves us wondering, what does it all mean? Dreams can be used to draw us into the future with hope and expectancy. Dreams can also leave us feeling frustrated and anxious. Will what we dream about ever really happen? Dreams have the ability to tap into our inner life in a way that can alter our behavior in both positive and negative ways. Dreams involve both the soulish and spiritual realms of our lives. But how do dreams come to pass? What part can I play in 'making it happen'. Dreams are like a finished painting that we have to insert ourselves into after the first 'rough draft' has been etched. When we first encounter a significant dream for our lives we are often tempted to run into the future without proper preparation or planning. We want to jump into the deep water of the 'not yet'. What we are experiencing at times like these is deeply profound and real. We should not minimize the awesome reality and power of glimpsing the future before it happens....this is an amazing gift from God enabled by faith. A very powerful definition of faith is found in the New Testament book of Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 1, "It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see."
In 1989 I received a surprising phone call from someone I had never met. In a strong British accent a man named Dr. Howard Harper called me after hearing about me through a mutual friend. Later I had realized I had heard of Dr. Harper from a book I had read about ministry in Afghanistan. Dr. Harper was quite blunt and bold in our conversation. He informed me that he had heard I had a desire (dream) to do medical ministry in Asia. Howard's question to me was simple and straightforward, "How would you like to help me start an eye hospital in Pakistan?" I was stunned by his question and immediately was thinking, "How can I hang up on this guy?" I had absolutely no interest in working in an eye hospital! Howard questions continued in rapid fire sequence, Would I be willing to do eye surgery myself? Would I be willing to go to England to study Ophthalmology? My head was spinning and in an effort to get off the phone I told I would need to pray! He assured me that was good idea and pledged to follow up again with me soon! Up until this phone call I had been working in intensive care units for several years. I had no background in eye care whatsoever and now I was being asked to consider doing eye surgery!
Dreams are often outlines God deposits into our minds and hearts to thrust us outward into the unknown of his prepared future. When we are impacted by dreams and visions we often make incomplete and wrong assumptions about what that future will really look like in reality. "We see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity." (1 Corinthians 13:12) Sometimes the next step on our path toward our future is not what we expected at all. I had a very fuzzy and general desire to serve God in medical ministry overseas. Now suddenly a phone call from God (in the person of Dr. Harper) stunned me enough to challenge my faith deeply. At one point during the call I pushed back against Dr. Harper regarding doing eye surgery... I told him flatly, "I have no training and skill in doing eye surgery!" And then Dr. Harper said something that still resonates to me all these years later, "I didn't ask you if you could do eye surgery, I asked you if you would be WILLING to do eye surgery.... if you were trained properly." That was a fair question and in good faith I had to say that indeed I was willing. He was satisfied with my answer and the first step on a 9 year odyssey to Pakistan began with that simple response, "Yes, I am willing."
Every dream draws us out to places we have never been. To think that you can accomplish your dream with the skill set you presently have is absurd. A dream is a journey of faith that requires many steps into the unknown of learning, risk, adventure and danger. If you want to dream, you'll have to move into uncharted waters where most fear to journey.
Our imagination tries to fill in the blanks of the unpainted portions of our dreams journey. There is nothing wrong with that. Imagination serves its purpose in giving the rough draft of our future.... but there is a danger in putting too much faith in this temporary mental map. When we actually get to where our dream is taking and it looks very little like we have imagined, we can become deeply disappointed and regretful. Our faith and hope need to be centered on a relationship with the Dream Maker himself. When we have that ongoing relationship and things don't turn out as we have planned we have an anchor to hold us while we fear and falter. Perhaps you have gotten to a place in your dream journey where you've wound up in unexpected places with unexpected people. You feel alone and fearful. You are asking, just what is going on in my life anyway? There is Someone who wants to reorient you to where you are now, and where you're going to.... but it takes faith to get there. Believers dream.......and dreamers believe. "So you see it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who comes to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." (Hebrews chapter 11:6)
Your dreams are taking you somewhere. The destiny for your life will deeply satisfy you in every dimension of your being. But that destiny is wrapped around relationship and not just isolated acts of achievement and accomplishment. When you get to where you're going the joy and the satisfaction of the journey is judged by the quality of your relationships more than your income or material wealth. Life is all about relationships and the Dream Weaver himself, your creator and God is calling you forward into the unknown. Let's dream together..... let's believe.

Jim

From Dream to Destiny

2011-11-30T06:53:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been at the place of desperation? Desperation is born of disappointment, frustration and an inability to achieve our deepest desires. What we do with our moments and seasons of desperation plays a huge role in where we wind up in life. We were born with dreams deposited and sewn deeply into our soul by the God who fashioned us. You and I are not placed on this planet to be 'underachievers' or to wile away our precious lives with wasted pursuits of insignificance.

We were born with unique gifts, abilities and desires that are meant to work together to drive us in the direction of our destiny. Often our dreams are ridiculed and scoffed at by a cynical and unbelieving world. Not everyone rejoices upon hearing the heart felt dreams and desires in our hearts. In a world filled with disappointment, delays and often denial of hope, we can often say things and do thing to discourage others on their journey toward destiny. The concept of having a destiny means that there is a specific plan and purpose for our lives that has been predetermined. The New Testament scripture Ephesians chapter 2 and verses 8 to 10 offer a window into how God by grace has prepared a plan in advance for us to live meaningful and deeply satisfying lives. "God has saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is a not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

Your ability to dream and your beliefs about life are inextricably linked together. Believers dream....and dreamers believe. I'm not talking about nightmares.... I'm talking about having hope and a firmly held belief that the plan for your future is good! Your life is meaningful and your pursuit of that meaning is necessary and vital not just for your future....but for the future of all of us! The world needs dreamers pursuing their destiny in God and with one another. Cynics are too numerous and easy to find. Dreamers who live purposeful, disciplined and sacrificial lifestyles are too few and difficult to discover. Proverbs 29:18 contains some powerful truth about how a clearly defined vision and dream can impact not just our future but our daily lives and decisions. "Where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keeps the law, happy is he." Another translation says that those of us without vision 'cast off restraint'. It's hard to discipline ourselves when we lose focus or our sense of direction. While our souls have been created by God to search for meaning and a defined purpose, our sinful world has a downward 'drag' effect on noble pursuits. When we lose our spiritual center, we wander aimlessly and pursue selfish and temporary pleasures to our own destruction. You were not meant to wallow in self pity and depersonalized pleasures. You were made for better things than that!

It's in a real and vital relationship with God and other people of faith that we find our bearings and direction for life. There are no 'lone star' dreamers who achieve their destiny in isolation. You were conceived not just for achievements and accomplishments. You were also born for relationship. At the center of the universe and lasting reality is a God of love calling you forward into relationship. Your destiny, your dreams and your greatest desires are not fulfilled in a vacuum of isolation and frustration. If you're feeling desperate today, don't waste your frustration, sorrow and disappointment. Lean forward into the future prepared for you. There is a leap of faith that won't leave you hanging in mid air... there is a God of love waiting for you on the other side of the dream. He's good and the plan he has for you is the fulfillment for that deep desire being born in your soul. Go ahead, dream!
More to come..... keep reading the blog!
Jim

Listening for Love

2011-11-28T07:58:00.000-08:00

In the fall of 1994 I was working in Northern Pakistan to help establish an eye hospital there. My mother who had been battling leukemia had taken a turn for the worse and I was told to urgently return home. It was thought she had at most 30 days to live. At that time our 3 children were quite young. My daughter Gabriella was just 5 months old as we traveled the long journey home to Malvern, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.
At one point during our time home caring for my mom, my wife and children remained at her parents home in Long Island. One night I heard a loud crash outside my bedroom door in the middle of the night. I rushed out to find my mom having fallen into the bathtub. She seemed confused and embarrassed but not seriously injured. I picked her up and helped her back to bed. At that point I made an internal decision.... I would hear better, I would listen closer so that my mom would not be injured at night by something like what I had just witnessed. Our ability to hear.....or not hear is something we have some control over. People who live in busy city streets or near airports over time develop an ability to 'tune out' the noise surrounding them. I needed an ability to 'tune in' to my mothers movements during her illness. I have always been a 'light sleeper' but now I was on watch for whatever my mom might need.
During this time I also began to try to listen more intently for the voice of God in my life. I was at a critical point in my life. I was 35 years old. I had counted the cost to serve God in Pakistan. I had quit my job as an ICU nurse, sold our home and possessions and was preparing to spend the balance of my life working in Pakistan as a nurse. But while I had one ear tuned to my mothers needs, I was also dialing in the frequency of what God might be saying to me about my life. God, what do you want? What have you made me to do? How should I be preparing for the future you have planned for me? Do you ask God those kinds of questions? When you take the time to listen hard and you're desperate to know his voice, your hearing vastly improves. One day as I was listening in for God to speak, I heard him say to my heart, "I want you to prepare to be a Pastor." This word from God both surprised and frightened me at first. I had been spending over a decade preparing to be a nurse and a specialist in eye care....now what did God have in mind? There was no clear word from God other than that simple phrase.... prepare to be a Pastor. I didn't have a clue what that meant but continued to pray and do what I knew to do. I had always been a student of the Bible including formal study at Christ for the Nations and Liberty Bible College. I am someone who is constantly reading and studying everything I can lay my hands on. But there was now a different focus and purpose behind my study. I began to pray and prepare with no specific time table in mind. I would just listen and wait on God.... and do what he said, one step at a time.
I returned to Pakistan and spent 4 more years working there and completed my goal of helping establishing the Gilgit Eye Hospital as a nurse there. Many years later in 2009, God said NOW to the word whispered to me years ago to prepare to be a Pastor. In the spring of 2009 over 15 years after hearing the word to prepare to be a Pastor, I received permission and the freedom to begin All Nations Community Church. Listening is hard. Our souls are seldom quiet enough to hear in depth what God might be saying. We have our own ideas, thoughts and plans. To hear God implies a willingness to listen, obey and yield to his authority. Sometimes we hear God say something and run past what has been revealed.... we try to 'fill in the gaps' and have God bless our 'mess'.
To be a good listener you have to be a good lover. You learn to listen well when your attention and your focus is off of yourself and on the object of your desire. We hear so much better when we allow love to overwhelm our hearts. Do you love God? Do you want to know him? It's imperative that we learn to listen to his voice above all others clamoring for our soul. Intimacy is deepened and strengthened as we respond to his voice above all others. You can trust what the Father wills for your life. He knows you.... he loves you and his desire for your life is what you desperately want as well. Open your heart, your eyes, your ears and begin to listen for the voice of love.

