Discipleship Network Forum

If you're like me your day is most often a whirlwind. Alarm goes off.  Shower.  Quiet time.  Dress.  Work.  Lunch.  Work some more.  Go home.  Chores/homework.  Dinner.  More chores/homework.  Bed.  Repeat process. 

In the transition times between the various stages of the day my thoughts are mostly consumed with the next thing that has to be done.  Most days the topic of my quiet time is swept up by the various tasks of the day within a couple of hours.  This often led to frustration in my spiritual life.  I just couldn't get why I wasn't making any discernible progress in growing to be more like Christ; for instance, why I was still struggling with my attitude when I identified it as a problem to work on 6 months earlier.

Several months ago I made the decision to intentionally slow down my day at points and reflect on a passage of Scripture, or a truth of some sort, or simply an adjustment in thinking or behavior that I felt the Lord wanted me to make.  Even though these were short moments of reflection, only 2-5 minutes apiece, the effect on my spiritual growth was immense.  The Lord began to connect the dots between the truths of Scripture and my attitude, my behavior, and my actions in a way that I had not experienced in a long time. 

Taking a few moments to reflect provides a unification point for your day.  It provides an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to bring the truth of Scripture to bear on your life in increasingly applicable ways.  Reflection makes you more sensitive to spiritual realities and the struggles of those around you because you are intentionally reflecting on spiritual things.

Reflection can take several forms:

1)Praying through Scripture-- this is the method I use most of the time.  Weekly, I identify a chunk of verses to memorize that use as the focus of my reflection times.

2)General prayer-- taking the time to bring "mundane" elements of your day to the Lord.  This allows you to begin to discern spiritual realities behind events you don't normally think of as having spiritual components.

3)Journaling-- provides an opportunity to reflect on the day as a whole and what the Lord is teaching you in a manner which is easy to reflect on even months down the road. 

What other forms of reflection have you found to be helpful in your walk with Christ?

After 50 years of doing dscipleship in university evangelism and pastoral ministry I was greatly refreshed by  TRANSFORMING DISCIPLESHIP by Greg Ogden. IV Press. This pastor gets into making the church a reproducing ministry of the Spirit. He links discipling with small groups and shows how it works with him and others.

MENTORING FOR MISSION by Gunter Krallmann( out of print, and  you'll have to search)but worth it! This is by far the best researched collection of Bble verses and application bathed in the life of Jesus and Paul. I went to Amazon and got all they had(2), called Youth With A Mission and no one's heard of it, yet they published it! This is the BEST  by far of all I've read through the years.

 The emphasis is on target:discipling is modeling all you want someone ele to do and reproduce. No sermon will do it. Life on life is the hard fact that Jesus lived with twelve men.  To Make disciples you MODEL the life and ministry of Jesus...and the ministry applications of Paul. Jesus didn't stay for 3 years just to die on the cross. Religious leaders wanted him dead after a few weeks. The 3 plus years were to live the life before them. They were to copy him. Simple. Only one or two seemed to have any formal education. He didn't need the University crowd to change the world, but welcomed them through Paul's life and ministry. Get close enough to Jesus to model what you see and hear. The 12 men and some women were to know His heart, copy him, and then give their lives to lead others to do the same.

The young men I led to Christ or grabbed to disciple, recalled to me years later details of what I said and did in detail on our witnessing and ministry times together!  Some think with a couple hours a week in a Bible study that will do it. It's a vital part, if we teach themHOW TO feed themselves. However unless get into LIFE experiences with them they  rarely reproduce. I do "WIND" with my guys as Jesus did: Witnessing, Intercession, Nurturing and Discipling.  And it takes time over months. His Waylon Moore

I do a weekly book review of current books in the areas of Discipleship, Spiritual Formation, Global Issues and Missions.  This work originally came from my connection with TEAM Mission and their Lifelong Learning Center.  Thought it would be of interest to members of the Discipleship Network. You can find it at www.marylousreviews.blogspot.com

A confession:

I've tried the whole spiritual discipline spiel before.  I've decided I was going to get up earlier to study harder and pray longer.  I've decided I was going to practice fasting and remembered my vow as I scarfed down breakfast the morning said fast was to begin.  I've never attempted a Sabbath because, like everybody else, there's just too much to do to stop for a day.

