Mission Faithwalk

                 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future . (Jeremiah 29:11) I’m still reading the book about spiritual warfare and prayer, but yesterday either shifted my direction or confirmed a direction I’d been – sort of, kind of – contemplating. I went out to work on the garden and found myself irritated. There were so many weeds to pull! Then there are so many seeds to plant, pieces to root, and seedlings to buy, and none of them can be planted yet (it was 29 this morning.) I’m so far from my goal of a beautiful garden! Do you hear the complaint in my words? You should because it was there. I tend to be reluctant to say, “Then God,” but, then God suggested that seeing things as negative just because they aren’t the desired finished product means that I’m missing out on the joy of the creative process, of the time spent...

                 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God . (II Corinthians 5:21)   “I do, Papa!” We hear this from a young child and smile as we watch her struggle to do something she simply can’t do. We celebrate when “I do, Papa!” involves her doing things she has learned to do, but it takes time for her to learn that she can’t do everything and to learn the humility of allowing others to do what she cannot. That’s what today’s passage is about. That’s all good if we can do what’s needed. The problem is that there are things we can’t do for ourselves or by ourselves. We can’t make money by ourselves. The only way we get legal currency is if were trade some good or service for it or it is given to us. Both those things involve other people. We can’t generally perform major surgery on ourselves. Even if we have the knowledge, it’s generally not wise. Most of us ar...

                 Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48) To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some . (I Corinthians 9:2) Look right. Smell right. Only say the right words. Donate to all the right causes. No matter where you go or what group you’re part of, there are expectations. Scripture is no different. Be perfect. Be holy. Be everything to everyone. I could add love God with everything in you and love your neighbor as yourself. It’s not that all these things are bad things. Many of them are quite good. But they all have performance in common. Performance is normal, natural, a...

                 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh . (Genesis 2:24) The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18) God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28) Scripture includes instructions for the major sorts of relationships, including the condemnation of some and warnings about others. But in today’s passages, God establishes several specific relationships: God/man, marriage, family, and rulership over the animals. There are lots of examples of God guiding people with regard to other relationships (e.g. master/slave an...

                 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.    The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:14-15) Whenever we discuss God as Father , some will object, saying that their father was a monster, and if that’s what God is like, they want nothing to do with him. None of us have a perfect human father. I’d like to say I loved mine, and he loved me, but we spoke very different love languages, and that didn’t help. He wasn’t a monster, and I won’t pretend that I understand the depth of the pain suffered by those who did have a monster for a father, but even those who had or have a monstrous father have some inkling of what a father should be. But, as Priscilla Shirer points out in FerVent , identity is an area wher...

               And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. (II Corinthians 11:14) Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down . (Revelation 20:10)           Have you heard of Artificial Intelligence? For some parts of society, it’s probably not given much thought, but among artists who pour their heart and soul into their work, then watch as computers create “better” pictures or write stories in hours, it’s a bigger thing. It’s also a problem for photographers and those involved in law, reporting, and history. Documents and pictures can be created - forgeries that might show something as silly as...

                 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10) Can you imagine life as a musical? You’re on your way to work and suddenly there’s a flashmob dancing it way along the street. You edge past them and park your car at the same time that your boss gets out of his and struts around proclaiming what a powerful person he’s going to be, dancing his way across the top of his car and yours, and demanding that you join in… And that, all in ten minutes. Imagine the rest of that exhausting day. People have described me as intense. Like most people, I’ve been taught that it’s not polite to get vent to my feelings or to tromp over others in my attack of whatever it is that has my focus. And that’s a good thing. I probably still vent and tromp more than I should - at least according to some folks. But somewhere along the line, I crossed a line. While it was acceptable for others to be pa...

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...

                 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world . (I John 2:16) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12) For decades, I've been irritated when I’ve heard someone talk about being tempted by the devil (or a devil). These people weren’t Billy Graham or some world leader. And every time something went wrong or they felt tempted, it was the devil’s work, as if they’d be perfect examples of every virtue if left to themselves. It’s only because of some malevolent spiritual entity that their sublime existence was imperiled. The passages above make it clear that spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms can certainly cause problems ...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,  faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God . (II Corinthians 1:3-4)   Over the past two weeks, I’ve been writing about comforting others as a result of having been comforted by God.. We need to be reminded regularly that God loves us, takes joy in us, is at peace with us, is forebearing/patient kind, good, faithful and gentle with us and self-controlled with us. But as with so many things, these things have more than one purpose. God doesn’t produce this fruit in our lives in a vacuum. They benefit us, of course, but they are meant to overflow into the lives of others. God loves us because that’s...

