Mission Faithwalk

              He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (II Corinthians 3:6) Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. (Psalm  8 :2)           An idea that has been wandering through my head for months involves ministry . If I am going to change my perspective about my writing, the Master Gardeners, or my involvement in church, in my neighborhood, or at my job, I need to stop examining Exhibit Me, and figure out how to do whatever it is God wants me to (or even that I want me to), I would do well to learn what it means to minister. The basic definitions concern taking charge (administering), representing, and serving.           Ther...

                 Jesus wept. (John 11:35) Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn . (Romans 12:15) But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:44) My Bible platform chose a passage I’ve written about more than once in the past ten years. If they continue in the passage tomorrow (as they probably will), I may return to them, but today’s verse came to mind as an alternative. It’s not a verse I think is really explored much, so, why not? To put the verse in context, Jesus had received word that his friend, Lazarus, was sick. We don’t know how far Jesus was from Bethany, but instead of packing up and hurrying there, He had announced that this sickness wasn’t “unto death” and the ministry team had remained where they were. Sometime later, Jesus had said that Lazarous had fallen asleep and He was going there to wake him. When ...

                 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10) Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.  (Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life ) Once again, definitions are essential. Some people tend to think that being humble is wallowing in self-degradation. We are nothing. We have nothing . We have done and can do nothing. Too bad the people around us aren’t worthy of our better effort.  Humility is often another opportunity for Exhibit Me to be put on the examination table. Have I been humble? Let me look at myself to find out. The second quote above has been attributed to C. S. Lewis, but when I looked it up to get the words right this morning, I discovered he didn’t say it. Rick Warren did. Again, however, did I think of myself less? Exhibit Me comes out again. As I contemplate this, I find myself smirking. At least if I’m crafting, cleaning, cooking, g...

                  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Ephesians 4:8)           Two days ago (because I’m writing a little ahead!), a friend shared a post about not complaining for 24 hours. I also shared it, along with some suggestions. I began by considering forgetting the 24-hour bit. That takes too much concentration. Try one minute, several times per day. You might try one minute during an upset, when you’re most likely to complain.           I also suggested that you replace the complaining with something, because “I will not complain” is likely to end with you complaining about your complaining. One option is to find something to do t...

              Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)           Two days ago, the subject was “Do Not Judge.” The verse my Bible platform shared today specifically says that “if someone is caught in a sin…”  Tied up in all of this are some big words: toxicity, narcissism, gaslighting, codependence, and intervention. It may come down to the question of motives, and even there, it can get difficult. The obvious claim is “It’s for your own good!” or “I’m just trying to help!”  But those claims can hide manipulation.           So, wisdom and prayer are needed.  Are we truly interested in helping the person caught sinning, or are we more interested in looking good, being right, or credit for “fixing” someo...

                 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5) Wisdom, Direction, Attitude. Those have been my automatic prayer requests for years. I suspect wisdom is on many people’s lists. Technically, if I had wisdom, there would be no question of my direction or my attitude. It’s all about wisdom. The first problem is that God doesn’t answer my prayer. I don’t open a book (even the Bible!) and put my finger on some wisdom. No light shines. No note descends from Heaven on a fishhook. I don’t have flashes of insight with which to impress someone. Life just goes on, disappointed because God doesn’t answer my prayers. And as life goes on, I find that I’ve learned a thing or two. I respond differently and it works. I realize that, while God can certainly teach us in a flash of insight, He tends to teach over time. The gift of wisdom isn’t...