Recently the Lord has placed the disciplines on my heart again.  This time things are different.  The resolutions that I've made have (more often than not) stuck.   I've remained committed through projects being due, my wife being sick for 3 consecutive weeks, and a stressful few weeks on the job.  

The difference has been my motivation.  In the past I've undertaken discipline as something that I "ought" to do because I'm supposed to be a spiritual leader.  Now, I understand discipline to be a response to the grace of God in Christ showered on me.  I want to discipline myself to become more like Christ because He is worth becoming more like!  The only real reason to even practice discipline is to conform oneself to the image of Christ through communing with the Father.

But really, how can this be accomplished?  Here are a few practical suggestions:

1. Know yourself.  If you're not a morning person, don't commit to too much in the morning.  Find consistent points in your day which you can devote to disciplines (i.e. prayer, Bible study, Bible reading, reflection, etc.).
2. Identify a truth to reflect on throughout your day.  Pray about it before you start your day, as you go through your day, and before you end your day.  Write it down in places that you will see regularly.  I have a chunk of Scripture that I try to memorize every week that I write on note cards and put in front of the keyboard of my home computer and my office computer.  Every time I sit down I read it and reflect before I do whatever it was I was intending to do.
3. Create habits.  This requires some pre-planning.  Know the times and portions of your day that you regularly have free and utilize those times.  
4. Eliminate distractions.  The best pre-work that was done for devoting myself to discipline was getting rid of cable.  Cutting cable was done in my house for the extremely spiritual reason of budget cuts, but nothing that has been done in the last 6 months prepared the way for the Lord to move in my life like eliminating this needless distraction.  I am now much more likely to come home and reflect on my day and the truth of God instead of vedging out on the couch to ESPN.

How about you?  How do you discipline yourself for godliness?  

I haven't blogged in a while. You may not have noticed, but I have.

I've felt guilty about it.

I've thought of a dozen things I wanted to blog about, but then didn't follow through.

That made me even more guilty.

I have feeling guilty . . . 

When I feel guilty for two long, I have a panic attack.

That's never pretty and it brings on more guilt.

And the bottom line is I haven't blogged because I've been too busy to stop long enough to do it.

It's not like I'm never thinking about God. For example, during the past weeks I've spent a ton of time in the Bible. I teach two Bible studies a week and spend time preparing for both. I'm editing Bible curriculum each week (usually two a week) and working through parts of curriculum with new writers every week. I'm editing a manuscript about that curriculum. This week I worked through 8 chapters of it. Lot's of time spent in the Bible.

But if I'm not careful, I get caught up with the work load, the deadlines, the expectations I've put on myself, with the other 12 things I'm trying to do for my family . . . all good stuff, by the way . . . and neglect to take time to be quiet and reflect in one's happening in my spiritual life. That doesn't mean my prayer life is non-existent, or that I never worship.

It just means that blogging is a time for me to be quiet for a few minutes and listen for God's voice. Obviously, I haven't had much quiet time lately. 

I wonder if I had more quiet time if I'd have fewer feelings of guilt?

Now, that's a "no-brainer."

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

Two notable “missional” authours have just written new books – and both are worth reading but for different reasons. Michael Frost and Hugh Halter.

I’ve had the opportunity to hear Michael Frost in person. He is a dynamic personality that inspires you to be bold for the Gospel. I still recall some of the amazing stories that helped me understand why God is calling us to His mission. His newest is Road to Missional: Journey to the Centre of the Church.

So do we really need another “misisonal” book? Maybe that’s the reason Frost wrote the book – because the term has become a catch-all term for “improved” evangelism or “serving into the community”. I agree with other reviewers of this book – that what Frost has provided – is give the Church a true understanding of missional that speaks to our heart and mind. The book will challenge you, correct you, and inspire you (some great illustrations and stories!). Definitely the first book to give to someone wanting to know – “what is missional?”.

You may have come across an earlier book by Hugh Halter – The Tangible Kingdom which is excellent. I would consider this a “must-read” on the missional topic. His newest isSacrilege: Finding life in the unorthodox ways of Jesus. The title catches your mind and follows the trend of many newer titles to be non-religious. Hugh’s book is directed more to the individual follower of Jesus versus Frost’s larger focus of the church. It’s more of a missional- life handbook for Jesus-followers. It complements Tangible Kingdom well, putting the focus clearly on our personal lives and choices. Memorable stories and illustrations begin most chapters and end with provoking questions to move us from “comfort” Christianity to the life Jesus calls us. Definitely a practical book that helps Jesus followers participate with God in His mission.