                 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)   “Why is he taking so long to get this idea?” “I’ve explained things to her five times already!” Yes, the last item of “everyday clothing” we are advised to don is patience. We tend to think of patience as waiting, but it’s not just waiting. It’s waiting for. We don’t seem to mind sitting around doing nothing if we have a fishing pole nearby, or we’re watching TV. But the moment that block of time is between now and something we want - watch out!           Part of the problem is the question of how long we wait if we’re being patient, and how long after we start being patient are we supposed to get pushy or walk away? It’s a silly example, but how long are you going to wait for your child to clean his/her r...

                 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12) Compassion, kindness, and humility lead us to putting on gentleness. When you handle an egg or fine china, you tend to watch what you’re doing. You don’t want to break them. When you’re handling someone’s soul, the same rule applies. You not only need to be careful in what you’re doing, but you need to know what can be done without harming the one being helped. One can use several levels of force: none at all, not enough, a little less than enough, enough, a little more than enough, too much, and violating boundaries. Where our help falls on this continuum is judged by the person being helped, consciously or otherwise. Being gentle requires that we use no more force than is necessary. When one plants a seedling, one needs to provide it with what seems like a litt...

                 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12) The next article of clothing we’re to wear until our clothing is humility. This is especially needed when comforting someone because this situation lends itself to comparison. Strengthening suggests that the other person is weaker. Compassion is given to those who are in need. Kindly lending someone strength means they are weak and needy. We are all weak and needy at some point, but when we’re on the giving end of the equation, it’s easy to start doubting them and turning our focus to ourselves. And if the receiver needs or shows weakness too often, instead of helping them up, we may use them to make us feel better about ourselves. This is why Jesus tells us to make sure we don’t have a speck in our own eye before we worry about the log in someone else’s. It’s no...

                 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12) Having discussed putting on compassion yesterday, today we move on to kindness. This moves a step closer to spiritual warfare but without armor. I like the description that kindness is lending someone else your strength. So, after we have shown compassion by connecting with the person emotionally and acknowledging their feelings about something, we need to do something they can’t. I suspect that something is to move beyond the feelings. This brings us back to the reality that when we are upset, angry, hurt, or otherwise emotionally involved, our universe tends to shrink to the size and shape of the cause or the emotion. The victim of this emotional fixation may not only be unable to see past the emotion but may resent someone trying to shift their perspective. Th...

    Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12) As we go through our day, we need to remember that we’re at war. We’re to have our armor on and be ready to do battle. Our lives and the lives of those around us depend on that armor. But, as vitally important as the armor of God is, one doesn’t tend to wear armor directly on the body. There are usually layers of padding and clothing beneath it to absorb sweat, prevent chafing, and preserve modesty and dignity. Under the truth, righteousness, readiness, and salvation, and behind the faith, we’re to wear compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. I know, we keep returning to these things but that’s because they’re central to humanity and personhood, and therefore to Christianity. Even when we take off the armor, we’re to wear them. The first is compassion. This is the “feeling with” that Job’s frien...

                 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  (Ephesians 6:18)   Normally, a discussion of the armor of God ends with the sword of the Spirit, but the first word of today’s verse is, “And,” which makes it part of the list. Could it be that praying in the Spirit is one way we wield the sword of the Spirit? Prayer is one of the things with which I struggle. You can’t really put it on a table and examine it. People have different formulae for it. But how would you like it if every time you got together with someone, they had the same conversation with you? “Let me pull out my shopping list and tell you want I’m going to buy at Walmart today…” What if every time that person mentions someone you both know, the person has to give a detailed description of who the person is, wh...

                 Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17b) For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) Jesus answered, “It is written: …” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: …” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written:” (Matthew 4:4a, 7a, 10a)     Sunday School teachers have long pointed out that the sword is the only weapon mentioned.   Of course, you could shove or bonk someone over the head with the shield, but that’s not an effective or safe use. No, we are advised to use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And if we consider the example set by Jesus in Matthew 4, one might say we’re supposed to engage in repartee or quick-wi...

                      Take the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17) He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. (Isaiah 59:17) For those who think that Paul was being especially inventive in describing things like righteousness and salvation in terms of garments, the second passage shows that Isaiah was likely his “Shakespeare.” Like the breastplate, it is designed to be donned and simply allowed to do its job. And now, on to the content. While we have historical or literary precedent for salvation being associated with helmets, it’s not the association I would have chosen. Helmets protect the head, and therefore, the brain, or the mind. I would have expected truth. But the curious, interesting, and wisdom of the armor is that it seems to protect against weaknesses with th...