Jim

Thankful

2011-11-23T07:03:00.000-08:00

One of the great American traditions is the holiday of Thanksgiving. Like all traditions, there are things to admire and things that disappoint. While we reflect on and thank God for his blessings, we also have adopted some conflicting contradictions along the way of our celebration.
Thanksgiving is one of those family gathering holidays. The American landscape stretches families across thousands of miles. Often in our desire to be with family on this important holiday the long distances traveled by plane, car or bus puts more stress on our already fatigued bodies and minds.... hurry up, I need to get home! We rush and fret and along the way and our 'thankful' hearts often get frustrated and frazzled.
Once we 'get home' we often encounter people we struggle to get along with. We all have family members with whom we have a less than stellar relationship. The nature of family gatherings is a mixed bag of blessing and burden. We love Uncle Ted.... but what about Aunt Martha? We sometimes struggle with knowing how to handle broken or damaged relationships during a holiday like Thankgiving. Somehow we have bought into the lie that we can't be thankful until and unless all is well in our lives. The truth is that giving thanks in our world of imperfections is a beautiful way to express and build our relationship with God and one another. Gratitude consists of being more aware of what you have, than what you don't! We are much more wealthy than we realize. True wealth is not a measure of material possessions. The most valuable things in life are relationships. When we put effort and time to nurture and develop healthy and loving relationships, we are investing in what is most important in life.
The day after Thanksgiving has come to be known as "Black Friday" in shopping parlance. The term refers to the hope that businesses will end up 'in the black' or with a profit. Over the years, "Black Friday" has developed into a manic attempt to get deals.... to grab....to obtain and grasp for satisfaction in things that are meant bring pleasure and 'happiness'. Having just celebrated all that we are grateful for, it seems deeply contradictory to rush out and grasp for more. Having eaten a special meal reflecting on the importance of family and the blessings and abundance of the past year, I wonder if "Black Friday" is at odds with the real purpose of Thanksgiving. I don't have anything against anyone shopping on that particular day, I just want us all to be careful our hearts are not hardened by the lust for more stuff.
This Thanksgiving holiday I want to reflect and relish what God has done in my life. I want to be grateful for the relationships that are the most valuable aspect of my life. I am not waiting for the imperfections and broken places to be healed before I rejoice in the God of my salvation. I am choosing today to be grateful. God is good... he's worthy of praise and of my gratitude....right here, right now. In closing, as you're reading this I want you to know I am grateful for your friendship. As the author Gary Smalley has said so well, "Life is all about relationships, the rest is just details."
Happy Thankgiving!
Jim

Inspiration

2011-11-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

Inspiration defined: A divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate a sacred revelation. God is almighty and powerful and yet in creating humanity he has chosen to use people to communicate and transmit much of his wealth in and through imperfect humans. We often fail him. In spite of our failures, God has deposited a lot of treasure inside of us. The creativity and beauty of an awesome Savior is wanting to be released to bless others and allow people to see that heaven is real.
Our world has been seriously traumatized by our sin and rebellion: greed, sensuality, violence, selfishness, lying, jealousy, murder, disease etc..... run rampant in our societies. There is a sense that things are spinning out of control. When we lose touch with God, we lose hope. When we connect with God through Jesus Christ we regain a sense of hope and belief that change is not only possible but imperative.
God has answers for every issue on this planet, but he is waiting for us to respond to the question of the age, (from Isaiah 6: 8) "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Our physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs are all met by responding correctly to this call to go not only for God but with him to help others. It's in giving to all men that we receive.
If we go on our own, we fail. If we without knowing him, we fail. If we go without knowing ourselves, we fail. God in his mercy has created us with latent spiritual talents and gifts which are meant to both bless and provide for humanity and ourselves. Romans 12:3 has an important revelation concerning how we are to relate to our spiritual selves in regards to gifting, "For by the grace given me, I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you, just as each of us has one body with many members (parts), and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
You must know and function in your GRACE GIFT to receive the supply that you need for your life. It bears repeating.... YOU MUST KNOW AND FUNCTION in your GRACE GIFT in order to receive God's supply for your life. This does not in any way mean you are meant to live and function in some sort of religious bubble or ministry. Who you are in terms of gifting works in any and every place as God leads and directs. Your supply is dependent on you having in order the 3 words of divine direction: 1.Motivation 2. Vocation 3. Location Motivation speaks to the issues of the heart and communion with your creator. When your heart is right, God can mold, shape and direct you into his perfect will. Vocation speaks of your gifting and the desires of the purified heart... the real you. Location simply speaks on the where you are in time and space. Instead of searching for a "job" in time and space, we need to ensure our heart is right and that we are honest about what we are created to do. If you don't know who you are in God and grace gifting, you are of no use on this planet. Your number one priority must be to remain rightly related to God, yourself and others. Relationships are not peripheral... they are PRIMARY.
Take some time in prayer and meditation and be honest: Am I where I need to be in my relationship with God? Do I really know who I am and why I am here on this planet? Am I sensing that God might be calling me to a new "place" in my heart, vocation or location? Cry out to God and he might justINSPIRE you with his thoughts towards you. When he breathes on you in your spirit, that transmission of life is what you need to have all your needs met according to HIS RICHES in heaven... Praying for you!
Jim

A Dream and a Prayer

2011-11-18T10:34:00.000-08:00

In the early morning hours of November 5th, 2009, I had a dream that lasted for what seemed a long period of time and when I awoke it left me feeling stunned. In the dream I was with Mary and my family in a small town in America. We were driving somewhere when we saw protesters in the streets. They were marching peacefully and holding signs. They appeared to be wanting to garner support from the observing public. Suddenly, the protesters threw down their signs and began to commit small acts of violence and were moving toward our car. Like kerosene poured on a fire the mob was spreading rapidly and searching for blood to avenge their grievances. Our family abandoned our vehicle and we were being separated. Suddenly, the crowd had cornered my wife Mary and chased her down a series of concrete steps. I was helpless as I watched Mary fall down the steps and her head hit the bottom step... and I awoke.

I asked God a question. What was the dream about. The answer? One word: Anarchy. I felt God saying that the troubles that are about to come upon our world are going to force troubled people to violence and actions which will harm many innocent lives. Later that same day I watched transfixed as the news media reported on the sudden attack at Fort Hood by Major Hasan, the traitor. When an individual or groups of individuals believe lies about reality they can moved to do great evil in our world. Ultimately spiritual forces are at war in the minds of the vulnerable.

We desperately need to recover a dependence on truth and love for our lives and our communities. Chaos and anarchy breed repetitive acts of vengeance and horror. If we fail to act now to love our neighbors and stand against evil we could very well see my dream become a reality. I hope it doesn't happen but perhaps we need to do more to build trust and harmony now before the trials of this recession breed more fear. Join me in praying that my dream never happens in real life.
Jim