Phil Miglioratti recently stirred my reflective juices by asking for my perspective on how discipleship, prayer, and evangelism are related.

    It's a worthy question, especially for people who are so involved in any particular aspect of ministry that it becomes their primary, almost exclusive, frame of reference. Step by subtle step, all other forms of ministry become compartmentalized into separate (and perhaps secondary) roles. That's the "silo effect."

     Should discipleship, prayer, and evangelism be separate ministry silos? If so, what are the implications? If not, how would you describe their connection?

Here is my 3-paragraph perspective:

• Context. Discipleship, evangelism, and prayer are parts of a larger context: our relationship with God. True life revolves around Him -- not us. Human beings were created and designed to worship God; that is, to “honor Him in ways that He accepts.” We are most fulfilled and He is most honored when we live and function as designed—as true, vibrant worshipers of God.

• Lifestyle. We "worship" God -- i.e., we honor Him in ways that He accepts --  by loving Him, abiding in Him, and serving Him. Imagine those as 3 concentric circles with loving at the core, abiding next, and serving as the external circle. In general, the 3 circles represent a Christ-follower's heart, head, and hands. ~~~ A core process in producing this lifestyle is our constant cultivation and practice of Christlike character. ~~~ Examples of this concept in the Scriptures include 1 Cor 13, Jn 15, Rom 12, and the entire book of Ephesians. ~~~ Our lifestyle worship is the way we meet Christ’s challenge in Matthew 5:14-16.

• Connection. Discipleship includes much of what we mean by “abiding in” (or "walking with" in Ephesians) Him, such as our spiritual disciplines, Bible study, and obedience. Prayer is another way we “abide in” Him. Evangelism—with and without speaking evangelistic words—is part of our “serving.”

Your thoughts?

I thought I would share the journey I have been on the past few months.  I have been serving as Discipleship deacon for almost a year, but have not realized what it meant until the past few months.  I was really trying to figure out what I should be doing.  Was it just about coming up with new adult Sunday School classes, or keeping an eye on our adult life groups, maybe helping organize men's or women's events?  I came across this site, and that started me on quite the journey.

I read a post about Discipleship and someone mentioned the C3 website http://coregroups.org/core3strand.html.  The material hit me like a ton of bricks.  I went into the Family Life Pastor's office the next day and shared with him.  He was also excited.  Then I stopped into the Senior Pastor's office, whom I consider a good friend.  He shared that this is exactly what had been on his heart the past five years, and he was trying to figure out how it would work.  He shared that the Elders were starting a book called "Going Deep" by Gordon MacDonald.  I read the book in a few weeks, and it only strengthened what I had been feeling.  Since then I have also read "Simple Church".  I am trying to process all of this and figure out what God is telling me.  Obviously I believe he has plans for our Church, and I have started to work with the Elders on what this would look like.  One of the Elders shared how this was also his passion, and he loved that I was moving forward with it.

I am very excited, but also very confused about what this all means.  I definitely want to define what it means for a Christian to mature at our Church.  What does the path look like, and how does it fit with our vision?  I don't want it to be another program.  We currently offer Sunday School classes, and Life Groups, which are mixed gender small groups.  They also implemented "Mentor Groups" a few years ago for same-gender study of 3-5 people.  This seems to fit with the CORE material.  I think what's missing is a path that people can understand.  Also, defining the material for each stage so it feeds the next stage.  My goal is to see a whole new group of "Deep Christians" take charge and start mentoring new groups and deepening their faith.

So any of you that have been doing this, I would really appreciate any ideas, input, etc.  If you would have asked me a year ago if this is what I would be excited about, I would have probably said, "No, but I will serve as Deacon since no one else wants to."  Isn't it amazing how God knows!

Call me old-fashioned but I still make New Year’s Resolutions. Do I keep them? Not always! Yet I’m old enough to know if expectations and goals aren’t set, they’re not reached. So here’s my list for this year:

1. Read through the Bible in its entirety.
2. Read more books. (Currently my Kindle is used primarily for the Every Word game. What a waste!)
3. Become a better finisher. (My mom continues to teach me this.)
4. Cultivate discipline as a writer by designating specific times.
5. Keep a cleaner, less cluttered home. (There are spiritual applications here, too.)
6. Pray more fervently and consistently!
7. Love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.

