Mission Connexion 2013

I attended Mission Connexion for the first time on Saturday, and was instantly impressed by . . . the biggest crowd I've ever been a part of!  Taking part in worship along with such a multitude was like a little taste of heaven, as well as making me feel rather small.  But aside from that, I came away from that long day with a few valuable thoughts . . .

1. Listen!

It seemed I heard this word in every session and workshop, and it became clear to me that listening well takes a lot of work.  To listen to other people without interrupting with my thoughts, my advice, my story, to listen to God without being distracted by my ideas, my interpretations, my plans -- it's hard!  I need practice to just shut up and pay close attention in order to learn from what I hear.  Along with that . . .

2. Be Humble

In one small group I was a part of, I happened to be the only one with personal experience pertaining to the subject at hand, and I ended up dominating the conversation -- a rarity for me!  I had plenty of applicable stories, illustrations, and knowledge to share, but I realized that I felt somehow above my fellows, as if my superior learning was my own doing.  That was a shocker, but a good reminder -- all of the circumstances that make up my unique experience were orchestrated by God.  I have to be careful that even bragging on Him is truly meant for His glory!

3. Joy Motivates

One of the keynote speakers shared very inspiring stories of how God used her through intense inner and outer conflict, and what struck me most about her was her radiant joy, even when speaking of her crushing loss.  In a conversation later, I was reminded that ultimately, our motive for everything we do is that we believe it will bring us joy, either now or in the future.  Even Jesus had this motive (Hebrews 12:2).  The Christian life may be difficult, missions may cost us everything, but the joy to come will be worth it all!

I wasn't expecting to come away with these thoughts -- in fact, I hadn't predetermined what I wanted to learn at all.  (It sounds silly, and maybe I'm the only one, but I do it sometimes.)  I think that when we're willing to learn whatever God has to teach us, we pay more attention to His little reminders.  I'm listening!

Missing Out

Back to the subject of beauty, I am a committed lover of the sort found in forests, particularly coastal mountain forests (think Drift Creek Camp).  I've been pining for a good solo "Narrows" hike, or something along those lines. But being denied such luxury, I've found myself . . . discontent.  I tell myself I have every right to wish for it, I never get good alone time with God, etc.  But I think that while my mind was up in the hills where I wasn't, I missed out on the beauty close to home (remember that transformational frost?).

Perhaps "good alone time with God" doesn't just go with the territory of a glorious location, for all its benefits.  To put myself there would not guarantee thrilling fellowship, and I know full well my true desire can be perfectly met in the barnyard, or a dilapidated car, for that matter.  I limit God by equating Him with my greatest experiences of Him.  Yes, I do believe in holy ground, and yes, God speaks through His creation in unique and magnificent ways, but it is only one of the ways that He speaks.  He is not confined to any place, thank God!  And He is greater than the very best that I know of Him.  To expect Him to meet even my loftiest standard is missing out!

Beautiful moments with my Creator will come again, but it is not for me to decide when and where.  If He takes me to a coastal mountain forest to be alone with Him, I'm all for that, but if not, I must look for Him to meet me in all His beauty . . . right where I am.

O God, You are more awesome

than Your holy places . . .

Blessed be God!

Psalm 68:35

I . . . But You!

I am quiet.

My soul is lonely.

I feel invisible.

I fear the bold and confident ones.

I see my selfishness.

I understand so little, perhaps nothing.

I hear voices I love, yet none seeks me.

Would I be missed?

But You, You are so patient with me.

You are never far away.

You see me better than I ever will.

You are personal and caring.

You gave Yourself for me.

You understand all perfectly.

You hear voices You love, yet none seeks You.

Oh, Father, I need You desperately!

May truth prevail!

(Written September 15, 2012)

I'm Healthy Today!

There’s been a stomach bug going around these parts lately.  I hoped I would avoid it . . . but not quite.  I was blessed with a very mild case, hardly worth mention, but it got me thinking about how thankful I am that even that little annoying pain isn’t part of my daily life.  Sickness, after all, isn’t some added thing, but the absence of health in some form.  Few of us wake up every morning and think, “Praise the Lord!  I’m healthy today!”  We’re so used to it, we don’t even notice until it is taken away, and then we complain.  But perhaps we should look at it from another angle and be thankful for the health we do have so much of.

Health, like all other good things in life, is a grace of God.  We don’t deserve it – in fact, it would serve us right if we were sick all the time, considering the flippant way we so often treat our bodies.  But day after day, most of us wake up in good health, and day after day, we take it for granted.  This goes for most of the good things in life, the graces of God that we enjoy.  How often do we thank God for the air we breathe?  Hold your breath for a couple minutes, and suddenly that invisible stuff is precious!  Sleep under the stars – right now, in January – and your house, however shabby and cluttered, will seem a most beloved shelter.  Try fasting a day or two and see how much more you appreciate being able to eat every day.  Go without water, too . . . isn’t the stuff pouring out of the faucet at your slightest effort beautiful?

The list could go on and on – stay up all night, go barefoot, live through a power outage, walk a few miles, chop a tree down or dig a hole by hand.  Not only are our needs abundantly provided for, but we have many things to make life so easy that we hardly think about what it would be like without them.  And what about people?  The response to the loss of (admittedly annoying) family members is so often, “I wish I’d appreciated them more, spent more time with them, etc.”  Only when a grace is taken from us, be it a relationship, electricity, running water, or health, do we see it for what it is.  Perhaps God sometimes temporarily withdraws a blessing to remind us that we need Him, and inspire us to give Him praise for it.  And sometimes, He may not give it back.  So let’s be thankful now for all God’s undeserved goodness so richly lavished on us!

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.

Every good and perfect gift is from above . . .

James 1:16-17

Beauty

The last few days have been clear and cold, which can provoke a number of responses.  On one hand, sub-freezing temperatures are a pain.  Pipes and hoses freeze, hence, water must be hauled for the animals, hands ache and then go numb, and people hit black ice and drive through fences.  But there's definitely a bright side -- literally.

I can't think of anything that can transform a landscape quite like a heavy frost.  Every humble dead leaf and common mud puddle suddenly becomes a shimmering work of art.  This is what I've been noticing with this cold snap, and it's glorious!  As I do chores around 8:10 a.m., I get to witness the few short minutes of "the golden hour" of sunrise, when the angle is just right to make the whole scene glow and sparkle with an unmatched radiance.  Words can't describe it, film can't do it justice, but I long to share it, because in these moments, I feel, "This is what I was made for."

This is what we were made for.  Our world was intended to reflect the beauty of its Creator, and if we look close enough, beauty is truly found everywhere in nature.  But some moments, some corners of this earth are unquestionably more beautiful than others.  They are the ones that remind us of the world we created for, and keep us seeking to know our beautiful God more and more.  Thank God for frost, icy puddles, stunning sunrises, towering trees, mountaintop views, coastal forests, upward trails, deer ferns, clear rivers . . . and the home He's preparing for us that all these are only a peek at!

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."  ~C. S. Lewis