Waiting on a Miracle

2011-11-18T06:07:00.000-08:00

When we're in need it's hard to wait. Depending on the severity of the need the wait gets progressively harder. When we know a loved one whose life is in danger...when we are out of money and bills are due....when the ones we love the most break relationship with us. We want solutions in our most desperate hours and we want them now! For several years I worked as an ICU and CCU nurse. As a fresh graduate working in critical situations I tried to use humor to remain calm in the face of 'code' situations. My co-worker and I Jeff used to look at one another with a silly grin (to calm our nerves) when a patient's heart stopped or other code blue emergency... then we would always say something like 'we've got 4 minutes' (till brain death) and then move deliberately and carefully to deliver excellent care. It's so easy to become emotionally unstable when we finally realize we are not in control of life. In our desperate desire to change our destiny we can become angry and bitter when we don't get what we want....when we want it. It's hard to wait for our miracle.
Knowing God and loving him doesn't ensure that we will get what we want, when we want it. In the gospel of John we read of one of Jesus friends becoming ill and dying. Lazarus had become seriously ill and his sisters Mary and Martha had called for Jesus to come and heal him. Jesus certainly had the power to heal Lazarus.... and he had every intention to do so.... just not in the way and time that his sisters desired or imagined. Jesus did the inexplicable and waited 2 days before moving in the direction of Lazarus. Those two days were critical.... Lazarus died during that time! When Jesus finally arrived to the home of Mary and Martha, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days! Mary and Martha were in the process of grieving and mourning the loss of their beloved brother when Jesus finally comes on the scene... they proclaim their faith in the power of Jesus to have healed the living Lazarus....but alas Lazarus is dead.
We all have limits to our faith and trust in God. We don't know what those limits are until we arrive at our own personal 'Code Blue' situations in life. When our child is critically ill. Our spouse dies. Our marriage falters. Our job ends. Death comes in many ways and it often comes suddenly without warning. Jesus speaks to the grieving family and makes a proclamation about who he is and what he wants to do for Lazarus, "I am the resurrection and the life." Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish." (John 11:25-26) In spite of physical death and all the impossibilities that lied in front of him, Jesus spoke a few words and created a new reality for Lazarus and his family. Entombed in a cave and wrapped in burial clothes, Jesus spoke, "Lazarus, come out!" Lazarus came back from the dead. A miracle occurred and an important lesson was learned by all those who loved Lazarus. God cared. God came on his terms. God intervened in the way that brought him greatest glory. God simply put is GOD....and by implication, we are not.
From 1990 to 1995, my mother battled Chronic Myelogenic Leukemia. I was waiting on a miracle of healing all during this time frame. In the fall of 1994 I was contacted in Pakistan (working to establish an eye hospital there) and told my mother had 30 days to live. I packed up our belongings quickly and informed my teammates I had to rush home. Our family of 5 were hoping to see my mom one more time before she went to heaven. We arrived home and indeed my mother was very ill. During one night while at home my mother went into a semi coma and had a very high fever. Her breathing was failing and I told my father she would likely not live through the night. I called other family members and told them death could be imminent. However, in spite of this my mother rallied and lived much longer than Doctors had predicted. Finally on Christmas day, 1995 ( I was back in Pakistan) her condition worsened again. My mother was born on Christmas day and had told the family she wanted to live until her birthday. On that day though unable to speak she apparently could hear. My sister told her it was her birthday and then she relaxed and went to be with the Lord. I wanted my mom to live a long, long time. She didn't. I waited on a miracle and didn't receive exactly what I wanted. But I did receive so much during that time. While caring for my mother in our home, I heard God tell me things that can only be described as a call. I remember him telling me in December, 1994 to prepare to become a Pastor. I am now the Pastor of All Nations Community Church in Mobile, Alabama. While we're waiting on a miracle, God often does something very miraculous on the inside of us. He shapes our hearts and softens them with compassion and caring for others beyond our natural abilities. Perhaps the greatest miracles of all are what God does on the inside of us. In some ways, the greatest miracles are what God does in and through us to others.
A few weeks ago I found out I have a cancerous tumor behind my right eye. It's a bit unnerving to know you have something inside of you trying to kill you. Once you realize it's there you want it out! However, once I realized that I had cancer I felt God saying to me, "Be patient, don't worry and don't try to take control. Trust me." I was originally scheduled to have surgery on December 2nd but now it has been delayed one week. I have every reason to believe that any delay is God designed and planned and there is no reason to fear or be dismayed. When Jesus found out his friend had died it was recorded in history as the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept."(John 11:35) Jesus truly loved Lazarus. I believe and know that Jesus loves me..... and he loves you too. While you're waiting on your miracles (as I am) it's vital to remember that.
He' coming. He's coming at the right time. He's coming with the right answer for you and for me.
Trust him.
Jim

Walking Wounded

2011-11-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

One of the most unique and fascinating characters in the bible is the Old Testament patriarch Jacob. His name means deceiver. Jacob lived up to his name. He wanted to be blessed. He wanted advantage and privilege in his life and he was willing to do whatever it took to gain the upper hand. But there is a cost to 'looking out for #1' and it is in the area of relationships. No one wants to be used and manipulated for someone else's selfish gain. But that is what Jacob was doing and it was costing him deeply. At a pivotal point in his life while trying to negotiate his way out of trouble, he encounters God in a miraculous and unique way. The imagery is fascinating and challenging to comprehend. In Genesis 32 we see an intense encounter between Jacob and God that leaves the 'deceiving' Jacob with a lasting wound. He is left with a lifetime wound.... a hip that will forever be 'out of socket' and leave him limping for life. Even in the midst of pain, Jacob wants something out of the encounter. God being gracious gives him what he really needs..... a new name....representing a change in character. Jacob would no longer be the deceiver and manipulator. Out of his encounter with God he would be now known as Israel.... one who struggled with God and became a prince of God.
In our struggles in life... with ourselves and others we often get wounded. Often those wounds leave very visible and lasting marks on our lives. Our bodies, souls and spirits are deeply impacted by our own deceit, disappointments and defeats. What do you do with your disappointments? Who do you go to in your 'hour of need'? Those who impact us the deepest during our times of struggle and adversity are not those who sail through life encountering no storms. In our hour of need we approach those who have successfully navigated their way through the storm. We often find those with visible or invisible scars have both the knowledge and the desire to help us in our time of need.
At every moment in life when God has begun to stir my soul about what lies ahead in serving him he reminds me of the need to depend totally upon his grace in my life. The world celebrates the strong and the mighty. God uses the weak and the wounded.... the imperfect and the humble.
Today, perhaps you are feeling vulnerable and weak. You have failed or fallen into a place where you notice your imperfections and weaknesses most of all. Don't lose hope. Keep moving into the direction of God's grace. He wants to give you a new name.... a new vision.... a new opportunity.... to live for him and to reflect his love and grace to a world of walking wounded.

Jim

Embracing Change

2011-11-15T04:45:00.000-08:00

When you mention the word change in any conversation these days you can almost guarantee eliciting a reaction of anxiety or frustration. How can any of us possibly adjust to any more CHANGE in our lives? In our work, relationships and even our leisure there seems to be an unending need to adjust and adapt. Once we learn a new skill to enable us to cope and live in the present modern world another " 20 something" genius comes along and creates another billion dollar social change we can't live without.

The 2010 Time magazine man of the year was the founder of the social media giant Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. Mark at age 26 has changed the world and shaken the preexisting internet empires by creating a simple to use tool first developed for communicating with friends on his college campus. In just several years it has gone viral and now impacts over 800 million people daily. In 5 or 10 years, Facebook might be considered old school and perhaps no longer popular at all....unless it chooses to make change a friend.

In order to live successful and meaningful lives we have to choose to make change a friend. Change is inevitable, constant and unrelenting. History is going somewhere whether we like it or not! You and I are not the center of the universe! Once we realize this we can get over ourselves and adjust our expectations and move in synchronization with where life is meant to take us.

You were created by God. If you are at present an atheist or an agnostic, I apologize for my abruptness. Nevertheless, understanding that reality is a necessary precursor to understanding the direction, purpose and destination in life for all of us. When we understand where life is taking us, we are less apt to resist and reject the constant and seemingly overwhelming changes that assault our 'comfort zones'. Instead of lamenting over what was, we should be investing and building what will be! Faith and hope are spiritual and they enable the willing and cooperative soul to move forward into what will be, with the knowledge that ultimately good will come. Fear, hopelessness and resistance to change are signs of spiritual death and decay. No amount of energy, money or time will resurrect or restore what no longer exists.... and what God can no longer bless. If the past is dead and gone, why do so many people choose to live there?

People live in the past because they allow an experience, a person or an identity to dominate their reality. Since experiences, people and our personal identity are not static we become overwhelmed when 'time marches on'. Everyone knows about the culture of celebrity and fame that frames people based upon some high point in their life.... the sales man of the year for the product no longer sold.... the washed up former boxer taking too many hits to the head...... the obscure T.V. star doing late night commercials to pull in needed cash. We stop growing and maturing and changing and hoping that we can continue to ride the proverbial 'dead horse' into the future. However, no amount of whining, wailing or wishing will bring back the past glory...it's gone forever.

When we truly believe in a good God, we will have the 'stuff' that enables us to make change our friend. When we resist the rapid pace of change, we resist the blessing and foresight of our loving God. God is not dead and he is ultimately and completely in charge of history. I find it deeply disappointing that some of the most resistant people to change on the planet are 'religious'. They hearken us back to yesterday....constantly. Yes, I know we can and must learn from our history and the heritage deposited in us. But......faith is a spiritual substance that takes us forward in relationship with God and with one another..... to a future and a hope prepared for us before the foundation of the world!

"Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For by it our ancestors were approved. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so what is seen has been made from things that are not visible." (Hebrews 11: 1-3) Change is not an enemy, it's a friend calling you into the future....it's the voice of a loving God who is walking before you.....creating opportunities, favor, blessing, provision and relationships that will satisfy you beyond your wildest dreams. Today, join me and God.... and make change a friend.

Jim

Finding Healing for Insecurity

2011-11-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

When insecurity steers your soul, collisions and conflict are inevitable. Insecure people tend to have revolving door relationships and friendships. When you don't like who you are, you inevitably don't believe that others are capable of liking you either. This leads to the development of relational schizophrenia. You become adept at developing multiple personalities that you 'wear' depending upon who you are with at the moment. Conflict in relationships for the insecure is inevitable because all good relationships demand some level of honesty and transparency. When people begin to unravel your masks the insecure react and strike back out of their own inherent anxiety and fears. The result is the tendency to withdrawl and abandon... and start the same unhealthy cycle all over again. A lot of people know your name... but no one really knows you. Insecure people are deeply lonely and isolated no matter how busy their social calendar. Since insecure people are seeking for acceptance and love using artificial and ineffective methods, they frequently act out to reduce their inner pain. The acting out can involve sexual promiscuity, abuse of drugs or alcohol or physical and emotional abuse. An insecure person feels a lack of control over their lives. They can't stand being alone, but because of self deception and the wearing of masks they always feel alone. No one really knows a truly insecure person.