                 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.   (Ephesians 6:16) The belt, the breastplate, and the boots are all pieces of armor that need only be put on. After that, they’re there, doing their job. How’s that for using homophones? You might say that they’re passive armor. Granted, you have to turn your body toward your enemy for your breastplate to be useful, but with the shield, you can protect your front, your side, your back, or the top of your head if you build the skill and strength to do so. If you let down your guard, your breastplate may still protect you, but chances are that your shield won’t. For your shield to protect you, you must turn it toward your enemy even if your body is facing a different way. It is dynamic. As I read this verse this morning, I noticed that the use of the shield of faith is to extinguish the ...

                 Stand firm then… with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.   (Ephesians 6:14a & 15)           The “gospel of peace” part of this verse has bothered me for a long time. What does it mean? I understand that Christ’s death and resurrection means that we can have peace with God. I understand that peace involves our learning to agree with God just as peace with a river means going where the river flows. But - as much as that is, and it’s a lot - my response was often, “Is that all it means?” That seems too simple.           Perhaps the last decade as instilled some wisdom, or maybe I’ve finally noticed the obvious. My understanding has been “vertical.” What if what this passage is about “horizontal” relationships: person to person? What if the idea that we are equipped for battle best if w...

            Stand firm then … with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  (Ephesians 6:14b) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.   (II Corinthains 1:3-4)           I sometimes hear that all religions are the same (or alike) because they all basically tell us the same thing. And, to an extent, that’s true. As I’ve said repeatedly, religions and philosophies are understandings of reality. It makes sense that all religions would have some variation on “Don’t murder.” What this means is that religion and philosophy deal with functioning within reality, which involves doing the right thing, or righteousness. And as today’s passage points out, righteousness protects the heart ...

                 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,  (Ephesians 6:14a) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.   (II Corinthains 1:3-4) If you listen to popular advice about hard times and comforting someone, you’ll hear the majority of the focus on not saying anything, but just “being there.” Job’s friends sat with him saying nothing for seven days. What a waste! They could have done something useful but they sat there. I could be wrong but being a further drain on the household probably isn’t the best way to comfort someone. The next thing the advice tells us is that we’re supposed to grant validity to what the person claims is true. Now, I can see agreeing that the person may ...

                 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God . (II Corinthians 1:3-4)   Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)   “It may not be OK for as long as you live, but you will be OK.” “God will guide, protect, and strengthen you. He loves you.” “You can grow and become stronger.” “You are not as fragile as you think.” “This is not meant to destroy you but to build you into a stronger, wiser, better person.” These are the things that com-fort/with-strength is meant to convey to us. Comfort isn’t about making us feel all warm and fuzzy. It’s meant to empower us. And what ...

                Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting . (Psalm 139:23-29) It may be the time of year and the changes I’m facing or will be facing soon or any of several factors, but my anxiety or anticipation levels are elevated. Last night as I was not falling asleep, I found myself fussing over the fact that I was thinking about falling to sleep and not falling to sleep instead of praying. Even more, I thought about those instead of praising God and worshipping. Unfortunately, the only thing I could think of to praise God for was what amounted to a soulless grocery list of characteristics. “OK, Lord, You’re perfect. You’re omniscient. You’re love. Blah, blah, blah. All true, but it was rather like reading the phone book. That led to recrimination about how little and cold my love for Him must be. And then the passage above...

            Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;  your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4) To begin, this psalm is so famous that even though the translators of the New International Version translated it as “through the darkest valley,” they added a foot note saying, “Or, through the shadow of death.” Poetically speaking, we just can’t get better than that image. The past week has been a sort of dark valley. My knee started hurting. No, that’s certainly not a valley of the shadow of death, but not knowing what the problem is means that I could be doing more damage. It seemed important for me to find out. I had an appointment with an osteopath this morning, and they redid the x-rays done last Friday and the “there’s good space between the bones” turned into “Um, there’s not enough space between the bones where it hurts.” Today - my first cortisone shot. When I g...

                 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7) Imagine going through your day muttering commandments as they seem appropriate. I wonder how many times each day we’d say, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” Would it be more or less frequent than “Thou shalt not commit adultery”? How about, “Thou shalt not bear false witness”? Or, “Thou shalt not commit murder!”? Of course, we could include some commandments that weren’t in the “big ten.” Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6) Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whateve...

                 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)   This is a time of year when this verse is likely to resonate more with me. Not only am I getting ready to switch to my other “half-life” but I’m starting to think in terms of my birthday and setting goals (again) for a different “new year.” But I may have to spend more than one day thinking about this verse, because tonight I have taken a strong stand in a response to someone’s post, and I have no doubt that the person in question is going to be offended. That’s not overly unusual, but in light of this verse, some questions come to mind. The biggest is how one figures out whether one is being courageous or violating someone’s healthy boundaries. Put another way, where is the line between being courageous and being codependent? Or, perhap...