I can’t really look ahead without reviewing the main principle learned in 2011. Knowing when to say “yes” and when to say “no” has always been a struggle in my time management. Last year the Lord taught me a very significant precept about this. I have to measure each decision by this question: “What is it that only I can do?” When that is answered after prayer and petition, deciding how to spend my time is much easier.

Thanks you, Lord, for giving me insight this past year. I pray for more wisdom in the coming days. In Christ’s holy name, Amen.

I've given up on New Year's Resolutions . . . eat better, exercise more, lose weight, study more, be nicer . . . All resolutions do for me is make me feel like a failure. A former student of my posted on FaceBook last night that the gym was packed with people who didn't know what they were doing on the weight machines. Another friend responded, "Don't worry. They'll all be gone in a week."

There's something about the New Year that makes us take a new look at our life and think about what we'd like to change. But change, real change, takes plans, not resolutions.

I've tackled my biggest challenge for the new year with a plan, not a resolution. After two surgeries, and a lot of weight gain from all the steroids, and the fact that I just turned 59, I have to get serious about getting healthy again. This time I have a plan, and a partner to hold me accountable. I think this year I'll make it.

I'm praying at the moment about my spiritual life. I'm asking God to show me the area in my spiritual life that needs to be focused on for the year. And, I'm praying to see what He would have me do.

What about you? Do you have resolutions? Plans? Has God shown you an area in your life that you want to change, challenge, or strengthen?

Let us know what you're focusing on for this year so we can pray for each other. I cannot wait to see what God will do in 2012!

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

He was amazed at how quickly he disappeared when he first sat down on the corner. He learned quickly that it didn’t matter what he said, how well or how loud he played that old drum, no one could be bothered to do any more than glance in his general direction, and any who made accidental eye contact, looked away as quickly as possible.  He assumed his presence made them uncomfortable, knowing they lived in a world that is okay with a ten-year-old being forced to survive by playing a drum on the street.  Their refusal to acknowledge him was upsetting at first, but eventually he came to accept it. 

But this morning is different.  There is an unusual feeling in the air. The businessmen who typically hurry by in their own worlds making big money deals on their iPhones are now walking together.  They are smiling.  They are laughing.  They are talking to one another. They are carrying gifts.  And they are noticing our little drummer. They see him. They make eye contact with him.  They smile at him, and even give him a coin or two.

One drops a coin at his feet and looks in his eyes.  “Aren’t you coming, son?” He asks. 

“Excuse me, sir? Coming where?”

“To meet the newborn king. You should come and see,” he says and turns to rejoin the crowd. 

The boy drops his sticks and wonders if he is dreaming.  People are noticing him, acknowledging him and even speaking to him.  And now he is invited to visit a king?  How is this even possible?  With not a little bit of excitement he tosses his beat up old drum into a backpack, jumps up and runs to join the throng of pilgrims. 

It is not until he is fully enveloped by the crowd that the dilemma of a gift occurs to him. “These men are all bringing expensive gifts, but I don’t have anything.  I beg for nickels on the corner. What could I possibly offer to a future king?” He considers abandoning his journey and returning to his corner until his ten-year-old curiosity gets the better of him, and he continues with the crowd.

The people before him come to a stop, and those behind continue to press forward.  They must have arrived.  He is too small to see past the people, but his size does allow him to squeeze and wiggle toward the front.  The closer he gets the denser the crowd grows and the harder he must push to get through.  With one final lunge he bursts free of the others.  No more than a few feet in front of him is the royal family themselves, but he is surprised by what he sees.  They are hardly what he expected.  This family is like him… poor.

For a few moments his surprise keeps him from noticing that everyone is staring at him, but as soon as he does, panic begins to fill his belly, his chest and his face.  He is sure that he looks like an idiot and everyone must be wondering why such a ragamuffin is standing before them.  For years he longed to be noticed, but all he wants now is to sink back into anonymity.  

He looks around and sees the expensive gifts the men around him are carrying. “What could I possibly give?” He wonders. “All I have is a handful of coins, but these men have handfuls of hundred dollar bills?  What do I possibly have that is worthy to give a king?”