What is the way out of relational prison for an insecure person? The foundational principle in all of life's inner healing is this: God cannot fix something that we deny is broken. The first step to healing is always to admit and reveal our broken places. Jesus profoundly tell us of a progressive healing of the soul that comes when we apply truth to our lives, "You shall know the truth... and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32) God wants to transform us into who we really were born to be. He does this by changing the way we think about ourselves. "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. (Romans 12:2)

You were born to be loved. You have to know who you are before you know what to do. In an atmosphere of love, acceptance and forgiveness, we become who God created us to be. Insecurity dissipates over time when we know we're loved for who we really are. We can lay aside the masks and self deception and for the first time experience the power and pure joy of relational intimacy. You can be healed of insecurity..... you must be healed. Let's walk into the light of God's love, acceptance and forgiveness together....welcome home...welcome to love.

Jim

Sand and Wind

2011-11-12T16:24:00.000-08:00

Here I am standing on the beach gazing at your beauty
My feet, my hands, my eyes, glued to your infinite power
Totally aware of my own weakness, I fall down and lay at your feet
The wind is coming
Your breeze caresses my cheeks while shattering my fears
I brace myself for what is coming, while leaning into grace
The wind is coming

On my knees now, I don't want to go, I must stay and linger
For you, it's you, I must yet know
The shadow is enough for some, but not for me I plead
It's you I want and not your gifts, your presence, not your bread

The wind is coming
It's setting me free, blowing all the sin away, and leaving only love
I'm raising hands and voice to say, to you and you alone
Send your wind Lord, and blow away the Sand

Now I feel your breath Lord, flush against my cheek
I hear the wind and know it's you, not just what you make
Never leave, Never leave, I'm desperate for you King
The love, the grace, omnipotence, so close to heaven's gate

The wind is coming, there is room on heaven's beach
Feel the sand like sin blown off your flesh and heaven's fragrance lingering
He's pure, He's love, He's closer than we think
The Wind is Coming

Jim

The Call

2011-11-12T05:58:00.000-08:00

There comes a time in all our lives when we know we need something outside of ourselves to break in and show us the way forward. Often it comes in times of deep disappointment and pain. It might come after the death of a loved one, a fracture in a critical relationship, a loss of employment, a critical illness.
Isaiah the prophet (chapter 6) responded to the death of King Uzziah with a new vision of reality. He saw things which he'd never seen....and he became someone he otherwise would have never been. Tragedy can either be an impetus to a life of meaning or lead us to a place of imprisonment. So much depends on our vision of God....and ourselves.
Isaiah saw God for who he really is. Majestic, on the throne, surrounded by Glory and HOLY. His glory covered the whole earth. In the shadow of who God is, Isaiah also discovered who he really was....a man of unclean lips ( a sinner) surrounded by people just like him. We're all equally lost and equally separated from God until the call comes to our heart and soul.
We were created for something greater than the soley material realm. Buying and selling... sensual pleasure and carnal desires never totally satisfy someone created in the image of God. All of us were created for relationship with our maker. Until we hear his voice beckoning us.....calling us to himself, we're only living half a life. There is a VOICE crying out to all of us. We seldom hear that voice. Our small distractions and selfish decisions keep us far removed from hearing what really matters. We insist on our own way. We hear the screaming of the selfish hordes rushing on the broad highway of destruction.
But God comes and touches us on the inside. He shows us our broken places. We sense our weakness. We slow down our movement on the highway of destruction. We turn our ears heavenward and begin to hear the voice calling us home. Our Father touches us and heals us....and remakes us in his image. His call thrills our soul, "Who should I send? Who will go for us?" And with humility and hope, we reply, "Here am I. Send me." He's calling you right now. Slow down, listen carefully....his call is worth everything. Listen for his voice.

Shadows and Valleys

2011-11-11T06:48:00.000-08:00

To live a life of faith and dependence on God creates an astounding and challending pilgrimmage experience. Faith yields both great blessing and also great challenges. Faith and mystery are inextricably linked. To live by faith implies a surrender of will and ultimately control. One minute we see astounding and stunning response to our prayers for healing and provision.... and the next minute we see and experience deep sorrow at the unexpected tragedies of death, disease and despair. Faith is real, faith is substance and yet faith often is 'not yet' in terms of satisfaction and fulfillment.

The Psalmist David who knew and loved God, expressed it so well in Psalm 23, "Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and staff protect and comfort me." Perhaps the greatest paradox in life and in faith is that we grow deepest and more mature in times of testing and not in times of tranquility. The storm draws us closer to what matters...and separates, sifts and silences the less important voices.

The destination of faith is not dream like contentment but vital, lasting and intense engagement in relationship with God. We are being called not somewhere 'over the rainbow' to a fictitious paradise. No, we are being called to someone... to be with someone...forever. The trials and turmoil are not meant to torment us but to test our faith... and remove the empty profession and artifical proclamation. Do we really believe? It's in the shadows and valleys that we find the answer.

Jim

Why?

2011-11-10T06:37:00.001-08:00

When tragedy strikes our first emotional response is to ask the question, Why? Pain and suffering produce a loss of control that we desperately want answers for. When the answers are hard to find and uncertain it breeds an increasing pressure and emotional pain. The prevailing assumption is often that we suffer as a result of wrongs we have done...that there is a direct correlation between our sin and whether or not we suffer in this life.

In trying to answer the why questions in life we often wind up with more worries and frustration. It seems as if the trials, tragedies and turmoil of life leave us searching for easy answers. There has to be an answer to the problem of suffering....doesn't there?

I have long struggled with whether or not I should in the midst of a catastrophe or trial to ask the question why. Counselors are almost unanimous with their advice to not ask the question.... at least initially. I tend to agree. But I want to dig a little deeper today. Just because a question is difficult to answer does not mean it should not be asked. I think it's more important to probe a little deeper and ask, "Why, do I need to know why?"

I think I have an answer for the motivation and consuming desire to know why we are undergoing suffering and tragedy in life. The answer lies at the heart of who we really are. When we look in the mirror we see our physical self (for better or worse) but inside of all of us lies the real person. We are made up of body, soul and spirit. Our spirit and soul connect with an eternal reality that was created to live forever in harmony with God. We can't articulate that eternal consciousness in words but when we are ill or broken in any dimension of our lives we feel a disconnect.... we simply know, "something isn't right."

In the beginning God created us..... and it was good.....all good. Something obviously went wrong somewhere. The Bible clearly tell us what happened but we wax and wane in our actual belief in that revelation. The devastation wrought by sin is immense. We are all being deeply impacted by a cosmic rebellion on earth. So why should that effect me? I want to do the right thing. I believe in God..... I love people......I want peace in the world!

John Donne the poet put it this way, "No man is an island, entire of itself.....". Our lives are deeply intertwined. Your suffering, your brokenness, your happiness, your blessing, your wealth, your poverty.....are all mine as well. Truly, not a single one of us is an island cut off from the other. No matter how high the walls we build around our castles of prosperity we are all subject to pain and suffering of every conceivable kind. So in the light of this truth, how do we then respond when tragedy strikes?

In the gospel of John chapter 9, Jesus was asked by his followers about a man they saw who had been born blind, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" What a tragedy to walk through life being judged for something we have no control over. In our broken world we have to be careful we don't put people into categories and write them off based upon what we can see with our limited and finite human senses and resources. Jesus answer to this question should bring you great liberty and freedom in dealing with our own faults, trials and uncertainties.... listen carefully to his response. "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, Jesus answered. This came about, so that God's works might be displayed in him. We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

Jesus then proceeded to heal the man born blind and the rest of the chapter shows him dealing with the deceptions and hardness of heart of the prevailing religious culture of his day. The truth is that God is light. In the midst of a broken world he is wanting to heal, restore and bring hope. Religion keeps people in boxes of guilt, despair and darkness. The religious mind set wants to have an overriding simplistic approach to suffering in this world that is grossly and tragically wrong. The rain, Jesus said, falls on the just and unjust. In our times of brokenness, the only proper response is to allow God to come in and work his will into our lives. When we surrender to God in the midst of the unknown outcomes of tragedy, light begins to dawn in amazing though unpredictable ways.

In case you haven't realized it yet, we are not in control. No matter how intricate and detailed your preparations and plans, life throws curve balls! In tragedy, the most simple and heart felt prayers produce the best results. I find that crying out, "HELP!" has been quite effective in my life. I know it is not the most profound prayer but it places me in line with the deepest understanding of God and myself I have received thus far, "God is big..... and I am small."

Are you struggling with a personal tragedy in your life? Perhaps you or someone you love is ill, depressed or in a serious financial crisis. I have heard it said that we are all either moving in the direction of a trial, in one now, or just coming out of one. May God grant us the faith to understand that when bad things happen to us he has not stopped loving us. Tragedy can either embitter us or make us better. The choice before us is one burrowed deeply into the will of our soul. The one word that determines everything in our times of trial is SURRENDER. Surrender of control needs to be based upon a revelation that is both profound and deeply moving, God is love. I cannot reveal that to you. But I can tell you that I have known and experienced that love in the midst of dark days and sleepless nights. Weeping may endure for the dark night of our souls.... but joy comes in the morning.

