Thursday, November 11, 2010

Retreat

"Solitude begins with a time and a place for God, and God alone. If we really believe not only that God exists but also that God is actively present in our lives-- healing, teaching and guiding-- we need to set aside a time and space to give God our undivided attention. "
Henri J.M. Nouwen (Making All Things New and Other Classics)







"The real "work" of prayer is to become silent and listen to the voice that says good things about me. To gently push aside and silence the many voices that question my goodness and to trust that I will hear the voice of blessing-- that demands real effort. "
Henri J.M. Nouwen (Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World)

I am headed to a weekend retreat in Maine today and I am so excited about spending time away from the distractions and busyness of my life, to just BE still with the Lord.
 

To keep going we need to keep retreating.

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

 Mark 6:31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Royal Employment

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Can you remember being called out of darkness and into His light? I can remember it very clearly... getting snatched out of darkness, being rescued by my king. 

But God doesn't stop by just rescuing us, He calls us special possessions, He calls us royal. Then He asks us to GO and tell others about His incredible love.

Charles Spurgeon calls evangelism:
“ that most royal employment” and
“ The chief business of a Christian” 








Sunday, November 7, 2010

Who Cares

Last year I was on retreat with our Alpha National Team in sunny Sarasota Florida. As a rookie missionary I soon learned that the word retreat in ministry, does not necessarily mean hanging out together with God, quiet time, or solitude. This was a working retreat and we were pretty busy working together in teams from the time we arrived, till the time we left.

One very profound moment for me was on Sunday morning, when I heard a sermon that contained the story of the founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth. William received a vision from God. It was a vision of Christians going about their business resting, relaxing and enjoying life safely on the shore, while 1000's who did not yet know Christ, were sometimes only an arms length away drowning in a stormy sea. The Christians ignored them, and many met their peril. This God given vision drove the man in His calling and mission for the rest of his life. This picture is sort of a modern rendition of his dream.

This story had a profound impact on me. I began to ask myself, do you notice people? Do you make time to notice those the Lord has placed around you every day? Are you willing to make time, to turn aside, to reach out, to pull someone who is drowning to shore? Or are you to busy doing Christian things to see those who are still in the water? Do you pray for them, make time for them, invite them? Or do you let them drown?
I saved this picture so that I could look at it often to remind myself of what our mission is while we are here on earth. Its an urgent mission and I pray that I never get too busy doing Christian things, to hear, to see, to notice, to love, to go. Who cares?

 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
   And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”Isaiah 6:8


Friday, November 5, 2010

Letting His light shine through the cracks...

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

We are all cracked pots. We all fall short of the glory of God, and yet we are God's plan for bringing His Good News to all the world. This is totally amazing news to me. We are entrusted with His message and yet we are broken people. This is no surprise to God. He knows each crack, each weakness, every single flaw. Yet if we allow Him access to our brokenness, our cracks if you will, these are the very places in which others will encounter Jesus. His light shines through our cracks. Has the Lord ever redeemed your own brokenness and used it to point someone far away closer to Jesus? Did they see His redemption at work in your life? Did they find a hope as you let His light shine into their darkness?

A New Adventure!

Hello New England,

I have recently read several blogs from friends and wondered ... Why write a blog? The condenses was to help more people get to know a bit more of who you are and what you're about. So I am beginning this new and exciting adventure ... Blogging ! I'm just a cracked pot trying my best to follow Jesus here in this world, until I can be with him in the next. Hope you can join me on the journey!


 Blessings, Lisa