From Dream to Destiny

  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

  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

  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

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

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

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 miracle (as I am) it's vital to remember that.

He's 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

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