Much love;

Jim

Right Turn to Birmingham

2011-11-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

On my way to Nepal, I took a wrong turn and wound up in Birmingham, Alabama. A few weeks ago I wrote about my impending mission trip to Nepal. I had spent about a year planning on helping lead a team of people to serve the ministry of Compassion for Asia in Kathmandu. Just prior to leaving I found out that I have a cancerous tumor growing in the back of my right eye. I have had various emotions hit me over the last two weeks as I process the 'wrong turn' that led me to Birmingham, Alabama. It's one thing to understand and believe that God is sovereign when he does what you want and expect with your life. But what about when our well laid plans are cancelled or altered? Well I am finding out it's not as easy as I thought! I have spent the last 31 years of my life immersing myself in the truth of God's word. It's a really good thing to have your soul saturated with truth. When we're wounded, disappointed and fearful our mind can do strange things. By God's grace which is delivered through prayer and the word of God I've had an amazing peace on the inside of my life during this time.
Yesterday the radiologist who specializes in cancer treatment discussed my treatment with me. He gave me the facts regarding my prognosis and the effect that radiation will have on the cancer and also on my eye. The facts were stark and serious.... but God is loving and he never stopped talking while Dr. Kim delivered his sobering assessment. One phrase of God's word has kept coming to the surface of my soul over the last several days...'momentary and light affliction'. I felt God telling me that whatever lies ahead of me must be placed in the context of his ongoing will for my life..... an eternal perspective. The phrase comes from Paul's letter to the church in Corinth. (2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verses 16-18 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

I didn't get lost on my way to Nepal. I didn't make a wrong turn on my way to Birmingham, Alabama. The awesome and amazing thing about knowing and loving God is that he never leaves us ..... never forsakes us. His presence and purpose are being fulfilled in my life. So many of you that know me are praying and asking God to heal me. I have heard from hundreds of you via phone calls, texts, Facebook and Twitter. I appreciate your encouragement and love so much! I am listening to God through this process. I am still not completely comfortable being the 'patient' receiving the care and love of others. But clearly my right turn to Birmingham involves just that..... being loved, cared for and healed by God and people..... people like you, who choose to think of others and care for them in their time of need. I feel the love. I receive it with gratitude and deep joy. There are three things that last forever.....faith, hope and love. On the road to Birmingham I am being filled with all three in powerful and challenging ways. Thanks for taking the right turn to Birmingham with me.
With faith, hope and love;

Jim

Light Arises

2011-11-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

When you're sure, when you're certain

In spite of pain, when there is no rain

A grain of sand in a world of Ocean

I hear a voice, its calling me

A distant shadow, a speck of light

A warm remembrance in a massive fight

The blood spills out of heaven's gate

A final exhale of love's first dawn

I choose to stay near, while others wander

I won't let go of the breath of life

The loss I'm feeling, won't always linger

For Father's promise holds deep within

It's Friday now, but Sunday's calling

A new frontier of open space

The darkness fades while you're arising

I see your face drawn on my soul

A hand in mine but room for others

A world wide plan of sovereign grace

The voices echo around the tear drop

The risen One has finally come.

Moved with Compassion

2011-11-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

Throughout the New Testament gospels we read of Jesus being 'moved with compassion' just before he performed a dramatic healing or other miracle related to the needs of the people he encountered. The word translated compassion is the greek word splagchnizomai which literally refers to the intenstines and vital organs from which deep emotions such as anger and love were said to issue from. What we see in the life of Jesus was that compassion always led to corresponding action and intervention. When Jesus felt compassion it literally moved him.... it changed things from what was to what should be. During much of the 1990's I lived in a remote mountainous area in Northern Pakistan. We helped to establish an eye hospital there in a city called Gilgit. We would see patients in an outpatient clinic and also perform surgery on those patients with operable conditions such as cataracts. Unfortunately, we would sometimes see patients with conditions for which we had no medical or surgical cure. Most often those conditions related to severe trauma or retinal diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa.
One clinic day I was assisting Dr. Stephen Smith in his office when we examined a young woman in her early 30's who was completely blind. She had no ability to perceive light at all. She was married with two young children clinging to her during the examination. Her husband appeared to be completely distraught. He was looking for hope.....what could we do to change the horrible prognosis he deeply feared.... to care for a wife completely blind and his two small children in a poor village? We were honest with him upon our exam. We had no cure for her condition (advanced retinal disease). Dr. Smith and I offered to pray for this family and to be honest it was hard to do so. I felt almost physically weak as I joined in prayer for this young woman who needed a miracle. There was no immediate answer to our prayer. As she struggled to walk away from us I gazed down the hallway in her direction... it was absolutely heartbreaking to see her holding tightly to her husband with the children grasping at her flowing Shalwar Kameez. At that moment I felt a deep inner compassion flowing out of me in her direction and I cried out silently, "Oh, God, have mercy....heal this woman." I continued to pray for her and told Mary about this woman when I arrived home that day. She had come from her village a 3 hour journey and returned that same day.
A few days later we had a larger than normal crowd in our outpatient waiting area and it was louder than normal. There was lot of commotion and one woman was being pushed forward out of turn. People were pointing at her and said she has something to tell us! The woman was unrecognizable to me at first. It was the same woman who only days earlier had been completely blind. Now that she could see her facial features and her physical bearing were completely different. Her story was that after we prayed she had started back toward her village and gradually began to to see. She began to tell her story to the village and many of her friends and family wanted to come back to the hospital to tell the story and to find out what had happened. We examined her eyes and found her healed.... though in need a mild prescription for glasses! She left rejoicing and we were all stunned. It's not every day you pray for a blind person and they see again...but I felt I learned something on that day I don't soon want to forget. I want to be moved with compassion when I encounter people in great need. I want to feel what God feels when he encounters hurting people. I want to see what God sees when he visualizes people in need. I want to hear what God hears when he listens to the cries of the hurting, broken and needy people that are in my world.
Over the past two weeks as I have found out I have a cancerous tumor growing in my right eye I have encountered people moved with compassion. Some people have been moved to pray. Some people have been moved to give. Some people have been moved to speak words of encouragement. Something else has happened during this time. That same feeling of compassion I felt for that young mother and wife in Pakistan has been renewed, deepened and grown in my own heart. I am looking for opportunities and listening to God for ways he can use me again in helping heal others going forward. I want to be moved with compassion.

Jim

Soul Satisfaction: Intimacy with God

2011-11-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

What we seek for in a relationship can determine it's depth and intimacy. There is real danger in our seeking to know God, that our search for more facts and information leads to a false sense of 'knowing' God. We can know many facts about someone without really knowing them. Some aspects of knowledge are limited to the 'public domain', but intimacy implies that the real essence of a person is shared in the context of commitment and trust.
You can know facts about God but not be on 'speaking terms'. Many attend religious ceremonies, say prayers and do various religious acts without ever hearing God speak to them in a personal way. Intimacy at its root is an inner knowing of one another to the point of total satisfaction. When you really know God in the place of intimate friendship, there is an inner satisfaction and fullness that keeps one safe from other false lovers. You aren't tempted toward spiritual adultery once you have tasted the all sufficiency of the perfect Lover, Savior, Friend and Lord.
Are you satisfied in your soul? Do you find yourself falling prey to sensual temptations? Perhaps its because your soul has not fed sufficiently on the greatest lover of every soul, Jesus Christ.
Our prayers, our reading of scripture, our service on behalf of God when separated from the gracious call to sit at the feet of the loving Savior lead to dissatisfaction, frustration and confusion. We must first rest in his presence before we can act on his behalf. There is a progression in our relationship with God that can never be violated. First, we sit in his presence and marvel at his finished work of salvation. Then in the light of his risen SON we walk hand in hand with him and live the life he has given. Finally, in the shadow of his presence we stand and do battle against evil in our world.
The minute I stop embracing God is the minute I begin to lose the essence of life itself. Apart from him... his love, his word, his ongoing grace and care... I die.... slowly, inexorably, my life is totally dependent on Jesus Christ... the way, the truth, the life.... and the love of my life.

Jim

When Love Calls Your Name

2011-11-01T05:26:00.000-07:00

A lonely place, a hidden hope. A distant thought, A broken part.

From deep within I listen hard, for one true voice to touch my heart.

I'm hoping for a brand new start, I need to know there is real hope.

A whisper speaks, it calls me out. I know your name, I know your heart.

The broken place begins to stir, it hears His voice calling out in love.

Come alive, I know your name, it's love I hold within your frame.

I feel the pain, I shed the tears, but still I hope, I hear my name.

The truth becomes a part of me, I am loved in spite of pain.

I begin to stir in places deep, I feel the power of love's pure rain

I come alive, I grow within, in spite of pain, I hear my name.

The beauty of his deep pure love sets me free from where I've been.

I'm coming out of my dark cave, I hear the voice that knows my name.

He sees inside my darkest place and still calls out, I know your pain.

The choice is his to love me still and call again, I know your name.

The light begins to dawn within, I'm coming out to trust again.

The hope we need is not for sale. We can't buy or grasp what heaven gives.

The purest love is what we need, to set us free from life's dark hate.

We all can be, what we desire, when heaven calls our souls alive.

