Do Not Abandon Obedience to the Lord

During my coffeetime with Jesus this morning I felt impressed to look back at my journal and read the entries I made while on vacation with Debi in Mexico last year. Following is one of those entries:

"Debi was sick for six days last week. I prayed for her many times, in many ways (command, request, plea) but she was not healed. I wondered why not. This morning I read the following in John Wimber’s book, The Way In is the Way On:

'At times I wondered if I was crazy to keep teaching on the subject of healing with no visible benefit to the congregation (no one was getting healed). This was a test. I asked myself, 'Can I continue to believe and practice what the Scriptures teach regardless of the results?' I had to answer, 'Yes.' I had learned that being embarrassed was not sufficient reason for abandoning obedience to the Lord (italics, mine). So we continued to pray for the sick in compliance with the Word. Once again, I felt humbled by obeying the biblical principle to pray for the sick with no particular guarantee that the Lord would ratify it. I had to prepare myself to continue to act on what I believed the Scriptures taught (italics, mine) even if it meant we saw no immediate results. The Lord taught me perseverance during this time. Whether it is prayer for the sick or a devotional Bible study, when we make commitments to the Lord to act on our beliefs, we can expect the enemy to challenge them.'

I just want to be encouraged myself, and would encourage each of you, let us not abandon whatever obedience to the Lord that He is calling us to. Be encouraged brothers and sisters. Stay the course. Do not settle for anything less than full obedience to the thing that the Lord is calling you to as individuals, as families, and as churches. Let us be leaders who prepare ourselves to continue to act on what we believe and know the Scriptures teach even if we see no immediate results.

In God's Unshakable and Extravagant Love,

Mike

Safe Place Friendships

Friendships that are a Safe Place are critical to being truly transformed and becoming more and more like Jesus. Friendships that are a Safe Place are critical because it is only in the context of such relationships that we can dare to give voice to the questions, doubts and struggles that we have never yet given voice to. Friendships that are a Safe Place are critical because it is only in the context of such relationships that we can dare to bring into the light of God, things that we have kept hidden for years; perhaps even decades. Such friendships are a gift to be cherished. The poet George Elliot describes Safe Place friendships in this way:

“Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”

I am blessed among all men with more Safe Place friendships than most. First and foremost my Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and my wife, Debi, have been a safe place for me. Friends like Graeme Sellers (pictured above left, with me at an ARC Gathering), Joe Johnson (picture with me above right), Robert Walter, Charles Miller, Bob Mabry, Danny Mullins and Kevin McClure have all been among those who have been God's Safe Place friends for me at different points in my life.

If you have Safe Place friendships in your life, take time today to thank God for these brothers and sisters. If you do not have such a friendship in your life, ask God to give you one; ask God to send a Safe Place person into your life. Finally, ask God to continue transforming you so that you can be that Safe Place person for someone else. Be ruthless with yourself and ask God to do WHATEVER He needs to do in you, so that He can be that Safe Place through you for someone else.

Being a Safe Place

Helping followers of Christ to grow in being a Safe Place is a God-given passion for me. Being a safe place is not about playing it safe. Being a safe place is about wanting to be empowered and transformed by the Holy Spirit to think, speak and act more and more like Jesus Christ. Being a Safe Place is about wanting to live like Jesus and continue His ministry in the world today.

Being a Safe Place is a missional issue for the postmodern culture in which we live. Too often in our culture Christians are viewed as being UNsafe. We are the last people others turn to in their search for spirituality, purpose and meaning in life. Too often we are the last people others turn to with their pain, questions, doubts and struggles because they view Christians as being self-righteous, condemning, judgmental and hate-filled people.

Being a Safe Place is a missional issue. Jesus was a Safe Place person for the lost and searching, the wounded and weary. They came to Him, they were drawn to Him; and because they were, they had the opportunity for their lives to be amazingly transformed. To be a safe place is nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else than wanting to be transformed by the Holy Spirit to be more and more like Jesus in all we think, say, and do so that others have the opportunity to be encountered by the unshakable and extravagant love of Father God and the good news of His Kingdom way of life being restored now, not just in eternity.

More to come on being a safe place in future blogs.

Thinking About Family

I'm just thinking today of how blessed I have been with the family God has given me. The picture on the left was taken Christmas Eve. Pictured in the front row are my son-in-law Bert Mannhalter, our daughter Rachel, their dog, Tojo, our son, Joe and his dog, Jack. On the back row left to right are myself, our son, Steve, my mother-in-law, Myrtle Asper, my Mom, Jan Bradley, my wife and best friend, Debi, our dogs, Tilly and Molly, our son, Ben, and his girlfriend, Bri. Not pictured is our oldest son, Andy, who died in 1997, but though we miss him we know we will be with him again one day. Life moves so fast these days that it is easy to not enjoy and cherish the lives of the ones we are closest to. Dear Lord, please help me slow down enough this year to make note of, and enjoy, what's going on in the lives of the family you've blessed me with. In God's Unshakable and Extravagant love. Mike

Let's not take our spouses for granted...

Good morning, Beloved!

I hope and pray this finds you and your families well as we move toward the new year. As I have my "coffeetime with Jesus" (a good strong cup of Sumatra coffee sits beside me as I type) this morning, meeting with Him in His Word and in prayer, this thought comes to mind, "Do not take for granted the gift of a spouse, but instead be intentional to care for and nurture your relationship with him/her."

As followers of Christ, relationship is our task because it is through our love for one another that the world will know we are His disciples (John 13:34-35). If this is true, that relationship is our task, our relationships will certainly be a target of our enemy who wants to steal, kill and destroy. So, let us be on guard and not unaware of his schemes against us; particularly against our marriages.

Why not find a way, even a small way, to cherish your spouse today? Surprise him/her in some small way to let them know how thankful you are for them and how much you cherish them.

Let's ask God to help us through His empowering grace to be very intentional in cultivating, nurturing and growing our relationships with our spouses this year. Ask God how you might cooperate with Him in that this year. Is there a good book to be read together? Is there a marriage conference or seminar to go that would be helpful? Is there something fun in your area of the country you've been meaning to do together but have gotten to yet? Is there healing prayer or counseling that would be a blessing for some?

To paraphrase the great prayer of Evan Roberts in the Welsh Revival, "Lord, do whatever you need to do in our marriage, so that you can do whatever You want to do through our marriage."

God bless you this year, my friends. May this be your best year yet. Do not be afraid of the success that the Lord wants to give you, the success of bearing Kingdom fruit like never before. And do not be unaware that even as You have a loving Father who wants good things for you, your family, and your church, you and I also have an enemy who wants us to miss out on those things. Let us be first and foremost focused on God, but also aware of the enemy's schemes. Let us not give him even the slightest foothold in our marriages, or any other relationships in our lives, to distract us and detour us from the plans of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for us.

Don't settle for less!

In God's Unshakable and Extravagant Love,

Mike