He lifts his head preparing to apologize and slip away but is surprised when he sees the mother smiling.  Her smile doesn’t mock or belittle but radiates warmth and love.  Her smile reminds him of his own mother’s.  He remembers the smile on her face when she gave him his drum or when she watched him play. 

Hardly realizing what he is doing he pulls his drum from the backpack.  Without taking his eyes off of that warm, beautiful smile he sits and begins to bang out a simple rhythm.  “What am I doing?” He thinks, “I play my drum for coins not kings!” And then he looks at the baby king.  “Is that a smile?  Did he just smile at me?”

A boy, a little drummer boy who thinks he has nothing to give doesn’t bring a gift of gold or silver.  He doesn’t offer fine foods or spices.  He offers his drum.  He offers his talent.  He offers to the baby king himself.  What do you have to offer the king this season?

Late last night fourteen of us gathered in a seminary parking lot to pray about the opportunity to share Christmas gifts with the community. Sounds like a normal church outing, but there was nothing normal about it.

The group was not a church gathering, but a gathering of the larger Church that included family members, friends, former church friends, and seminary students.

The gifts were just plates of cookies covered appealingly in clear wrap and ribbons.

The recipients were the dancers at a local strip bar in east New Orleans, during one of their busiest hours of work.

There was nothing normal about the outing.

The group of ladies who are working to establish relationships with the young women who work in these clubs had already made contact with the manager, and had been invited back on a night (Friday) when the club would have a larger group of women working.

We gathered together, the four who were prepared to go into the club, and the ten who would provide the prayer support and the protection. We prayed and talked about what to expect and prayed some more.

We divided into three cars and prayed on the way to the club.

We parked a ways from the club entrance and continued to watch 4 women with their wrapped plates of cookies walk to the door. It is one of the bravest moments I've ever witnessed. And, I should tell you, one of the women who boldly approached the club was my daughter, my baby, my youngest . . . you get the picture!

We sat in the car and prayed. They would hit a snag getting past the bouncer and send out a text asking for specific prayer, and we'd pray more. They were finally given access to the dancers in the dressing room and had the opportunity to meet and talk with young ladies they would never have encounter in any other way, to begin the slow process of building relationships, and to be the presence of Jesus Christ in that place. They went into the one of the seediest places I've ever seen so the women who worked there could "see" Jesus. 

I must confess that I started crying during the first prayer as we gathered and prayed throughout the process, one of the longest and most anxious experiences of my life. But God blessed their actions, their boldness, their dedication, and their concern. Only God knows what will come from their efforts, but those women at the club will know that on a cold, rainy night in Louisiana, 4 women went through the "gates of hell" with homemade cookies to meet them where they were. Those four ladies have become heroes to me . . . for allowing God to use them in a mighty way. The youngest of the four had never been in such a place before and she was obviously nervous. But after the experience, she glowed with what God had allowed her to do.

But what struck me most of all is that they were doing something extravagant in the name of our Lord––they were delivering the news of the birth of Jesus and demonstrating the the consequences of this birth in their own lives. It hit me in that moment that they were giving the true Christmas gift, the presence of Jesus, in the lives of those He came to save from this type of existence. It was a holy time. Is there any clearer picture of what this gift would mean for the world to receive the one who comes for all men and who is  love for them all? 

Would you join me in prayer for this group of ladies who are working to create relationships with the club workers and dancers so they will be able to see Jesus? Pray specifically:

1.  That management will continue to be open to allowing these ladies to come back into the club and to spend time with the dancers and workers.

2.  That the bouncer will continue to being open to allowing these outsiders into the club as well as in developing his own relationship through some of the husbands of these women who were there.

3.  That the women who entered these clubs will have a hedge of protection around them and that they will be physically safe while in the clubs.

4. That the women visiting the clubs will not be pulled into any of what they see in the clubs.

5.  That women will continue to open up about their concerns and their desires to get out of the business.

6. That the ladies who visit the club will feel they have been given a task that they are uniquely qualified for and were uniquely chosen.

7.  Pray for the family members and friends who become involved as prayer support that they will never take this kind of service as lightly done, but rather that what these ladies have done has the power to change the city of New Orleans and consequently the world.

Would you pray with me toward these ends?