The secret place, the hidden faults, the pain and brokenness of all our hearts

Is healed, when love calls our names

Jim

Seeing Past the Prison Bars

2011-10-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

Ever find yourself in a place you don't want to be? Life has many unexpected turns leading us to places we didn't know existed and were not on any maps we owned. God is still God when we come to those places. In the Old Testament we read of a man of impeccable character being put through a series of trials and broken relationships to get him to the place God had prepared for him..... a place of difficulty, but also a place of destiny and deliverance.
God deals with the big picture. He loves people.... individually and also significantly peoples plural. Sometimes that loves brings correction and discipline. In Psalm 105 and verses 16-21 we read of how he worked his providence through Joseph and the people of Israel. "When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.
Obedience and following God does not immunize us from suffering, pain, turmoil or trial. Joseph was God's man but he went through rejection, pain and many dark nights of the soul on his way to victory and ultimate triumph. It's through faith ....... and patience that we inherit the promises of God. (Hebrews 6:12) God is taking us somewhere.... and he can be trusted that indeed he knows where he is going and who he is making us to become. History is not just about events and outcomes. History is also about the shaping of men and women's souls. Romans 8:28, 29 informs us about God's ultimate desire for all of us in life's events, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance and he chose them to be like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters." God first has to 'call us out' before he can call us into himself. Here Joseph experiences suffering and separation so that God can use him in his perfect plan of redemption for his family and the nation of Israel. The primary cause of the universe is not our comfort but God's glory. For the believer, the blessed assurance is not a life of ease and comfort, but a life of meaning and purpose under God. The waiting for God's purpose and plan is often referred to as a test. Tests reveal what we know.... or what we don't know. The God kind of test reveals much about who we believe God to be and who we think we are. We often don't know something until the fire of pain, difficulty, uncertainty and darkness envelopes our soul.
In Psalm 105 vs 20 we see that there does come deliverance, "The king sent and released him; the ruler of the people set him free. In God's foresight and providence there does come release and provision. The struggle of waiting and trusting and releasing that timing to him is our paramount test in life. On the other side of the test for those who remain faithful is promotion and fulfillment of God's plan for our lives. In verse 21, " He made him lord of his house and ruler of his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.
Adversity is a great teacher. When we yield our pain to a sovereign God we gain the fruit of wisdom and preparation necessary to fulfill our purpose in life. We might not know the future, but we can know the One who holds it firmly in the grip of his will and plan. The character and faith we need to fulfill our destiny is often forged in the hard places of life. We need to hold onto the God who promises to never leave us and never forsake us. He's always on time, never late. He can be trusted.

Jim

Healing Rain

2011-10-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

I live in Mobile, Alabama. We are normally one of the rainiest cities in the U.S. There's something about rain that brings a sense of relief in so many ways. Rain brings life, cleansing, growth and refreshing. In a spiritual sense, rain represents the coming of God the Holy Spirit into our lives. When God comes with his presence we are revived, restored and healed. God's Spirit draws near and brings the life we so desperately need. Our daily lives drain us and we all experience times of spiritual dryness and even long standing periods of drought. We lose the sense of freshness that rain brings. Trials produce heat, friction, tension and fatigue. We become worn down....and often worn out. We need to pray for healing rain to pour into our lives. You were meant to be dependent on God for life itself. That thirst your experiencing on the inside is proof that you need a deep and ongoing connection with God. The Holy Spirit is God's great comforter and counselor and he comes to us in the midst of our ongoing struggles and hard times. We need to pray for God to pour out a storm of His presence in our lives.
After long periods of drought and dryness we can begin to lose hope for rain to come. We need to wait until he comes.... wait in prayer, wait in contemplation, wait in expectancy. We learn much about ourselves when we are not hearing and obeying God actively. Life without God is a barren dessert of progressive danger and distress.
You were meant to be refreshed by an ongoing revelation of God's love to you. God's rain comes in so many diverse and wonderful ways. A still small voice telling of his love.... an unexpected provision in a time of desperate need.....a kind word from a stranger.....a good report from a Doctor when all seemed lost. All of these and more are the rain of God coming into your life. Your body, soul and spirit need a daily 'bath' in God's rain of love and inspiration. God is deeply in love with you. His words tells us that his thoughts about us are innumerable....they can't be counted.....they outnumber the sand! (Psalm 139: 17,18)
It's time for all of us to cry out in expectancy for God to 'let it rain' with healing refreshing and encouragement for our lives. The world breeds pessimism and death. Heaven breathes life, hope and love. Breathe it in and open your face upward into the rain storm of God's unending love. He loves you, he really does.

Jim

Intimacy and Sexual Purity

2011-10-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

Walk through any bookstore or drug store magazine rack and you are stunned by the multiple publications and articles on the topic of sexuality. But seldom will you see the two words intimacy and sexuality juxtaposed within the same heading. Modern society has increasingly attempted to separate the physical side of sexuality from the relational, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of the topic. Somehow in a "modern" society we are supposed to enjoy our liberated mores and participate in sex regardless of its impact on every other area of the human personality.
Sex was never meant or designed to be enjoyed with such a naive and narrow view. For our sexuality is such a powerful physical, emotional, mental and spiritual experience that when acted upon in the wrong time with the wrong person for the wrong reasons we can destroy ourselves in the process. On the other hand sexuality is one of the most powerfully enjoyable and life giving experiences within the boundaries of the right person, for the right reasons at the right time in life. This introduces a lot of questions such as: How do I know its the right person? What are the right reasons? When is the right time?
God created Sex. And it wasn't just to populate the planet. It was also to enable us to enjoy the pleasure of committed intimacy. Sexuality was never meant to be separated from a deep and meaningful relationship developed out of the context of trust and respect. The whole concept of marriage flows out of a divine revelation: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame." (Genesis 2:24,25)
Sin introduced shame. Selfishness and rebellion (sin) violated and damaged the relationship between men and women and it still does. Separation and confusion in the relationships between men and women that resulted from sin have caused untold misery and disappointment to develop in an area of relationship meant to convey joy, peace, excitement and pure pleasure. We are in deep trouble in the human race and no area is more troubled than sexuality. If knowledge was the answer America would be the most satisfied nation on the planet when it comes to this topic. But clearly knowledge alone is not the answer. The assumption in the modern era is that prudery has kept us in the dark for too long and the way to sexual satisfaction is more education and freedom to "just do it" with whom we will. Sexual disease and death aside the freedom to "do what you want" has neither satisfied nor improved the quality of relationships.
A river without proper boundaries is a flood that kills and destroys. A river flowing along its proper course with secure boundaries gives life and sustenance to a community. God in his mercy and love provides sexuality with boundaries that ensures it brings life and not death. Let's take a look at just a few ways that scripture can instruct.
God created sexual expression as the ultimate act of self giving and revelation to another person with whom we become ONE in every sense of the word.... a mysterious and satisfying sharing of life in the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual sense. When we physically unite with someone outside of the committed context of a life long relationship we damage one another instead of giving life to one another.
Right now we live in a society that modern sociologists call a "pornified" culture. Pornography misrepresents and damages intimacy in both our view of ourselves, others and even the concept of marriage. The ability to be satisfied sexually becomes increasingly difficult to the point of obsession, addiction and perversion. The whole concept of monogamy and faithfulness is ridiculed and our heroes are celebrated for the opposite: infidelity and sexual brazenness. But are we really satisfied or has lust created an insatiable appetite and thirst?
Jesus understood this well and confronted his culture as well as ours, "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery', but I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." The issue goes so deep that it is an issue of the heart way before it becomes an action. You will NEVER be satisfied sexually until you are first satisfied spiritually and content and satisfied in a relationship with the very real and righteous God. I am not talking about being religious and weird. If you know the truth about who God is and know his love you will TRUST HIM and be free. Free to enjoy sex with the right person (your husband or wife) at the right time (after marriage) for the right reasons (to give yourself fully to your spouse as an act of love and intimacy). We have not in any way tapped the great reservoir of joy in sexuality as a society. Instead we have weakened and diluted it with our unbelief and lies about the God who created it.
The religious traditions of men have given God a bad name in the area of sexuality. Satan loves to push people to one perverse extreme or another.... sex without boundaries and love or sex stunted by fear and regret. There is a better way. When will we really walk in a relationship with God enough to ensure that we live sexually pure within a life long committed relationship called marriage? "For it is said, the two will become one flesh..... Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man or woman commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.
God is not trying to deprive you of any good thing. In the right time, with the right person, for the right reasons God will satisfy those who will wait and trust him for a sexually satisfying and intimate relationship. When you take your body and give it to another apart from the boundaries of a loving God, you are playing a dangerous game of fantasy. Don't trade pleasure for a season for a lifetime of intimacy without regret.

Jim

Giving and Receiving

2011-10-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35) I get that. I have been intensely blessed as I have sought to help others in life. Whether as an R.N. helping to establish an eye hospital in northern Pakistan or in the ministry of Friends of Internationals & All Nations Community Church in Mobile, Al, we have lived a blessed life of service and caring. Nurses and Pastors are shaped, trained and empowered to give and attend to the needs of others. I have seldom been physically ill. I have been in excellent health for my entire life. Several days ago something changed. Last Saturday afternoon an Optometrist and then and Ophthalmologist looked into the back of my eye and told me a sobering truth, I was deeply in need of help. I had gone to get a new pair of glasses or an updated prescription prior to an upcoming missions trip to Nepal. But I left the Doctor's office knowing I had a much deeper need.
I am beginning to realize that I have developed a weakness of the soul that needs healing. While my right eye has developed diminished vision from a tumor there is something else that needs healing on the inside of me. The ability to put my hands together and receive from others is underdeveloped and lacking. Yesterday while undergoing testing on my right eye the vision in that eye became even more limited through the effects of dilation drops and also the never ending bright lights and probing exams. Mary had to lead me by my hand through the streets of Birmingham, Al toward lunch. She had to describe the terrain under my feet and the ebb and flow of traffic. I was dependent. I needed to receive. I was not in charge. I was receiving and it wasn't very comfortable at all.
Paul the apostle had some familiarity with the need of balance in the area of giving and receiving in his life. Paul had a brilliant mind and a strong leadership gifting. Paul also found himself thrown into jail and restricted in his ability to move around freely. In his letter from jail to the church in Philippi he said this about his circumstances, "Yet it was kind of you to share in my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus, the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
Life is all about relationships. Healthy relationships are built on mutual giving and receiving.... sharing life together. I need to be more comfortable and open to allow others to give into my life and the life of my family. There is a time and a season and a purpose for everything in life. As I sit here struggling to type this note with one eye hazy and cloudy I know that it's a time to receive. Your love and care for me and my family at this time are an extension of a divine reality. There are few things that last forever.... but love is one of them. I open my hands up to you..... all of you.....maybe for the first time. I am ready to receive.
Much love;

Jim

Blind Spots

2011-10-25T16:28:00.001-07:00

Too often we take vision for granted. For 5 years I worked in an eye hospital in the mountains of Northern Pakistan. I saw so many tragic situations involving loss of vision through infection, accidents, disease and aging. I've always had good vision. Last Thursday afternoon I noticed a change in vision in my right eye while attending a cross country racing event at Langan Park in Mobile. Everything seemed a little hazy and my eye seemed uncomfortable. Being a nurse I started to do a little 'self exam' when I got home and it made me nervous. I noticed that I had developed a 'blind spot' in my peripheral vision. I simply could not see much on the right nasal field of vision of the right eye. I have studied ophthalmology and I was concerned. I initially didn't tell Mary what was going on. We were both scheduled for a trip to Nepal and I knew that if the symptoms were for real that trip might be cancelled. I quietly mentioned I would go in for an eye exam on Saturday at America's Best on Airport blvd to see if I might need a new glass prescription. When I was being examined by the Optometrist who had dilated my eyes for a look at the retina in the back of the eye, his face grew noticeably pale and he began dialing a number for an on call Ophthalmologist. His first thought was I had suffered a retinal detachment which might require immediate surgery. I called Mary and told her I had a serious problem and she took me over to see the retinal specialist who immediately upon examination told me I had a large tumor in my right eye and that I had probably had for a long time. To be honest I wasn't completely surprised. The symptoms I had been having since Thursday were unusual and not good. That blind spot was a sign that all was not well with my vision and that my life was about to change.

As I write this I do so with my left eye doing most of the work. God is a good engineer and creator and he has built redundancy into the physical masterpiece of the human body. We have two eyes for a reason! I am awaiting more medical appointments and counsel regarding what to do with the tumor in my right eye. I don't know what is going to happen. I have complete and total peace about it. My faith is that God is in control of my life. There is nothing I have not surrendered to him. I trust in him completely and I will be looking for him in every aspect of what will come going forward. God is good..... all the time.

Whether your eyes are perfect or not we all still have a tendency to have blind spots in our lives. One of the effects of sin in our life is that we don't see our failures and imperfections very easily. We tend to magnify others failures while minimizing our own. We can have blind spots toward what we say, how we act and in our attitudes. The ability to see clearly is not just a physical reality...it's often a matter of the heart. In Jesus greatest sermon he mentioned attributes that illustrated a blessed and meaningful life and one of those involved a vision of the heart. Jesus said this in Matthew 5 and verse 6, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

I am praying and asking God to heal my physical vision. I recognize the precious gift that physical sight is to my life. I need to see. But there is a deeper need in my life and your life that we too often don't recognize or acknowledge. We need to see God. We need to experience that inner transformation that allows us to have his peace, joy and love at work in our souls. God knows our blind spots and he wants to heal them and transform them for our purification and his glory. Would you pray with me for God to open the eyes of our hearts? Yes, I want a physical healing but I don't want to stop there. I want to see what God sees, feel what he feels and hear what he is speaking. Life is all about relationships.... and the greatest lover of all, God, is someone I want to see most of all.

Jim

Wounded Healers

2011-10-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

In a world of broken people, the thought of being used by God to heal others is intimidating and overwhelming. We know too well our own failings and weaknesses. Surely God will find someone who has their act completely together to bring healing and hope to the hurting. We believe the myth of spiritual super heroes whose feet never touch the ground as they sail through life as special delivery agents of God's miracles of power and grace. The reality is that the people God uses to heal and deliver us from evil are made of clay.... that is weak and subject to being broken! We are told in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 7, "But this precious treasure---this light and power that now shine within us----is held in perishable containers, that is in our weak bodies. So that everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own."

In a world desperate for healing and hope it is up to us to recognize that God wants to use wounded people to perform his wonders. When we can fully recognize that every good thing in life is a gift from above, we become less self absorbed and more God dependent. It's all about Him..... and not about us!

2 Cortinthians chapter 4 and verse 5 remind us, "We don't go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are you servants because of what Jesus has done for us." When we get out of the way and surrender to the amazing grace and power of a Savior who has conquered death itself, we can be used to heal others.....even while we ourselves are being healed.....from the inside out.

There is a powerful temptation to wait before we will allow God to use us to help others. And in that hesitation is a powerful and diabolical deception.....that somehow faith is primarily a personal and private expression of belief. If the father of lies can separate and paralyse our 'faith' to quiet closets of sentimental beliefs, he can keep us wounded forever. The reality is that the things we do for others out of a pure heart heal our own broken places. We should not wait to be healed to love others! God uses the imperfect and the incomplete....we truly are wounded healers.

Forgiveness and the grace of God in salvation initiate a process of ongoing healing and transformation that are meant to heal not just ourselves but others. God's calling to wholeness is meant to heal not just individuals but communities of people who will walk together in transformative grace.

In the year 1624, the British poet, John Donne said, "No man is an island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." By this we understand that our healing and wholeness are interdependent. In order for my own healing and wholeness to be complete, I must not be paralysed by a solely inward gaze. When I cease to care for others, I cease to be fully human and thus healing eludes me. We need God, and we need one another to be whole and well in this life.

Healing goes so far beyond a particular surgical or medical intervention. While modern medicine offers physical healing there remains a peculiar relational aspect to healing that integrates both soul and spirit. Surgeons can clear clogged arteries and staple fractured bones....but they cannot release forgiveness or restoration to a wounded and abused soul. For that we need both the unconditional love of God displayed so extravagantly by our wounded Savior on the Cross and also jars of clay....people like you and me to carry the message.....while we ourselves are still on the road to complete healing. Will you be a 'wounded healer' to carry the message of God's healing and saving love? It's in the going and dying to self that we truly find healing. Truly, no man is an island..... we need one another so desperately as we travel the road to that forever place we call home, where our healing will be final and complete.

Jim

The Living Dead: My Year of Darkness and Transformation

2011-10-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

1979 was the hardest year of my life. I was 20 years old and living in Anchorage, Alaska. I had a challenging job working as a Medical Lab tech for the U.S. Air-force at Elmendorf Air force base. The toughest part was the shift work. I worked from around 3:30 p.m. till 7 a.m. the next morning. That is a long shift. Since I was single, our Senior Master Sergeant had the idea that having me work nights would ensure the married guys had a better quality of life..... I sure hope they did... it was killing me.
Over time I became more and more tired and disgusted by my life. I didn't mind being a lab tech. I just minded not having any thing else in my life. The military doesn't guarantee a 40 hour work week. They "own" you. Yes, there are benefits. They provide housing, food, educational benefits etc.... and 30 days vacation a year.... if they can spare you. Really my problem wasn't with the military. It was with me.
On the inside at the tender young age of 20 was a dead soul. I really had everything that I needed to live. Food, housing, meaningful work( perhaps too much!). But my soul was dead. At one point I remember going to the cafeteria in the hospital where I worked and remarking that I felt like the food was 'killing' me". I was sitting with a bunch of my co-workers and they looked at me with consternation. The main course that night was 'liver' and it tasted like rubber. After a while the food just didn't seem to taste like anything at all. I was dying from the inside out.
I gradually became more and more cynical and rebellious...and arrogant. I was a scary guy to be around. When people saw me heading to work in the evening they would sometimes cross the street to avoid coming face to face with me. If you had access to some old photos of me you would be surprised to see my face. In the summer and fall of 1979 I looked at least 35 and not 20. I was hardened. My heart was stone cold dead.
Once your heart stops beating and your lungs stop breathing you have approximately 4 minutes until your brain begins to suffer irreparable damage. If you are fortunate enough to have someone do CPR and provide advanced life support you might just survive. But there is another kind of death and its far too common. It's a sad reality for many that death is already close at hand. The living dead are those who get up in the morning and move around on the outside but are dead on the inside.
Every single person on the planet lives in 3 dimensions: Body, Soul & Spirit. We are taught to eat right, exercise, search out purpose and meaning in our work etc.... But there's more. We are meant to connect with something eternal... someone eternal. I'ts not about religion. Religion more often than not will kill you before it heals you. Religion lays down rules, regulations and restrictions designed to bind you to others in a prison of control. No, what we need is life itself...which comes through an amazing display of love in Jesus. Grace is something we must embrace before we can really live in this world of the living dead.
To be free on the inside....to be forgiven and to forgive is to come fully alive. That feeling of dissatisfaction and emptiness you're experiencing right now is something I can remember too well. It's a heavy load to carry through life for even one day. For me the backpack of boulders fell off on August 2nd , 1980. On that day I found out about a forever love that accepted me, forgave me and ultimately saved me. It's good to be alive. Jesus is real.