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

While waiting for a recent meeting to begin a couple co-workers and I began talking about our sons.  One explained her theory that every boy is either fascinated with balls, trucks or action figures, and asked which category our boys fell into.  Another guy with a son about six months older than mine said that his son is a ball kid.  He went on to talk about how much his son loves sports and hockey in particular.  They take him to games and are starting to get him on the ice.  My two-year-old son, Caiden, is a truck boy.  He loves cars, trucks, trains, and vehicles of all kinds.  He can identify and call by name an excavator, bulldozer, backhoe, scraper grader, cherry-picker, forklift and the list goes on and on. 

I don’t know what kind of kid I was, but these days I am a ball kid, so I am ashamed to admit that I walked away from this conversation disappointed that Caiden is into trucks and not balls.  To be fair, he does line up behind me like a half-pint halfback, take a handoff and run into the kitchen to spike the ball while yelling, “Touchdown!”  He’ll also run around with a hockey stick and follow Eddie Olczyk’s advice to keep his stick on the ice, but none of these activities compare to his love of anything with wheels, and as sad is it sounds, this disappointed me. 

I want to share my love of sports with Caiden.  I believe there are great lessons to learn from playing sports. They teach us the value of teamwork, healthy competition and how to win or lose well, but at this point (excuse me while I vault to a conclusion), Caiden is more likely to be a mechanic than an NHL d-man.   If you are judging me and picturing the future destruction of my relationship with Caiden as I force him to play a sport he despises, please know that my response to this conversation made me sick.

In the end, I am grateful that this conversation uncovered my feelings. It has helped me to think through how I want to handle Caiden and his desire to play sports when he gets older. You see, I love Caiden like crazy, and I believe the most loving thing I can do is allow him to decide which sports, if any, he will play.  I will allow him to choose his own path even though it may not be what I would desire, and I do this because I love him.  Freedom, it turns out, flows from love. 

I wonder if there is a parallel here with God’s love.  What if God’s great love is the guiding reason for free will?  Is it possible that because of his crazy love for us, he allows us to choose whatever path we will, even if it means not following him, rather than force us into a life we did not choose? 

After facilitating strategic planning at several churches over the past 5 years, it never ceases to delight me when this happens. A church works through the strategic planning process, beginning with "What is our purpose?" then core values, then vision, then mission, and eventually working their way down to where the rubber hits the road -- "What is the most important thing that we need to do over the next year to move toward our vision?" They brainstorm a long list of possibilities, then weight them according to impact on the vision and mission. And life-on-life discipleship comes to the top.

In a recent encounter I overheard some of the leaders talking afterwards, saying that they were surprised that they had not been talking about that need, let alone planning toward developing something. But there was no denying the weight of the result. In fact, it was just ahead of no.  2, which was coming up with a leadership development process. And I believe this was the correct weighting, because in my experience leadership development STARTS WITH intentional discipleship. In fact, an effective discipleship process should be producing spiritual leaders, even if a church doesn't do anything else to develop the leaders. (I'm not saying there aren't several other significant things you can do to enhance and build on that, however).

Here's the thing. If a church wants to become more "missional," start with discipling believers to maturity, and you will see hearts grow for the least and the lost with skills developed to share the gospel, spiritual gifts and passions discovered, and support to help "commission" and coach people to get involved where they are called. This is all a part of life-on-life discipleship done effectively.

If a church wants to become more Biblical community oriented, start with discipling believers to maturity, and you will see hearts opened to our brothers and sisters in Christ and an understanding of what deep Biblical community is all about because we are experiencing that in our discipleship groups.

How fulfilling it is personally and honoring to God when we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us and our processes and speak into our hearts as leaders of the church!

Every year, my Sunday School class adopts some people to provide Christmas for. In the past, we've focused on children. But, this year, we adopted two senior adults who are often overlooked. Someone bought the gifts for us while I was in Israel. I wrapped them all yesterday to get them ready to deliver today. Their "wish lists" remind me that God is our provider . . . even for the little things.

One of the ladies, Bessie, wanted a warm jacket, a new set of sheets, pjs, kitchen towels, and a boiling pot. I wrapped each, along with a couple of other things she had asked for, and thought about how hard it can be to replace things when the money is tight.