Jim

Transition: Coping with the Stress of Change

2011-10-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

If one word could characterize the reality of the times in which we live, it would be 'transition'. We are all being moved from where we were, to somewhere we've never been. It makes for some unique challenges as we face the uncertainty of unfamiliar places. When the world changes rapidly around us, our emotions, our thoughts and our beliefs get shaken to the core. While we scratch our heads in bewilderment, we feel our 'gut' grow queasy and our jaw tighten. Just what in the world is going on?

The cliches of 'positive thinking' and shallow faith don't cut it in times of raw adversity and fear. Just what is real and stable when the world you know comes crashing down around you? We often don't realize just how shallow we really are. When we try to condense truth into a top ten bestseller, we realize that the world doesn't publish the best of advice for real word brokenness and pain. Sometimes the truth just won't sell. Uncertainty and hard questions seldom make it to the publisher.

While we try to figure out where we're going, we forget to look around and see "WHO" we're travelling with. The reality is that the who is more important than the where on this pilgrimage better known as life. We're all on a journey to a forever place. The passages, the transitions, the things we do are all so temporary that if they become our focus we might just miss the reason for it all. What a tragedy to live and never know the awesome reality that life is all about relationships.

While we seek for greatness, meaning and significance we might just miss the One relationship that is meant to define all others. The invisible everlasting Father.... the God of the universe waits for us to open our hearts, our minds, our ears to the voice that makes sense in the midst of confusion. Three words call us continually from the place just beyond the horizon. The Father speaks them in an ongoing chorus of certainty and persistence, "I love you". While we seek for a job.... a place, a title, a mate, a retirement plan, a whatever...... God offers us to himself and we often spurn that everlasting sustenance for a drive through mirage made of sand. How terribly sad!

So often we waste our sorrows. We expend our depression, our grief, our disappointment on a temporary high or experience that can never substitute for a forever love. The God who created us displayed his love in an unconditional abandonment that can never be equaled or surpassed. He took your broken soul and laid himself on a cross to heal you..... to forgive you.....to restore you.

While the world trembles and fears change, God offers himself to hold onto through the turbulence.... the pain, the tears and the fears. Transition isn't meant to destroy us. It's meant to cause us to look beyond the face we see in the mirror. Yes, we're broken. But the God who loves broken people is looking out through the other side of the mirror with a face of acceptance and not condemnation. He's smiling.... and waiting for us to come home to the place that never changes.... to his house. Sit down and rest awhile. He's got time.....lots of time. He's got forever in his hands and plenty of room for you.... for me.... for all of us. Welcome home to forever.

Jim

Intimacy Killers: The Spirit of Control

2011-10-20T05:43:00.000-07:00

Due to our own insecurities and fears we often resort to ineffective and fatal behaviors in our relationships. Perhaps one of the most fatal of all is the manifestation of a controlling spirit. True love inspires, enables and empowers freedom of choice. All true love is rooted and grounded around the ability to move forward and maintain the relationship based on freedom and trust.

The worst form of counterfeit love and intimacy is rooted in a horrific mutation of love known as narcissism.... the pathologic love of self. The narcissist doesn't love the other... he or she seeks to smother...to suffocate....to shape the other into whatever brings the ego the greatest pleasure of the moment. The root cause of a controlling spirit is the worship of self. The controller must be satisfied above all else...above all others. The partner of a controller is a slave of whatever they want: sex, attention, adulation, conversation, money or someone to hurt deeply.

The tragic end of someone dominated by a controlling spirit is the destruction of all their relationships and ultimately themselves. When we don't allow others to be free to love or reject us.... to set up boundaries in relationships based on trust and the natural patterns of growth over time that intimacy demands... to that extent we enslave ourselves to faux relationships based on lies and deception.

Mission to Nepal!

2011-10-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

On October 31st, Mary and I will travel with several friends to the beautiful country of Nepal. It will be my third trip to Nepal and Mary's second. Since 1999 we have developed great friends from Nepal right here in Mobile, Al through our ministry to internationals known as Friends of Internationals. We made our first trip to Nepal in the summer of 2007. Each time we have traveled we have ministered with our friends Sudip and Anne Lise who oversee Compassion for Asia (www.compassionforasia.org) They have an amazing ministry that cares for widows and orphans and also provides spiritual care through churches, Bible training and related outreaches throughout the nation of Nepal. We are blessed to be a part of a team of 10 people with varying gifts to offer in service to the people of Nepal. This year we are bringing two medical physicians who will be providing some medical care but also surveying and preparing for future medical outreach. We will also minister in local churches that are affiliated with Compassion for Asia and participate in a leader's conference. We also hope to visit with some family members of students we have met over the last decade here in Mobile. To put it simply, we love Nepal! The Nepali people are some of the most kind and endearing people I have ever met. By God's grace we are able to be with them for about 10 days in early November. Will you pray with us about this trip?
In going to Nepal our goal is to undergird and support the Khada family. Sudip began his ministry in 1999 as a young single man but was blessed by God to marry Anne Lise who is from Norway. They met while studying in Pensacola, Florida for ministry. They now have two children and have dedicated their lives to blessing the people of Nepal with the good news of Jesus Christ and humanitarian assistance. Nepal is a nation of 30 million people with 1/3 living on less than $1 a day! There has been tremendous political instability over the last decade and a horrific civil war that left so many people displaced and 13,000 people killed. Nepal's population is one of the world's youngest and fastest growing. Most live in rural areas, deprived of education and opportunity. Illiteracy is widespread. Young people are vulnerable to exploitation, sex trafficking, drug abuse and radicalization. We are praying for opportunities to offer hope and a future. A ministry like Compassion for Asia is offering real hope and vision for the next generation of youth in Nepal. The ministry has huge potential but it needs support and increasing partners to get behind it. This is one of the main focal points for our travel to Nepal. By bringing this team we hope to become ambassadors for both the nation of Nepal and the very vital role of service that Sudip and Anne Lise play in that nation! Every student who graduates from Sudip's bible school is equipped to communicate hope and vision to the people of Nepal. Attending church in Nepal is thrilling! You see such a fervency and dedication to make a difference! Mary and I would like to ask you be in prayer for us for this trip. We believe God has called us to go but we recognize that we are in need of help from people who have a heart for the nations. We have for years been dependent on God's people to lovingly pray and give to meet our needs while we serve him. Thanks for standing with us as our partners in the ministry of God's love and mercy!
We love you;
Jim & Mary and family

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A Surrendered Life

2011-10-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Surrender can be a scary word. It means to abandon oneself to an influence, to give into, to yield control to another. We need to be careful to whom we might yield ourselves in life. Not everyone is worthy of trust or surrender. In our search for direction and in our desire to meet our own deepest human needs we often yield control to people who can harm or injure us for their own selfish interests. We do need guidance and direction in life. There are just so many choices we must make in life! But in the process of seeking direction and guidance we need to exercise caution and develop the gift of discernment to help us know whose voice to trust and whose to run from. The word discernment means the ability to judge well. Discernment is exercised with the goal of obtaining direction and understanding. There are so many voices calling to control the direction of our lives. Those voices are often contradictory and confusing. Just which way should we turn at a critical juncture in our lives?
For many years now I have worked with college age young adults from all over the world. I have found that it really doesn't matter if you're from Iraq or Illinois....we all have the same basic needs and desires for life. There are two fundamental needs we have as humans that relate to how God has shaped us and formed us. We all have a need for significance. We all have a need for security. Our significance is rooted in becoming someone who can make a difference... whose life is more than a sand castle washed away by the next wave. We were made to make a mark on eternity. Our security is rooted in our need for being loved for who we really are.....right now....unconditionally. So much of human love is conditional and transient.... and thus insecure. I will love you if..... you lose weight....get a better job....make better grades.....change your eating habits......move to another state or country..... you name it the conditions are numerous and often inconsistent.
But what if you had a relationship with someone who loved you right now....right where you are and that love promised to be forever? How would that impact your sense of security? Is there such a love available? Many profess love. The world is full of romantic song, poems and stories. We never tire of hearing about love. Worldwide our cultures are saturated with tales of love. But there is one love story that reigns supreme. It involves sacrifice, passion and even sacrificial death on your behalf.... and mine. We are told an amazing story of beauty being exchanged for ashes at a critical time in human history. God took upon human form and spoke out about a never ending love in the clarion call of the gospel of John, " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Our need for security and significance drive all that we do. We don't want to die... to perish. We were made for love. We were made for relationship. We were made to live and enjoy love forever. And God comes to us and offers us just that kind of life. When we connect with that love and begin to believe in it, we go from existing and taking up space to living and making a difference.
Faith is a reality we all are immersed in. We all believe in something. What we trust....what we yield ourselves to ..... what and whom our lives are guided and steered by helps us understand our destiny. Our choices day by day determine the direction of our lives in the here and now and ultimately in the there and then beyond our human comprehension. Who do you trust?
When we open ourselves up to the love of God we begin to discover a life of surrender is actually a path of joy and peace.....not an absence of conflict or difficulty....but the presence of a real and tangible love that never leaves us....ever.
One of the wisest statements I have ever read about surrender comes from the Proverbs of the Old Testament chapter 3 and verses 5,6 " Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
When you surrender to a faithful and ever loving Savior you're set free from so much fear, strain and uncertainty. A surrendered life is a beautiful life. It's not a life without sorrow....but is a life where not a single tear drops goes unnoticed and not a single sorrow is wasted. Today, I encourage you to begin to ask God reveal himself to you for who he really is. He is love. He is faithful. He is worthy of your trust.
It's time to surrender....it's a wonderful life.

Jim