The second lady, Lille, asked for a sweater, a blanket, a gown, soap, laundry soap, and dishwashing soap. I was overwhelmed. No matter how tough things have been for us, I've never struggled to buy stuff to do the laundry and wash the dishes.

As we graduated from seminary (the first time!), Bob and I made a conscious decision that money would never be a deciding factor in where we serve. That's true to this day. Yet, God has always provided for us. He has met our needs.

I was reminded yesterday, that sometimes God meets our needs through others . . . even if it's just providing the laundry soap.

It really is the little thing that can remind us of the greatness of our God.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager 

Elijah's challenge at Mt. Carmel stood above religion.

Though the prophets of Baal ritually shed there own blood,

Elijah's altar, drenched in a lavish baptism of water,

Was licked dry by God's unquenchable fire.

Why, then, Elijah, do you tremble in a cave, awaiting wind

When God, your strength, sings over you a gentle song?

I raise to God, my strength, a joyous song.

My soul, weighted down with the demands of religion

Flies unfettered, released to sail the Spirit's wind.

My righteous striving subsumed by the blood

Of Christ. His righteousness a refining fire;

Burning, purifying, soothed by living water.

The public proclamation of water

Baptism floods out in joyful song.

The inner light of Pentecost's fire

Illuminates the shades of religion.

Dried bones revived by sacrificial blood

Breathe in the life of Holy Wind.

We seek for the Spirit's wind

To stir the stagnant waters

Of our souls. Bought by blood,

We still succumb to the siren song

Of false gods and self serving religion.

Lord, rekindle our coals with revival fire.

Flee the wrath to come in Hell's eternal fire.

Hearken to God's call upon the wind.

The time has come to abandon dead religion

And plunge deep into the Spirit stirred water.

Your life has a place within God's song,

Sung for all time by those washed in Christ's blood.

The Gospel road is paved by the blood

Of the martyrs who willingly passed through fire.

Robed in white they sing redemption's song

From beneath the altar. Their voices on the wind

Carry across to us on this side of Jordan's water.

A great cloud of witnesses to the truth of this religion.

In Heaven our song will glory in Christ's blood.

Shedding our religion as we pass through fire

We will dance in a freer wind by streams of living water.

© Mary Elizabeth Whitlow 2011

Today we visited the ancient city of Megiddo, crossed the plain where Armageddon, and overlooked the city of Nazareth, where Jesus grew in wisdom and stature to become a man. It occurred to me that in that one place, Jesus was surrounded by His past, His present.  And he was and is the world’s future. I realize that may sound a little preposterous, so let me explain.

Nazareth was a tiny town, a town so insignificant that, when people heard that the Messiah was in Nazareth, people replied, “What possible good thing could come from Nazareth?”

Think about his childhood in Nazareth. There were only 120 to 150 residents. Everyone knew him, knew what he did, corrected his actions, judged his parents based on how he acted. Probably most of them were related to his family. Talk about having “too many” mommas and everyone knew his business.

We know he was raised as a devout Jew. He knew the scriptures and was taught how to understand them. He was taught a trade, which meant in spent lots of time with his earthly father, Joseph. He traveled with his family yearly to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and to worship in the temple.

When he climbed up the hill above his village, or traveled along the route toward Jerusalem, he would have been reminded of the importance of the plain of Armaggedon. From there he could see 30 miles and could see over twenty battlefields . . . the victories of Barok and Gideon, and the defeats of Saul and Josiah.

He could see the evidence of the past.

What could thing could come out of Nazareth? Only the perfect presence of God’s Son.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

One of my favorite lines from the movie Toy Story is "To infinity and beyond." Of course, it's spoken by a toy who never seems to recognize his own reality. As I'm preparing to head back to Israel today, though, those words keep running through my mind.

We (NavPress) are in the final stages of completing a free Christmas lesson that will be available on-line by the beginning of December. We used two passages: John 1 and Luke 2. For me, it was a wonderful experience. One writer described Jesus as "the living expression" of God. Love that picture! It is through Jesus that we can see God, that we can begin to understand His love for us, that we can glimpse His glory. Without Jesus, it would be really difficult to "picture" God at all.

Going to Israel is like that for me . . . I get to "see Jesus" in a new way . . . in context . . . and by seeing Him differently, I also get a glimpse at God that I might not have had before . . . "to infinity and beyond."

Margie Williamson

Community Manager